Which one of these pick-ups do you feel would best fit a Les Paul going through a Marshall for the best "Metal-Tone" ? Or which one works the best for YOU?!

Never tried the X2N, but I have a Les Paul w/ a Duncan distortion, and it's a very versatile pickup. Sounds great.

i have a seymour duistortion in a alder bodyes maple necktrhough guitar, and it sounds a little thin on that, so i gues sit will be fine for a lespual since the mahogany will add some more depth to it,.. just my guess though. other than that, nice high output pickup, doesnt do clean wellthough, it distorts realy quick (hence the name duncan distortion).

dno about the x2n, for some reason i think it will sound like shit lol

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lol Ya for some reason I'm scared to try the X2N out. It just seems like "too much" and just looks harsh!

I have the Distortion in both positions of my Les Paul, it does cleans more than fine enough. It works great.

X2N is fucking astounding in mahogany bodies if that is the real question...

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The X2N is definitely over the top but not shit by any means, it's extremely well balanced. Coincidentally I sold my X2N today to someone because I decided not to put it in 1 of my guitars and try something different(and in a matching color), I've already had an X2N before and I loved the sound. Brutal as fuck, impeccable definition and clarity, no excess treble or anything unless you're using a really thin sounding amp, you'll love it if you play lots of technical rhythm chops with lots of intricacies you want to be heard. SCREAMS for lead guitar and harmonics are out of this world with it, I haven't played other pickups that do harmonics like the x2n does. Downsides is that it has extremely dry hard knocking cleans. It's 4-conductor though, so you can coil split, which would make it exceptional for cleans though, but a neck pickup could do that for you.

The output it has is so massive that if you're content with your amp's distorted channel, you're probably gonna shit yourself when you hear a guitar with it through the same setting.

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Tell me, what do you think of an X2N (510 mv) in the bridge and a PAF Pro (300 mv) in the neck? There's quite a big difference in the output level, but I don't if that would affect the overall output??.. help me!

i have tried exactly both of these pickups in my ibanez rg tuned down to b standard. the X2N blows away the distortion in output, and with the right settings i have noticed a more distinguished tone than i ever did with the SH-6, but i'm no tone expert. ^ soeru pretty much nailed the qualities of it. i still find that i have to use an EQ pedal with the X2N to make it slightly less muddy, but i'm tuned to b for christ's sake. if you want to hear it in a higher tuning, just listen to death or necrophagist.. amen. to make a long story short, if i had to buy them again, i would skip right to the X2N.

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Was the X2N noisy?

^ i still have my X2N, bridge position. i don't really think of it as noisy, but i run a boss noise suppressor. my other guitar has an active gain booster in it, so the X2N seems tame in comparison. i think with any high-output pickup you'll get more noise and more stray string noises and stuff.. i'd say that forces you to play tighter, but you should also probably invest in a noise suppressor like a boss NS-2 or an ISP decimator.

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Not noisy at all. Absolutely no hum or anything, as expected. It's just sensitive like he said, it'll make it more apparent if you're not a tight player in very high gain settings.

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I really think I'm gonna go with the X2N/Paf Pro combo. Just hearing the different players that use them and all the good things I've read I really wanna give it a shot. I'm just still hoping the outputs levels aren't gonna be screwed up with the major difference between the 2 pups.

It won't don't worry, everyone uses that combination with great success. Usually you want the neck pickup's output to be 2/3 of the bridge pickup's output. 510mV to 300mV is just perfect, just don't go putting the X2N very close to the strings(you shouldn't anyway cuz the huge magnet iit has will pull them out of tune), and raise the PAF pro a little bit on the treble side with the pole screws if you want. If you still feel it's way too big of a jump in gain when you switch from bridge to neck(you shouldn't) all you have to do is lower the X2N a bit more, better idea than volume knobs...

The X2N weighs more than any pickup I've held. I hope you don't wear lots of rings or jewelry, because the magnet will pull it right in.

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Lmao.. nah I don't have any jewelry. Thanks for your help!! I'm really considering this DiMarzio combo or the Bill Lawrence L-500XL. I swear Pick-ups probably have to be one of the hardest descisions to make.

I have the X2N in my Ibanez Prestige 7 string. There are lots of mids in this pickup, with something like this in the bridge it would'nt be too hard to dial in a Beneath The Massacre or Decapitated style tone. Actually, it is'nt at all. With a Marshall-esque voiced amplifier, or um, a Marshall, I feel that you have all the gain that you need. The great thing about having extremely pronounced mids in a high output pickup such as this is the clarity your guitar has while its slamming your amplifier with a bit extra gain, there's NO mushiness, and it handles my low B ( or occasionally A ) perfectly. And if you decide to go for the scoopy sound by dumping the mids on your amp, you're better off than having a scoopy pickup to begin with.

I'm not sure if I would say that its just as hot as an EMG, but its just BARELY beneath it. Then again, there are days whenever I feel that it is. Harmonics come just as easily, I think its just that EMG's have that 'sizzle' to its treble end that the X2N, and pretty much all other pickups you play don't have ( That's EMG for you ). The reason I'm harping on its comparison to EMG is because many people are often choosing between it, the X2N, the Invader or some other high output beast. It breathes like a passive though, and if that's what you like then you'll probably want it in your main guitar over an EMG.

That's really how I would describe it ... an EMG without too much sizzle, passive characteristics, and coil tapping capability. There are days that I can hear the limitations in my tonewood, though ( or lack thereof ). Ibanez guitars like the one that I have are built more for speed and comfort, I guess, kind of like a "blank template". My guitar teacher likes to hold it up to his ear and say, "What's that? You want EMG's? Maybe one day John will put EMG's in you"

If I've played a distortion, I don't remember.

Your guitar teacher is a jew.

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You're a beaner jew.

i played an ltd with a duncan distortion, it was bad but i think he had the guitar wired worng to were you automaticly have to use all 3 pickups adn teh same time or thats what i heard

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LTD with 3 pickups?

You don't have to use all 3 at once just because you have a Duncan Dist. in it

Anyway, the Duncan Dist. is overall a little brighter with less output.

You're gonna have to consider what tone you want, they will both kick ass in a Les Paul but they're different animals. The Distortion is more like a thrashy/speed metal type tone, very bright, tight and fast, while the X2N is just a little more brutal/death metal with some more "chunk" to it and a little more balanced sound with a hint towards the bright side,so your chuggs won't be dark, they'll be bright and punchy (the good kind of bright).

YMMV though.

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It wasnt using all 3 Purposely i think the guy had it wired wrong

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I'm leaning towards the X2N from what you say. The X2N sounds exactly what I'm looking for. A bright but brutal chug.

The x2n has great dynamics, it's ridiculously detailed and bright responsiveness to your playing is what I love about it. Even though it's a passive, it won't make a huge huge difference what wood your guitar is made of, so it'll sound good in pretty much any guitar, though not as consistent as EMGs of course. It kicked ass with a bolt on guitar I had, and I'm sure it will make any dark sounding set neck or neckthru guitar scream.

If you have a real cheap guitar and sustain is a big big concern I fully condone the use of EMG 81's and either an emg single coil or a 60 if you use humbuckers for leads.

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Would you take a Seymour Duncan JB, Sh-6 or EMG 81 over the X2N?? The X2N sounds like what I want the only thing that I think can suck about it is its versatility. But I'm a metal head...

x2n all the way. The duncan disto is really thin and sad sounding to my ears, especially compared to the x2n. Plus, the x2n will really make the marshall sound great... the duncan will just make it more fizzy.

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It's opinion based, but I have the Duncan Dist. and it in NO way sounds thin at all. I guess it's based on gear used, but I don't fucking see how it's thin at all. X2N's probably better for insane-gain metal, but I'd say the Dist. is much more versatile.

This has been overdubbed, but I'd hardly call this "thin".

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/son...&songID=5108629

Duncan JB or EMG81 in a good guitar, probably not, I'd go with the x2n or a dimarzio evo. Not sure about the sh6

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WOW! That tone is freakin amazing! What gear are you using?! If that's the sound I can get with my equipment I might change my mind... Plus I'm curious to what equipment people are using when the call it thin sounding.. It pisses me off when people review pickups when their using a crappy amp with a metal-zone.. I'm looking for people with bad ass amps, thanks.

I don't doubt people if they've tried certain guitars with the Sh-6 and have found it to be thin, but you have to look at it in the context of using it with various diff. guitars and amp set-ups. I just have a Les Paul copy with the Sh-6 in both positions, and there was no amp there, just a PODXT.

Thanks a lot for the input everyone! I decided I'm gonna throw a Duncan Distortion and 59 on my Les Paul and load a X2N and Tone Zone on my SG. Now I can go both ways.. I hope it turns out well!

X2n and Tonezone? The TZ is too hot and dark for the neck man, it's a bridge pickup. Get a paf pro for the neck pos.

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for my tastes it doesnt have enough bass or mids, so i find it thin. I'm all for fatness in pickups because i have a thin sounding amp... but hey, thats my tone not yours. We're all fans of personal tone here

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And I respect your taste for tone, but if you're calling that "thin", then I don't know what kind of tone you're talking about. Of course that might not be perfect to your tastes in terms of equalization, but if quadriple tracking with "Big-bottom" models is "thin", then.....Now, I don't give a shit if you don't like that tone or playing, but how much more bottom end do you need for it to be "thick"?

It sort of lacks a little low mids IMO.

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thick for me... is like... bareknuckle warpig... but in all honesty it depends on what i'm playing. If i'm doing a rock/hardcore gig, i'll be usin a super 2 or a JB (both of which arent very thick to mon ears, but a bit thicker than the duncan distortion), but if its a metal or doom gig, definately need the thickness of a warpig.

I guess presence is a better word? i dont find the duncan distortion very present... very... in your face... it sounds distant to me you know what i mean? man i wish it was easier to describe. I dunno. Its all opinionated.

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I think that really relies more on how he's setting up his pod, that is a huge factor, chances are if he uses the same setting his other guitars will also sound "thin".

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heh yeahh, i find pod's thin too

oh tube tone, there is no stopping the addiction.

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I'm not ragging on the XT's though, I've heard some really massive sounding recordings done with XT's before, I'm just saying that however he set it up and recorded it had the biggest factor in the sound, especially since modeling preamps don't respond nearly as differently from pickup to pickup/guitar to guitar as any analog(SS or tube) amp or pre would.

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