# Opinions about seymour duncan pegasus?



## elkoki (Apr 24, 2017)

Just wondering what people think about it? Not sure I want to swap out any pickups on my guitars right now. But i'm considering getting a cheap used 7 string guitar to mess around with and swap out the pickups. 

What kind of music styles does it work with best?


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## KnightBrolaire (Apr 24, 2017)

It's a pretty versatile pickup imo. I've gotten anywhere from jazzy cleans to brutal death metal tones with it. Some say it's not aggressive enough for extreme metal but I think it works really really well under gain and is plenty aggressive with a tubescreamer/the right amp. It's not super high output like a ceramic warpig/black winter/distortion/invader but is pretty damn good for the price. I've got clips of the 8 string version in my sig.


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## AkiraSpectrum (Apr 24, 2017)

I really like the Pegasus, I have a 6-string and 7-string version. Quite versatile from a contemporary perspective. Great for Prog-styles. Quick/tight/focused attack but the tonal character isn't too compressed like a number of 'contemporary' pickups out there. 

The Pegasus is more polite sounding and isn't super aggressive, but with enough gain and an OD pedal (which most guitarists use for heavy styles anyways) you get a versatile pickup with great tonal qualities and a relatively even EQ. 

I have a demo of the Pegasus and Sentient 6-string pickups here:
https://soundcloud.com/michael-sherbert/duncan-pegasus-and-sentient-test

To hear the Pegasus in high gain with an OD without any reverb or anything just skip to the end bit.


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## elkoki (Apr 24, 2017)

Thanks guys. Nice demos. Sounds good


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## Lemonbaby (Apr 26, 2017)

I used a Pegasus for my 7 build and like it a lot. However, I found the high frequencies just a liiiittle too harsh and used a 250k pot.


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## elkoki (Apr 28, 2017)

Lemonbaby said:


> I used a Pegasus for my 7 build and like it a lot. However, I found the high frequencies just a liiiittle too harsh and used a 250k pot.



A little harsh? compared to what? I have a Nazgul in one of my guitars, now that's harsh lol.


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## Lemonbaby (Apr 28, 2017)

elkoki said:


> A little harsh? compared to what? I have a Nazgul in one of my guitars, now that's harsh lol.



The high end is a little too fizzy for a distortion sound I'd like, but that's very well under control with the 250k pot. As said, I like the Pegasus, but IMHO the Titan is balanced a little better. The latter is actually the best bridge pickup I tried so far (and I tried something around 20 PUs in the last two years).


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## Drew (Apr 28, 2017)

I had one in my Suhr 7 for a little while. Very clear and articulate. I loved the Sentient for that, but in the bridge it wasn't quite what I was looking for, and I went with a Wolfe-rewound JB7 for a while before settling on a Custom 7. 



It wasn't bad by any means, just wasn't quite my cup of tea.


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## elkoki (Apr 28, 2017)

Lemonbaby said:


> The high end is a little too fizzy for a distortion sound I'd like, but that's very well under control with the 250k pot. As said, I like the Pegasus, but IMHO the Titan is balanced a little better. The latter is actually the best bridge pickup I tried so far (and I tried something around 20 PUs in the last two years).



what do you normally tune to?


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## Lemonbaby (Apr 29, 2017)

elkoki said:


> what do you normally tune to?



Standard tuning, B-E-A-D-G-b-e


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## FourT6and2 (May 1, 2017)

I hated the Pegasus I tried in my Mayones Duvell. Guitar came with a Nazgul. I swapped it to try. Horrible. The Pegasus is lifeless, dull, round, and loose. While the Nazgul can have an emphatic and greasy high end, it at least has more character and aggression. It's tighter and meaner. But if you want something that's a bit more versatile, but still has character and aggression, but lower in output, I would take a serious look at the Omega. To me, the Omega sounds like the the description for the Pegasus on SD's website. Definitely my favorite pickup to date. The Nazgul is a close second. I'd like to try a Black Winter as well someday.


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## cardinal (May 1, 2017)

I didn't hate it, but if you read some complaints about the Dimarzio Tone Zone 7 (boomy, muddy, slow attack, etc.), any of those complaints apply perhaps more so to the Pegasus. It thought it worked well as a rock pickup and it worked well enough if you boost the amp with an OD pedal because the boost tightens it up. 

My fav Duncan probably is the Distortion. I can't help but smile when playing through one because metal riffs just flow out uncontrollably. Never tried the Nazgul or Black Winter.


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## elkoki (May 2, 2017)

cardinal said:


> I didn't hate it, but if you read some complaints about the Dimarzio Tone Zone 7 (boomy, muddy, slow attack, etc.), any of those complaints apply perhaps more so to the Pegasus. It thought it worked well as a rock pickup and it worked well enough if you boost the amp with an OD pedal because the boost tightens it up.
> 
> My fav Duncan probably is the Distortion. I can't help but smile when playing through one because metal riffs just flow out uncontrollably. Never tried the Nazgul or Black Winter.



Weird that a tone zone would be considered to be tighter when a Pegasus was built from the ground up for 7 and 8 string guitars . What guitar did you have it in and what amps did you use it with ?


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## cardinal (May 2, 2017)

elkoki said:


> Weird that a tone zone would be considered to be tighter when a Pegasus was built from the ground up for 7 and 8 string guitars . What guitar did you have it in and what amps did you use it with ?



It was in an old UV7SBK. I used it with a Marshall JCM 800 and a Triple Recto.


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## KnightBrolaire (May 2, 2017)

cardinal said:


> I didn't hate it, but if you read some complaints about the Dimarzio Tone Zone 7 (boomy, muddy, slow attack, etc.), any of those complaints apply perhaps more so to the Pegasus. It thought it worked well as a rock pickup and it worked well enough if you boost the amp with an OD pedal because the boost tightens it up.
> 
> My fav Duncan probably is the Distortion. I can't help but smile when playing through one because metal riffs just flow out uncontrollably. Never tried the Nazgul or Black Winter.



I didn't find the pegasus muddy or slow at all. Definitely had a bit more bass present than I was expecting, but it wasn't anywhere near as extreme as the c-pig I tried. If you like the Distortion you'll probably love the black winter, it's like a modded distortion imo.


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## BubbleWrap (May 2, 2017)

I really like the Pegasus in my SCB7. To really appreciate it, you have to approach this pickup with the understanding that it hasn't been designed to be extremely aggressive and or have brutal picking response. SD describes this pretty clearly, but some people still manage to expect something different. It's lush, gorgeous, and warm. Complex chords just bloom with however much intensity you want. But it still shines in the heavy stuff. I tend to go through periods of tone chasing until I reach something I really like, then don't turn any knobs or screws for a while until I want a different sound. I haven't changed anything for like two months, which is really long time for me. I did quite a bit of tweaking with the pegaus/sentient set when I got them, but I'm currently very pleased with the stock A5 magnets with hex pole pieces. It's a bit tighter and more articulate than one with the standard poles, but still retains the gorgeous A5 tone. I've had a ceramic 8 magnet in it for a while, it was much tighter for chunky riffing but lost a lot of it's previous lovely character. If you're just looking for hard and heavy hitting pickup, get a black winter, nazgul, or distortion. If you want versatility with amazing tone across innumerable genres, go with the pegasus.


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## elkoki (May 2, 2017)

BubbleWrap said:


> I really like the Pegasus in my SCB7. To really appreciate it, you have to approach this pickup with the understanding that it hasn't been designed to be extremely aggressive and or have brutal picking response. SD describes this pretty clearly, but some people still manage to expect something different. It's lush, gorgeous, and warm. Complex chords just bloom with however much intensity you want. But it still shines in the heavy stuff. I tend to go through periods of tone chasing until I reach something I really like, then don't turn any knobs or screws for a while until I want a different sound. I haven't changed anything for like two months, which is really long time for me. I did quite a bit of tweaking with the pegaus/sentient set when I got them, but I'm currently very pleased with the stock A5 magnets with hex pole pieces. It's a bit tighter and more articulate than one with the standard poles, but still retains the gorgeous A5 tone. I've had a ceramic 8 magnet in it for a while, it was much tighter for chunky riffing but lost a lot of it's previous lovely character. If you're just looking for hard and heavy hitting pickup, get a black winter, nazgul, or distortion. If you want versatility with amazing tone across innumerable genres, go with the pegasus.




I definitely want some versatility . I know the Pegasus is medium output , I think with the right amp a medium output pickup is enough . I have a peavey triple x head and that has way more distortion and power than I'll ever need . Using my nazgul through it sounds very powerful , but leads are over the top trebley. I'm into extreme music but what I listen to is super diverse from pop , modern rock , punk , ambient music , shred etc . The nazgul is simply a 1 trick pony pickup . If you only like metal then its perfect .


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## FourT6and2 (May 2, 2017)

I just think the Omega sits nicely between the Pegasus and Nazgul. It has the aggression and chunk of ceramics like the Nazgul. But it's versatile and clear and 'sweet' sounding in the highs like lower-output A5s. Not trying to convert anybody. But that's been my experience.


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## KnightBrolaire (May 2, 2017)

FourT6and2 said:


> I just think the Omega sits nicely between the Pegasus and Nazgul. It has the aggression and chunk of ceramics like the Nazgul. But it's versatile and clear and 'sweet' sounding in the highs like lower-output A5s. Not trying to convert anybody. But that's been my experience.



yeah I really liked the omega, it took everything I like about the pegasus' eq, kept it, but made it tighter and gave it a nice snarl under high gain. The only pickup I like more than it right now is the tuned aperture 8 I got from elysian. It's ridiculously clear, clearer than the juggs or the omega imo.


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## FourT6and2 (May 2, 2017)

KnightBrolaire said:


> tuned aperture 8 I got from elysian.



Never heard of that. But... I will do some research


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## KnightBrolaire (May 2, 2017)

FourT6and2 said:


> Never heard of that. But... I will do some research



I'll have clips up of it later tomorrow, but here's how it sounds through my boogie: 
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTh0R_9AqAI
https://www.instagram.com/p/BThzIC5gyGW


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## AkiraSpectrum (May 2, 2017)

cardinal said:


> I didn't hate it, but if you read some complaints about the Dimarzio Tone Zone 7 (boomy, muddy, slow attack, etc.), any of those complaints apply perhaps more so to the Pegasus. It thought it worked well as a rock pickup and it worked well enough if you boost the amp with an OD pedal because the boost tightens it up.
> 
> My fav Duncan probably is the Distortion. I can't help but smile when playing through one because metal riffs just flow out uncontrollably. Never tried the Nazgul or Black Winter.



This isn't my video but this is a comparison between the Tone Zone and Pegasus. The Tone Zone is WAY more boomy and bassy than the Pegasus.

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


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## Mike (May 3, 2017)

I hated the Pegasus. It was definitely lifeless and boring. It's pretty balanced eq-wise, but it had no character. Personally, I like my pickups to have some character and add a little something to my guitars tone. 

If pickups were ice cream, the Pegasus is vanilla.


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## elkoki (May 4, 2017)

Mike said:


> I hated the Pegasus. It was definitely lifeless and boring. It's pretty balanced eq-wise, but it had no character. Personally, I like my pickups to have some character and add a little something to my guitars tone.
> 
> If pickups were ice cream, the Pegasus is vanilla.



Lol ok. well I just ordered one, I was too curious how it would react in my current seven string. I want something a little more tame than the Nazgul . Even though my guitar is mahogany , it's still pretty bright. So we'll see how it turns out.

Honestly i've always been more of a Dimarzio guy, but I don't want to risk buying other brands of pickups right now because I don't know if they'll fit into the pickup routes in my guitar. So far I don't have a great impression of Seymour Duncan pickups to be honest. I hated the JB, the Nazgul and black winter were fine, but I have loved certain Dimarzios so much more.


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## Hyacinth (May 4, 2017)

It's damn near the perfect pickup. Just get it and thank me later.


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## primitiverebelworld (May 4, 2017)

Hi! I have a swamp ash superstrat that is a little lifeless acoustically but current ceramic pickup lack mids imo and high end is brittle. Do you think Pegasus would work there? I know that I like Tonezone(alnico as well) in my basswood RG. 
Of course I have to order online....


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## KnightBrolaire (May 4, 2017)

pegasus works well in swamp ash in my experience. It's pretty balanced overall, definitely not too much high end.


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## AkiraSpectrum (May 4, 2017)

elkoki said:


> Lol ok. well I just ordered one, I was too curious how it would react in my current seven string. I want something a little more tame than the Nazgul . Even though my guitar is mahogany , it's still pretty bright. So we'll see how it turns out.
> 
> Honestly i've always been more of a Dimarzio guy, but I don't want to risk buying other brands of pickups right now because I don't know if they'll fit into the pickup routes in my guitar. So far I don't have a great impression of Seymour Duncan pickups to be honest. I hated the JB, the Nazgul and black winter were fine, but I have loved certain Dimarzios so much more.





Throw up a review when you get them installed. 
I have a Pegasus in an all mahogany body and they sound killer, even better than the Pegasus I have in mahogany body maple top guitar.


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## elkoki (May 4, 2017)

AkiraSpectrum said:


> Throw up a review when you get them installed.
> I have a Pegasus in an all mahogany body and they sound killer, even better than the Pegasus I have in mahogany body maple top guitar.



I'd love to . Don't got a good camera but I could try .


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## AkiraSpectrum (May 4, 2017)

elkoki said:


> I'd love to . Don't got a good camera but I could try .



Cool. At the very least, interested to see what you think about the Pegasus when you get some playtime on it


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## elkoki (May 11, 2017)

I've had the Pegasus in my schecter avenger 7 guitar for a few days now . 

My first impression was that it sounds much warmer than the nazgul I replaced . Chords sound thicker/bigger , and it overall has a rounder tone . I hope that describes it right , I don't always translate what I hear in my tone well into words. Palm mutes on the low strings have a rounder sound that is not as percussive as the nazgul , it can chug but not quite as good imo. The output is a bit weak too. Ill try and tweak it a little more . But overall not a pickup I'm too impressed by . it's not a bad pickup though , just not great in my guitar. It can sound a bit muddy at times to me.I like my pickups to have a little more compression . 

Gonna try to tweak it a little more then I'm installing a dimarzio d activator to see what I like better


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## KnightBrolaire (May 11, 2017)

elkoki said:


> I've had the Pegasus in my schecter avenger 7 guitar for a few days now .
> 
> My first impression was that it sounds much warmer than the nazgul I replaced . Chords sound thicker/bigger , and it overall has a rounder tone . I hope that describes it right , I don't always translate what I hear in my tone well into words. Palm mutes on the low strings have a rounder sound that is not as percussive as the nazgul , it can chug but not quite as good imo. The output is a bit weak too. Ill try and tweak it a little more . But overall not a pickup I'm too impressed by . it's not a bad pickup though , just not great in my guitar. It can sound a bit muddy at times to me.I like my pickups to have a little more compression .
> 
> Gonna try to tweak it a little more then I'm installing a dimarzio d activator to see what I like better



I find that the pegasus really shines under high gain with a tubescreamer in front. It gives it that extra bit of edge. Definitely play with the pickup height a bit too.
But if you are going to look at pickups again- the Omega might be a better fit since it's essentially a ceramic pegasus. It tightens it up, gives it a nice unique snarly tone under high gain, but still retains the pretty balanced EQ of the pegasus.


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## FourT6and2 (May 11, 2017)

elkoki said:


> I've had the Pegasus in my schecter avenger 7 guitar for a few days now .
> 
> My first impression was that it sounds much warmer than the nazgul I replaced . Chords sound thicker/bigger , and it overall has a rounder tone . I hope that describes it right , I don't always translate what I hear in my tone well into words. Palm mutes on the low strings have a rounder sound that is not as percussive as the nazgul , it can chug but not quite as good imo. The output is a bit weak too. Ill try and tweak it a little more . But overall not a pickup I'm too impressed by . it's not a bad pickup though , just not great in my guitar. It can sound a bit muddy at times to me.I like my pickups to have a little more compression .
> 
> Gonna try to tweak it a little more then I'm installing a dimarzio d activator to see what I like better



You are not alone. This mirrors my experience. I took the pickup out as fast as I could.


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## AkiraSpectrum (May 11, 2017)

elkoki said:


> I've had the Pegasus in my schecter avenger 7 guitar for a few days now .
> 
> My first impression was that it sounds much warmer than the nazgul I replaced . Chords sound thicker/bigger , and it overall has a rounder tone . I hope that describes it right , I don't always translate what I hear in my tone well into words. Palm mutes on the low strings have a rounder sound that is not as percussive as the nazgul , it can chug but not quite as good imo. The output is a bit weak too. Ill try and tweak it a little more . But overall not a pickup I'm too impressed by . it's not a bad pickup though , just not great in my guitar. It can sound a bit muddy at times to me.I like my pickups to have a little more compression .
> 
> Gonna try to tweak it a little more then I'm installing a dimarzio d activator to see what I like better



Yeah, most people tend to dislike the Pegasus due to its lower output and lack of saturation. I'm personally a pretty big fan of the Pegasus but I can see how others may not like it. 

I agree with the above statement, definitely up the gain a little on your amp and use an OD pedal and you can get things very tight. Because it is lower output you need to add more gain to the Pegasus for it to start to saturate and tighten up. 

I also recommend increasing pickup height. Again, since it is lower output you'll want to get it closer to the strings than most other high gain pickups. This too is another way to reduce any muddiness you might be having. 

With enough gain, an OD, and proper pickup height the Pegasus is no longer 'muddy' or slow in the low end. Worth trying at least.


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## Drew (May 18, 2017)

KnightBrolaire said:


> I didn't find the pegasus muddy or slow at all. Definitely had a bit more bass present than I was expecting, but it wasn't anywhere near as extreme as the c-pig I tried. If you like the Distortion you'll probably love the black winter, it's like a modded distortion imo.



Yeah, this wasn't my experience either - fairly balanced, but extremely articulate and transparent. I actually didn't really like it for that reason, I prefer a slightly less articulate high end that gets a little blurred and burnished on single note lines, but it kind of reminded me of a more transparent, maybe slightly weaker JB.

The Sentient, on the other hand, RULES. For pretty much the exact same reasons I didn't love the Pegasus.


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