high gain amps users, which pickups do you prefer, medium or high output?

[Elkoki]

What do you feel works better for you running into a high gain amplifier? medium output pickups or high output ones ?

I recently bought a high gain all tube combo (Peavey XXX) and i'm experimenting with different pickups to find the right tone for me.

I like clean sounding pickups with lots of dynamics, crunch and don't sound squishy when you palm mute. I love pickups with lots of clarity but I don't want them to sound shrill either. I found that using a high gain amplifier with just any pickup doesn't work the same, certain pickups can sound too shrill, and some sound like a mess because they have too much output and bass.

For my LP i'm using a Seymour Duncan Sh4, and overall it I think it's not too bad, it's not as tight as I would like it to be, but it's also very usable and can get a really nice sound, nice classic rock sounds, and heavy metal like metallica etc.


What pickups do you prefer for your high gain amps ..

I have only tried one high output ceramic pickup with this amp. and I find it sounds terrible...(dimarzio super 3)... It's too bassy, not super clear, not a lot of dynamics... Ovekill? or maybe just a bad choice of pickup for what I want

 

[corbo]

have always preferred medium output , find they work well with virtually any amp

 

[ARandall]

Some metal guys even use PAF strength pickups. The 59 by Duncan was used by one pretty well known band whose name escapes me.

There is SO much gain on tap now in amps there is no need to have high output to get the level of drive. Its just a matter of eq.