# Dimarzio Titan vs SD Pegasus



## spn_phoenix_92 (Dec 8, 2014)

I've got a new Ibanez coming in next week, & I'm wanting to replace the crappy stocks for something a little more refined. I'm looking for something that can be brutal, but not too harsh with great note separation & a tight low end for deep tunings. The 2 I've boiled it down to are the Titan & the Pegasus. I'd love to go for a BKP Juggernaut or Aftermath but when my wallet seen the price it retreated into a defensive position


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## TheWarAgainstTime (Dec 8, 2014)

I can't speak from experience for the Pegasus, but it's always seemed a bit too "soft" in demos I've heard. I have a Titan in a DKMG and it does tight and aggressive no problem, though I'd look into the D-Activator if that's your primary concern for the bridge pickup.


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## spn_phoenix_92 (Dec 8, 2014)

TheWarAgainstTime said:


> I can't speak from experience for the Pegasus, but it's always seemed a bit too "soft" in demos I've heard. I have a Titan in a DKMG and it does tight and aggressive no problem, though I'd look into the D-Activator if that's your primary concern for the bridge pickup.


I have, I prefer the sound of the Titan more. I'd mostly love to hear a comparison of the 2 mentioned pickups, but that may be hard to find.


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## Chrisjd (Dec 8, 2014)

I generally find duncans to sound superior to Dimarzio, when you compare similarly purposed pickups. 

Since you are going with an Ibanez, most ibanez guys gravitate toward dimarzio for some reason. I like the pegasus, but I prefer the nazgul.


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## spn_phoenix_92 (Dec 8, 2014)

Chrisjd said:


> I generally find duncans to sound superior to Dimarzio, when you compare similarly purposed pickups.
> 
> Since you are going with an Ibanez, most ibanez guys gravitate toward dimarzio for some reason. I like the pegasus, but I prefer the nazgul.



I'm usually a Duncan guy myself, but I've owned a Nazgul & hated it. I just haven't heard a good 6 string Pegasus demo to decide yet, but I'm really loving the sound of the Titans.


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## AkiraSpectrum (Dec 8, 2014)

Haven't played the Pegasus but I'm thinking you'll probably get along better with the Titan from the vibe you're sending out. 

If you install it remember that the Titan is very susceptible to distance from the strings (probably more than other pickups I've used). I had the Titans fairly far away when I first got them installed (how the tech set them in) and they were neat but didn't have the power I was expecting (especially on the low strings). I put the pickup closer to the strings to about 2mm away on the bass end (when 24 fret is pressed down) and I got the power I wanted/expected. Really cool pickups, especially for contemporary metal/prog. I've heard some people say the Titan is similar to a BKP Aftermath.


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## Tj_saxon (Dec 8, 2014)

Agreed on the height of the pick up for the titan. The smallest adjustment can make a world of a difference with them. I have mine very very close to the strings.


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## Purelojik (Dec 8, 2014)

the titan is killer. and its pretty versatile too. I didnt wanna use it for the djenty stuff so i backed off on the height a bit and bam. 
[SC]https://soundcloud.com/shehatesmytie/burl-maple-standard-tuning-metal-v2[/SC]
This is the titan bridge in my latest build, the burl maple and mahogany singlecut.


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## feraledge (Dec 8, 2014)

From what I understand, the Pegasus is the tighter, less overdriven Nazgul. I love Nazguls, but think that the direction the Pegasus goes too from there is too clean for my likes, but I don't think they're worlds apart. If you hated the Nazgul I doubt there is enough room between the 2 to justify giving it another shot. I love the Nazgul, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone who loathed a JB.


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## Purelojik (Dec 8, 2014)

i'd also entertain the Dominion by dimarzio. its my top choice next to my Blackwater Neo Moderns. the dominion has the best split coil sound i've heard, i have a demo on my soundcloud as well but dont wanna spam the thread.


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## Hachetjoel (Dec 9, 2014)

If you like bkp go with titans they sound and respond very similarly, but lack that intolerable bkp nasalayness


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## TheRileyOBrien (Dec 9, 2014)

Hachetjoel said:


> If you like bkp go with titans they sound and respond very similarly, but lack that intolerable bkp nasalayness



This^^^ They are the most similar to BKP of all the other pickups I have tried. The nasal sound is definitely tamed on the Titan(which is interesting since dimarzio tends to make some nasally pickups also). Tons of clarity and note definition and all the other trendy words. 

The pegasus is ok but not on the same level in my opinion. Out of the newer SD pickups I like the Black Winters the most. I would give the Titans the edge if I had to choose between the two sets. 

The Titans are amazing and I can't wait for the 7 string versions.


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## Hachetjoel (Dec 9, 2014)

^^^ seriously everytime I hear the tone zone I think my guitar needs a tissue.


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## Chrisjd (Dec 9, 2014)

feraledge said:


> From what I understand, the Pegasus is the tighter, less overdriven Nazgul. I love Nazguls, but think that the direction the Pegasus goes too from there is too clean for my likes, but I don't think they're worlds apart. If you hated the Nazgul I doubt there is enough room between the 2 to justify giving it another shot. I love the Nazgul, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone who loathed a JB.



Funny, I love the Nazgul and Distortion but I cannot stand the JB for metal.


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## spn_phoenix_92 (Dec 9, 2014)

AkiraSpectrum said:


> Haven't played the Pegasus but I'm thinking you'll probably get along better with the Titan from the vibe you're sending out.
> 
> If you install it remember that the Titan is very susceptible to distance from the strings (probably more than other pickups I've used). I had the Titans fairly far away when I first got them installed (how the tech set them in) and they were neat but didn't have the power I was expecting (especially on the low strings). I put the pickup closer to the strings to about 2mm away on the bass end (when 24 fret is pressed down) and I got the power I wanted/expected. Really cool pickups, especially for contemporary metal/prog. I've heard some people say the Titan is similar to a BKP Aftermath.


The Aftermath is the pickup I was going for so this sounds perfect




TheRileyOBrien said:


> This^^^ They are the most similar to BKP of all the other pickups I have tried. The nasal sound is definitely tamed on the Titan(which is interesting since dimarzio tends to make some nasally pickups also). Tons of clarity and note definition and all the other trendy words.
> 
> The pegasus is ok but not on the same level in my opinion. Out of the newer SD pickups I like the Black Winters the most. I would give the Titans the edge if I had to choose between the two sets.
> 
> The Titans are amazing and I can't wait for the 7 string versions.


I bought a set of Black Winters for my RG421 when they first released in America & am getting a white set for my Iceman, so far they're my favorite pickup from SD but I'm looking for something a little different for this guitar. Out of everything posted, I'm pretty sure I'm set on the Titans.


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## Konfyouzd (Dec 9, 2014)

You can throw a ton of gain at the Pegasus. The problem I had with it is that it seemed noticeably quieter to my ears when paired with the Sentient even though the two seemed to be voiced in such a way that they were quite complementary to one another.

In hindsight, I think the Pegasus needs to be relatively close to the strings to really get going. But it's a very good sounding pickup.


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## RagtimeDandy (Dec 9, 2014)

Honestly man, I'd save for the Juggernaut. Titans are just way too dark and "unclear" by comparison. I personally recommend the Miracle Man or Blackhawk (ceramic) for your needs, I'd hold out and buy a used one if you have the patience. I've tried many pickups (Titans included) and BKPs just have that extra edge that makes them worth the premium. They simply "work" instead of requiring tedious adjustments and sound THAT much better. I don't think you'd like the Aftermath (it's really dry and doesn't feel very lively), and I personally find the Juggernaut a bit floppy, but the Miracle Man (tight with a lot of low end), Blackhawk (irrationally balanced with perfect aggression - you can tweak it endlessly), or Juggernaut (a bit less clarity than the other two, but a damn versatile pickup with a great low end and "organic" sound) are exactly what you're looking for.

Titans are a great alternative, but you're much better off and probably with be ecstatic if you save the extra $20-30 and but a used BKP


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## Tj_saxon (Dec 10, 2014)

And if you get jugg or blackhawks and don't like them I will trade you my titans! =D Deal?


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## HumanFuseBen (Dec 10, 2014)

You want the Titan!!! It sounds beastly, dude, but not harsh. Great for leads, too. Scope this out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVBXndnGTYU&list=UUcLsvLJOecfCL6RplXhaO4Q


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## whosdealin (Dec 11, 2014)

I just put a Pegasus in a guitar that I tried several other pickups in..The Peggy has a similar vibe to the JB but it definitely has more bass and is a bit clearer, it's tight but not super tight. It's a actually pretty thick, I like it in this guitar so far. In general I like Duncan's more than Dimarzios and I have tried a lot of models from both companies. I have not tried the Titan though so who knows, man it's a carp shot with pickups , gotta just take the plunge and hope for the best lol.


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## Darthphineas (Dec 14, 2014)

I'm curious just how closely the titan is modeled after the aftermath. 

I know a dude that picked up a titan recently and can't stop talking about it. There is no doubt that DiMarzio has made a lot of progress the past few years while the other company mentioned has suffered from poor choices. Newer models like the Titan and ionizer and Illuminator and transition and PAF Master all seem as if DiMarzio is making an effort to deliver more of what the customer want.


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## whosdealin (Dec 14, 2014)

I'm just curious what poor choices do you think Bare Kunckle has made ?


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## shred-o-holic (Dec 17, 2014)

HumanFuseBen said:


> You want the Titan!!! It sounds beastly, dude, but not harsh. Great for leads, too. Scope this out! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVBXndnGTYU&list=UUcLsvLJOecfCL6RplXhaO4Q



The Titan is indeed the shit. I had an Aftermath harsh top end unless you are down tuning alot.


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## shred-o-holic (Dec 17, 2014)

Darthphineas said:


> I'm curious just how closely the titan is modeled after the aftermath.



I had the AM in my Horizon which I replaced with the Titan. The Aftermath has that twangy top end that the Titan does not. To me the Titan sounds closer to the Nailbomb than the Aftermath. But I prefer the Titan to either.


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## Shask (Dec 17, 2014)

shred-o-holic said:


> I had the AM in my Horizon which I replaced with the Titan. The Aftermath has that twangy top end that the Titan does not. To me the Titan sounds closer to the Nailbomb than the Aftermath. But I prefer the Titan to either.



You seem to love that Titan. What does it sound like? It always sounds very bright in demos I hear.

I am planning on buying a Duncan Custom for one of my guitars. Never tried it and always wanted to....


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## shred-o-holic (Dec 18, 2014)

Shask said:


> You seem to love that Titan. What does it sound like? It always sounds very bright in demos I hear.
> 
> I am planning on buying a Duncan Custom for one of my guitars. Never tried it and always wanted to....



Yeah Scott for sure I do love it. It's tight with a nice top end...it has character. Its just very mean but also very responsive to picking attack. To me it is clear but so lively and expressive. I've had alot of pickups and currently my faves are Bkp Nailbombs...EMG 57/66 and these. The Titan sitting in a room is the most fun to play. Dimarzio killed it with this one for sure.

I've had the Custom a couple times even modded a Custom with an Alnico 8 magnet and that was cool too. And the Custom 5 and the Custom custom currently in my Solo 6 great pickup. The best guitars I've heard the Custom in are LP's or LP types. Good pickup....nothing wrong them.....but again the Titan is my overall choice...I think they would jive in most guitars lol...


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## Shask (Dec 18, 2014)

shred-o-holic said:


> Yeah Scott for sure I do love it. It's tight with a nice top end...it has character. Its just very mean but also very responsive to picking attack. To me it is clear but so lively and expressive. I've had alot of pickups and currently my faves are Bkp Nailbombs...EMG 57/66 and these. The Titan sitting in a room is the most fun to play. Dimarzio killed it with this one for sure.
> 
> I've had the Custom a couple times even modded a Custom with an Alnico 8 magnet and that was cool too. And the Custom 5 and the Custom custom currently in my Solo 6 great pickup. The best guitars I've heard the Custom in are LP's or LP types. Good pickup....nothing wrong them.....but again the Titan is my overall choice...I think they would jive in most guitars lol...


I will have to keep it and the Dominion in mind. Id like to try one, but I have passed up the Custom time after time for a Dimarzio and I am putting my foot down this time! lol.

This actually all kind of started because of you, lol. We were having that conversation about 7 strings vs. detuned 6 strings, so I thought I would give the detuned 6 another shot. I found a cheap Ibanez project to work with. I sanded the neck down, reshaped it, blocked the trem, threw 13-56 strings on it, tuned it to B, now it is pickup time.


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## shred-o-holic (Dec 18, 2014)

Shask said:


> I will have to keep it and the Dominion in mind. Id like to try one, but I have passed up the Custom time after time for a Dimarzio and I am putting my foot down this time! lol.
> 
> This actually all kind of started because of you, lol. We were having that conversation about 7 strings vs. detuned 6 strings, so I thought I would give the detuned 6 another shot. I found a cheap Ibanez project to work with. I sanded the neck down, reshaped it, blocked the trem, threw 13-56 strings on it, tuned it to B, now it is pickup time.



Glad I could corrupt your brain lol. I just picked up a baritone schecter sls and have the BK Blackhawks installed. Dropped Bb right now 13-58. My other band got me into dropped tunings....hated them for a while but now I'm used to them.


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## Shask (Dec 18, 2014)

I usually tend to prefer 25.5". I dunno, just works for me. I have a Schecter Hellraiser C7 that is 26.5". I also usually tend to prefer standard tuning (lower of course), but will play dropped sometimes. My detuned 6 is actually sounding better dropped to A than my Ibanez 7 string dropped to A. It is weird. Maybe it is the Crunch Lab that is in that guitar....

One thing I am rediscovering is my love of the Floyd. I got away from them for many years, but starting to remember why I loved them. Even blocked, they make the best "hard tail" bridges!


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