Machete

The new Seymour Duncan Dino Cazares signature pickup depicted above, is called the Machete. Despite looking traditional, it's an active unit. The 7-string version is also available. I like the fact that a small SD logo was preferred instead of the full name version. Do note - this was conceived to manifest a pronounced treble response by default.

Pic: Seymour Duncan

EMG: 77/66

This is a new pair from EMG: 77 (bridge)/ 66 (neck) model. They are still active units but the magnets in there are Alnico Vs & those pole-pieces are steel. Doubt if they are here yet but they will make a good year-end acquisition. Video reference here:

It's the final day of October folks, 2 more months before we say goodbye to the year...

Blackout!

The above guitar is my Ibanez RGR08, a great mid-priced player. The real reason I bought it is due to......Seymour Duncan's Blackout pickup which was equipped as the default unit. I'm not a fan of active electronics but after plugging in this guitar, the Blackout really appealed in terms of distortion. Seymour Duncan's forte here is keeping the definition in tact while manifesting lots of distortion. For those of us playing heavy music & solo-inclined, this is rather crucial.

TESLA: AH1

I tried this active pickup recently; it's the only active unit in the impressive TESLA lineup. The big deal here is its ability to sound very organic in clean mode; we know too well how active units excel when propelling distortion but fall short when a no-frills clean tone is conjured. The neck unit's particularly jazz-friendly voicings should appeal to players who are seeking warm tones for chords.