MASS DEFECT
SS.ORG Infiltrator
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.