# Seymour Duncan Passives in Basswood???



## ThrustTony (May 25, 2014)

I've heard Seymour Duncan sound bad in Basswood guitars, is that the case with all of them or are there any that work well with basswood?

I want to swap a set of Active EMG's for some passive pickups in my Ibanez RG7321. The passives would have to be active 707 size hence looking towards Seymour Duncan.

I've got Dimarzio Blaze in my other RG7321 and they sound great but I can't get them in mega active size


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## TheWarAgainstTime (May 25, 2014)

Tone is completely subjective, so only you can really decide if Duncans sound good or bad in your guitar. I had a Distortion and '59 in an RG and they were killer, just not what I was going for. 

Fretsonthenet has plastic EMG/soapbar style covers that you can put over passive pickups to take up the space left by active pickups. If you decide you don't want to try Duncans for their active-size covered pickups, you could just throw a pair of the plasic covers over something else.


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## ThrustTony (May 25, 2014)

Thanks for the reply.

I'm open to different sounds now as I've come away from active. as long as they don't sound horrible I'll give them a go.

Just checking out covers as well. That could mean I could try some d activators.

Thanks again


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## Zhysick (May 25, 2014)

I think the best pickups of Duncan for Basswood are the Distortion, Custom (or Custom 5) and the Invader.

What do you want? 
Super aggressive and bright with tight bass -> Distortion
Aggressive but a bit more "full" sounding in the middle -> Custom (a bit more rounder Custom %)
Super thick but defined and pretty aggressive -> Invader

Those are the best that sounds in Basswood FOR ME. I don't like the invader but I have to recognize it sounds pretty pretty good. The Custom (or Custom 5) just don't do the thing for what I want so my favorite is the Distortion but the Full Shred or Screaming Demon sounds great in basswood also

But as it is a 7 string guitar I would se "go for the safest" and buy a Pegasus or the Nazgul.

I have the Nazgul for my 8 string RG8 (basswood also) and it is a BEAST. Tight, powerfull, defined, aggressive... if you want something a little bit more "complex" and a little bit less aggressive buy the Pegasus instead.

For sure the Nazgul/Pegasus + Sentient combo are the best for 7/8 string guitars in the Duncan catalogue.


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## robski92 (May 25, 2014)

I have a set of black winters in my rg and they sound fantastic!


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## TheStig1214 (May 25, 2014)

I like my Full Shreds in my RG7321....


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## gclef (May 25, 2014)

I have a set of full shreds in my rg921.
Seriously great pickups in that guitar


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## K3V1N SHR3DZ (May 26, 2014)

I 2nd the idea of covers. 

MojoTone's 3.5" soapbar covers will enable you to use any(?) passive pickup while retaining the look of actives.

I personally swear by the Dimarzio Evolution/AirNorton in basswood. D Activator/Liquifire is also fantastic.


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## ThrustTony (May 26, 2014)

Thanks for all the replies.

I'm liking the idea of the Seymour Duncan distortion bridge position and a 59 in the neck position. 

I'm looking for a well rounded tone and something that will bring some life to the basswood body. 

Do you think this set up would be right for me.

The basswood body on the RG7321 I want the passives in is pretty heavy and dense compared to my other RG7321.

I've found there is not much sustain to it.

Something well rounded which would bring a bit more sustain and life would be perfect.


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## TheStig1214 (May 26, 2014)

ThrustTony said:


> Thanks for all the replies.
> 
> I'm liking the idea of the Seymour Duncan distortion bridge position and a 59 in the neck position.
> 
> ...



Lace Deathbar/X-Bar 3.5 bro.


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## Petie (May 27, 2014)

I'm rocking the Perpetual Burn and '59 in my RG550 and I bloody love it.


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## ThrustTony (May 28, 2014)

I've decided to play safe and go for the Nazgul and Sentient as they are designed for 7 strings and should bring life to my old 7321 lol

Thanks for all your posts and help guys. Your posts have been a massive help.

Thanks again


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## Les (May 28, 2014)

Nazgul in my Basswood RGIR28FE sounds great you wont be disappointed.


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## Lorcan Ward (May 28, 2014)

The Nazgul is the best pickup I've tried in basswood. It really tightens up the bass and compliments the bright middy sound of basswood.


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## Progbusters (May 29, 2014)

I've tried distortion, alnico2pro, custom5, and screaming demon. The distortion was okay. The decent one was Pearly Gates. Pearly gates bridge in the neck actually. But I settled on dimarzios


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## Hyacinth (May 30, 2014)

I just put a Nazgul/Sentient set in my Basswood Ibanez RG7620 and it sounds fantastic.


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## ThrustTony (May 30, 2014)

I have Dimarzio Blaze in my other RG7321 and they sound amazing!

I had them in one of my first ever 7 strings which was an RG7620 but ended up going the active route and coming back to them.

Really looking forward to getting a Nazgul in my other 7321 and seeing what it sounds like through my Engl Powerball.


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## Lorcan Ward (May 30, 2014)

I'm not sure how it would sound through a Powerball but through my old E530 it sounded very tight and aggressive. I will have a video demo up next week of how the Nazgul sounds on neutral settings.


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## Ericjutsu (May 30, 2014)

I have an Ibanez Prestige RG852 8 string which is a basswood body and I swapped out the 808's for Seymour Duncan Nazgul/Sentient pair and I think it sounds great. Very tight. The tech who installed them complimented on the sound of them as well.​


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## Thanatopsis (May 30, 2014)

I loved a Duncan Custom SH-5 in basswood.


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## omgitzrick (May 31, 2014)

I was just about ready to drop a Nazgul-Sentient combo into my RG8, but after listening to some comparisons I think I like the Pegasus a little better than the Naz. Has anyone tried Pegasus-Sentient in basswood? Also will the passive mount ones look okay or will they leave huge gaps? I don't really want to spend the extra but if it's going to look like shit I will.

Sorry for jacking the thread, just seemed like a good place to ask


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## Petie (May 31, 2014)

omgitzrick said:


> I was just about ready to drop a Nazgul-Sentient combo into my RG8, but after listening to some comparisons I think I like the Pegasus a little better than the Naz. Has anyone tried Pegasus-Sentient in basswood? Also will the passive mount ones look okay or will they leave huge gaps? I don't really want to spend the extra but if it's going to look like shit I will.
> 
> Sorry for jacking the thread, just seemed like a good place to ask



Yeah, I love the Pegasus and Sentient in basswood. I have them in an Iron Label RG 8-string. I've got the active-mount versions and they look badass.


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## ThrustTony (May 31, 2014)

No worries You haven't jacked my post, best place to ask as it's on the same topic and saves starting another post. 

By what I've gathered the Pagasus has less gain than the Nazgul but then I've heard the Nazgul is well defined and not as gainy as people first think.

I think Seymour Duncans description makes it sound muddy and over powerful.

They make it sound like your going to plug in and blow the roof off your house! Lol 

SD Quote......."Created for total sonic obliteration, the Nazgûl starts where most passive high output pickups stop"


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## Lorcan Ward (May 31, 2014)

ThrustTony said:


> SD Quote......."Created for total sonic obliteration, the Nazgûl starts where most passive high output pickups stop"



Yeah that description is terrible. I find my EMGs and BKPs much higher output. Its a powerful pickup but I still have the gain up on my Axe-Fx II. In my RG1527 the Nazgul is very saturated while in my KM7 its drier so it depends on the guitar. Same strings and pickup height. 

The Pegasus is like a smoother more polite Holy Diver. Compared to the Nazgul its quite different. Brighter but smoother, less output, not as tight and not as much mid-range. Its a versatile pickup but I didn't like it for fast tracking on the low B.


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## jclogston (Jun 1, 2014)

Duncan Distortion for me....though i am considering the black winter for my next guitar


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## Petie (Jun 1, 2014)

Here's a video I whipped up of the Perpetual Burn in the RG550. It's just camera sound but you'll get a pretty good idea. I like how 'earthy' it sounds when I roll the volume back. Reminds me a little of the EVH 'Hot For Teacher' sound. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VReSBBYwa50


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