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A couple months ago, I scored a Jackson TH-2 Stealth (ash body, SLS headstock, two-point fulcrum trem, H/S/H pickups) for dirt cheap, and quickly found the stock Jackson pickups to be very inadequate for my purposes. I decided to take a chance with some of the "Hex Overwound Metal Pickups" from Guitarfetish. They aren't actually GFS-branded pickups, but at $35 for the pair, I figured I could live with them if they were duds. I also grabbed some of the Wilkinson EZ-LOK tuners, which I've had good luck with in the past.
For one reason or another, the person in charge of shipping out parts must have been having a rough day, because they sent me the wrong pickups TWICE, but upon receiving my correct order, these things looked just as pictured, resembling Duncan Full Shreds or maybe some sort of Ibanez stock set. The guitar needed some TLC, so I took it to a local shop for the install. When the tech called me to tell me that the guitar was ready, he said that the pickups sounded great.
I'm not going to say that these are in the same league as the Full Shred, which happens to sound awesome in an ash body, but they absolutely destroy the stock Jacksons and the Duncan Designed pups I've had in other ash Jacksons. If this was a Duncan Designed equivalent to the Full Shred, that would make sense, as these sound very similar to the "real thing" minus just a little of the treble range and slightly looser bottom end. Maybe these are some sort of DiMarzio/IBZ pickups from Ibanez, but there is no marking to give clues. Regardless, they sound great in ash and probably would in alder and poplar too. The bridge pickup is tighter on the lows than the various Jackson or Duncan Designed pickups I have tried, with a bit of a scoop but articulate enough for leads. Certainly better than a JB or Screamin' Demon for the extreme metal crowd. The neck pickup gets into single-coil territory without the noise, with a lot of chime that is nice for clean stuff.
Anyway, my verdict is that these were well worth $35. I don't have any other guitars in need of pickup replacement, but I would consider these again.
Link: http://store.guitarfetish.com/hexovmepiblm.html
For one reason or another, the person in charge of shipping out parts must have been having a rough day, because they sent me the wrong pickups TWICE, but upon receiving my correct order, these things looked just as pictured, resembling Duncan Full Shreds or maybe some sort of Ibanez stock set. The guitar needed some TLC, so I took it to a local shop for the install. When the tech called me to tell me that the guitar was ready, he said that the pickups sounded great.
I'm not going to say that these are in the same league as the Full Shred, which happens to sound awesome in an ash body, but they absolutely destroy the stock Jacksons and the Duncan Designed pups I've had in other ash Jacksons. If this was a Duncan Designed equivalent to the Full Shred, that would make sense, as these sound very similar to the "real thing" minus just a little of the treble range and slightly looser bottom end. Maybe these are some sort of DiMarzio/IBZ pickups from Ibanez, but there is no marking to give clues. Regardless, they sound great in ash and probably would in alder and poplar too. The bridge pickup is tighter on the lows than the various Jackson or Duncan Designed pickups I have tried, with a bit of a scoop but articulate enough for leads. Certainly better than a JB or Screamin' Demon for the extreme metal crowd. The neck pickup gets into single-coil territory without the noise, with a lot of chime that is nice for clean stuff.
Anyway, my verdict is that these were well worth $35. I don't have any other guitars in need of pickup replacement, but I would consider these again.
Link: http://store.guitarfetish.com/hexovmepiblm.html