# Opinions on the Seymour Duncan Invader?



## couverdure (Aug 22, 2017)

I'll be getting a used Seymour Duncan Invader bridge pickup that I found at a very low price from a seller this week (it's also the Synyster Gates signature version which has chrome poles as the only difference from the regular one) and I'll put it on my basswood RG, which has stock CAP pickups.

Aside from Syn, I know that Tom DeLonge had them as the only pickup in his old signature Fender Strat models which he used live along with Mesa Boogie Triple Recs around 1999-2003.

I read that it sounds very dirty and is very high on bass and mids, so I wonder how it will affect the amp tones I'm using (or sims at least, I'm using a Recto sim with my own settings in a BOSS amp editor). I usually just stay in standard tuning and Drop D, sometimes I'll go down a half or whole step, so I'm also wondering what the pickup would sound like in high vs. low tunings.


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## BubbleWrap (Aug 22, 2017)

It has a lot of low end and gets "muddy" pretty easily. If you change the pole pieces out for socket head cap screws or even standard fillister screws, you'll get a much tighter sound.


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## Zado (Aug 22, 2017)

Worst Duncan pickup along with the Dimebucker for me


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## couverdure (Aug 22, 2017)

BubbleWrap said:


> It has a lot of low end and gets "muddy" pretty easily. If you change the pole pieces out for socket head cap screws or even standard fillister screws, you'll get a much tighter sound.


I'm not sure how I'll be able to find those parts and modify it to change its tone without any chances of breaking it, or even finding them. I have zero experience in this kind of thing.



Zado said:


> Worst Duncan pickup along with the Dimebucker for me


You're making me feel worried that I might get buyers' remorse, I'm trying to get myself an upgrade from the boring pickups I have on my guitar.


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## Casper777 (Aug 22, 2017)

From all demos I've seen and heard, it really seems the Invader is one of the worst SD pickups. Muddy, overcompressed and not really usable for anything besides doomsludgecore metal...


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## cult (Aug 22, 2017)

You just need to have it set further away from the strings than you are used to, then it's a good pickup and will give you more clarity.
I had it in a Basswood Schecter 006 with a bolt on neck and thought it was fine sounding, although not the tightest pickup around.

Mess with the pickup height if you choose to get it.


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## couverdure (Aug 22, 2017)

Casper777 said:


> From all demos I've seen and heard, it really seems the Invader is one of the worst SD pickups. Muddy, overcompressed and not really usable for anything besides doomsludgecore metal...


Keith Merrow's demo sounded pretty tight and he was tuned to Drop A#, it might've been the amp and the mix. I'm not exactly looking for a super polished djent-y tone as I mentioned earlier that I don't downtune too much, and I feel like I shouldn't worry too much for a high-output bridge pickup.

I should also add what neck pickup should I pair it with, I'm thinking of the Jazz since it's supposed to work well with virtually every SD pickup.


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## bostjan (Aug 22, 2017)

It's far from my favourite SD pickup, but I used to have one in a six string, and it was serviceable. It's funny how some people told me they thought it sounded bright, but, to me, it sounded rather dark. It's a very high output pickup. If you are going for an aggressive pickup with a little high-mid roll off, then I don't see why it wouldn't work for you.


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## Zoobiedood (Aug 22, 2017)

The Invader is one of those pickups that works well with a series/parallel switch. In parallel, it is cleaner and clearer.


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## Edika (Aug 22, 2017)

I don't have an experience with the Invader but I do have an experience with a Dimebucker. I don't share Zado's experience as for the guitar I used it in it was great. It was a single hum, bolt on, Alder body, maple neck with maple fretboard and while the JB in there sounded good the Dimebucker brought more low mids and a nice bass response. The only negative I could find was a bit of a fuzzy element on the distortion but it was quite tight and really powerful with surprisingly full cleans.

My point is don't right the pick up off before you try it and test it. Some times descriptions are really accurate but sometimes the actual experience will vary and depends on the application. One personal example, I've read everywhere that the SD Alternative 8 is a hotter version of the JB with a tighter bass response and more low mids. The bass response was so tight it was non existent on the guitar I tried it. Nice, clear and tight pickup but so bright, a lot brighter than the JB.

Concerning the screws you can contact SD themselves about the size and pitch or even buy them directly from them. I did that with Dimarzio where on a pair of pickups the screws were really rusty. I contacted them and they sold me the screws for the specific pickups, as they have different sizes for different models, for a reasonable price. I assume SD would do the same.


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## BubbleWrap (Aug 22, 2017)

couverdure said:


> I'm not sure how I'll be able to find those parts and modify it to change its tone without any chances of breaking it, or even finding them. I have zero experience in this kind of thing.



It's painfully simple to do. Buy some #5-40 1/2-5/8" steel screws. I found socket head cap screws for around 6 cents each a few months ago. They're a bit brighter and tighter than the regular fillister head screws and much more focus than the large dome poles. Unscrew the stock poles, screw the new ones in, and heat up the pickups for a moment with a hair dryer to be sure the wax seals properly and doesn't cause the pickup to become microphonic. The pickup will then be very similar to the Duncan distortion, which is one of my favorite pickups.


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## PunkBillCarson (Aug 22, 2017)

There's something you have to remember when you're asking questions about pickups, at least here. You're currently on a site where quite a few people have taken to dialing out most of the bass out of their tone and have opted to push their mids so far as to sound like Donald Duck. Give the pickup a try, especially if you're not trying to emulate every single person with an extended range guitar and an Axe-FX. Install and EQ accordingly.


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## longfalcon (Aug 23, 2017)

Casper777 said:


> From all demos I've seen and heard, it really seems the Invader is one of the worst SD pickups. Muddy, overcompressed and not really usable for anything besides doomsludgecore metal...


note that the Invader with a 24.75 scale guitar in drop A is the "Nile Sound" as defined by Karl himself. 

everyone hates on the invader, but in every application through a good amp, it has sounded brutal to me. it is a one-trick pony for sure - but if you play basically 100% with distortion it can be a great pickup. because it has so much low end, you can cut mids and bass on your amp and get some really great sounds.


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Aug 23, 2017)

I've not used it personally, but I've done installs with it for customers over the years.
My personal opinion:
Output far too high for modern amps.
Low end build up is too excessive.
Too compressed sounding.
High Magnet Pull can mess with intonation.


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## MASS DEFECT (Aug 23, 2017)

It's one of the better high gain pickups I have. I have had it in a basswood and an alder bodied superstrat. Makes those guitars sound warmer with a lot of mids and smooth treble. The bass can be over the top if you are not after that sound.

The secret to it is to set it low and almost flush to the pickup rings. You get more clarity that way. The amp also makes the sound. It works well with solid state amps since it rounds up that solid state spike. I found it to work well with mid rangey and trebly amps.

Don't be afraid, just try it out. It might just surprise you. You got it for cheap anyway.

Invader + 5150 type amps are awesome.


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## robski92 (Aug 24, 2017)

I've had one for many years that's been in quite a few guitars. I got it to sound tight and I never thought it was muddy. There is also a mod I did for it that I thought made it much better. It has three ceramic magnets. Two spacers and a oversized one in the middle. Replacing the spacer mags with regular spacers Makes it sound like a meaner Duncan distortion. It also cleans it up very nicely and gets rid of any muddyness. It's a very easy mod to do and there are a lot of online sources that can guide you through the process. I highly recommend doing that mod.


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## couverdure (Sep 4, 2017)

So earlier today I had my guitar sent to a shop (which is an Ibanez and SD distributor to boot so the guy there knows what he's doing) to have the stock bridge pickup replaced with the Invader, and I'm loving it so far. The first time I plugged it in, it sounded like there was an OD pedal placed in between the amp and the guitar, the harsh trebles the old pickup had were gone, and it was a lot quieter when not played likely due to its wax-potting. The height is placed lower than the neck pickup so the tone might differ if it was in the same position as that or vice versa.

Here's my short (and terrible) demo of me playing the All The Small Things riff using the Invader and the stock Rectifier patch on my Roland amp editor, and some pics of my guitar that I took.


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## marcwormjim (Sep 5, 2017)

TonyFlyingSquirrel said:


> High Magnet Pull can mess with intonation.



Did it, or not? If so, were there attempts to mitigate it over the years, and what resulted?


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## elkoki (Sep 5, 2017)

I actually didn't think it was so bad. I had a Synyster Gates Special for a short while and it came stock with actual SD Invaders, not "Duncan Designed" ones. Probably not as clean and bright as most modern pickups like Nazgul, or Black Winter. But it wasn't so bad. It was thick, heavy, not overly muddy. But I used it in standard tuning and drop D. Since it has so much bass and mids, it's better to scoop out the mids a little and raise the treble up to balance things out. After that it actually sounded pretty decent to me. I only sold the guitar because I hated the hassle of the tremolo.


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## Shask (Sep 5, 2017)

Personally, I dont know why so many people hate on it. I just think the modern sound is to remove all bass from your guitar so it has no chunk.

I like the Invader, especially in thinner sounding guitars. I have one in a Charvel So-Cal and it is the only pickup so far that has given it any chunk. I think so many people talk about the bass, but to me, the real star is the mids. It has so many mids that it sounds like it has a built in tubescreamer. It always sounds like it has a OD boost on it, so it has a percussive pick attack to it. It is such a massive sounding pickup. The attack has so much weight to it.


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## davidswain (Sep 6, 2017)

Had one on a 6 string steinberger and a 7 string ESP. Dark and thick, great pick attack. Splits well but won't sound like a strat. Generally had a SD jazz in the neck. Very different combo but lots of cool sounds especially if you put them out of phase with each other. Bright neck pickup and dark Bridge - almost like you haven't changed position more gain and output.


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Sep 6, 2017)

marcwormjim said:


> Did it, or not? If so, were there attempts to mitigate it over the years, and what resulted?


lower the pickup height was the only real workaround, but you kind of lose the intended front end slam by doing so. Some like it, some don't.

I think it works best for standard or dropped D tuning, but if tune the whole guitar lower, you may find that it's emphasis on low end diminishes clarity in lower tunings. D Sonic from Dimarzio was designed with low tunings in mind, hence the emphasis on meds & highs.


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