8 String pickup shootout. Same amp, same guitar, no bull, no frills.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kile6q5nypv7k7m/Black Dog Medley.mp3?dl=0
some more black dog clips, this time with the kemper using the same settings as my other clips. Tubescreamer is on throughout so it's a bit tighter and nastier than the base sound of the black dog.

 

Made more Black Dog clips. All of them are compiled in this link.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/d1fw42rqz69lgy7/AABiCZfo-RrGWMThJVrXPaQwa?dl=0
Also made D-Activator clips:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/md62xsjuvv8dy67/AABKNHkkdTU5UaQZ0Dy3fngla?dl=0

 

yeah they're pretty good pickups. not my favorite but still pretty versatile.

 

decided to test a guitarmory matador. will post impressions/clips once I get it and install it.

 

Finally got around to installing the Matador and first impressions are that it's slightly darker on the low end than the black dog and has a thicker voicing, and doesn't quite have the snarl that the black dog has. It's still a mean sounding pickup, just different from the snarling rabid aggressiveness of the black dog. Clarity is great across all the strings. The high end is defined but slightly warmer than the black dog. Seems pretty versatile so far.
I also installed a BKP emerald in the neck and it's also quite clear/versatile so far. It cleans up exceptionally well but it's not as warm on the high end as the cold sweat, nor is it that round/smooth.

 

Matador clips are done: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yruhdpshnuvrbw6/AAD2vxgMXLhy0d5umLfvwlt_a?dl=0
I included high gain clips from 2 different setups, the jotun is the baseline (same as all the other clips I've made) and the other is a fortin jvm410 profile with sinmix's KSE cab DI. Settings are exactly the same (everything noon) except the jvm has a hint of reverb.

 

guitarmory polaris is the next pickup I'm testing.

 

made a video demoing the omega in my all mahogany avenger 8 through my boogie f30. I made it after I got off a 12 hr shift/I was sick so there's some flubs, but it'll give you a decent idea of how the pickup sounds.

 

I meant more that it has a faster response than the other pickup. It's more of a feel thing that becomes really obvious through my setups since the pickups are the only thing really changing. The c-pig for example, tracks pretty quickly but it also has a lot of low end, while the scythe also has a lot of low end but doesn't track nearly as well/have as tight of a response.

 

Polaris is here. clips will be up wednesday

 

The boogie and the guitar are different from what I used for my other soundcloud clips so it's not going to sound as tight/bright. The guitar is definitely darker/thicker sounding than my swamp ash 8. The f30 is also a darker sounding amp (at least on the contour channel where there's extra bass/mids and saturation). In person the Omega is still a tight sounding pickup that tracks well, I guess it doesn't translate through my video, probably because I filmed it with my cellphone.

 

first impressions of the polaris: has a little stiffer feel compared to the matador, likely due to the midrange bump and the tighter low end. It feels like it's a bit darker overall too. Reminds me of the black winter's voicing to an extent. I have the pickup pretty backed off from the strings right now so I'll report back after playing around with the height/testing it in other amps.

 

made a video of the elysian modern winds aka Goliaths in my knightro pioneer ms8:

 

Pegasus is a great pickup, especially once I threw a ceramic magnet into it. The elysian, black dog, matador and omega are also very versatile imo. The rest of them were definitely more metal oriented. I hated the cocked wah voicing of the juggernaut bridge. I liked the chunk it had in the low end and when I'd play chords though.

 

So I've played around with the polaris a bit more and it's tight/tracks really well. They chug really well and take a shine to big chords just fine, it has a beefy thick sound kind of like if mastodon/clutch/pelican/down/crowbar played 8 strings. It's not a super clear sounding pickup but works fine for extended chords. I don't know whether the chords would hold up in a full band mix if you put it in a darker guitar, but in an ash bodied guitar it's a nice sounding pickup. It wouldn't be my first choice if you're looking for uber versatility or a lot of clarity, but if you want a good beefy sounding bridge pickup for thicker/southern metal/sludge riffage this is a good choice.
Videos/clips for the polaris should be up on wednesday or thursday.
Adam from elysian pickups has a new model in the works and I'm thinking about trying it or a guitarmory orion/bkp ragnarok.