Seymour Duncan alt.metal Blackouts (rebadged AHB3s?)

[MASS DEFECT]

I installed a set of the new alt.metal blackouts in an LTD EC-401, tuned to D-standard, about a week ago. My active pickup experience has always been with EMG's and I wanted to try something different.

Please bear in mind, I am not a gigging or recording musician, at this stage in my life. Merely an aging metal-head hobbyist who just likes to noodle around with guitars, amps, sims/plugins and other random gear, in his very limited spare time away from other grown up responsibilities, i.e., work, family, etc.

That being said, I don't particularly care for the alt.metals. Maybe my ear is just too attuned to EMG's but I find the bridge to be too high output for anything I'd likely ever need and the bass is simply overwhelming and flubby. Seems like no matter how i EQ my amp (Boss Katana 100 MkII), I can't get rid of the flubbiness. However, the bridge pickup does have some interesting percussive qualities, while the neck pickup is really nice, even with lots of gain, for fluid yet aggressive lead tones. I like it much more than an EMG 85 in the neck position.

Maybe I just need to spend some more time with them, tweaking the amp settings and pickup height. However, in hindsight, I probably wouldn't buy them if had I known, but who knows, maybe now that I have them, they'll grow on me.

The Alt Metal (AHB3) are the tightest of the six string Blackouts. But they still have plenty of low end compared to any EMG. You can lower the pickup height to get less gain and control the flub.

 

[soldierkahn]

if you are having a hard time dialing out low end, try lowering the pickup a fair amount. Press down the last fret on the fretboard, then lower the pickup until you can squeeze a nickel in between the string and pickup. That seems to be a fairly decent "sweet spot"

 

[Steadybeheady]

I figure these are confirmed to be the same as the EMTY.. but has anyone had both on hand to compare? SD support said this after saying “they are close in spec but not exactly the same” “The alt.metal will have a slightly different EQ and wind, but it would be the closest in spec to the EMTY.” Hogwash? I said I may have to look for the EMTYs on the used and they stuck to their guns.

 

[mrblue]

Ok. So I've spent some time with them. My final verdict: Meh. I could take 'em or leave 'em. But since I have 'em, not sure if I'll keep them or replace them. In the meantime, that guitar has been sitting untouched except for the rare moment when I grab it, thinking: "Maybe I can make these sound more appealing." Then I twiddle knobs and tweak the pickup height for an hour and move onto something else.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Anyone had a chance to try these compared to the old Mick Thomson pickups?

I managed to get a AHB3 bridge pickup (had a neck pickup sitting around) and yeah, the bridge pickup is just okay. Basically a Blackout without the huge treble spike and more mids. Just makes it sound *too* balanced for my taste. Neck pickup is great though. Probably one of my favorite actives for cleans.