“I experimented with a lot of pickups before I settled on the Seymour Duncan JB SH-4,” says thrash-metal guitarist John Laux of Warbringer, which is working on a new album and is preparing for late spring tour dates.

“Distortion can be tricky when you need plenty of gain and still want a super warm colorful sound. I’ve found over-wound pickups to be too muddy, and most active pickups feel unnaturally compressed.

“The JB Model is a classic for a good reason: I get a huge modern crunch with the right vintage kind of vibe, and all my dive bombs and licks are always screaming! I have been using JBs for years as they are a rock and metal standard. Recently I switched to Duncan Customs and couldn’t be more pleased with the results. I love driving my high gain amp with a well-rounded passive pickup for a pure, warm, and heavy as hell crunch. All of my guitars have Seymour Duncans in them and I have never been happier with anything else.”