If you’re seeking the ideal bass guitar pickups for metal music, look for one with high-gain distortion capabilities. EMG collaborated with David Ellefson (Megadeth) to produce their DE set which features deep and rich sounds that help cut through any mix.
Seymour Duncan’s Blackout bass humbuckers provide searing lead tones and thunderous lows for power chords, as well as fingerstyle and slap bass playing. These dual blade P-style humbuckers also respond well to fingerstyle and slap bass techniques.
1. EMG 81
If you’re seeking an active pickup to give your metal tone an impressive edge, the EMG 81 might just be what you need. This pickup has been specifically engineered to work well in the bridge position of an eight-string guitar and will give your lead lines a powerful punch that cuts through even dense mixes. Furthermore, its powerful sound and clear high-end response also makes it popular among rhythm players.
This humbucker was developed alongside the EMG 85 and features steel bars instead of traditional separate pole pieces and larger ceramic magnets to achieve its signature sound. This results in tighter response when played at high gain settings while keeping articulation clear when dealing with distortion, something some pickups struggle with.
This pickup has a harsh high-end response that is easily resolved through tone control or EQ adjustments. Some players may also find its linearity too restrictive – depending on personal tastes, this could either be seen as positive or negative.
Another outstanding feature of this pickup is its absence of any hum, which can be an issue when used with pedals; this feature makes using it with pedals much simpler while eliminating unwanted interference and ruining tone. Furthermore, recording is made even simpler thanks to low noise levels on this pickup model.
Overall, the EMG 81 is an excellent metal and hard rock pickup. With a powerful sound that cuts through any mix and easy use with various amps, this pickup provides rhythm players with thicker sounding rhythm parts than passive pickups can offer.
One potential drawback to this pickup is its price, although it should still be considered by those looking for great metal tones. If spending too much is not appealing, other alternatives exist on the market that could fit better for you.
2. Bare Knuckle Pickups Ragnarok
Bare Knuckle Pickups, based out of the UK, has earned a solid reputation for producing high-output yet versatile humbuckers. Each pickup features different combinations of coil windings, magnets and wire types designed to suit various musical genres and styles; their selection covers blues, rock and metal as well as more aggressive forms like thrash, death metal and hardcore punk. Their designs also enable extreme levels of gain without impacting midrange clarity making them popular choices among heavy metal guitarists.
The Ragnarok is a high-output pickup designed by Bare Knuckle founder Tim Mills in collaboration with Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor of Periphery. Powered by ceramic magnets and providing crushing amounts of power, the Ragnarok excels at extreme metal styles while working equally well in cleaner settings – adding thickness without becoming overwhelming or honky; its high end is impressively clear to cut through even thickest distortion with ease; perfect for shredding solos and harmonics!
Bare Knuckle Nailbomb pickups are great metal pickups that also work well for other genres, and will provide your guitar with an aggressive yet melodic tone suitable for blues, rock, or pop music. Available both as Alnico V and ceramic options, its high output humbucker gives it maximum flexibility to cover different genres with ease. Their powerful voice gives your instrument an authoritative tone ideal for heavy metal but will work just as well in melodic styles such as blues and rock music.
One of the Nailbomb’s great advantages is its adaptability, making it suitable for virtually every genre of music. When playing progressive metal, for example, its neck position offers tight and focused response while its bridge pickup adds extra power to your riffs. Plus, its powerful voice responds well to different picking dynamics!
3. Seymour Duncan Invader
The Invader guitar pickup is an iconic model in its field. Engineered specifically to suit aggressive playing styles and high gain amp setups, its trifecta of large ceramic magnets, overwound coils and black oxide cap screws delivers pure sonic destruction on any high gain amp setup. Punk enthusiasts and metalheads alike use this electrifying weapon of mass destruction.
This monster of a humbucker is ideal for drop-tuned metal, offering thick lows and an airy midrange that still sound good when tuned down. Ceramic magnets provide more defined high end without sounding harsh or compressed, making this pick an excellent choice for anyone wanting to play metal but maintain some flexibility in their tone.
The Bare Knuckle Pickups Ragnarok bass guitar pickup is an ideal solution for metal players seeking an aggressive yet clear-sounding pickup. Though more costly than its Invader counterpart, this humbucker’s versatile nature enables it to tackle everything from high-gain death metal licks to bluesy blues licks without losing its punchy sound. Plus, its large hex pole pieces give an open sound that works to even out string-to-string balance for consistent tonality across strings.
Switching out bass guitar pickups can be an easy and effective way to transform the tone of your instrument. Every guitarist has his or her own playing style; so even though your current rig may work great for what you do now, switching up its tone could make a noticeable difference in terms of how it responds and feels during gameplay.
If you’re in the market for new bass guitar pickups, take a look at what Seymour Duncan has available. Their wide variety of models makes it easy to find something suitable to your playing style – metal fans should check out their Zephyr Silver pickup which utilizes silver wire to give a distinct tone that’s well suited for higher gain tones.
4. Black Winter
Gaining a good heavy metal bass sound largely relies on your amplifier and playing style, not on its pickups alone; however, having good-quality pickups certainly helps! The ideal bass pickups for metal are those which produce big and deep tones while remaining clear – without this equipment combination it may be impossible to achieve such sounds so many bassists invest in quality pickups as an integral component of their setup.
No matter your musical genre of choice – from Black Metal to traditional hard rock and metal – there are various bass guitar pickup options for you to consider when selecting your bass guitar pickups. Single coil and humbucker models each provide different tones and benefits. Single-coil pickups typically consist of one coil wrapped around a magnetic bar magnet, creating a warm yet rich tone ideal for bass instruments used in styles like funk or jazz that need strong low end.
Humbucker bass guitar pickups feature two coils separated by an air gap to allow interaction between coils for fuller, rounder sound production. These pickups are perfect for heavy metal and blues genres and can be found on bass instruments such as Fender Jazz Bass or Ibanez Artcore Bass basses.
The Black Winter is a humbucking pickup tailored for metal and other high-gain styles. With its large ceramic magnets providing incredible power, this pickup can handle even the harshest levels of distortion while remaining clear and focused. Plus, its massive midrange is great for chording chords or riffing while its searing leads make your sound stand out in any mix!
Some bass guitar pickup sets include not only the pickups themselves, but also all necessary wiring and connectors for installation in your bass guitar. This can save time and hassle as well as ensure your pickups are wired correctly. Furthermore, these sets may feature solderless connectors to allow easier replacement without soldering being necessary.