Palm Muting sections : Full Shred 0:35 Distortion 1:32 Alternative 8 2:29 Nazgul 3:26 Invader 4:22 Omega 5:19 Pegasus 6:16 JB 7:12 Custom 8:09 Custom 5 9:06 EMTY 10:03 Blackout 11:00 Mustaine 11:56 DImebucker 12:53 Black Winter 13:49

@dustinpoff1558

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this. The palm muting section is what I kept forwarding to so that I could break this tie.

@mohitrahaman

3 жыл бұрын

Bruh I was about to do this for personal reasons! Thanks a ton.

@martyjackson180

3 жыл бұрын

@@mohitrahaman could be useful ;)

@wavtunemusic

3 жыл бұрын

Nazgul 🥇 Black Winter 🥈 Blackout 🥉

@Nicholas-Santiago

2 жыл бұрын

That Dimebucker has some quality to the bass frequencies that the others don't. It sounds crushing in an almost fuzzy way, but without being muddy!

5 years later and this is still one of the best pickup demos ive ever seen

@g.koch.

2 жыл бұрын

If they would only make one for clean aswell and the neck pu's 😕

@MrVegiita

2 жыл бұрын

Yup. I think Keith put this video up on his channel even earlier 👍🏻

@mythocrat

2 жыл бұрын

I still come back to these videos haha still didn't buy any, broke ass nigga :/

@randymiles904

2 жыл бұрын

I watch it from time to time

@jonathanarleys

Жыл бұрын

Make it 7 years later... 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

27 years later and this is still the best pickup comparison video we’ve ever seen.

Now 8 years later and still the best pickup demo ever made. Let's keep it going 🤘

i cant even imagine how long it took to make this video, but i greatly appreciate it

@seymourduncan

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for noticing!

@turaly0n

6 жыл бұрын

You can't upgrade from EMG. You can only change tone.

@XChristianNoirX

5 жыл бұрын

@@turaly0n That made me think.. There's no Emg comparison here. For a comparison this big, you really need the most standard pickup that exists in order to have any benchmark. Without a benchmark, I really can't decide at all.

@sceprent

5 жыл бұрын

Keith should get paid 💯 every time he changes out sets.

@willroland9811

4 жыл бұрын

@@turaly0n so sayeth the children of the emu...there's nothing anywhere regarding anything that can't be improved upon. Get real. Note to mention using emg and tone in the same paragraph is a violation of fundamental English, and just a joke to boot...tone... MUAHAHAHAHA!! Good one man...

This video will never die. The riff selected is absolute perfection: catchy, not too long so easier to compare, yet utilizes the WHOLE spectrum of the fretboard; palm mutes, power chords, single note lines. *Chef’s kiss* 👨‍🍳 👌

Sooooo basically if you can play it won't matter which Seymour Duncan metal pickup you use. You will sound bad ass.

@mikemorrison4860

4 жыл бұрын

Seriously...you nailed that.

@Timbo6669

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, they all sound good and couldn't decide...I went with invaders in my 7 string and WOW!

@akaalgaming9537

3 жыл бұрын

I got Duncan solars from ebay for £60 , they play nice I like them . They are basically SSH-14 , custom 5

@sterex9805

3 жыл бұрын

@@akaalgaming9537 Duncan solars are essentially Duncan designed. Came in my solar and really didn't like them at all.

@guacysock

2 жыл бұрын

As long as you can play as good as Keith merrow, which is unlikely for 99% of us lol

7 years and this is one of the best pickups demo ever!

Good ol' Keith Merrow. I really appreciate that he does these things. Dude is such an awesome resource for gear-heads.

@XxHarounXx

9 жыл бұрын

Well he does get paid for this

@flips220

9 жыл бұрын

***** And? I know he works for SD, but that doesn't change my sentiment any. I still appreciate the fact that we get these videos.

@ronson197730

8 жыл бұрын

+flips220 Absolutely dude, there are plenty of great endorsed artists out there, that don't take the time to educate us, paid or not.

@andrewmarkowski308

6 жыл бұрын

I'm glad there are people like Keith. Such an awesome guy.I instantly felt like I have a lot in common with him: guy is amazing guitarist, writes guitar-focused music and is gear freak. :D

@firmans12

4 жыл бұрын

@@XxHarounXx so people better not get paid for what he did? I assume and hope you have no job dude

Time Traveler from the future here, and I'd just like to confirm that it's 3024 and this is still the best pickup comparison video we've ever seen.

Best part about this video, after the brilliant showcase of pickup tones... is listening to these SICK riffs on repeat for 17 minutes

The Nazgul and black winter really sounded the best to me. I already have a custom shop nazgul, but I'd really like to try a black winter. Edit: wrote this years ago and have since owned several black winters. Fantastic pickup.

@KickArs

6 жыл бұрын

More defined Bass string less muddy?? Those were my pick too

@OldNick00

6 жыл бұрын

That Black Winter sounds gooooood!

@XChristianNoirX

5 жыл бұрын

If Nazgul sounds too clarity in you guitar, use black winter. One man's clarity is another's ice pick and vice-versa. Both sound great here, but different frequencies are emphasized. The thing is.. I've gotten almost as much variation from the Same pickup. I had a guitar with a JB... And I switched it out with a different JB, just because I wanted the Zebra look... And... The guitar didn't sound the same anymore. Sadness ensued.

@kambion

5 жыл бұрын

Nazgul and Custom sounded almost identical to me. Anyone else? M pick too.

@The_Fat_Turtle

5 жыл бұрын

It's probably super boring to non-guitarists, but the Nazgul gave me a little bit of chills when it was riffing hard, so it wins the competition for me. I heard good things, but never bothered to really look up videos of it in action and now want one in my drop tuning guitar.

The Nazgul sounded so clear. i like that the most.

@Rouwiinator

3 жыл бұрын

The Nazgul sounds great. I also really dig the alternative 8 it's somethign rather unique. But something about the Nazgul just makes me wanna take the hobits to isengard man.

@frayedsanity

3 жыл бұрын

was thinking this too! so transparent and clear but still bites like a cobra!

@singleproppilot

3 жыл бұрын

I already have the Nazgul /Sentient set in my 7 string, but came to this video to shop for pickups for a new guitar kit that I’m putting together. I still like the Nazgul best out of all of them.

@frayedsanity

3 жыл бұрын

@@Rouwiinator haha yes!

@sirus1987

3 жыл бұрын

I used to have a different opinion about this video and the Nazgul, but after listening again today, I have to agree that it does have a clarity that the others didn't have. I don't think it sounds nearly as full as some of the others, but I think it sits in the mix better than most or all of the others.

Wow the Sh-5 is so clear! Love that one!

Damn! That Black Winter absolutely slays!!!

Best Pickup Comparison ever. Thank you.

@willroland9811

4 жыл бұрын

Agreed. No better way I could imagine

this video is 7 years old at this point. STILL my go-to Duncan comparison video the amount of Duncans this has made me put in my guitars, without any regrets whatsoever, is borderline comical great job my dude

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you. I ordered the dimebucker. Ty for putting a video on there with all the different metal pickups

Custom SH-5

wow this was a lot of hard work! I appreciate the effort and sound quality. Thank you! I can clearly hear these pickups. I like the sound of the SH15, nazgul, pegasus, mustaine, and surprisingly the black winters sounded pretty good.

Fantastic consistency and picking accuracy. Inspiring stuff. The Nazgul sounds fantastic!

This has to be one of the best demos out there. Great tone and playing. Awesome film. The 2 customs sounded good to my ears and the Dave Mustaine Live Wire and Pegasus are a full blast.

Are we just going to ignore how talented this man is? Not only play this once, but many times with relative consistency. I tip my hat to you!

@hatefulconduct

6 ай бұрын

YEEaaahh made me realize I have a long way to go despite playing for over 20 years.

Man, the way this video is set up with the table o contents is tight. I just clicked thru so many pick ups and could actually hear the difference. I'm in buy mode so this is perfect timing. Thanks bruh

I cant get over how perfect that Nazgul is. The perfect pickup, the way a guitar is supposed to sound.

This is the best pickup comparison video I've ever seen. Of course, when you can play like Keith, you can make just about anything sound great...

That Nazgul and Omega sound really similar! Which both sound fantastic!

@Wrathofkala

6 жыл бұрын

I feel the same and the Distortion and Pegasus seem similar too me also.

@mikeylovebone5994

5 жыл бұрын

My 2 favs also

@mikeylovebone5994

5 жыл бұрын

Nazgul omega and the EMTY Blackout are my favs

@mhvvideomaking

2 жыл бұрын

Omega sounds more organic to me

I vote for sh-5 custom

@AbeldeBetancourt

3 жыл бұрын

Is this a showcase to help with a personal decision or some kind of electoral poll?

@CC-8891

3 жыл бұрын

@@AbeldeBetancourt he's just saying HE thinks the SH5 sounds the best to him. I agree with him too. Don't be a dickhead.

@raakareiska9804

3 жыл бұрын

Russians have interfered with voting! Stop the votes!

@Danthehorse

3 жыл бұрын

Sounds a little bit hollow?

@ragingskeptic9753

3 жыл бұрын

Based on this video, I opted for the SH-5 Custom / SH-1n '59 combo. It sounded okay, but I eventually replaced them with a set of Oripure pups, and the Oripures outshined the SD's IMHO. The Oripures are hot as fire, especially when tuned down.

hands down one of the best pick up comparison vids every! keep it the same consistency of rhythm throughout , you can actually really hear the differences recorded well if your in the market for some seymour dunc pick ups this is your vid

great demo...the nazgul, custom and the blackouts jumped out at me in the mix and soloed.

I love how over the years my favorite pick ups are now hella into my favorite metal genres I've always loved Seymour duncans tone and how it sounds in technical death metal and black metal genres its so unique sounding

one of the best pickups test, i love to see & hear the tone again and again

I put the Black Winters in my Hagstrom Ultra Swede last year and am nothing but impressed! They also sound great clean and with coils split too. I was surprised at the warmth au natural, but the definition and articulation with high gain is stupendous!

My first guitar was a B. C. Rich Mockingbird with an Invader in the bridge, and it's still one of my favorite sounding pickups today, the loud low-end beefiness, I find, is perfect for those low palm mute tones

7 years in... still the demo i needed to select the best pickup for me. outstanding demo~!

This video sold me on the JB and I'm still using it 6 years later.

Damn the Nazgul is amazing. Love that jangly high gain sound. Lots of personality there.

IMO Nazgul suited best for this particular setup. It's clear, articulate and doesn't have any of the muddiness or overwhelming treble which other pickups do share with this guitar.

Thanks for that. Alternative 8 and the Dave Mustaine Livewire absolutely rock. I NEED to try both. The other ones are pretty good to. I have to note that the JB and Custom still are some of the best...

Now this is how you demonstrate the difference between Seymour Duncan pickups. Thank You.

Great video! Thanks for putting so much work into it! Favorites: Full Shred, Omega, Pegasus Least Favorites: Distortion, Invader

EXCELLENT DEMONSTRATION! Especially the last couple of minutes to surmise what you had done. Pickup companies should employ you for demonstrations that don't compare 2 pickups only! Job well done! Only suggestion I'd add is to add some "shred leads" for those of us that are "stuck behind the times." Otherwise...kickass job!

I love how tight the Full Shred sounds but the floppy low end on the Omega is pretty awesome too

This is so much to sit through and audibly compare. It's a Little intimidating.. With that being said, this is by far the best pick up comparison video I've seen. This really helped a lot.

gotta be the best pickup comparison vid i've ever seen. Thank you!

This is an incredible resource. Well done!

I love the Pegasus

@pizzasaurolophus

4 жыл бұрын

same here, it's got that melodic death metal sound

@Roshpun

4 жыл бұрын

@@pizzasaurolophus with that comment you hit me into heart just to buy them \m/ MDM

@kkarx

3 жыл бұрын

It is a fuzzfest :P

Thanks to this video I bought Black Winter over Invader which I wanted in a first place. I regret nothing. Thank you for this video its been really helpful, especially the part with only the guitar.

The Blackout and Nazgul sound amazing. I've got a set of Blackouts in my Agile 727. I'm definitely going to have to get the Nazgul and Sentient set for my Ibanez RG8. Thanks for the comparison. \m/

This just gives me more knowledge of what I want what I need. Thanks.

SH-6 and Omega win for me in this video. As others say, you can never go wrong with good ol’ JBs. Great video!

SUCH a well made video. It gives you the best comparison. I cant be doing with videos where the guitarist is just fucking shredding for hours on end! You don't hear an accurate side-by-side difference that way. Great job guys, well done! 😃👍

I keep coming back just for the riff. Great playing.

OK, this has got to be the absolute standard of how to do pickup comparisons... I'd always avoided this vid because of the 'metal' in the name, but I'm glad I finally got to it. The JB and Customs hold their own, but how about those Livewires! I'm glad I went with a Dimebucker in an Ibanez RBM1, crisp on the high gain but still does a smooth overdrive. Brilliant video! Done some for cleans and low gain settings yet? Will check...

@7James77

4 жыл бұрын

I Loathe inconsistent pickup comparison videos. There's no need to try and be flashy. Just do one riff that last longer than 2 seconds and play it over and over with no talking. Let the pickups do the talking.

Blackout ahb-1, Custom 5 Sh-14, Nazgul, and Omega are my favorites. Good job Keith!

Still the best SD compare vid on the net! Thanks for your meticulous work here. The Dimebuckers - articulate and sizzling. Pegasus - Chunk without the BOOM.

Proper comparison video. Thank you!

Amazing how the JB stands out among it's brothers. What a fantastic and versatile pickup it is. I identified just by hear.

What a fantastic video comparison!!!

That's consistent playing

@timothyhingham3672

3 жыл бұрын

Very consistent, yet I felt playing technique differed slightly as he adjusted to emphasize the best attributes of each pickup.

Thanks to this video and to much dismay of my wife, i am now a proud player of the nagul/sentient, pegasus/sentient, & alpha/omega set. Love all these pups.

Nazgul really stand out, the king of these kind riff for sure, then Black winter and Mustaine are very close. All awesome PU and good mix, but I also pick 3 that not cup of my tea which is Invader/JB/Blackout. Love this kind of comparison, very impressive.

This is one of the best if not the best pickup comparison. The SH-10 pickups were the first Seymour Duncan pickups I ever played. They are amazing. The Nazgul and Pegasus sound awesome here.

These riffs never get old

@georgeluminari2511

4 жыл бұрын

whats the name of the song? is it original?

@nickolaynaydenov3292

Жыл бұрын

@@georgeluminari2511 Keith Merrow - Pillars of Re-creation

@santowarcoing

Жыл бұрын

@@nickolaynaydenov3292 merci pour la reference ,je desesperais de trouvé

The SH-15 alternative 8 had a really cool sound to it. Not my favorite but definitely stood out.

I love the riff in this I want to learn it! :D

@marvinbalasabas2172

2 жыл бұрын

Keith Merrow - Pillars of Creation

Awesome Playing and Awesome Comparison. I have the Distortion,Nazgul and Pegasus. They are also my favorite in that Order as well. In all honesty couldn’t go wrong with any of them as long as there Seymour Duncan!

The EMTY Blackout I did not even know exist is surprisingly dark and defined; damn it they are all really good pickups... I got the Livewire last year and don't regret it, they are so versatile, the best compromise between active and passive if you don't want to get stuck in a particular genre or era. If you want to play modern metal, drop C tuning will deliver just that. Great comparison.

Amazing performance. Thanks.

This is best pickup demo I've ever seen.

Those EMTY Blackouts are hands down my favorite active pickups

The distortion sounds more open to me, i love that

I'm banging my brains out over the "Nazgul" and/or the "Black Winter". This may sound like an oxymoron, but talk about "clean distortion" and beautiful articulate note separation. These two PUPS got my name on them. Beautiful video! - Mozez

Came for the pickup comparison. Stayed for the brutal riffing. Amazing playing and comparison.

Every single pickup video I've seen confirms that the black winter is the best pickup ever made

I'd forgotten how amazing these riffs were!!

Love my blackened black Seymour Duncan black winter set, awesome killer monster growls for shredding and riffing. 🤘🤘🤘

SH-5, Invader and Nazgul sounded great here! Awesome

Fantastic comparison!!!

Well done, 2 that completely caught me by surprise were the Pegasus, & sh5 Custom Wow!

Black Winters for me. I took Seymour Duncan's advice and boy were they right !! I have them in my Les Paul and they made a world of difference. I really like how even they are EQd.

@MegaAndyGG

6 жыл бұрын

andermarg Yeah!! Black Winters!! Best pickups ever made. Especially for metal, but they are also very clean and perfect EQ 666, just what you said. Amazing.

Wish I had of seen this yesterday before buying a new set of pickups that way I could be even more confident picking the Black Winters was the right choice :D

Full Shred 14:23 Distortion 14:34 Alternative 8 14:44 Nazgul 14:55 Invader 15:06 Omega 15:17 Pegasus 15:28 JB 15:39 Custom 15:50 Custom 5 16:01 EMTY- 16:12 Blackout 16:23 Dave Mustaine Livewire 16:33 Dimebucker 16:44 Black Winter 16:55

These riffs are so glorious 😍 🙌

Black Winter, Distortion, JB, Customer... thats my top 4.... hell of a video

This is a killer comparison, the best I've heard!!! We need something like this for all genre's ...not just metal. A perfectly clean demo would be amazing, you should make that happen SD! Pay this guy to do it ;). And this AMAZING riff! It's been stuck in my head for days now! I absolutely freaking love it! Thank you for this, Keith Merrow...BIG respect!!!

Sick! Nice work Keith Merrow

I forgot I was watching pickups demo. Just enjoying your playing :0

This is Excellent. I think the Pegasus sounds amazing with the Nazgûl Very close behind.

Before buying the Mayhem Set, I once again had to get back to this video! Love it!! 🤘😎

Fantastic, fantastic video! For djent / dark metal enthusiasts, I like these in this order: 1. SH-5 Custom 2. SH-6 Distortion 3. Black Winter 4. Omega 5. Dave Mustaine Livewire These will allow cutting mids and still getting brightest, cleanest notes, ssns tuning down without the mud.

@BetaBreaking

2 жыл бұрын

I'm looking to get a '30 baritone and switch out the SH-4 in my ESP Tele. And all I can say is that the SH-5 is looking better and better with each and every video I find. It's got that punch and clarity in the mid range that really works for chords and distortion, while also retaining some bottom end that's essentially missing from most these pickups, either due to pre/post EQ.

I have heard that the nazgul lacks clarity from a lot of people, but I think it’s one of the clearest sounding pick ups in this demo. It and the Pegasus sound the best here.

My faves: SH-15 Alternative 8, SH-10 Full Shred, Nazgûl, SH-14 Custom 5, AHB-1 Blackout, Dave Mustaine Livewire.

Now the world begs for this on a single cut type guitar and a T type guitar :P Amazing work, man.

Thx man. Very useful

this is really nice, thank u bro

Because of this video i just bought a Nazgul. it's so pretty, can't wait to pop it into my guitar

@guky667

2 жыл бұрын

forgot to update this, it sounds RIDICULOUSLY GOOD, it's unreal. something about the twang it has with lower notes when hit with high attack. i loved all 3 years of playing it and i can't see myself playing any other pickup anytime soon

Great Shootout!! Nazgul!

@Wrathofkala

6 жыл бұрын

Yes!

Nice playing 🤟

If I had to pick one, I would go for the Black Winter. Great comparison! 👍