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nickname009 « good for super tight metal! nothing else.. »
Published on 03/27/11 at 17:21Oh the famed invader pickup!! Made famous most likely due to James Hetfield using it back in the day on master of puppets. Can be coil tapped if you get the 4 conductor version. I've fortunately been able to use both the neck and bridge pickups together in a Jackson Stars Rhoads V. I have not tried it tapped.
as a neck pickup (CLEAN):
Not bad. Not shimmery or clean-like either. Though it is lower output than the bridge pickup. Clean it doesn't break up if you don't want it to, depending on where you set the height. Of course the magnets are HUGE, so the pickup height should definitely be set properly.
as a neck pickup (DIRTY):
The distortion is very modern with the ceramic pickup. I guess the best way to put it is gritty and a little bit crispy, yet thick at the same time. It's a very stiff sound, not very saggy and saturated at all, which, depending on your uses, can be a good thing.
as a bridge pickup (CLEAN):
Clean this pickup is definitely no fender single coil. It breaks up depending on your right hand technique, which is good for some. Though I personally don't mind break up, this type of break up is not what I'd prefer. Again, like the neck pickup the distortion sound is very stiff, even though it's very bassy it has a very specific sound. After owning the set for over 2 years I can almost hear it distinctly on songs/records or guitars. I wouldn't say this is a dynamic pickup, it doesn't clean up well with the volume rolled down, nor does it sound very good on low/medium gain.
Overall I think these are a great metal pickup and you're looking for a very tight sound with some grit. The clean is only average and not great. So it's not a very versatile pickup. On the positive, no matter how much gain you throw at it, it will stay tight.
as a neck pickup (CLEAN):
Not bad. Not shimmery or clean-like either. Though it is lower output than the bridge pickup. Clean it doesn't break up if you don't want it to, depending on where you set the height. Of course the magnets are HUGE, so the pickup height should definitely be set properly.
as a neck pickup (DIRTY):
The distortion is very modern with the ceramic pickup. I guess the best way to put it is gritty and a little bit crispy, yet thick at the same time. It's a very stiff sound, not very saggy and saturated at all, which, depending on your uses, can be a good thing.
as a bridge pickup (CLEAN):
Clean this pickup is definitely no fender single coil. It breaks up depending on your right hand technique, which is good for some. Though I personally don't mind break up, this type of break up is not what I'd prefer. Again, like the neck pickup the distortion sound is very stiff, even though it's very bassy it has a very specific sound. After owning the set for over 2 years I can almost hear it distinctly on songs/records or guitars. I wouldn't say this is a dynamic pickup, it doesn't clean up well with the volume rolled down, nor does it sound very good on low/medium gain.
Overall I think these are a great metal pickup and you're looking for a very tight sound with some grit. The clean is only average and not great. So it's not a very versatile pickup. On the positive, no matter how much gain you throw at it, it will stay tight.