Great info presented concisely and without a lot of fluff. I just ordered a Dean 7 string with this pickup set and wanted to see a solid review, and this was exactly what I was looking for.
I don’t play metal (I LIKE it a lot) but the clean sounds of these pickups are absolutely exquisite. The warmth of the Nazgûls is enough to make me hop on the Internet and buy one right now. The Sentient’s clarity without sounding too brittle is just killing it. Must haves.
Got this set for my BC Rich Warlock a few years back and they are incredible. I even installed push pulls for both potties so I can split the neck and the bridge seperately. There were not nearly enough videos for these two on youtube they really are incredible. The cleans you get on the Sentient when split are just so angelic and they work amazingly well in the middle position in any split combination you do.
Can someone please explain, everyone seems to say that the Nazgul is great for metal and is high output but on the SD website under the output part, it looks like it's almost a medium output pickup? I fancy getting it but for the price I want to make sure it is high output enough! Thanks! 😀
@@lotechrevolt4513 Thanks. I just like high output pickups and I've heard a lot of good things about this one. They're at least £100 so I just wanted to check before buying
Just FINALLY installed these on my Ibanez RGA42EXBAM and these are for sure the best pickups I've ever played. Hearing these on these phone speakers and tablet don't do them justice. Straight into my amp (line 6 catalyst 60w) with no effects is insane both distorted and clean. Anybody thinking about getting these, just do it. I swear you won't regret it
Great demo. I own the Nazgul and can attest to its awesomeness. My main pickup for the last four decades (been playing a few years) has been the Duncan Distortion. The Nazgul is probably my second favorite Duncan for metal. I think it favors midwoods like mahogany, basswood and poplar, but that's because it has a lot of high-end treble. In the right guitar it's magnificent and really cuts through with great harmonics and tight, focused low end. Duncan is knocking it out of the park when it comes to metal pickups.
I got this set earlier this year and installed them into my Charvel Joe DePlantier (Gojira) signature guitar. They are amazing for metal and lower turnings. My only issue is that I got them for $89.99 each and now they are between $109.99-$119.99 each with inflation.
@@JB._.Uzumakijesus, I’m starting to play after taking a ~10 year break from guitar and I found it crazy that in Canada the price of my old Schecter my dad bought me is double the price new now. Guitar shit is so expensive it’s nuts.
@@__-ni1kz it’s insane man, they upped shitty beginner guitars by hundreds and upped fancy name brands like Gibson, fender, charvel etc. by $1,000’s.. what you spend on a guitar now you could buy a car instead lol
I bought the set and sent the bridge {Nazgul} to Seymour Duncan and they sent me back an F spaced {trembucker} for free. All I paid was the shipping to them and they paid for the return shipping of the other pickup. They're really cool like that. I also didn't care much for the harshness of the ceramic bar magnet, so I replaced it with an A8 bar magnet and now it's definitely a keeper.
Sweet, a white 550. Reissue? There not making it anymore. But they just dropped a electric blue and black. I might have to get me another one. My rg550 is what i might but those in. Ironic maybe thats telling me something
I've used both the Nazgul and the Black Winter in the bridge of my 7 string guitars before. Both work great, very high output and amazing chugs and harmonics. I think the Black Winter has a bit more of a pronounced midrange and a voicing that makes it just a bit more versatile than the Nazgul does. If you have a guitar that could naturally use a bit of a mid-boost then the Black Winters are perfect. Otherwise, Nazgul is excellent and a great choice for heavy riffing tones. As for the neck pickups, I find both the Sentient and Black Winter to be about equally as good, with the Sentient being a bit smoother and more fluid-sounding for leads. That's just my experience with them though!
Black winters are definitely better. My other favorites are: Seymour Duncan sh16 & sh1n DiMarzio Super Distortion & Paf 36th DiMarzio Tone Zone & Air Norton Seymour Duncan sh4 & sh2n DiMarzio Super Distortion & Paf 36th combo feels like they are higher output versions of DiMarzio Tone Zone & Air Norton. Therefore, you can choose one of them. Adding the Black Winters into the list, you only need 4 guitars. These pickup combos are very versatile.
Great video the Nazgûl is a good sounding pickup, I might try one in the Bridge I still think the Invader is a great pickup I put a set in a Les Paul studio I really like them , I think I’ll try the Nazgûl in my R550 in the bridge.
I have the Nazgul in my jackson 7 string. I dont really like it. It has a thin weird high mid metallic sound to it. Maybe its just how they eq the seven string version to keep it from getting muddy. It is the only pickup i have were i need to change all my settings on my amp. I would have to say the Nazgul is just not for me.
I have a Nazgul in my schecter banshee elite FRS and it the lows are overbearing and it just sounds weak. Idk if its wired wrong or something, but it quickly became one of my least favorite pickups of all time. I guess I'm in a minority :(
Love the N&S set for so many reasons. High gain, but not too high. Reasonably priced. look awesome with those block poles. I installed a set recently in my Schecter KM6 MKIII Artist (which had fishmans, which I am not a fan of)
Hi saw your other vid for spacing of pickups now i have a fixed bridge ibanez which is the correct spacing for it im about to get the same pickups :) and is it better to get the pickups that has a cover? Im quite new in upgrades. And one last question does electric guitar pickup output matter with high end pedals?
I mean covers are cool cause you don’t really have to worry about spacing(ish). It doesn’t really matter with the pedals. Just keep in mind, high output can give you just so much noise that the end product after a pedal can be not so nice. I usually go with something like a SD JB that is super versatile
Schecter is garbage. I have a seven string schecter avenger, and the neck fell right off the body, just sitting in the case, for no reason at all, Schecter would not do anything to compensate me.
@@LexerJason they only made 12 of these guitars, and I saw two others in addition to my own that cracked the neck right off the body in the same spot that minded. That’s not unlucky. That’s garbage.
Necks can be repaired take it to a luthier and have them glue it back together. I had mine fixed but it didn't fall off it just cracked when it was dropped on the locking nuts just behind them on the back side of the neck but fortunately I noticed it before the headstock came off.
I know this is a pickup video, but I was wondering what you thought of edge zero II that seems to come on an overwhelming amount of mid-range ibanezes. Is it any good like the Floyd 1000 or pot metal crap like the special?
So I’ve never used a zero BUT if you think about it, all Edge trems are made by Gotoh. So with that said, at their core, most edge bridges are decent. Over heard good and bad about the edge II. Hope that helps lol
@@tarkgundogdu8940 I put bw’s in my tremonti ! Surprisingly awesome cleans! It’s an awesome pickup. Nazgûl and sentient are more contrasting cuts. Way more treble on the high end in the sentient than BW. My guitar rack basically looks like a Seymour Duncan catalog
@@tarkgundogdu8940 Nazgûl is the Ugga chugga cave man pick up. I use the invader bridge the most, and the sentient neck is really nice. 59 does that paf thing. I haven’t tried sh16 I do like the custom. I don’t quite get the love for jb jazz though. They just don’t match what I play very well.
I actually like the clean sound on PRS guitars more than many Seymours but the distortion, especially if you want to play more extreme metal I have to say the Seymours is something else. I have been looking at some passive pickups to put in my PRS SE Standard 24 bridge position since the one in the PRS is not perfect for more extreme metal. So far I am choosing between the Seymour Nazgul, Invader and the Dimarzio Super Distortion. Any other passive pickup you can recommend for more extreme metal ?
Go with the Semore's they have always been the best upgrade pickup as they will give you any tone - going from clean to distorted with alot of bandwith. Others just sound tinny and are only good for distortion playing.
Pfffft. Invaders or bust. I put invaders in everything I own. It’s by far the best colored pickup IMO if you don’t like the sterile active EMG sound due to the high mid and bass output. The nazgul sounds way too thin and trilly for a passive pickup. Not a fan at all.
Every guitar guy on TH-cam: (Trying to be artsy) zoom in, cut vid, zoom out, cut vid, zoom in, cut vid, zoom out, cut vid... this guy takes that to the extreme 😆
@@nikaxeguitar from demo's I've watched online... pegasus would go better with a higher tuned guitar... perhaps drop C and above... it seems to have a more smoother, I guess warmer tone?though that's not really the right way to explain it...it sounds very nice for big chord voicings. just very vibrant and clear chords that stand out and cut through. and the Nazgul seems to suit lower tunings, some single note riffing perhaps. much more growly and tighter as you go lower it doesn't really run into mud, but may need more of a boost in the mid range if you want to give it that in your face feel. I haven't personally tried either though I kept debating on both... I feel I might go for Nazgul... though... It's a really tight decision between the two
dude its a very mid focused pickup the nazgul and the sentient is like a hotter verison of a 59 if u have a issue of getting pinches thats not the pickp its how u dial it in and pots and jack
I have to completely disagree. I had an LtD H series with the Peg and Sent. It just didn’t cut through when I was playing with my band. But to each their own.
Great info presented concisely and without a lot of fluff. I just ordered a Dean 7 string with this pickup set and wanted to see a solid review, and this was exactly what I was looking for.
Awesome dude!! Thanks for the kid words!
I don’t play metal (I LIKE it a lot) but the clean sounds of these pickups are absolutely exquisite. The warmth of the Nazgûls is enough to make me hop on the Internet and buy one right now. The Sentient’s clarity without sounding too brittle is just killing it. Must haves.
Good to hear my man
Got this set for my BC Rich Warlock a few years back and they are incredible. I even installed push pulls for both potties so I can split the neck and the bridge seperately. There were not nearly enough videos for these two on youtube they really are incredible.
The cleans you get on the Sentient when split are just so angelic and they work amazingly well in the middle position in any split combination you do.
Potties? Pedo much?
3:26 That tone to defeat Steve Vai and get your soul back.
Can someone please explain, everyone seems to say that the Nazgul is great for metal and is high output but on the SD website under the output part, it looks like it's almost a medium output pickup? I fancy getting it but for the price I want to make sure it is high output enough! Thanks! 😀
They are indeed high output but I’d say that they are barely high output which is what makes them pretty good.
@@nikaxeguitar Thanks. I might give them a go! Nice riffing by the way! 👍
@@lotechrevolt4513 Thanks. I just like high output pickups and I've heard a lot of good things about this one. They're at least £100 so I just wanted to check before buying
Just FINALLY installed these on my Ibanez RGA42EXBAM and these are for sure the best pickups I've ever played. Hearing these on these phone speakers and tablet don't do them justice. Straight into my amp (line 6 catalyst 60w) with no effects is insane both distorted and clean. Anybody thinking about getting these, just do it. I swear you won't regret it
Great demo. I own the Nazgul and can attest to its awesomeness. My main pickup for the last four decades (been playing a few years) has been the Duncan Distortion. The Nazgul is probably my second favorite Duncan for metal. I think it favors midwoods like mahogany, basswood and poplar, but that's because it has a lot of high-end treble. In the right guitar it's magnificent and really cuts through with great harmonics and tight, focused low end. Duncan is knocking it out of the park when it comes to metal pickups.
I got this set earlier this year and installed them into my Charvel Joe DePlantier (Gojira) signature guitar. They are amazing for metal and lower turnings. My only issue is that I got them for $89.99 each and now they are between $109.99-$119.99 each with inflation.
I have the exact same setup! Got mine from a pawn shop with them already installed for $380 this guitar blows my other guitars out of the water
$129 now lol
$238 now lol
@@JB._.Uzumakijesus, I’m starting to play after taking a ~10 year break from guitar and I found it crazy that in Canada the price of my old Schecter my dad bought me is double the price new now. Guitar shit is so expensive it’s nuts.
@@__-ni1kz it’s insane man, they upped shitty beginner guitars by hundreds and upped fancy name brands like Gibson, fender, charvel etc. by $1,000’s.. what you spend on a guitar now you could buy a car instead lol
I bought the set and sent the bridge {Nazgul} to Seymour Duncan and they sent me back an F spaced {trembucker} for free. All I paid was the shipping to them and they paid for the return shipping of the other pickup. They're really cool like that. I also didn't care much for the harshness of the ceramic bar magnet, so I replaced it with an A8 bar magnet and now it's definitely a keeper.
Your guitar makes me miss the old RG 550 I had back in the day .thinnest neck I've ever played
How about using a real amp with the same settings when doing comparisons? That would obviously help.
Sweet, a white 550. Reissue? There not making it anymore. But they just dropped a electric blue and black. I might have to get me another one. My rg550 is what i might but those in. Ironic maybe thats telling me something
I see the Detroit hat. You from Michigan? I live there now by traverse city.
2:42 is that an actual song? Cause it's freaking awesome
Thats an original by me my man
Between those and the SDuncan's black winter for a 7 string guitar?
Black winters are also another good set man. I love their look with the old English lettering
I've used both the Nazgul and the Black Winter in the bridge of my 7 string guitars before. Both work great, very high output and amazing chugs and harmonics. I think the Black Winter has a bit more of a pronounced midrange and a voicing that makes it just a bit more versatile than the Nazgul does. If you have a guitar that could naturally use a bit of a mid-boost then the Black Winters are perfect. Otherwise, Nazgul is excellent and a great choice for heavy riffing tones. As for the neck pickups, I find both the Sentient and Black Winter to be about equally as good, with the Sentient being a bit smoother and more fluid-sounding for leads. That's just my experience with them though!
💯 Black Winters
Black winters are definitely better. My other favorites are:
Seymour Duncan sh16 & sh1n
DiMarzio Super Distortion & Paf 36th
DiMarzio Tone Zone & Air Norton
Seymour Duncan sh4 & sh2n
DiMarzio Super Distortion & Paf 36th combo feels like they are higher output versions of DiMarzio Tone Zone & Air Norton. Therefore, you can choose one of them. Adding the Black Winters into the list, you only need 4 guitars. These pickup combos are very versatile.
Great video the Nazgûl is a good sounding pickup, I might try one in the Bridge I still think the Invader is a great pickup I put a set in a Les Paul studio I really like them , I think I’ll try the Nazgûl in my R550 in the bridge.
I’m SUPER curious of the invader. It looks so awesome!
Iv seen some of these pickup in red color, are those official colors?
Yeah man! You can get them in red from the manufacturer for sure
@@nikaxeguitar thank you 🙏
I have the Nazgul in my jackson 7 string. I dont really like it. It has a thin weird high mid metallic sound to it. Maybe its just how they eq the seven string version to keep it from getting muddy. It is the only pickup i have were i need to change all my settings on my amp. I would have to say the Nazgul is just not for me.
I hear that. I had to change some settings as well. This does seem to be a common thing
@@NicoDa1 I agree 100%
I have a Nazgul in my schecter banshee elite FRS and it the lows are overbearing and it just sounds weak. Idk if its wired wrong or something, but it quickly became one of my least favorite pickups of all time. I guess I'm in a minority :(
If it isn't your pickup height then consider trying a seymour duncan liberator, that thing will definitely sort the problem they're savage
Yeah, try changing your pickup height.
Can we use this pick up for standard tuning
Love the N&S set for so many reasons. High gain, but not too high. Reasonably priced. look awesome with those block poles.
I installed a set recently in my Schecter KM6 MKIII Artist (which had fishmans, which I am not a fan of)
Thanks for stopping by Pete!! Yeah they’re a great combo for sure.
@@nikaxeguitar A+ content ! (P.s. I got lost notifications on for your vids)
What Guitar is that?
Hi saw your other vid for spacing of pickups now i have a fixed bridge ibanez which is the correct spacing for it im about to get the same pickups :) and is it better to get the pickups that has a cover? Im quite new in upgrades. And one last question does electric guitar pickup output matter with high end pedals?
I mean covers are cool cause you don’t really have to worry about spacing(ish). It doesn’t really matter with the pedals. Just keep in mind, high output can give you just so much noise that the end product after a pedal can be not so nice. I usually go with something like a SD JB that is super versatile
Is nazgul a battery-driven pickup?? Is it active or passive
Passive my friend
@@nikaxeguitar thanks 🙏
@@rockerstreet8743 Absolutely! Let me know if you need anything else my friend.
I have a Schecter 7 string with Sentient/Nazgul. Love the pickups and hate the guitar
Schecter is garbage. I have a seven string schecter avenger, and the neck fell right off the body, just sitting in the case, for no reason at all, Schecter would not do anything to compensate me.
@@alexnajarianmusic lol, probably just unlucky. The ones I had were pretty good in terms of quality and play.
@@LexerJason they only made 12 of these guitars, and I saw two others in addition to my own that cracked the neck right off the body in the same spot that minded. That’s not unlucky. That’s garbage.
Necks can be repaired take it to a luthier and have them glue it back together. I had mine fixed but it didn't fall off it just cracked when it was dropped on the locking nuts just behind them on the back side of the neck but fortunately I noticed it before the headstock came off.
I know this is a pickup video, but I was wondering what you thought of edge zero II that seems to come on an overwhelming amount of mid-range ibanezes. Is it any good like the Floyd 1000 or pot metal crap like the special?
So I’ve never used a zero BUT if you think about it, all Edge trems are made by Gotoh. So with that said, at their core, most edge bridges are decent. Over heard good and bad about the edge II. Hope that helps lol
I really loved invaders until I heard the nazgul sentient combo. Black winter is really great in the bridge too.
I think Black Winters are much better than N & S combo.
@@tarkgundogdu8940 I put bw’s in my tremonti ! Surprisingly awesome cleans! It’s an awesome pickup. Nazgûl and sentient are more contrasting cuts. Way more treble on the high end in the sentient than BW. My guitar rack basically looks like a Seymour Duncan catalog
@@ScottDreyfus Exactly, I would choose Seymour Duncan SH-16 over Nazgul tbh. They sound better at what Nazgul is made for.
@@tarkgundogdu8940 Nazgûl is the Ugga chugga cave man pick up. I use the invader bridge the most, and the sentient neck is really nice. 59 does that paf thing. I haven’t tried sh16 I do like the custom. I don’t quite get the love for jb jazz though. They just don’t match what I play very well.
@@ScottDreyfus Syu from Galneryus uses Seymour Duncan SH-16. Here:
th-cam.com/video/958z1pk9_Ns/w-d-xo.html
I actually like the clean sound on PRS guitars more than many Seymours but the distortion, especially if you want to play more extreme metal I have to say the Seymours is something else. I have been looking at some passive pickups to put in my PRS SE Standard 24 bridge position since the one in the PRS is not perfect for more extreme metal. So far I am choosing between the Seymour Nazgul, Invader and the Dimarzio Super Distortion. Any other passive pickup you can recommend for more extreme metal ?
Go with the Semore's they have always been the best upgrade pickup as they will give you any tone - going from clean to distorted with alot of bandwith. Others just sound tinny and are only good for distortion playing.
Man that intro solo was so out of key
😂😂😂
Pfffft. Invaders or bust. I put invaders in everything I own. It’s by far the best colored pickup IMO if you don’t like the sterile active EMG sound due to the high mid and bass output. The nazgul sounds way too thin and trilly for a passive pickup. Not a fan at all.
You would fuckkkking love the bareknuckle aftermaths. Honestly made me despise actives
I have the Invaders they are sick! Never looked back
Karl Sanders approved
Every guitar guy on TH-cam: (Trying to be artsy) zoom in, cut vid, zoom out, cut vid, zoom in, cut vid, zoom out, cut vid... this guy takes that to the extreme 😆
I prefer the Pegasus / Sentient set.
What is it that you like about the Pegasus? I’m curious.
@@nikaxeguitar from demo's I've watched online... pegasus would go better with a higher tuned guitar... perhaps drop C and above... it seems to have a more smoother, I guess warmer tone?though that's not really the right way to explain it...it sounds very nice for big chord voicings. just very vibrant and clear chords that stand out and cut through. and the Nazgul seems to suit lower tunings, some single note riffing perhaps. much more growly and tighter as you go lower it doesn't really run into mud, but may need more of a boost in the mid range if you want to give it that in your face feel. I haven't personally tried either though I kept debating on both... I feel I might go for Nazgul... though... It's a really tight decision between the two
@@NathanielBTM I feel like thats SD MO. Making these pickups just so hard to choose from lol
The Pegasus is weak
dude its a very mid focused pickup the nazgul and the sentient is like a hotter verison of a 59 if u have a issue of getting pinches thats not the pickp its how u dial it in and pots and jack
sounds great. I still prefer my DiMarzio X2N on the bridge. I find it way better than EMG 81. Haven't tried Nazgul yet.
Wasnt the biggest fan of these. I like the Pegasus better. Want to try the alpha omega Mark Holcomb though.
Noice!!
I have to completely disagree. I had an LtD H series with the Peg and Sent. It just didn’t cut through when I was playing with my band. But to each their own.
0:40 💀💀💀💀💀💀
You play almost as good as king cobra jfs
Those cleans though
So you never answer the question....😅
Man, you can barely play. You should give me your guitar and some lessons 😂 nice review brother!!! As well as variety!
you use the pickups fore the rong kind of metal use it whit doom metal lo an mids and dont talk to much