Checked my riff-o-meter... Yup! Still the most badass riff. \m/

@CristianJailanderOrozco

9 жыл бұрын

Ola Englund Totally agree!

@blackjackmcgack

9 жыл бұрын

Ola Englund Hey Ola! Man, you should update your studio and go through your tones and stuff! That'd be so cool!

@silascf

9 жыл бұрын

Ola Englund i agree totally......

@cynicalbastard5616

9 жыл бұрын

Ola Englund You and Keith are such great musicians and complete yourselves great, you should do more stuff together because the results are so awesome ! ;-)

@joaovaz2253

9 жыл бұрын

Solar part 2!!!!

Full Shred 0:11 Distortion 1:08 Alternative 8 2:04 Nazgul 3:01 Invader 3:58 Omega 4:55 Pegasus 5:51 JB 6:48 Custom 7:45 Custom 5 8:42 EMTY 9:38 Blackout 10:35 Dave Mustain Livewire 11:32 Dimebucker 12:28 Black Winter 13:25 You're Welcome

@DiosDragon1111

5 жыл бұрын

😇

@eliasramirezcroman

5 жыл бұрын

Guitar Only- 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

@suspension9450

4 жыл бұрын

Denver Williams THANK YOU!

@zachparmer422

4 жыл бұрын

Description

@voltaspeeder17

2 жыл бұрын

There goes our hero! Thank you sir

I bet, that after 20 years SD will still compare their pickups with this riff

@timjim7830

5 жыл бұрын

*Keith moves to Fishman...

@paultorbert6929

5 жыл бұрын

hands down, the most killer advert for SD, EVER !!!!!!!

@TheArgus1000

4 жыл бұрын

Like nr 200. This riff will outlive us all and million years more.

@joelgarrard

3 жыл бұрын

Amen! Where's the tab for this riff lol

@3badthebad

3 жыл бұрын

Just watch his hands bruh, he plays this riff for like 10 minutes straight

And the algorithm shoots me a throwback... Can't believe I never posted that I bought a Pegasus because of this video, and however many years later, I could not be happier. Absolutely fantastic-sounding pickup. Thanks, Keith!

This is literally the most perfect pickup comparison for metal guitarist.

Nazgul is fucking gnarly. So powerful yet the tone has a lot of flavour. Good thing I can listen to that riff all day :)

@ICULooking

9 жыл бұрын

Andragon90 thanks for the showdown, Keith.

@maxo.2312

9 жыл бұрын

Andragon90 If you like this type of sound you should check out the Schecter Apocalypse it's fucking killer!

@ICULooking

9 жыл бұрын

riff forge yea reminds me of bareknuckles' cold sweat (I think that was the name) and nailbomb pickups. I think I like the Nazgul more though. Hard to describe but it sounds clearer.

@granto425

9 жыл бұрын

Andragon90 I totally agree, it has such a punchy midrange but it still sounds really present in the higher registers.

@aidanmiller5697

9 жыл бұрын

They sound just like Bareknuckles, if not better. I love mine!

This still remains as one of the most valuable videos ever for guitarists and builders. I can't thank Keith enough. Outstanding. And, damn, I love this riff!!!!!!

I never get tired of that riff. I not even listen the comparison, I just came for the riff. Again. And again. And again. I sweer, I want this on my funeral.

Guitar only section 14:23 Full Shred 14:34 Distortion 14:45 Alt8 14:56 Nazgul 15:07 Invader 15:18 Omega 15:29 Pegasus 15:39 JB 15:51 Custom 16:02 Custom 5 16:13 EMTY 16:24 Blackout 16:35 Mustaine 16:45 DImebucker 16:56 Black Winter

Nagzul is brutal. The pegasus has this melodic clarity. Wow

You're a boss, Keith.

@thedutchdjentleman

5 жыл бұрын

Mark Holcomb he is indeed

@veerayyahorapeti6896

4 жыл бұрын

@@thedutchdjentleman yes the riff sounds like periphery

@isaiahgrandt5305

2 жыл бұрын

@@veerayyahorapeti6896 na periphery sounds like this riff

I realy need a 10hour version of that riff ... cant get enough of it \m/

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

@johnw1566

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for that👌

I learned this. riff now i play it over and over again every time i go to guitar center to test several guitars

These are absolutely some of the sickest riffs i EVER heard... Loved every second of it & every little nuance !!!

I can (and have) watch this dozens of times and never get tired of it. What a monstrous set of riffs. And this sort of compare is the best ever done for pickups.

Still my favorite Merrow song. Glad to see an update of the old comparison video!

Can we talk about how incredible this riff is?

Always come back to this video when im gonna buy new pickups. The best pick up comparison ever made. I wish there were more.

Thank you for doing this update! I re-watch your original video as a reference all the time. The nostalgia- and cool- factors are 9000+ here!!

Came for the Pegasus, stayed for the riff!!! Hot damn!! Btw that itty bitty harmonic thrown in there just made my day!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥

The Nazgul saturates super awesome the way your tone is in this video. Especially when you hit the sixth string. Love it.

After all these years the distortion still holds its own against the new boys! Awesome demo!!

This video is my bible. THIS IS IT! I come back here every once in a while. Thank you very much Keith! I only miss the test were you played a couple Bare Knuckle pickups. Your sound with the Aftermath was THE TONE among tones!!!

Straight to the power-chord riff: Full Shred 0:22 Distortion 1:19 Alternative 8 2:16 Nazgul 3:12 Invader 4:09 Omega 5:06 Pegasus 6:03 JB 6:59 Custom 7:56 Custom 5 8:53 EMTY 9:49 Blackout 10:46 Dave Mustain Livewire 11:43 Dimebucker 12:40 Black Winter 13:37

Love this comparison !

@logamotive4215

8 жыл бұрын

Bruh, I feel like I see you everywhere now lmao

@hotdog4927

8 жыл бұрын

Cheah!

@dylangreen9819

7 жыл бұрын

bakerXderek yo bxdickhead

@pwnageking999

7 жыл бұрын

VDP_Logan where there is metal...there is bakerxderek

@welldang4

3 жыл бұрын

CHYEAH

This is the best video! Every few years when a guitar needs an upgrade, I stay here for about 30 minutes to recall the sound profiles, and then make a decision what to buy. Every pickup manufacturer should do a video like this!

Finally a comparison video done right! The guitar only at the end was very helpful. Searching for clean tone comparison now.

that feeling when you hear pillars of creation :3

@aybmnn

9 жыл бұрын

acab hqrte re-creation

@maxo.2312

9 жыл бұрын

acab hqrte the feeling if you're actually able to play it

@NeZversSounds

9 жыл бұрын

riff forge that feeling when you tried to learn and failed :D

@hqrte

9 жыл бұрын

riff forge the song is not that difficult, the problem for me is that i don't have YET a 7 string guitar XS

@aybmnn

9 жыл бұрын

acab hqrte you can play it on 6 string guitar just drop everything two steps, in the video he's playing a 6 string guitar

Ahhh the refreshing sound of pillars of recreation. I actually learned that song by ear just because I loved it so much. Best riffs I know, imho

@blackjackmcgack

9 жыл бұрын

Hank Hill You fucking live on KZread don't you, my friend

@giorgosmetalheart1767

9 жыл бұрын

blackjackmcgack oh yes he does

@VoiceKulaka

9 жыл бұрын

blackjackmcgack propane gave him the power!

@StricklandAssistantManager

8 жыл бұрын

+blackjackmcgack I do now. Now that my show is cancelled I have nothing better to do.

@VoiceKulaka

8 жыл бұрын

Hank Hill Hank, I will love to hear your music!

I've had the SH5 Custom (DCJ) in my LP since the mid 80's and still absolutely love it. Thanks for the great wind job Juanita Juarez!!

Great video Keith. I can't imagine how much time this took to put together. Nice work!

Love that mid presence in the Custom 5! Nazgul sounds gnarly too.

@scottdavidson6066

Жыл бұрын

The Custom 5 is scooped. The original Custom has better mids!

Someone needs to do this with the vintage pickups and classic rock riffs, like '59, Pearly Gates, Alnico II Pros, etc.

That's the most helpful video on the Internet. I've never had the slightest idea how to choose a pickup. I just listened to this video without watching. I was so surprised by my choice.

@ryanbirabent-genone9219

6 ай бұрын

What was your choice???

I could seriously listen to that on repeat all day long.

For me the Nazgul and the Omega sounded the best by a good bit. Really impressed.

The Full Shred is my favorite. Been using them since '87. They sound phenomenal and are razor sharp, totally cut through.

I swear I've had enough listening to pickup comparison demos - they all sound great!

words cannot describe how happy i was when i saw you posted this! :)

the point of this video is that you can't go wrong with any Seymour Duncan pickups. However, the snarl of the Nazgul gives me goosebumps!

This video is awesome. Every pickup sounds great especially with this badass riffing.

Thanks for the demo Keith, I recently put an SH5 Custom on my Schecter Blackjack SLS FRS and the thing screams. I couldn't be happier with the tone. Smooth and Aggressive, perfectly naturally EQ'd.

Really love your pickups comparison videos. Listen to previous one hundreds of times.

If only the Omega didn't cost that much. Such a well defined tone. The Nazgul comes very close to it, although the highs are a bit too much. Still ordered mine yesterday. Thanks for the video, Keith. I was going for the JB before I watched this comparison.

The pickups that really intrigue me: 1) Omega, A very Hi- Fidelity Pickup. Sounds like it has the best clarity of all the passive pick-ups (doesnt compress as hard). In-fact It sounds more akin to the EMTY in terms of its tone and ability to handle dirt while staying "clear". Very cutting treble but doesn't whimp out on the bass either. -If I had to do Extended Range chord work, no doubt this would be one of the pick-ups i'd use in a heart beat. - if it was a character, it come off as a contract killer, precise and effective. Almost Machine-like (actives) feeling that makes it seem worth it. 2) Pegasus, also has a hi-fidelity "singing" quality to it. -It has a tone palette of the Duncan Distortion without feeling overly compressed, yet on the aspect of upper mids it sounds a little bit like the JB without the excessive mid bump. -Not as aggressive sounding as the rest but can hold his own with a very well mannered lower end. (not as tight as the naz or blackouts but doesn't flub out like the invaders and full shred) - If it was a character, it come across as a astute professor by day, but an English Brawler by night. 3) Black Winters. Sounds like a very souped up custom 5. Shares very similar tone palette but is tighter all round. Has the effect of sounding larger. - If it was a character, definitely the Big Bodyguard of an entourage. His presence is definitely felt just by looking at him. Not necessary for him to speak for you to feel intimidated.

I love that the Dimebucker holds up after all these years. And Wes’s rails are like a more refined version

This is hands-down the most valuable video for consideration of SD pickup options if you can’t try them all live (and who can?) Now that I’ve installed a Custom and acquired another guitar with a Distortion, you can hear how lifeless the Distortion is for rock and classic metal compared to the Custom, and that tonality bears out in the guitar-only track even with a more modern metal riff. Even 5 years later, thank you!

Could listen to this riff a million times

Hands down the SH-5 is the best out of all of these beautiful pickups--it's got a warmth and detail that few of the other pickups can match but still retains grit, clarity, and attack for more aggressive riffs and tones. It's not the highest output nor is it the most "djenty" but it's so well balanced and "open", there just isn't another pickup like it.

@kiezersosay49

Жыл бұрын

It's been My favorite for a bit now. I put one in my s-style ⅞ warmoth and I love it.

Thanks for making this video! It was exactly what I needed to help me decide which pickup suited my needs.

Oh man those that SH-5 sounds so good. Ended up ordering them on reverb can’t wait to try them

Custom still killing it! Nazgul a close second! Awesome riffs!

Nice, kicking it old school. Great demo as expected :)

im watching this video every day for 2 weeks and I can't get enough, this riff, damn

I loved every single one of them! Can I get one of each for Christmas, as a gift? XD Seriously now, this comparison is awesome! Rumor has it that he's still playing that riff nonstop, to this day, while pickups are continuously getting changed into the guitar! 🤘😋

The SH-5 sounds the best IMO, it has the note separation of a higher-output pickup, but with the depth of a lower-output pickup.

@MegaAndyGG

6 жыл бұрын

Alex Wright SH-14 is even better! ;)

@Randomly_Ruli

6 жыл бұрын

It's the one everyone sleeps on

@crystaloffrost

5 жыл бұрын

I was going to write the exact same comment.

@ezassegai4793

5 жыл бұрын

sh15 mate

@ezassegai4793

5 жыл бұрын

put a sh6 on a fat mahagony single cut guitar and you will never look back

Oh good, now I cant decide. Now I have to go buy 8 more guitars

@wojciechszeler2

Ай бұрын

thats the spirit!

I tried to listen to this "blind" while browsing in another tab, and the pickups that sounded best to my ear were the Alternative 8 and Custom 5. Not what I would have guessed! Awesome video.

One of the best music/riffs i ever found on youtube in comparison category :) nice very nice

Chugs Full Shred 0:36 Distortion 1:33 Alternative 8 2:30 Nazgul 3:26 Invader 4:23 Omega 5:19 Pegasus 6:16 JB 7:13 Custom 8:10 Custom 5 9:06 EMTY 10:03 Blackout 11:00 Dave Mustain Livewire 11:56 Dimebucker 12:54 Black Winter 13:51

My top three: 1) Black Winter 16:55 2) Custom (SH-5) 15:50 3) Nazgul 14:55

@godsreclamation2539

4 жыл бұрын

I agree. Got two seven strings with one having the sh-5 and the other a black winter. Slays.

@DiosDragon1111

4 жыл бұрын

Custom nazgul bw

This video is what I keep coming back to for my pickup needs. It inspired me to get a Blackwinter Humbucker/trembucker set for my Spear RD-T, and now I think I gotta get an Omega set for my Gladius. Damn that’s crisp.

as I get older, my metal tolerance gets lower and lower. I actually listened to all of this one. It sounds great and I likes it. Great playing

that nazgûl is quite a powerful pickup.

@pizzasaurolophus

4 жыл бұрын

reminds me of a dimarzio crunchlab

Nazgul, Omega, Custom, and Black Winter

Wow! I appreciate the huge amount of work that went into creating this video. It's the best pickup shootout I've ever seen or heard. I love the Nazgul and have it in my KM-7 and Banshee 6 Passive guitars. The other pickup that really stood out for me has got to be the Pegasus. Thanks Keith.

I got a SH-5, based so much on this video. I have a crappy recording system, and even in this situation it presents this beautiful, rich, smooth low end.

You know what impressed me the most? The guitar. That Schecter sounded great with a wide range of pickups. Well done.

@13superdude2

8 жыл бұрын

I'm not sure why it would surprise you, Schecter makes great guitars

@carlosmanuelbeltranperez104

6 жыл бұрын

Brian Palmer vF

I like the Invader the most here. Adds some nice chunk in the bass and low-mid frequencies and has nice attenuated highs. A lot of the other pickups have the icepick thing going on in the high mids and highs.

very great job man, this post concretely helped me to get the answers I was looking for, respect for all the work behind this video :)

Gosh, this makes me nostalgic of that black winter black metal demo. My favourite video hands down, i wish Keith make more of those.

SH 5 !!!

Guitar Only- Distortion 14:34 Alternative 8 14:44 Omega 15:17 Pegasus 15:28 Custom 15:50 Custom 5 16:01 Black Winter 16:55

@timbuk1126

Жыл бұрын

The Custom sounds way better than the rest.

This is the best video on KZread with no second place in sight. You fucking rock, dude. SD should have someone feed you bacon anytime you want it for the rest of your life.

I keep coming back to the Nazgul for clarity and separation throughout the entire spectrum. It sounds so complex................ROCK ON

Good thing watching Keith playing his old tunes again.

Nazgul sounds the best, but god damn that pegasus pickup is also pretty chunky and badass

The song is Pillars of Re-Creation, by Merrow for anyone wondering.

@ryseofthefallen3705

Жыл бұрын

Epic! thanking you 🤘

I have to say great job on the video! I can only imagine how much work you put into making that video. I know it was a great pain in the ass switching pickups and playing the same riff over and over. ((great riff by the way))but my favorite out of all of those pickups is the black winter. they have got a really nice sound as well as all the pickups do. but the black winter gets my vote, again great job!

For my own reference later: Nazgul 3:01 Custom 7:45 Blackout 10:35 Baseline, what I have. Nazgul 14:55 Custom 15:50 Broad and even. Blackout 16:23 Baseline for comparison. Dimebucker 16:44 same as Custom but with more phasing attack, think Van Halen dynamics. Black Winter 16:55 same as custom but with dreamy midrange phasing. Think of soundscapes.

the good old SH5. still one of my favorite Pickups. that and the Nazgul are the highlights here for me. The Invader is duller than British daytime TV.

I could be listening this riff the whole day and still want to hear it again

That. Riff. Discovering Merrow's music has really given me a new source of inspiration in my playing. Bought me a 7 string which I now have problems putting down. ;) So many killer riffs!

Jesus, Keith makes some of the meanest/coolest fucking riffs ever!!!

one of the best riffs of all times ho yesssssss

One of the sickest riffs I've ever heard in my life.

Thanks for another great pickup demo/comparison video Keith. Next, you should do a video demoing and comparing Seymour Duncan neck pickups, and have some long notes in there to so we can notice the sustain. Thanks Keith! keep up the great work.

The Omega and Black Winter sound just insane.

Finally a high quality metal comparison between the JB and Custom 5!!! Thanks Keith! LTD put Custom 5s in some of their EC models years ago so I was really curious to hear that comparison. I prefer the JB. I don't see the Custom 5 beating it in any application.

@nightrider6976

8 жыл бұрын

this is a kind of limited comparison, but the custom 5 should sound really mellow on an eclipse, better for hard rock than a JB, but with better clean sound

@jeffhallart

8 жыл бұрын

+Ernesto Picasso how would the Custom 5 be better for hard rock than a JB? To my ears the JB is a pretty good hard rock pickup. I agree the JB's clean sound isn't that great.

@jeffhallart

8 жыл бұрын

+Ernesto Picasso I had the JB in my Les Paul (all mahogany) for a while and the clean sound didn't even compare to that of my Burstbucker Pros. Oh well there's always a trade-off.

@nightrider6976

8 жыл бұрын

+Jeff H yes, the custom 5 would be ideal, a custom should work too, but sometimes is too harsh for some people

@bargoldstein4898

8 жыл бұрын

i agree with you. the custom 5 sounded the best here. and Full Shred too

Classic JB holding its own. I love coming back to this vid. Nazgul Rulz by far!

All for science. This will be the gold standard of pickup comparisons for years to come (Until you release the next one basically).

Man ... your music .. why is it so good ?

@chadigholam

7 жыл бұрын

Mark Deaton best response on earth lmao

The JB still wins it for me. The Nazgul does sound nice here but in other demos I listened to, the ceramic harshness became apparent real fast. The Pegasus has nice chord separation, but it lacks the pick attack and sounds yucky due to lack of mids. The SH-6 Distortion and SH-5 Custom came second place for me. Those are by far the only SD pickups other than the JB that impressed me in this demo.

Just: Thank you!! This video is exactly what I was looking for to have a first opinion of: what pickup to buy for exclusive distorded-metal sound!

Proud owner and absolutely in love with the Nazgul / Sentient set ! My RG3120 flat out smokes now ! 👍👍👊🤘😜

The Alternative 8 is the only one that breaks the mold. Love it!!! 🤘

@KodyXXVll

3 жыл бұрын

seems to be a mixup between that and the custom sh-5. ive always liked the sh-6 and JB models but this video makes me think the SH-5 is the way to go.

He saved the best for last \m/

@JakeBoop

9 жыл бұрын

Andrew Wukusick hey, I know you! ;P

Impressed with how well the custom5 sounds with this style of music. You have to expect the Nazgul, black winter, Mustaine types to excel being they are specifically designed for metal.

After this video I did put black winters on my RG custom and I can say they are simply amazing. Used to play with JBs. These pickups are unbelieavable and I’ll probably put them on most of my guitars