👆Be sure to expand this videos description for important information! 🎸Order My Guitar Instructional DVD! www.robarnoldworld.com/store 🎸Check out DiMarzio D Activators! sweetwater.sjv.io/DiMarzioDactivator 🎸Browse ESP Guitars on Sweetwater! sweetwater.sjv.io/ESPguitars 🙏Big thanks to all the members of my wonderful Patreon Community! Hop on board with us to help support and get involved! www.patreon.com/RobArnoldWorld ⬇See more⬇ Thank you SO much to the following: THANK YOU 👊 Aaron Price THANK YOU 👊 Alex Legend THANK YOU 👊 Anthony Maroni THANK YOU 👊 Bobby Case THANK YOU 👊 Boku Senpai THANK YOU 👊 Brian W. Rogers THANK YOU 👊 Cal Strickland THANK YOU 👊 Chad Youkers THANK YOU 👊 Chris Santiago THANK YOU 👊 Curtis Doyle THANK YOU 👊 Daniel Richman THANK YOU 👊 Darron Bryant THANK YOU 👊 Dillon Brown THANK YOU 👊 Drew Pedrick THANK YOU 👊 Drew Rhodes THANK YOU 👊 Ethan Majstorovic THANK YOU 👊 Eyeless THANK YOU 👊 G Bishop THANK YOU 👊 Gavin Courtney THANK YOU 👊 Hervé Franco THANK YOU 👊 Independence Guitar THANK YOU 👊 Jake Fox THANK YOU 👊 James Salmon THANK YOU 👊 Jason Arnett THANK YOU 👊 Jeff Holland THANK YOU 👊 Joe Prostko THANK YOU 👊 Josh Maurer THANK YOU 👊 Kevin Smith THANK YOU 👊 Lloyd Worth THANK YOU 👊 Mandm Randall THANK YOU 👊 Marc Laakmann THANK YOU 👊 Mechanization THANK YOU 👊 Megatodd707 THANK YOU 👊 Mike Coon THANK YOU 👊 Mike Franco THANK YOU 👊 Mike H THANK YOU 👊 Nicholas Wilczewski THANK YOU 👊 nUm Music Official THANK YOU 👊 Olivier Rouleau THANK YOU 👊 Paul Thomas Presley THANK YOU 👊 Preston Singer THANK YOU 👊 Rich Arnold THANK YOU 👊 Robert Kadlick THANK YOU 👊 Ryan Lesnick THANK YOU 👊 Ryan O Crawley THANK YOU 👊 Russell D Morrow III THANK YOU 👊 Ryan Tibbert THANK YOU 👊 Sam From Salem THANK YOU 👊 Thomas Bryson THANK YOU 👊 Thomas Spoor THANK YOU 👊 Todd Irish THANK YOU 👊 Todd Jay THANK YOU 👊 Travis Tutwiler THANK YOU 👊 TriDoc THANK YOU 👊 warduiz THANK YOU 👊 Aaron Prentice THANK YOU 👊 Alex White THANK YOU 👊 Andy W THANK YOU 👊 Bill Valleras THANK YOU 👊 Brady Clark THANK YOU 👊 Brandun Keck THANK YOU 👊 Gonzalo Ferniz Jr THANK YOU 👊 Harry Wadley THANK YOU 👊 Hiroyuki Kubo THANK YOU 👊 Ian Roberts THANK YOU 👊 Ingo Deißenroth THANK YOU 👊 Ivan Zemchanka THANK YOU 👊 Jack Krolo THANK YOU 👊 James Beard THANK YOU 👊 Jason Schulz THANK YOU 👊 Jed Marsillo THANK YOU 👊 Jeff Shrimpton THANK YOU 👊 Jerry Guardado THANK YOU 👊 Joe Hinton THANK YOU 👊 JR Tasker THANK YOU 👊 Kevin Henderson THANK YOU 👊 Kris Hotchkiss THANK YOU 👊 Lucas Van Cleef THANK YOU 👊 Nate Bunnage THANK YOU 👊 Randy E. THANK YOU 👊 Ricky Coppula THANK YOU 👊 Taylor Crawford THANK YOU 👊 TheJustJoshing THANK YOU 👊 TX.Hooch THANK YOU 👊 walkamong theignorant THANK YOU 👊 Wayne de Zwart And a special thanks to all of my Patreon supporters past and present, not mentioned here!🙏
I feel like Chimaira is more of a style then tone. Of coarse EMG and 6505 is a classic combo, but for me Chimaira is your way of playing and your riffs, thats why Chimaira is unique and amazing! Hail Rob
To be completely honest a lot of folks will like this sound. However for me Chimaira's trademark sound is through the active EMG 81 pickups. It's what I grew to love since teenage years. Cool demo none the less. I will say that these pickups do sound cool on the clean tones.
There's definitely a different tone with those pickups I prefer the 81 sound for sure with your rig/ style. But I know Alex from whitechapel uses the deactivators and they sound sick for his style so I guess it all boils down to different styles and amps/ modelers and what sounds right for your personal style and gear
Like a lot of people, my favorite thing about passive pickups is not having to replace a battery! Still, hasn't stopped me from owning multiple active instruments.
So rich! Oh man, Rob this sounds amazing man. Waves of color and texture! I’m a passive pickup guy myself, but I’d never hate on anyone’s personal preference.
@@RobArnoldWorld that IS weird. Apologies for the confusion. Saw y’all in Fayetteville, NC back around 2007. So glad you’re on TH-cam. Missed you guys.
Awsome video! Rob always delivers the best content and dude is crazy smart which makes it easier for me to learn and practice. Can't thank him enough. With this video I was excited to hear and see how the pickups works. I cant thank you and the great patreon members enough for being super friendly and helpful and very respectful plus all the time and hard work. I appreciate everyone. With the pickups I really like the tone and look. Going to dive in little more about them.
Ive been a solid Lundgren pickups guy for a very long time but recently starting using the deactivators in one of my custom builds and ive become quite fond of the sound. They are very tame and not as harsh sounding as some passive pickups out there. Ive gotta say though for going through your rig and hearing chimaira riffage, they sound perfect!
It’s awesome to see you using Dimarzios Rob! Welcome to the Dimarzio club. I’ve been endorsed with them for the past 5 years and been a fan of their pickups for like 20 years. I have Dimarzios in all of my guitars on my channel. :)
I have Dactivators in my flying V and it stays in C standard, absolutely beastly set. Only pickups I liked as much, or even more, was Crunchlab/Liquifiers, but they can be very unforgiving at times.
I have the same exact amazing guitar and did the same thing. I tried multiple passives over the course of a few years but none of them really gave me what I wanted. I went back to EMG and swapped out the 81 in the bridge for an 85. It’s a better tonal balance with my EVH III 100 watt head. Provides more low end and removes the harsh upper frequencies. I also replaced the stock Floyd with a Gotoh GE1996T in black chrome with a 36mm solid brass block. Highly recommend this bridge.
When it comes to tone and approach, you’ve definitely been a great example of a quality EMG driven signal chain with the 6505. That being said, these D Activators do seem to have a thicker and fuller attack with more harmonics, but perhaps that’s something that can also backfire. Many moons ago, I got a hold of an Ibanez IC507, which has D Activator 7s. Also around that time, I got hold of a BC Rich JR V7 with the classic Crunch Lab and Liquifire 7 combination. It was a game changing experience as up until that point, I almost exclusively used active pickups and generally favoured the Seymour Duncan Blackouts with the EMG 81-7/707 combination being close second. After extensively using Dimarzios and some Seymour Duncan heavy hitters, like the Black Winter and the Invader, my preferences have shifted the other way.
I never thought I would say this. Too much saturation in the mid lows. At the minimum I now know to stick with my emg setup in my mh 1000. Thanks for the video
I'm loving the look of those blue pups on that guitar. I have yet to try any DiMarzio pickups but if I can snag some white pups for my satin black guitar I might have to do it.
Funny enough I just decided to go passive the other day. Had a battery crap out in my Eclipse mid recording this week and it suuucked lol. Yeah it could have been prevented, but just removing the battery variable negates that forever. Went with the Duncan Hot Rodded set for versatility and love them! Might give these a try in my C1 Plus.
I don't know how deep you'd want to go into this, but I'd love to see a few different tests like this. Swap an 85 to the bridge and play Chimaira riffs, Maybe some bareknuckle passives, and some Fishman Fluence Moderns.
this is the number one reason I hate Passive pickups lol. they always have this "fizzy" distortion sound, and sound pretty scooped. the natural voice of the Fluence Modern captures exactly the tone ive always tried to get out of my actives :)
I've found passives in high gain, modern metal settings typically benefit a lot from an overdrive, like a TS808, TS9, Maxon OD808, but set with the drive very low, volume basically max, tone to taste, like Killswitch Engage. Helps shelve excess lows, and punches through with more definition. Not the biggest tonal change tbh, but HUGE feel change while playing
I used Fishmans and SDs but I've always gone back to EMG 81 as well. The only passive pickup I have been impressed with is the SD black winter. Maybe give those a shot since our tastes are similar?
I think the percussive riffing sounds much better on emg 81 or that duncan dist "crackle" guitar you have. This is too bassy to my ears. Maybe it would sound better to me in a different guitar or amp. My opinion. BUT the cleans sound absolutely great. Dimarzio are pretty popular for leads also. Of course it looks cool, but blue is my favorite color. 💙 I'd be interested in hearing Dimebucker or X2N played by Rob Ross. 🤘😡 🎨 Thanks again For another Great video Rob! Have a great metal day.
Sadly the Cleveland shows were sold out before I found about them but hopefully there's more! Haven't seen you guys since 2009 in Minneapolis I want to say with Lacuna Coil and Disturbed. Sounds pretty bassy which is weird for a 6505 setup, perhaps you hit the mic further out on the cone? Thanks for sharing your insights with us on TH-cam 🤘
@@RobArnoldWorld I was just visiting the city but what's hilarious is you guys and Lacuna Coil were fantastic and I fell asleep for Disturbed! Haha At this point, any show within about 15 hours from Toronto and I can get there :) Thanks for bringing the band back together again. Milwaukee Metalfest next year?
@@RobArnoldWorld You're the man, you can make it happen 🤘Your band has influenced the industry massively and the comeback trail looks well paved for such a great legacy of awesome tunes
Clean and soloing sounds sick but bit too fuzzy for riffin,…for me😅but look sick🤘🏻thanks for the link brother,..I’ll get my order in for that Elite shirt 👊🏻💀
I switched to passive pickups a few years ago, especially on high end guitars… paying all that extra money for high-end woods, with hand built quality is a shame to cover up with active pickups and losing those intricacies. I’ve tried a few Duncan models, but lately I’ve found the Bare Knuckle pickups are far and above… was never able to find what I was looking for from DiMarzio.
Dimarzio is my go-to when I wanna take a guitar to the next level. I’ve yet to hear a single set of Duncans that sounds better than a Super Distortion.
@@7DavesToDie I’m a big fan of the Carvin pickups they used to make with the 22 pole pieces but they’re super hard to come by. You can’t beat the availability, sound, and price of a SD.
I agree Gavin! I feel like I could have processed the tone better through my am sim, and it makes me want to re-make this video! I simply played it through my normal setup, and didn't stop to think that different pickups might require different amp settings. Sounds obvious I know, but as you know, I've been an 81 guys for most of my life! Hindsight is 20/20😎🤘
Hey Rob nice job, to my ear the blue pick ups sound like they have Less pick articulation less mids than the actives emg 81 and out put a bassier tone when chugging. The clean tone sounded amazingly clear. We're you using your peavey 6505+ ?
@Rob Arnold yeh I think when changing out pick ups a little tweeking at the amp is need to find its sweet spot. Did you try a boost pedal with these pick ups?
@@marcusbarnes5929 I didn't, and I didn't do any amp tweaking either. I just went with my normal setup for experimentations sake. I agree, these pickups would benefit from dialing in the amp more to suit them!
This dimarzio sounds huge... from all your amps, you feel the need to boost to get a tighter sounding? Like the mesa or the framus? I found that the peavey dont need comparing to others
I've always thought Chimaira tone, is pretty unique in and of itself. Pass Out had a very boutique amp sound, maybe a Bogner or something, no idea, but it's super hard to replicate unless you eq match it with Fabfilter Pro Q or similar. It was almost like a mix of a very dry VHT Pittbull and something djenty 😂. Later albums sound pretty...boosted, which I found odd considering boosts don't seem to be a Chimaira thing. The best part is, even though the 5150/Mesa combo is a staple in metal, Chimaira really did get their own sound from it that I don't feel anybody else ever had. I always wondered why the Engl never stayed or played a bigger role later on though, with self titled being the favourite, production wise, it's a pretty key piece of that sound.
I don't see your comment.🤔 This has been happening quite a bit over the past few days. Not just with you... this is the fourth or fifth time I'm just seeing a blank comment. Weird!!
@@RobArnoldWorld strange. I wonder why. I'll repost anyway, might help... I've always thought Chimaira tone, is pretty unique in and of itself. Pass Out had a very boutique amp sound, maybe a Bogner or something, no idea, but it's super hard to replicate unless you eq match it with Fabfilter Pro Q or similar. It was almost like a mix of a very dry VHT Pittbull and something djenty 😂. Later albums sound pretty...boosted, which I found odd considering boosts don't seem to be a Chimaira thing. The best part is, even though the 5150/Mesa combo is a staple in metal, Chimaira really did get their own sound from it that I don't feel anybody else ever had.
@@trevorphilips9484 I see it now! Thanks bro. "Boutique" sound- that's a cool assessment! I like it. From what I remember, the Pass Out tone was a blend of four amps. A Yamaha DG130H, a Line 6 head, a Dual Rec, and one more that I can never recall. The real story behind the Engl thing is that it was an endorsement deal that took a wrong turn. Also while I loved the tone of my Powerball, I didn't like the interface. Too many options. And the whole thing, including the pedal board, looked a bit like something from the WW2 era.🤣 Btw- have you seen this video? Chimaira Amplifier History: th-cam.com/video/stqFCs_lfZc/w-d-xo.html
@@RobArnoldWorld I can definiitely see what you mean with the Powerball and the foot controller. I'm the same with Engl plugins, too much time to dial in, less time playing. The DG130 deserves more credit I think. It was Alan Holdsworth's amp of choice for a very long time. I'm not sure if it was his signature or not, if it wasn't, it might as well have been. By chance do you have any memory of what cabinet got used on Pass Out? I'm surprised to hear a Line6 was used for part of that tone. I wonder if it was the Flextone. Dino Cazares and Meshuggah relied pretty heavily on those.
@@trevorphilips9484 I believe the line 6 was in fact a recommendation of Dino at the time. And/or Steph from the Deftones. Unfortunately I don't remember the cabs, but we showed up to the studio with four brand new Mesa's, so I'm guessing that's what we used!
To my ear, they don’t sound the greatest on the gain channels. At least with your rig how it’s always been set up for your 81 set up. But that clean is gorgeous.
I feel like they really sing with your clean tone, but distorted they're very bass-heavy, almost to the point of sounding muddy. But if you like 'em man, then hey, that's awesome!
@RobArnoldWorld cannot agree more, man! We're all here to enjoy your content. Even if it's through a Hello Kitty guitar playing the Jaws theme. About that...
Using a compressor will get those closer to your original tone. For me actice pickups are great for pedal tone type riffs and single note stuff but when you start using more then 2 strings in a cord thats where passive outdo actives. Emgs have a natural compression that cause this effect of big cords being kinda weak but general riffing being strong.
I feel like they sound flubby in comparison to the emgs but good for other types of music. Cleans sounded better than emgs to me. What gauge string's do you use for chimaira tunes?
Hey hey! I know you're an EMG guy, but do you have any favorite PASSIVE pickups? Maybe a compile a short list/video highlighting some passives you may have used in the past? Have a great day!
Yeah I don't have a ton of experience with passives, but I have a Duncan JB in my ESP GL-56 that I really like! I talk more about it in this video if you're interested! th-cam.com/video/gDqWOg1D0DI/w-d-xo.html I also have a passive Duncan in my new ltd '87 Mirage! th-cam.com/video/xhnbKJcBdmI/w-d-xo.html
@@RobArnoldWorld Love that Mirage 🤘 I've been seeing a lot of passives that sound amazing as I dive deeper into guitar mods, which, of course, does not make it any easier to make a decision on one. EMG H4, Lace Deathbucker, of course, the classic Dimebucker..just naming a couple. I can go on and on.. Love your work. Was amazing to see you guys live again, especially with my son, who has recently started his guitar journey🤘 he is now a fan for life.
@@ivanlmiller Dude that's awesome! Happy that you and your son caught us live, and that he's picked up the axe! I'm hoping my little guy will soon too!
Hey Rob, ever consider what your guitar would sound like if you recorded to tape 15 ips? I bet it would sound way better. Slipknots first 2 albums (self titled & iowa) were recorded to tape and the guitars sound sick and fat. The rest of their albums...not so much. Thin.
I wish I could still play guitar. Car wreck (Not my fault) broke my left pinky and now it doesn't really do what I want it to do anymore. I guess I'll just have to learn drums. 🤷♂
Don’t like them. No mid range. Sounds really grainy and thin to me. I prefer the EMGs. Although I prefer the EMG-57/66 set over the 81. Have you given those a shot yet?
@@RobArnoldWorld highly recommend them. Alnico V magnets with nice midrange response without it being too much. Gets rid of the “ice picky” highs that the 81 has while still being aggressive.
@@mikeomaly Yw. Best way I'd compare: JB = megadeth, anthrax used it ... nice shiny high mid grind and highs. GREAT in Les Paul type guitars Super dist = used by kiss, def leppard, everyone and their dog in the 70s and 80s. Guy from Suffocation uses it too. More emphasis on center mids and a lot of sizzle... the OG hot rod pickup So they are not quite the same, but both are very good choices for the classic rock and metal sound. If that is what you wanted. Good luck and i hope you get your sound
I don't think I do actually! I think the only Duncan I currently have installed is a JB in my ESP GL-56. Love it! And before that, it had a Pearly Gates, which I also really liked!
They look sick but for Chimaira riffs they sound a bit too muddy maybe? Not enough presence maybe? They don't quite cut through in the recoding here and that's just on their own, but I bet they sound sick to jam and on whenit's just you in the room!
To be honest , to me they seem very muddy distorted.. cleans are very nice with tons of low end responses.. listening through headphones the low and mids are so prevalent.. other than that they aren't horrible.. just not my tone of choice
👆Be sure to expand this videos description for important information!
🎸Order My Guitar Instructional DVD! www.robarnoldworld.com/store
🎸Check out DiMarzio D Activators! sweetwater.sjv.io/DiMarzioDactivator
🎸Browse ESP Guitars on Sweetwater! sweetwater.sjv.io/ESPguitars
🙏Big thanks to all the members of my wonderful Patreon Community! Hop on board with us to help support and get involved! www.patreon.com/RobArnoldWorld
⬇See more⬇
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The pick-ups have very little to do with this awesomeness!!! It's the GUITAR PLAYER that makes this so KILLER ☠️
👍🤘🤗🫂🤗🙏🙌
Hey! How about trying the “King of Passive” pickups: Bare Knuckle - Warpig, - Aftermath…?!
👍🤘🤗🫂🤗🙏🙌
@savedbyblood7524 👊🙏🤘
I feel like Chimaira is more of a style then tone. Of coarse EMG and 6505 is a classic combo, but for me Chimaira is your way of playing and your riffs, thats why Chimaira is unique and amazing! Hail Rob
I couldn't agree more bro! 👊
A lot of tone is also in your hands and technique. So even if he's not using EMG it's going to sound like Rob Arnold if it's Rob Arnold.
To be completely honest a lot of folks will like this sound. However for me Chimaira's trademark sound is through the active EMG 81 pickups. It's what I grew to love since teenage years. Cool demo none the less. I will say that these pickups do sound cool on the clean tones.
There's definitely a different tone with those pickups I prefer the 81 sound for sure with your rig/ style. But I know Alex from whitechapel uses the deactivators and they sound sick for his style so I guess it all boils down to different styles and amps/ modelers and what sounds right for your personal style and gear
Well said Jake!
You took the thought right out of my head.
Like a lot of people, my favorite thing about passive pickups is not having to replace a battery!
Still, hasn't stopped me from owning multiple active instruments.
1:55 "staring through my eyes" that part sounds so beautiful yet insanely dark 💀
Sounds great brother they pack a sick punch cant wait to see you guys Live. 🤘🏻🔥
So rich!
Oh man, Rob this sounds amazing man. Waves of color and texture!
I’m a passive pickup guy myself, but I’d never hate on anyone’s personal preference.
I don't see anything here??
@@RobArnoldWorld the video? Your riffs through the D’activators. They sound great.
@@justincapoccia3837 Thanks dude! Yeah your first comment was just blank. It's actually been happening a lot lately. Weird.
@@RobArnoldWorld that IS weird. Apologies for the confusion. Saw y’all in Fayetteville, NC back around 2007. So glad you’re on TH-cam. Missed you guys.
@@justincapoccia3837 Right on! Always loved playing NC! Thanks for tuning in man!🎸
A lot of your leads remind me of my dad playing... 😢 he'll be forever missed.
Awsome video! Rob always delivers the best content and dude is crazy smart which makes it easier for me to learn and practice. Can't thank him enough. With this video I was excited to hear and see how the pickups works. I cant thank you and the great patreon members enough for being super friendly and helpful and very respectful plus all the time and hard work. I appreciate everyone. With the pickups I really like the tone and look. Going to dive in little more about them.
I appreciate you and all you've said bro! Thank you for ALL of your support in every way! 👊👊
They really do look good in that guitar.
Ive been a solid Lundgren pickups guy for a very long time but recently starting using the deactivators in one of my custom builds and ive become quite fond of the sound. They are very tame and not as harsh sounding as some passive pickups out there. Ive gotta say though for going through your rig and hearing chimaira riffage, they sound perfect!
Nice job man! Pickups make a huge difference imo
It’s awesome to see you using Dimarzios Rob! Welcome to the Dimarzio club. I’ve been endorsed with them for the past 5 years and been a fan of their pickups for like 20 years.
I have Dimarzios in all of my guitars on my channel. :)
Hey right on! I'm glad I checked some out, but I'm still 81's for life!🎸
I love the blue pick-up they pop and look great brother 🖤🤘🎸
🤘😝
Amazing job rob sounds so sick and that tone is just perfect brother
Threw a set of these into a budget guitar & they drastically improved the tone
this was the most friendly and positive sounding "hey there" I´ve heard in a while!
🤘🤣
Rob with that voice you are the Bob Ross of metal 🤟🏻
👊
I like d activator in my 7 strings.
This made me want to go listen to the entire Chimaira catalogue again
I have Dactivators in my flying V and it stays in C standard, absolutely beastly set. Only pickups I liked as much, or even more, was Crunchlab/Liquifiers, but they can be very unforgiving at times.
1:10-1:50 .... Rob channels the Dimebag Darrell style👍🏻
Very cool. Sounds great. 👍😍
Can’t wait to see what you do with those VAI pickups.
Another good listen about pick ups. What made you chance the pick ups and did cost you a lot ?
Just for fun! They were sent to me by DiMarzio
These pickups sound and look great!
I have the same exact amazing guitar and did the same thing. I tried multiple passives over the course of a few years but none of them really gave me what I wanted. I went back to EMG and swapped out the 81 in the bridge for an 85. It’s a better tonal balance with my EVH III 100 watt head. Provides more low end and removes the harsh upper frequencies. I also replaced the stock Floyd with a Gotoh GE1996T in black chrome with a 36mm solid brass block. Highly recommend this bridge.
Sounds nice clean. Distorted I think I prefer the classic EMG sound. I'd love to try some Fishmans
When it comes to tone and approach, you’ve definitely been a great example of a quality EMG driven signal chain with the 6505. That being said, these D Activators do seem to have a thicker and fuller attack with more harmonics, but perhaps that’s something that can also backfire.
Many moons ago, I got a hold of an Ibanez IC507, which has D Activator 7s. Also around that time, I got hold of a BC Rich JR V7 with the classic Crunch Lab and Liquifire 7 combination. It was a game changing experience as up until that point, I almost exclusively used active pickups and generally favoured the Seymour Duncan Blackouts with the EMG 81-7/707 combination being close second. After extensively using Dimarzios and some Seymour Duncan heavy hitters, like the Black Winter and the Invader, my preferences have shifted the other way.
Can hear that sonic distortion ❤ amazing riffs, i hope to cover a lot of them im using dimarzio tone zone for the dropped C ones
Absolute riff god 🤘❤
👊
I fan @@RobArnoldWorld
I used dactivator
Awesome
I never thought I would say this. Too much saturation in the mid lows. At the minimum I now know to stick with my emg setup in my mh 1000. Thanks for the video
I'm loving the look of those blue pups on that guitar. I have yet to try any DiMarzio pickups but if I can snag some white pups for my satin black guitar I might have to do it.
That's sounds like it would look sweet!
Funny enough I just decided to go passive the other day. Had a battery crap out in my Eclipse mid recording this week and it suuucked lol. Yeah it could have been prevented, but just removing the battery variable negates that forever. Went with the Duncan Hot Rodded set for versatility and love them! Might give these a try in my C1 Plus.
Love dimarzios. Deactivators are my favorite ones
I don't know how deep you'd want to go into this, but I'd love to see a few different tests like this. Swap an 85 to the bridge and play Chimaira riffs, Maybe some bareknuckle passives, and some Fishman Fluence Moderns.
I prefer the Dominion to the D-Activator. One of my fave passives. I think you’ll like it.
this is the number one reason I hate Passive pickups lol. they always have this "fizzy" distortion sound, and sound pretty scooped. the natural voice of the Fluence Modern captures exactly the tone ive always tried to get out of my actives :)
most guitar shops here in Jacksonville fl 50 dollars to install pickups
I've found passives in high gain, modern metal settings typically benefit a lot from an overdrive, like a TS808, TS9, Maxon OD808, but set with the drive very low, volume basically max, tone to taste, like Killswitch Engage. Helps shelve excess lows, and punches through with more definition. Not the biggest tonal change tbh, but HUGE feel change while playing
Which I find kinda funny because they were THE poster boys for the 81/60 set in their heyday
I used Fishmans and SDs but I've always gone back to EMG 81 as well. The only passive pickup I have been impressed with is the SD black winter. Maybe give those a shot since our tastes are similar?
Yeah I've been itching to hear the Black Winters for awhile now!
oooh they have some CRUNCH and DEPTH on the cleans \m/
I prefer the 81s though they have a tight aggressive sound.
I’m an old school emg guy. But I can tell you this about DiMarzio pus. If they’re good enough for Chuck, they’re good enough for YOU!
Sounds great. Looks fuckin sick.
I think the percussive riffing sounds much better on emg 81 or that duncan dist "crackle" guitar you have. This is too bassy to my ears. Maybe it would sound better to me in a different guitar or amp. My opinion.
BUT the cleans sound absolutely great. Dimarzio are pretty popular for leads also.
Of course it looks cool, but blue is my favorite color. 💙
I'd be interested in hearing Dimebucker or X2N played by Rob Ross. 🤘😡 🎨
Thanks again For another Great video Rob! Have a great metal day.
Man am I glad to see you this morning 😂❤
Hey likewise! Thanks for tuning in!🎸
Sounds like you need to pick up a JEM. Were you still running straight into the 6505? Curious how they sound with an OD pedal.
6505 amp sim. (STL Tonehub Mark Lewis)
Sadly the Cleveland shows were sold out before I found about them but hopefully there's more! Haven't seen you guys since 2009 in Minneapolis I want to say with Lacuna Coil and Disturbed.
Sounds pretty bassy which is weird for a 6505 setup, perhaps you hit the mic further out on the cone? Thanks for sharing your insights with us on TH-cam 🤘
The Target Center! Always loved playing MN! Hope to make it back one day!🤘
@@RobArnoldWorld I was just visiting the city but what's hilarious is you guys and Lacuna Coil were fantastic and I fell asleep for Disturbed! Haha
At this point, any show within about 15 hours from Toronto and I can get there :) Thanks for bringing the band back together again. Milwaukee Metalfest next year?
@@KPGuitarStudios I'd love to!
@@RobArnoldWorld You're the man, you can make it happen 🤘Your band has influenced the industry massively and the comeback trail looks well paved for such a great legacy of awesome tunes
@@KPGuitarStudios 👊
honestly I love brutality gain and d'activator tone, but for Chimaira EMG-81 is a perfect and unique signature tone combine with 6506+.
Nothing beats the EMG 81/85 sound
Clean and soloing sounds sick but bit too fuzzy for riffin,…for me😅but look sick🤘🏻thanks for the link brother,..I’ll get my order in for that Elite shirt 👊🏻💀
I agree that it is quite fuzzy!
I switched to passive pickups a few years ago, especially on high end guitars… paying all that extra money for high-end woods, with hand built quality is a shame to cover up with active pickups and losing those intricacies. I’ve tried a few Duncan models, but lately I’ve found the Bare Knuckle pickups are far and above… was never able to find what I was looking for from DiMarzio.
Sounds more organic, punchier, love it
Dimarzio is my go-to when I wanna take a guitar to the next level. I’ve yet to hear a single set of Duncans that sounds better than a Super Distortion.
Same. The original pickup replacement. Tried so many over the years and keep coming back to the SD.
@@7DavesToDie I’m a big fan of the Carvin pickups they used to make with the 22 pole pieces but they’re super hard to come by. You can’t beat the availability, sound, and price of a SD.
Dimarzio pick ups are awesome! One of my hero's john petrucci uses them exclusively in all his guitars
Great video Rob, sounds a little more fuzzy to my ears than the EMG81s. Solos sounds nicer though!
I agree Gavin! I feel like I could have processed the tone better through my am sim, and it makes me want to re-make this video! I simply played it through my normal setup, and didn't stop to think that different pickups might require different amp settings.
Sounds obvious I know, but as you know, I've been an 81 guys for most of my life!
Hindsight is 20/20😎🤘
@@RobArnoldWorld I love an 81 - sounds incredibly classic. It’s always good to hear other pickups though. Hope all is well
pretty thick tone can hear the difference
Hey Rob nice job, to my ear the blue pick ups sound like they have Less pick articulation less mids than the actives emg 81 and out put a bassier tone when chugging.
The clean tone sounded amazingly clear.
We're you using your peavey 6505+ ?
6505 + Mesa cab amp sim (STL Tonehub Mark Lewis suite)
@Rob Arnold yeh I think when changing out pick ups a little tweeking at the amp is need to find its sweet spot.
Did you try a boost pedal with these pick ups?
@@marcusbarnes5929 I didn't, and I didn't do any amp tweaking either. I just went with my normal setup for experimentations sake. I agree, these pickups would benefit from dialing in the amp more to suit them!
This dimarzio sounds huge... from all your amps, you feel the need to boost to get a tighter sounding? Like the mesa or the framus? I found that the peavey dont need comparing to others
I've personally never used any type of boosts.
I prefer the emg in in the distortion the Dimarzio was a bit buzz saw for my liking
👍🤘🤗🫂🤗🙏🙌
Hey! How about trying the “King of Passive” pickups:
Bare Knuckle - Warpig, - Aftermath…?!
👍🤘🤗🫂🤗🙏🙌
Perhaps I will!
have some of these in my RG, they have an insane amount of low mids and a kind of active quality too them, great pickups though
I've always thought Chimaira tone, is pretty unique in and of itself.
Pass Out had a very boutique amp sound, maybe a Bogner or something, no idea, but it's super hard to replicate unless you eq match it with Fabfilter Pro Q or similar.
It was almost like a mix of a very dry VHT Pittbull and something djenty 😂.
Later albums sound pretty...boosted, which I found odd considering boosts don't seem to be a Chimaira thing.
The best part is, even though the 5150/Mesa combo is a staple in metal, Chimaira really did get their own sound from it that I don't feel anybody else ever had.
I always wondered why the Engl never stayed or played a bigger role later on though, with self titled being the favourite, production wise, it's a pretty key piece of that sound.
I don't see your comment.🤔 This has been happening quite a bit over the past few days. Not just with you... this is the fourth or fifth time I'm just seeing a blank comment. Weird!!
@@RobArnoldWorld strange. I wonder why.
I'll repost anyway, might help...
I've always thought Chimaira tone, is pretty unique in and of itself.
Pass Out had a very boutique amp sound, maybe a Bogner or something, no idea, but it's super hard to replicate unless you eq match it with Fabfilter Pro Q or similar.
It was almost like a mix of a very dry VHT Pittbull and something djenty 😂.
Later albums sound pretty...boosted, which I found odd considering boosts don't seem to be a Chimaira thing.
The best part is, even though the 5150/Mesa combo is a staple in metal, Chimaira really did get their own sound from it that I don't feel anybody else ever had.
@@trevorphilips9484 I see it now! Thanks bro.
"Boutique" sound- that's a cool assessment! I like it.
From what I remember, the Pass Out tone was a blend of four amps. A Yamaha DG130H, a Line 6 head, a Dual Rec, and one more that I can never recall.
The real story behind the Engl thing is that it was an endorsement deal that took a wrong turn. Also while I loved the tone of my Powerball, I didn't like the interface. Too many options. And the whole thing, including the pedal board, looked a bit like something from the WW2 era.🤣
Btw- have you seen this video? Chimaira Amplifier History: th-cam.com/video/stqFCs_lfZc/w-d-xo.html
@@RobArnoldWorld I can definiitely see what you mean with the Powerball and the foot controller.
I'm the same with Engl plugins, too much time to dial in, less time playing.
The DG130 deserves more credit I think. It was Alan Holdsworth's amp of choice for a very long time.
I'm not sure if it was his signature or not, if it wasn't, it might as well have been.
By chance do you have any memory of what cabinet got used on Pass Out?
I'm surprised to hear a Line6 was used for part of that tone.
I wonder if it was the Flextone.
Dino Cazares and Meshuggah relied pretty heavily on those.
@@trevorphilips9484 I believe the line 6 was in fact a recommendation of Dino at the time. And/or Steph from the Deftones. Unfortunately I don't remember the cabs, but we showed up to the studio with four brand new Mesa's, so I'm guessing that's what we used!
Is this thru a plug-in or your 6505 ?
STL Tonehub Mark Lewis- 6505 thru a Mesa cab.
To my ear, they don’t sound the greatest on the gain channels. At least with your rig how it’s always been set up for your 81 set up. But that clean is gorgeous.
I feel like they really sing with your clean tone, but distorted they're very bass-heavy, almost to the point of sounding muddy. But if you like 'em man, then hey, that's awesome!
I'm not switching fully over, but it never hurts to have some guitars around with some different option.
@RobArnoldWorld cannot agree more, man! We're all here to enjoy your content. Even if it's through a Hello Kitty guitar playing the Jaws theme. About that...
@@danielplatts2255 🤘🤣
Never been a massive dimarzio fan I have tone zone in my Ibanez
Too muddy on the bottom end for me. The notes don’t cut through like they do with the EMG’s in my opinion.
Wanna try out my Synyster Gates custom? Let me know and I'll polish it up. I live in the greater Cleveland area.
Is that a pickup?
Using a compressor will get those closer to your original tone. For me actice pickups are great for pedal tone type riffs and single note stuff but when you start using more then 2 strings in a cord thats where passive outdo actives. Emgs have a natural compression that cause this effect of big cords being kinda weak but general riffing being strong.
I feel like they sound flubby in comparison to the emgs but good for other types of music. Cleans sounded better than emgs to me. What gauge string's do you use for chimaira tunes?
11-52!
why do you use 4 springs?
That's what this particular guitar asked for.
Hey hey! I know you're an EMG guy, but do you have any favorite PASSIVE pickups? Maybe a compile a short list/video highlighting some passives you may have used in the past?
Have a great day!
Yeah I don't have a ton of experience with passives, but I have a Duncan JB in my ESP GL-56 that I really like! I talk more about it in this video if you're interested! th-cam.com/video/gDqWOg1D0DI/w-d-xo.html
I also have a passive Duncan in my new ltd '87 Mirage! th-cam.com/video/xhnbKJcBdmI/w-d-xo.html
@@RobArnoldWorld Love that Mirage 🤘 I've been seeing a lot of passives that sound amazing as I dive deeper into guitar mods, which, of course, does not make it any easier to make a decision on one. EMG H4, Lace Deathbucker, of course, the classic Dimebucker..just naming a couple. I can go on and on..
Love your work. Was amazing to see you guys live again, especially with my son, who has recently started his guitar journey🤘 he is now a fan for life.
@@ivanlmiller Dude that's awesome! Happy that you and your son caught us live, and that he's picked up the axe! I'm hoping my little guy will soon too!
To fizzy bro, not enough depth, tightness and cut for rhythms, but I do concede they sing more for leads. Go the X2N, you won't regret it.
Are you still using emgs
Yes!
@Rob Arnold I'm currently getting emgs installed in my kramer nite v
@@jantzencase7524 Nice!
Sounded better with the cleans I think. The emg’s work better fit your sound
Hey Rob, ever consider what your guitar would sound like if you recorded to tape 15 ips? I bet it would sound way better. Slipknots first 2 albums (self titled & iowa) were recorded to tape and the guitars sound sick and fat. The rest of their albums...not so much. Thin.
Think about what it would take to make that happen!💰
@@RobArnoldWorld Oh i know, and well worth the money because the end product lasts a lifetime. And you get that fat richness.
I wish I could still play guitar. Car wreck (Not my fault) broke my left pinky and now it doesn't really do what I want it to do anymore. I guess I'll just have to learn drums. 🤷♂
Blue is the greatest color
The sound is a lot "drier" than what you get with the EMG's. Have you tried the Het Set btw?
I have not!
The cleans are really beautiful. For the gain sound i'm not so sure if i like them.
Don’t like them. No mid range. Sounds really grainy and thin to me. I prefer the EMGs. Although I prefer the EMG-57/66 set over the 81. Have you given those a shot yet?
I have not!
@@RobArnoldWorld highly recommend them. Alnico V magnets with nice midrange response without it being too much. Gets rid of the “ice picky” highs that the 81 has while still being aggressive.
Can anyone recommend a dimarzio thats like a duncan jb but better?
Super distortion is a popular choice for the classic metal, hard rock kindasound just like jb, but it sounds a little different
@@iamgribs thank you for the suggestion!
@@mikeomaly Yw. Best way I'd compare:
JB = megadeth, anthrax used it ... nice shiny high mid grind and highs. GREAT in Les Paul type guitars
Super dist = used by kiss, def leppard, everyone and their dog in the 70s and 80s. Guy from Suffocation uses it too. More emphasis on center mids and a lot of sizzle... the OG hot rod pickup
So they are not quite the same, but both are very good choices for the classic rock and metal sound. If that is what you wanted. Good luck and i hope you get your sound
@Patrick G thank you for the info! Never tried a dimarzio but I think I'm gonna give it a whirl rock and metal are exactly what I'm into!
You should try Duncan Distortion. Trust me, it can get chuggy as hell
He has one set in one of his guitars.
You are right it is super mean sounding
I don't think I do actually! I think the only Duncan I currently have installed is a JB in my ESP GL-56. Love it! And before that, it had a Pearly Gates, which I also really liked!
still waiting on the coffee with ola
We'll see!
The riffs sound like whatever distortion and speaker you use
They look sick but for Chimaira riffs they sound a bit too muddy maybe? Not enough presence maybe? They don't quite cut through in the recoding here and that's just on their own, but I bet they sound sick to jam and on whenit's just you in the room!
FAT SOUND!!! BRUTAL!!!
Flubby
I have never played a DiMarzio that i have actually liked.
they seem to have a lot of muddy buzz to them, and a muted clean sound...id take a 30 year old EMG or any Fishman/SD Blackout/SD JB any day
The pickups look good and everything sounds great though. I just prefer EMGs.
Same
Cut some of the low and you have a disgusting riff machine. Sounds great!
Gotta be honest. They don't have the bite of the EMG 81 and come a cross kind of muddy, IMO.
I am a fan of DiMarzios in general. But these ones sounded a bit too "fuzzy". Maybe it is me. Cheers.
To be honest , to me they seem very muddy distorted.. cleans are very nice with tons of low end responses.. listening through headphones the low and mids are so prevalent.. other than that they aren't horrible.. just not my tone of choice
Bottom end sounded like it was a bit much
They sound muddy. But look awesome!