Need some pickup advice?

[DeathByTear]

Hey, ive been looking around for a really good metal pickup, Ive been checking out emg-81s but i dont know if i want them do you guys know any seymour duncan pickups that will give me a sound similar or even hevier then the emg 81 ?

[JammerMatt]

Welcome to the board DBT,

I can't fully answer your question because I've never tried actives. However, the metal pickups I've used that have worked well are the Distortion, the JB and the Custom. The Custom seems to have a great all-around sound with a vintage vibe and heavy delivery. I think the Custom has the best lead tone of the bunch. The JB is 80's all the way with great harmonics, but can sometimes be mushy on the bottom end in certain setups. The JB is probably the "funnest" of the three because it has a nice voice and you can just feel the hairspray in your hair when you play it. The Distortion is the latest I've tried and is in a temperamental instrument. It has alot of power and crunch, and I think some people feel it is a little over-the-top. It's a great metal pup, however, and I'm still deciding how much I like it.

As for comparison to actives, I'll let someone else chime in, and give you a bump up to the top of the list.

-Matt

[jeremy]

if you want actives, get the metal livewire. great crushing metal tone.
if you want passives then id go for either the distortion, invader or, parallel axis distortion. check out the sound samples on the main duncan sight to see which flavor you like best