DiMarzio DP820 D Activator 8 Bridge

With 7 and 8 string guitars it is hard to get good clarity with Passive pickups. This is one of the best passive pickups out there for 8 strings. With such low and extreme frequencies you really need the active preamp in the pickups to get the clarity in the tone. The D-Activator is a good choice for Dimarzio to use for their extended range pickups. This pickup sounds a lot like an active pickup so it has that clarity already. The pickup sounds pretty good for a passive in an 8 string. The normal D-activator sounds a lot like an EMG pickup. The eq on these pickups is pretty flat. You do not want a lot of bass dialed into the eq of the pickups on an extended range guitar. The guitar itself will have plenty of lower end tone. What you want it a lot of high end to keep the clarity in the tone. This pickup has a lot of mids so the sound can really cu tthrough. You get a really tight sound which is great for Djent or Meshuggah riffs. This is a good alternative to EMG's for your 8 string because 8 string and 7 string EMG's use a proprietary route. Which means if your guitar did not come with them originally you may have to do some extra cutting to install them. With these Dimarzios the size is standard and they should be able to go in any guitar that came with passive pickups. If you are looking for a clear sound for your 8 string and do not want to do the extra cutting required for a set of 8 string EMG”s this are a decent alternative but they dont have the complete EMG 8 string tone. This is as close as you are going to get to the active tone without going active.