All user reviews for the Seymour Duncan SH-6B Duncan Distortion Bridge

The Seymour Duncan Distortion is a new take on the JB. It features the same slugs on one coil, adjustable screw heads on the other and four conductor wiring. However, it has a ceramic magnet installed inside of it. This is what gives it its tone.

The Distortion is one of the tighter pickups that Seymour Duncan offers. The bass on this is ample enough to be fat but without being flubby. The midrange on this is fairly even sounding, and the treble is extended a bit thanks to the ceramic magnet. In reality, it’s just a JB with a ceramic (or maybe two or three of them stacked on top of each other) magnet(s) installed.

This is a very polarizing pickup as it depends on what you’re going for. Some metal guys love it for its very tight and searing quality. I’m generally one of those people. However, some find the treble to be a bit too much. I’ve experienced that in certain guitars as well. Like all Seymour Duncan pickups, it really depends on how the guitar sounds before you install the pickup. I’ve had good and bad luck in both mahogany and alder. My number one go-to pickup is the Duncan Custom, but the Duncan Distortion is currently in my number one guitar at the moment. Go figure. It just matched so perfectly that I have absolutely no desire to pull it out.

If you’re a metal player and looking for a tight pickup, I recommend checking this out. It’s a really good pickup for those machine gun riffs. However, just be aware that it can be bright if you’re not careful. If your guitar is already bright, you might want to try out the Custom instead. The nice thing is that Seymour Duncan has a return policy where they’ll let you swap out a pickup if you’re not satisfied with it.

(Originally written by Revan#/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
I installed it on an Ibanez RG321 (a mid-range instrument).

I wanted to upgrade the original pickups because they didn't match my tuning (drop B) and the sound was not accurate enough with distortion...

I searched a long time for the right pickup and I think I found it! In the beginning I was surprised by the very present mids...

But after a while I understood that this strong mid frequency response makes my guitar cut through the mix. The sound is more dynamic and the gain higher... The sound precision is stunning and this pickup can easily compete with active models.

The output level is also very high and with many overtones... The sound is warm and has a strong character!

The sound versatility is stunning regardless of the tuning. The sound is always clear and dynamic. Your amp will come to life. Even with drop B tuning the sound remains clean and accurate and the pickup doesn't generate any noise.

The SH-6 can be split, which is a great for clean sounds, and even though it's not the best pickup for clean sounds it does perform better than a 81...

I've had it for three months and I would certainly buy it again.

I recommend it first and foremost to people looking for an alternative to the characterless EMG pickups. If you want a warm, aggressive, accurate and dynamic sound, this pickup is made for you.

Update: a lot of people suggest, rightfully, that you should use it with a heavy string set... Which is normal considering the pickup is conceived for down tuning fans