@@mahguardaiotidico7103 you can play Death, Thrash, Black it doesn't matter. It's a clear and crisp pickup despite being warm and "vintage".. The hex poles give it clarity. It sounds better clean and split also. I love the Duncan Distortion too it's just raspier and not as tight on the low end under loads of distortion. Terrance Hobbs from Suffocation used a Super Distortion for years and maybe still does
After buying my left-handed Jackson Dinky almost a year ago, I was on the Rocks about what bridge pickup to put into it and it came down to these two options. I ended up going with the Duncan Distortion and all I can say is... wow! It is honestly just about like playing a whole new guitar, the Duncan Distortion seriously brought it to life and gave it that little extra boost that it needed while tightening up the low-end... harmonics are richer, better note separation and the highs sing without being too raspy.
I’ve had my Dinky (also lefthanded haha) for about 5 years now and it’s been amazing. I’ve been using a Sheptone Wanker for about 2 years, Dimarzio SD before then. Both are great but i wanna try something new, might just pick up a Duncan Distortion tbh!
@@LuterofromTx I know that some people can't to steer clear of the higher output pickups and sometimes choose a lower output but I love the sound of the Duncan Distortion pushing my amplifier. Originally I tried a Duncan JB before the distortions and they are basically the same pickup except for the A5 magnet... and while that was a pretty good sounding pickup, the Lows were not as tight and a bit muddy and I honestly felt very little difference between the JB and The Originals. Jackson pickup quite honestly. You can get a huge variety of depending on how you set your pickup height... about 1.6mm will give you a George Lynch Mr scary kind of grit, 3.0mm will lower the output a bit and open up the pickup some which is my preferred height with this particular pickup... very balanced and warm tone with sustained for days.
For me it‘s no surprise😊 ALL DiMarzio puckups sound slightly more melodical. The SD‘s are „too“ clear and precise, therefore somehow harsh on the high frequencies....that‘s why I found them a little bit on the sterile side sounding. The hype is bigger towards SD, but to my ears not entirely justified. You can say: well, it‘s just a matter of taste... but my opinion is: a more melodical sound is not a question of taste...😏 You can choose an ice-cold harsh sound for furious mean angry riffs, and it‘s legit. But thise riffs can transpond more meaning by beiing musical on top... (I‘m not into metal, just a beginner blueser, but I think that my old ears are pretty refined...) Cheers man, and rock on! Peace✌🏼
I'm an absolute Duncan distortion fan. I had a Ibanez roadstar 2 from 87 and never liked the crappy cheap pickup it came with. I put the Duncan distortion in and it completely changed that guitar into an absolute beast. At the time I also had a Jackson stealth 2 from 93 or so and it was the guitar of choice for all my friends till that day.. it was dusty never picked up after that Never had a DiMarzio super distortion, I actually liked the super distortion on the cleans a little better but as soon as there was a hint of distortion I liked the Duncan better. The super distortion was killer too
Both great rock pickups. Have them in different setups. I think in my experience overall the Dimarzio just edges it but cleans prefer the Duncan. You can see why Def Leppard (Dimarzio) and Dokken (Distortion) sound the way they do.
Hard to decide. Really depends on the guitar it goes in. The Dimarzio has more separation but a little trebley. The duncan sounds a little muddier and may get lost in the mix but still a great pickup.
Dit vind ik dus een echt goede en fijne presentatie van beide pickups. Zowel clean als distortion geluiden worden hier duidelijk gedemonstreerd. En door een bekwame gitarist. Een die begrijpt wat je wil horen. Baal er altijd van, een review aan te treffen met treinladingen pedalen als distortion en delay zonder het directe geluid zonder alle effecten te laten horen. En dan ook nog vaak door gitaristen die eigenlijk niet bekwaam zijn voor een fatsoenlijke presentatie te doen, hoe goed bedoeld ook. Uiteindelijk weet je dan nog niets. Deze review verdient alle lof. Erg goed gedaan. Ik weet nu welke pickup ik ga gebruiken!
The Dimarzio is sooo much more balanced. Just never could get a decent overdrive out of the Seymour Duncan which is way too bottom heavy which means mud at high volume and high gain. Dimarzio SD's have never let me down.
Even though I'm an absolute JB fan, hearing this comparison back to back, has made me a DiMarzio distortion fan again. I used them back in the '80s on some of my first guitars, mostly because it was easy to get them secondhand cheaply. But some of my favorite studio players used JB's on the bridge. When it comes to metal I think DiMarzio holds the title.
The JB is a fine pickup, but I have always preferred the Super D. I've owned the Duncan Distortion and it sounds nothing like the Super D. It's very very harsh and cold with a cheesy high end I just can't stand. I also find the JB has a difficult high end and I could never EQ an amp the right way to balance the highs and lows of a JB or Duncan Distortion to where I like them. The Super D just sits perfectly on the tone spectrum for me. I use a parallel switch for cleans. If I also have a neck pup I add coil splitting. But most of my guitars including my Hofner Shorty are single bucker with a Super D. It's been Super D's, Ernie Ball Slinkys or D'Addarios or Dean Markleys since 1985 for me and I see no reason to change. My amps have changed a lot but the pickups and strings have been relatively the same. If it ain't broke don't fix it is my motto.
I just found a set of original 70's Super Distortion amongst my things. They tested 8.65 and 8.62. Now, which guitar to put them in? I'll have to try all 8, it's the only way.
Excelente video, excelente selección, excelente comparación de posiciones de pickups, ha sido súper funcional y buena tu información. Definitivamente "Super Distortion" es la opción. Muchas gracias ☺️ Saludos Desde México
Its close but I would take the Duncan. I have owned both pickups [SD in a jaguar and DD in a US Strat] and both sound amazing in their respective guitars. The Super D is the OG though.
I'm curious. Do you see any advantage in removing the Gibson JWT humbucker in the bridge position? It is basically a mildly overwound PAF with an Alnico 8 magnet, which should give it a good dynamic range and enhanced output, like a more powerful Alnico II humbucker. It sounds particularly good with a Marshall-style amplifier to my ears. Your thoughts?
The stock pickups are really good. Each person might have a certain preference, but the Gibson JWT are pretty good. I've used the Duncan Distortion mainly, in the guitar, but for no particular reason, the JWT would be just as good, in my opinion. I'm planning on putting Dimarzios in it for a while, now that i have a cream one for the neck as well...
Dimarzio Super Distortion: Ace Frehley, Randy Rhoads, Phil Collin (Def Leppard), & Mick Mars (Early Motley Crue) Seymour Duncan Distortion: George Lynch, Paul Stanley (KISS), & my favorite J. Yuenger (WHITE ZOMBIE)
Absolutely overjoyed to hear that brilliant intro to Ozzy's 'Diary Of A Madman'!! 🤘 I personally prefer the SuperDistortion, and have a bunch from early 80s. This vid confirmed my opinion 😜 Thanks!
For me I think I need a Dimarzio Super Distortion. I play death metal (a lot of tremelo picked palm mutes) and want a smooth and fluid sounding palm mute tone that retains note clarity without too much flub and scratchy pick attack that obscure the note fundamental. I hope the modern ones still sound good and can work with a guitar tuned down to B standard.
Great comparison. Man it's really a close call here. Clean I guess the Duncan. Dirty, it's even harder to pick. I like both alot. So for me I have both. Just in different Guitars. 🤘
@@n.a.fgaming3038 yes I think so due to the hex pieces being tighter. It's thicker and tighter than the Duncan Distortion. The Duncan Distortion is very screamy and thinner.
I’ve had both of these pickups, and here’s my thoughts. The Super Distortion is thicker and beefier, and I prefer it for D standard and up, it’s awesome for classic metal/hard rock. The Duncan Distortion is tighter and leaner, and handles low tunings WAY better. I don’t really like it with higher tunings, it sounds a little thin, especially at E standard. The Super Dist tends to flub out even at drop C, while I’ve gotten the Duncan Dist down to drop A with no issues, still stays tight. So keep that in mind, the tuning you use is hugely important between these two pickups.
I just play E standard tuning. I play a lot of Scorpions, Dio, and old school Metallica. Between the two pickups which is best for that type of music? The guitar is a 1998 Gibson Les Paul R9.
@@cc771 Hey dude sorry for the late reply, for those bands I’d go Super Distortion all the way personally. The lower mid beef on the SD really adds some weight and thickness to E standard riffs.
I like Dimarzion better. It has on high gain more edge and sharpness witch make sound much more punching at your face. Clean sound I really can't tell, both sound great. Oh and this is really good video🙂
Oh, man! I have got the same guitar and found your video when I was looking for DP100/Duncan Distortion comparison. Dimarzio sounds a bit brighter than Duncan but they are both great on their way. I currently have a CrunchLab on the bridge position which is also very nice. Cheers!
I put D Marzio PAF 36 anniversary in the Neck & D Marzio’s SD in the bridge in my Paul & they made the guitar sound so much better. That said the SDD sounded pretty dam good.
same, paf36 neck and dp100 ‘70 bridge, you can go all round genre, i have TB6 in other guitar as well, good for hi gain distortion at the top... dp100 is still the finest for me!
I might be a bit biased cause I use the Duncans on my Jackson SL2 but I slightly perfer the Duncans, they sound a bit brighter more crisp but very similar.
I used (mostly Super Distortions or Gibson Dirty Fingers) for years until I went with EMGs for a odd reason. I needed something to drive a long cable run through a bunch of effects and that's what they excel at. Then I started using stock pickups in most of my stuff, then back to the Super Distortions like I played in the 80s. I just loaded my 1980 Epiphone Genesis with a pair of double cream Super Distotions and it's right into that 70s Al Di Meola tone that I missed. That guitar into a Rat (used as a boost) into a Marshall Origin 50 head into a 2-12 cab is instant 70s tone and with more gain in the Rat, early/mid 70s metal.
I’ve also played both. Good video. Hard to choose. For clean tones I find the Dimarzio SD has more character. And in some respects the SD has more “bite” in the midrange on overdrive. Some may complain it’s a bit fuzzy, as Ed Van Halen said when he switched from them after the 78 album. But the 78 album, to many, had his best tone. Just an example. The Seymour DD has perhaps a smoother tone with less midrange bite. Better note separation, maybe, as well. Depends on what you like. Both are good and it’s funny, Randy Rhoads was being played there and he used both pickups before he passed away. I have Seymours on one of my guitars and Dimarzios on the other. I prefer the Seymour RTM, though, to the Distortion model.
Отличный обзор! Спасибо. Seymour Duncan больше понравился, имеет тело, приятнее для игры в одиночку. Ну а для микса можно воспользоваться EQ перед Dist, при необходимости. Хотя и в миксе мне больше понравился SD, более плотный. Другим же покажется он бубнящим, - тут уже дело вкуса.
DiMarzio SD kills bro....I put set of Super Distortion in my Ibanez GIO GRG121DX and made 200$ guitar sounds like 600$ one. Great video bro....sweet guitar and RiG as well 🙂🤘🤘🤘
@@edwardrand1923 Yes it is, putting good pickups in GiO will make yo fall in love with the guitar, the guitar is more fluid in every way, pinch harmonics are easier to achieve, sound is fuller and way better. But other things matter too...neck...polishing frets, smoothing everything with a steel wool 0000 grit size and oiling the dry fretboard will complete process. Finaly set your action where you want, intonate right and tune guitar...and Rock on.
@@edwardrand1923 Me too bro, I owned several guitars, expensive and non expensive ones, but my upgraded grg121dx stays forever...plays like a beast, rly love that guitar. Now I have a Dean Gauntlet MAB4 guitar Michaelangelo Batio signature and it is absolute beast. If only Ibanez had went with a real jumbo frets like Dean the guitar would be a killer. Dean have a great jumbo frets.
I’ve got a GRG121DX as my secondary guitar (got a Jackson KVXT as my main) but I was looking to upgrade the stock pickups in my GRG, thinking about getting the DiMarzio SD with a PAF for the neck. How do they sound in the GRG and what sort of stuff do you play? My Jackson came with EMGs, they are pretty solid pickups and I do like them but they aren’t very “tight” sounding and can sound a bit flat to my ears sometimes. If I like the DiMarzios in my Ibanez I might consider buying another for my Jackson.
I have 4 or 5 very early Dimarzio SD's and love them (honestly not sure of the number, I have piles of old pickups I was gifted by a guitar tech many years ago), but I also have a brand new one that I ordered with the chrome bobbins, for a project guitar with lots 'o chrome on it, and it sounds different from the old ones (which are realistically probably 40+ years old); I wonder what a NEW Dimarzio SD would sound like compared to the Seymour Duncan Distortion...? One of my main guitars currently has the SD Distortion in the bridge & SD 59 in the neck, and it's a very well-balanced ass-kicking combo... In another I have a late-70's Dimarzio SD in the NECK & a late-70's Dimarzio X2N 'Power Plus' in the bridge, and THAT'S a screamer of a guitar! Crazy what a wealth of pickup choices we enjoy nowadays; the old guy who gave me all those pickups said back when he was just learning everybody had stock pickups in everything with a Super Distortion in the bridge, period... Hey, it worked for Jimmy Page!
It's a really hard choice! I like both, but the Duncan has more mids, and depending on the guitar, it could sound muddy, I have a Les Paul with mahogany body, which one you think sounds better for modern high gain stuff?
So I'm assuming Randy used the vintage set? Sounds EXACTLY like him. Why so much noise though with them? Massive hum... No gate or something? I mean, they are Humbuckers. Great video, thank you.
Thanks! Well the noise is to be expected in single coil mode (coil split). In my opinion, one should avoid heavy gain with single coils (not to confuse with single coil sized humbuckers)...
I've always liked Duncan's.......regardless of the model, they just have a certain quality that is expressive in tone. I like the voicing of the Seymour Duncan SH6 here better (both clean and dirty).....there is more air and resonance around the clean tone it has, compared to the Dimarzio, and there is more of a mid/ lower mid type push it has on the distorted clips......Bigger balls
I prefer the Duncans for clean. I think for that one it is preference. The dimarzio has a nice twang of its own. For overdriven. The dimarzio has more high end sizzle. The duncans are a little darker. Both very clear and articulate and perfect for 80s metal and hard rock 🎸 👌 😎
The Dimazio is the best allrounder & that's coming from a massive Duncan Distortion fan. The cleans were significantly better & the dirty sounded great but if distortion is your main goal I'd still go with the Duncan Distortion, I have owned a Super Distortion before btw.
I dont hear a distinct difference between a vintage 70s Dimarzio Super D and my made last year in 2023 Super D. Same great pickup as ever regardless of when it was made
The Duncan has something annoying about it. Too much compression, maybe? Sounds a bit like it's not sure if it's a passive or an active. The Super Distortion, man! Not a single offensive frequency, great lows, relaxed highs, very natural sounding, and just an all around tone monster!
You can't make a decision based on this video because the audio recording was absolutely horrible and if you didn't notice how horrible it was then you just might want to question ear for tone because this crap is not worthy. 🔥🤘🔥
![เปิดคำทำนาย นอสตราดามุส - บาบา วานก้า ปี 2025 คนทั่วโลกต้องเจออะไรบ้าง? | แฉ 11 ธ.ค. 67 [2/3] |GMM25](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/xmTIKWJUMPM/mqdefault.jpg)
The DiMarzio Super Distortion is the original hot pickup and it's still the best after 48 years! 🔥
I totally agree. They can do anything
Indeed
The dmz has a very vintage tone, that's perfect for hair metal and 80's thrash metal, sd for my ears Is more versatile and more modern
@@mahguardaiotidico7103 you can play Death, Thrash, Black it doesn't matter. It's a clear and crisp pickup despite being warm and "vintage".. The hex poles give it clarity. It sounds better clean and split also. I love the Duncan Distortion too it's just raspier and not as tight on the low end under loads of distortion. Terrance Hobbs from Suffocation used a Super Distortion for years and maybe still does
After buying my left-handed Jackson Dinky almost a year ago, I was on the Rocks about what bridge pickup to put into it and it came down to these two options. I ended up going with the Duncan Distortion and all I can say is... wow! It is honestly just about like playing a whole new guitar, the Duncan Distortion seriously brought it to life and gave it that little extra boost that it needed while tightening up the low-end... harmonics are richer, better note separation and the highs sing without being too raspy.
I’ve had my Dinky (also lefthanded haha) for about 5 years now and it’s been amazing. I’ve been using a Sheptone Wanker for about 2 years, Dimarzio SD before then. Both are great but i wanna try something new, might just pick up a Duncan Distortion tbh!
@@LuterofromTx I know that some people can't to steer clear of the higher output pickups and sometimes choose a lower output but I love the sound of the Duncan Distortion pushing my amplifier. Originally I tried a Duncan JB before the distortions and they are basically the same pickup except for the A5 magnet... and while that was a pretty good sounding pickup, the Lows were not as tight and a bit muddy and I honestly felt very little difference between the JB and The Originals. Jackson pickup quite honestly. You can get a huge variety of depending on how you set your pickup height... about 1.6mm will give you a George Lynch Mr scary kind of grit, 3.0mm will lower the output a bit and open up the pickup some which is my preferred height with this particular pickup... very balanced and warm tone with sustained for days.
Once distortion is added the differences are player preference (inference).
Great Video! Couldn’t go wrong with either one, I have the Seymour Duncan Mayhem set in my Les Paul SH-6 N-B and they sounds Phenomenal!
Thanks! :)
I have a Jackson Soloist Pro with the Duncan Distortions and that thing is amazing. It squeals if you look at it out of the corner of your eye.
Thanks for the useful video! ;)
I preferred the DiMarzio to my surprise! O_O
no problem, i liked it too :)
For me it‘s no surprise😊 ALL DiMarzio puckups sound slightly more melodical. The SD‘s are „too“ clear and precise, therefore somehow harsh on the high frequencies....that‘s why I found them a little bit on the sterile side sounding. The hype is bigger towards SD, but to my ears not entirely justified. You can say: well, it‘s just a matter of taste... but my opinion is: a more melodical sound is not a question of taste...😏 You can choose an ice-cold harsh sound for furious mean angry riffs, and it‘s legit. But thise riffs can transpond more meaning by beiing musical on top...
(I‘m not into metal, just a beginner blueser, but I think that my old ears are pretty refined...)
Cheers man, and rock on! Peace✌🏼
I'm an absolute Duncan distortion fan. I had a Ibanez roadstar 2 from 87 and never liked the crappy cheap pickup it came with. I put the Duncan distortion in and it completely changed that guitar into an absolute beast. At the time I also had a Jackson stealth 2 from 93 or so and it was the guitar of choice for all my friends till that day.. it was dusty never picked up after that Never had a DiMarzio super distortion, I actually liked the super distortion on the cleans a little better but as soon as there was a hint of distortion I liked the Duncan better. The super distortion was killer too
Both great rock pickups. Have them in different setups. I think in my experience overall the Dimarzio just edges it but cleans prefer the Duncan. You can see why Def Leppard (Dimarzio) and Dokken (Distortion) sound the way they do.
Hard to decide. Really depends on the guitar it goes in. The Dimarzio has more separation but a little trebley. The duncan sounds a little muddier and may get lost in the mix but still a great pickup.
Dit vind ik dus een echt goede en fijne presentatie van beide pickups. Zowel clean als distortion geluiden worden hier duidelijk gedemonstreerd. En door een bekwame gitarist. Een die begrijpt wat je wil horen. Baal er altijd van, een review aan te treffen met treinladingen pedalen als distortion en delay zonder het directe geluid zonder alle effecten te laten horen. En dan ook nog vaak door gitaristen die eigenlijk niet bekwaam zijn voor een fatsoenlijke presentatie te doen, hoe goed bedoeld ook. Uiteindelijk weet je dan nog niets. Deze review verdient alle lof. Erg goed gedaan. Ik weet nu welke pickup ik ga gebruiken!
The Dimarzio is sooo much more balanced. Just never could get a decent overdrive out of the Seymour Duncan which is way too bottom heavy which means mud at high volume and high gain. Dimarzio SD's have never let me down.
Even though I'm an absolute JB fan, hearing this comparison back to back, has made me a DiMarzio distortion fan again. I used them back in the '80s on some of my first guitars, mostly because it was easy to get them secondhand cheaply. But some of my favorite studio players used JB's on the bridge. When it comes to metal I think DiMarzio holds the title.
I used to have a JB, it was pretty versatile
The JB is a fine pickup, but I have always preferred the Super D. I've owned the Duncan Distortion and it sounds nothing like the Super D. It's very very harsh and cold with a cheesy high end I just can't stand. I also find the JB has a difficult high end and I could never EQ an amp the right way to balance the highs and lows of a JB or Duncan Distortion to where I like them. The Super D just sits perfectly on the tone spectrum for me. I use a parallel switch for cleans. If I also have a neck pup I add coil splitting. But most of my guitars including my Hofner Shorty are single bucker with a Super D. It's been Super D's, Ernie Ball Slinkys or D'Addarios or Dean Markleys since 1985 for me and I see no reason to change. My amps have changed a lot but the pickups and strings have been relatively the same. If it ain't broke don't fix it is my motto.
I just found a set of original 70's Super Distortion amongst my things. They tested 8.65 and 8.62. Now, which guitar to put them in? I'll have to try all 8, it's the only way.
Excelente video, excelente selección, excelente comparación de posiciones de pickups, ha sido súper funcional y buena tu información.
Definitivamente "Super Distortion" es la opción. Muchas gracias ☺️
Saludos Desde México
muchas gracias !! :)
Great video. I forgot how great those old DiMarzio pups sound.
Thank you!
Its close but I would take the Duncan. I have owned both pickups [SD in a jaguar and DD in a US Strat] and both sound amazing in their respective guitars. The Super D is the OG though.
Nice playing and review my friend ✌️
Thank You!! :)
Really caught my ear the split coil DiMarzio sound/tone -- great demo, thank you!!
thanks :)
I'm curious. Do you see any advantage in removing the Gibson JWT humbucker in the bridge position? It is basically a mildly overwound PAF with an Alnico 8 magnet, which should give it a good dynamic range and enhanced output, like a more powerful Alnico II humbucker. It sounds particularly good with a Marshall-style amplifier to my ears. Your thoughts?
The stock pickups are really good. Each person might have a certain preference, but the Gibson JWT are pretty good. I've used the Duncan Distortion mainly, in the guitar, but for no particular reason, the JWT would be just as good, in my opinion. I'm planning on putting Dimarzios in it for a while, now that i have a cream one for the neck as well...
Dimarzio Super Distortion: Ace Frehley, Randy Rhoads, Phil Collin (Def Leppard), & Mick Mars (Early Motley Crue)
Seymour Duncan Distortion: George Lynch, Paul Stanley (KISS), & my favorite J. Yuenger (WHITE ZOMBIE)
Also on the Dimarzio team...Mr. Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden)!!
Randy Rhoads used Duncans not DiMarzios
@@briandgr8st Randy used both. SD on the polka v and DD in his Jackson. Also, Gibson T-tops in his Les Paul.
Absolutely overjoyed to hear that brilliant intro to Ozzy's 'Diary Of A Madman'!! 🤘
I personally prefer the SuperDistortion, and have a bunch from early 80s. This vid confirmed my opinion 😜 Thanks!
thank you! :)
For me I think I need a Dimarzio Super Distortion. I play death metal (a lot of tremelo picked palm mutes) and want a smooth and fluid sounding palm mute tone that retains note clarity without too much flub and scratchy pick attack that obscure the note fundamental. I hope the modern ones still sound good and can work with a guitar tuned down to B standard.
Modern Super D is slightly fatter I think
Consider a X2N also 😉
Seymour Duncan much better and fuller on clean... Di Marzio better with distortion
Great comparison. Man it's really a close call here. Clean I guess the Duncan. Dirty, it's even harder to pick. I like both alot. So for me I have both. Just in different Guitars. 🤘
Thanks! yeah, rather subtle differences
Caught that Cirith Ungol "Paradise Lost" riff! Ha! The Super is crisper with a chunky bass. The Duncan has more upper mids with a softer bass.
I am a big Dimarzio DP100 Super Distortion fan I use them myself I think they are better all around
are they tighter than duncan dist ?
@@n.a.fgaming3038 yes I think so due to the hex pieces being tighter. It's thicker and tighter than the Duncan Distortion. The Duncan Distortion is very screamy and thinner.
Start at 5:12 (clean, split-coil test) DiMarzio wins. For all other tests, they are tied in my opinion.
preferred Dimarzio
Super distortion sounds nicer clean
Great comparison! I'm always was Duncan guy, but Dimarzio Super D kicking ass
Thanks! :)
Been tossing up between these two for a soloist guitar. I think I’ll have to go the Dimarzio especially as I play a bit of Def Leppard. 🤘🏻
I kinda like the Seymour Duncan better
I’ve had both of these pickups, and here’s my thoughts.
The Super Distortion is thicker and beefier, and I prefer it for D standard and up, it’s awesome for classic metal/hard rock.
The Duncan Distortion is tighter and leaner, and handles low tunings WAY better. I don’t really like it with higher tunings, it sounds a little thin, especially at E standard.
The Super Dist tends to flub out even at drop C, while I’ve gotten the Duncan Dist down to drop A with no issues, still stays tight.
So keep that in mind, the tuning you use is hugely important between these two pickups.
I just play E standard tuning. I play a lot of Scorpions, Dio, and old school Metallica. Between the two pickups which is best for that type of music? The guitar is a 1998 Gibson Les Paul R9.
@@cc771 Hey dude sorry for the late reply, for those bands I’d go Super Distortion all the way personally. The lower mid beef on the SD really adds some weight and thickness to E standard riffs.
@@jaredt3985 thank you my brother.
@@cc771 No worries!
This is the comment i needed. I play mainly E standard. Going for the dimarzio 🤟
I like Dimarzion better. It has on high gain more edge and sharpness witch make sound much more punching at your face. Clean sound I really can't tell, both sound great. Oh and this is really good video🙂
Thanks! :)
Damn, the Dimarzio wins hands down for me, on a completely different level!
Oh, man! I have got the same guitar and found your video when I was looking for DP100/Duncan Distortion comparison. Dimarzio sounds a bit brighter than Duncan but they are both great on their way. I currently have a CrunchLab on the bridge position which is also very nice. Cheers!
Late to the party but the Dimarzio super D is the 1st and best high output pup, Duncan's best imo is their JB
I put D Marzio PAF 36 anniversary in the Neck & D Marzio’s SD in the bridge in my Paul & they made the guitar sound so much better.
That said the SDD sounded pretty dam good.
Killer combo... It's the same as Dave Murray in the 80s.
same, paf36 neck and dp100 ‘70 bridge, you can go all round genre, i have TB6 in other guitar as well, good for hi gain distortion at the top... dp100 is still the finest for me!
Love the eyes with out a face riff.
Manowar! @6:00
I might be a bit biased cause I use the Duncans on my Jackson SL2 but I slightly perfer the Duncans, they sound a bit brighter more crisp but very similar.
Can someone please tell me what is the name of the song he plays at 8'11"?
Ozzy Osbourne - Mr. Crowley
@@megahurtz30 This was really bugging me because I knew it but for some reason couldn't place it. Thank you!
Dimarzio for the take.. the dimarzio sounds more open and
vintage. Seymour sounds more modern
Which one did Chris Poland use on peace sells? Someone know???
I used (mostly Super Distortions or Gibson Dirty Fingers) for years until I went with EMGs for a odd reason. I needed something to drive a long cable run through a bunch of effects and that's what they excel at. Then I started using stock pickups in most of my stuff, then back to the Super Distortions like I played in the 80s. I just loaded my 1980 Epiphone Genesis with a pair of double cream Super Distotions and it's right into that 70s Al Di Meola tone that I missed. That guitar into a Rat (used as a boost) into a Marshall Origin 50 head into a 2-12 cab is instant 70s tone and with more gain in the Rat, early/mid 70s metal.
Thank you for video
I’ve also played both. Good video. Hard to choose. For clean tones I find the Dimarzio SD has more character. And in some respects the SD has more “bite” in the midrange on overdrive. Some may complain it’s a bit fuzzy, as Ed Van Halen said when he switched from them after the 78 album. But the 78 album, to many, had his best tone. Just an example.
The Seymour DD has perhaps a smoother tone with less midrange bite. Better note separation, maybe, as well. Depends on what you like. Both are good and it’s funny, Randy Rhoads was being played there and he used both pickups before he passed away. I have Seymours on one of my guitars and Dimarzios on the other. I prefer the Seymour RTM, though, to the Distortion model.
Thanks! Nice insight, i didn't know about the Seymour RTM, i'm curious know... :)
@@megahurtz30 Seymour RTM is a bit like a JB without the shrill upper midrange. Alnico 2 magnet as opposed to Alnico 4.
Отличный обзор! Спасибо.
Seymour Duncan больше понравился, имеет тело, приятнее для игры в одиночку.
Ну а для микса можно воспользоваться EQ перед Dist, при необходимости. Хотя и в миксе мне больше понравился SD, более плотный. Другим же покажется он бубнящим, - тут уже дело вкуса.
oh is that a jeff waters v?? he is from my hometown
Yes it is :)
Great comparison! I'm still deciding what PUP to put in the charvel I'm building. Which one of them would you go for? Considering 80s hard rock stuff.
Thanks! I'm not sure, but maybe i would go with the Dimarzio
@@megahurtz30 thanks man 👏
Easy choice. The Seymour Duncan SH5 Custom. 🤘😎
Going with the Duncan
What's the song at 10:50?
Its a riff from Chaos Rising, from the band Cirith Ungol
Heard some Eyes Without A Face in there....
:)
I have a Cort guitar with powersound super distortion pups are those low end DiMarzio pups???
Powersound? I don't know, but i don't think they are made by Dimarzio... Real Dimarzio should sound better than Powersound, i presume
I have super d in my tele. Love em
Nice review as always. But it was interesting if you make a review in the neck position as well. In you're next video maybe? 😉
It's an idea. I think this pickup is mostly used in the bridge, but it might be interesting to try in the neck :)
Think I prefer the Distortion. Close though. It's like classic rock vs metal.
lmao....which one? They both have distortion in the damn name lol.
@@AvnerRosenstein-ULTRA-LXV for real they both work great for metal. The DiMarzio is more versatile and less fizzy than the Duncan.
DiMarzio SD kills bro....I put set of Super Distortion in my Ibanez GIO GRG121DX and made 200$ guitar sounds like 600$ one. Great video bro....sweet guitar and RiG as well 🙂🤘🤘🤘
Thanks!! :)
I got a gio and love it...is it a big difference?
@@edwardrand1923 Yes it is, putting good pickups in GiO will make yo fall in love with the guitar, the guitar is more fluid in every way, pinch harmonics are easier to achieve, sound is fuller and way better. But other things matter too...neck...polishing frets, smoothing everything with a steel wool 0000 grit size and oiling the dry fretboard will complete process. Finaly set your action where you want, intonate right and tune guitar...and Rock on.
@@edwardrand1923 Me too bro, I owned several guitars, expensive and non expensive ones, but my upgraded grg121dx stays forever...plays like a beast, rly love that guitar. Now I have a Dean Gauntlet MAB4 guitar Michaelangelo Batio signature and it is absolute beast. If only Ibanez had went with a real jumbo frets like Dean the guitar would be a killer. Dean have a great jumbo frets.
I’ve got a GRG121DX as my secondary guitar (got a Jackson KVXT as my main) but I was looking to upgrade the stock pickups in my GRG, thinking about getting the DiMarzio SD with a PAF for the neck. How do they sound in the GRG and what sort of stuff do you play?
My Jackson came with EMGs, they are pretty solid pickups and I do like them but they aren’t very “tight” sounding and can sound a bit flat to my ears sometimes. If I like the DiMarzios in my Ibanez I might consider buying another for my Jackson.
Different, but both are good.
Nice comparison!...I much prefer the Super Distortion
Thanks! :)
Duncan is more mid rangey so Im sticking to the scoop of the dimarzio SD
Dimarzio win
The Duncan's came in my Jackson Soloist. They're coming out. Way to muddy for it. No top end.
Are todays Dimarzio also the same quality?
good question, i only tested this one, yet
Song at 5:55?
Army of Immortals, from Manowar
@@megahurtz30 ay thanks mate!!
I have 4 or 5 very early Dimarzio SD's and love them (honestly not sure of the number, I have piles of old pickups I was gifted by a guitar tech many years ago), but I also have a brand new one that I ordered with the chrome bobbins, for a project guitar with lots 'o chrome on it, and it sounds different from the old ones (which are realistically probably 40+ years old); I wonder what a NEW Dimarzio SD would sound like compared to the Seymour Duncan Distortion...? One of my main guitars currently has the SD Distortion in the bridge & SD 59 in the neck, and it's a very well-balanced ass-kicking combo... In another I have a late-70's Dimarzio SD in the NECK & a late-70's Dimarzio X2N 'Power Plus' in the bridge, and THAT'S a screamer of a guitar! Crazy what a wealth of pickup choices we enjoy nowadays; the old guy who gave me all those pickups said back when he was just learning everybody had stock pickups in everything with a Super Distortion in the bridge, period... Hey, it worked for Jimmy Page!
wow man, that's very cool to have all those pickups :) This Dimarzio was also a gift from a friend of mine
Music of 02:05 and 04:43?
Eyes Without a Face, from Billy Idol ...and Diary of a Madman, from Ozzy Osbourne
Только Seymour Duncan 👍👍👍🤞Всегда Seymour Duncan❤
DAT Cirith Ungol riff..... Nice choice.
It's a really hard choice! I like both, but the Duncan has more mids, and depending on the guitar, it could sound muddy, I have a Les Paul with mahogany body, which one you think sounds better for modern high gain stuff?
Tough question.... I think both can pull it off just as well, the way i see it, it's more about the amps and effects, when it comes to modern stuff
My opinion: long scale😊
So I'm assuming Randy used the vintage set? Sounds EXACTLY like him.
Why so much noise though with them? Massive hum... No gate or something? I mean, they are Humbuckers.
Great video, thank you.
Thanks! Well the noise is to be expected in single coil mode (coil split). In my opinion, one should avoid heavy gain with single coils (not to confuse with single coil sized humbuckers)...
Battle Hymns did sound the call..
:)
I've always liked Duncan's.......regardless of the model, they just have a certain quality that is expressive in tone. I like the voicing of the Seymour Duncan SH6 here better (both clean and dirty).....there is more air and resonance around the clean tone it has, compared to the Dimarzio, and there is more of a mid/ lower mid type push it has on the distorted clips......Bigger balls
Duncan Distortion sounds very muddy in this video (as in my own experiance too). Good comparision!
I prefer the Duncans for clean. I think for that one it is preference. The dimarzio has a nice twang of its own.
For overdriven. The dimarzio has more high end sizzle. The duncans are a little darker. Both very clear and articulate and perfect for 80s metal and hard rock 🎸 👌 😎
I’m thinking about putting both in one guitar
Has Anyone tried this ?
Yup
Orig. 65 sg. Ran the Dimarzios with switches for 15 years. Think they're now going back in
On dirt channel -- all sounds the same, even split coil mode (just humm appear).
Seymour Duncan is a little richer, pleasant, and more legible.
Randy R and Jeff Waters !!!!!)
The Dimazio is the best allrounder & that's coming from a massive Duncan Distortion fan. The cleans were significantly better & the dirty sounded great but if distortion is your main goal I'd still go with the Duncan Distortion, I have owned a Super Distortion before btw.
I dont hear a distinct difference between a vintage 70s Dimarzio Super D and my made last year in 2023 Super D. Same great pickup as ever regardless of when it was made
Super Distortion wins this battle in this video with almost no contest.. way more clarity.
Well SD is more warmer, i like both, dimarzio is more for metal while sd more for softer stuff like classic rock and punk
Thought u was fixn to play that mega deth song. Let down lol
The Duncan has something annoying about it. Too much compression, maybe? Sounds a bit like it's not sure if it's a passive or an active. The Super Distortion, man! Not a single offensive frequency, great lows, relaxed highs, very natural sounding, and just an all around tone monster!
I have Super Distortion. There's no tone at all. Just hot distortion
Newer version or the vintage version?
@@NefariousDreary New, I guess
@@joemarabella2145 the vintage ones got some more low end. They might be more to your liking.
The Duncans crush the Super Ds.
super D blows the DD away.... i was about to sell my square ears on reverb and listened to this.....now im selling the DD
Both great sounding. I prefer the midrange of the super distortion. No upper register playing though, so no lead tones! bummer!
Dimarzio the clear winner !
Duncan
You can't make a decision based on this video because the audio recording was absolutely horrible and if you didn't notice how horrible it was then you just might want to question ear for tone because this crap is not worthy. 🔥🤘🔥