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Posted by: eLeCtRoFrEaK0036 May 30 2011, 01:01 PM

Hi everyone, just need some help on choosing some good pickups for Heavy Metal, Thrash metal, Death metal....you get the idea!
I'll be making a guitar by myself after i buy a body!

Posted by: SpaseMoonkey May 30 2011, 01:15 PM

There are tons of pickups that could be used.
EMG: 81, 85, 81x , 85x, ALX.
Seymour Duncan: SH-8, SH-13, AHB-1, AHB-3
DiMarzio: D-Activators, Liquifire, X2N.

There are prob still way more than I even listed that just a few. I don't really think that the pickup makes it "metal" because I a few different guitars all different pickups and they all can get that tone. Just got to change the settings a bit on the amp/pedals.

- Travis S.

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic May 30 2011, 07:54 PM

Any active pickups that can retain clarity with hi gain, and that have big output will do the job mate.

More important thing in metal - is to have proper metal amp. There's nothing like a hi-gain overdrive from the amp itself.

Posted by: Mudbone May 30 2011, 08:23 PM

Like SpaceMoonkey said, check out the EMG 81. That pickup is the standard for metal pickups, you won't be disappointed. It works best in very high gain applications, but for lower gain settings it does lack a little dynamics.

Posted by: jstcrsn May 31 2011, 01:22 AM

it depends if your are changing your current guitar and if it is active or not
if you have passive pickups ,I would stay that way, or you will have to redo all the pots as well
This is the pickup I have been wanting to get
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Lace-Drop-and-Gain-Humbucker-Pickup-305422-i1167970.gc
but , I have never heard it so it would be an experiment for me as well

Posted by: Todd Simpson May 31 2011, 02:23 AM

Depending on the EMG kit, the pots probably come with it. If you are installing yourself, going from Passive to Active can be a bit daunting. If you are going to put EMGs in, you may want to seriously consider having a PRO do it for you. I've seen far to many botched "home" jobs where the soldering is faulty, etc.

The LACE sensors are very nice pickups. They have great output for "passive" pickups. So the the ALEXI pickups and the ROCKFIELD MAFFIA. But it's nowhere close to EMG gain. Lots of factors to weigh. Cost, install, etc.

Some great advice It's hard to go wrong with Active EMG pickups. The passives are cheaper but just don't have as much gain. They can't, they aren't battery driven

The 81 in the bridge is a great way to start. You can always add more later.

I've got the KERRY KING set one of my guitars that includes a flip switch pream in addition to the preamp in the pickups. Sick amounts gain.

Posted by: Mudbone May 31 2011, 04:42 AM

I kinda figured installing the EMG kit would be the easiest, because there is little to no soldering involved. I guess it might depend on the guitar. A friend of mine installed a kit in his Strat and he said it was pretty straight forward, no soldering at all. Have you had a different experience Todd?

Posted by: Todd Simpson Jun 1 2011, 07:41 AM

There is a killer boutique custom shop near me called "Maple Street Guitars" they have a team of luthiers and bench guys who do this work. I just handed them the kit, my guitar, and said go for it. They did have to actually cut in to the body of the guitar as the EMG is a large pickup. The risk here is that it can split the wood. The good news is these guys are pros and it went perfect.

It's really important to develop a good relationship with a local shop. Sadly, from what I gather, there aren't lots of Mom and Pop guitar shops like this in Europe. Or even Guitar Center outlets for that matter. Which seems odd given how many musicians there are. But whaddya gonna do?

If anybody needs custom work done, it might be worth a visit to Atlanta to do some sight seeing and have great guys fix up your baby.

http://www.maplestreetguitars.com/