Est. delivery Mon, Dec 1 - Thu, Dec 4Estimated delivery Mon, Dec 1 - Thu, Dec 4
Returns:
30 days returns. Buyer pays for return shipping. If you use an eBay shipping label, it will be deducted from your refund amount.
Condition:
NewNew
Using patented and patent pending Lace "current driven" technology, the Deathbucker was designed for high output with a heavy metal drive. Extreme output with thunderous bottom end, yet crisp highs allow the player the most versatile of high output pickups. "This passive design yields active pickup performance with absolutely zero noise and no need for a battery" states Jeff Lace. "In split mode, the unique Alumitone design is dead quiet with full range" further stated Lace. Another Deathbucker advantage is there is no volume drop in split mode and working as a single coil; noise is virtually eliminated in comparison to standard old style humbucker designs.
I was a die hard EMG 81/85, Seymour Duncan Blackout fan for many years. Problem with those is that they all have that carbon copy digital sound. The Duncans did their best to steer away from that tone, but frankly just lacked the punch. As my pallet for tone has grown over the years, I began to revert back to boutique passive pickups, but the problem I kept encountering was that 1 - any that I found that were worth a damn were WAAAAYY too expensive (ie Bare knuckle painkillers, black hawks, etc...), and 2 - they just didn't have that kick-you-in-the-balls punch and harmonic articulation I was after. Enter Lace pickups. I own at least one set of every one of the Lace "high gain" pickup sets and currently will not put any other pickup in my guitars. I can't speak for the cleaner tone Lace models, but the high gain ones are simply f*cking BRUTAL! Like heavy as sh*t grind that stay's articulate? Like pinch harmonics that make an EMG 81 sound like a little girl? Like to hear every note on every string your down-tuned A minor barchords bite through as if you were tuned to....what did they used to tune guitars to again? "E" or something? Deathbuckers are exactly the ticket you're looking for! Absolutely SICK ass pickups!
I dropped a shiny gold Deathbucker into a Jackson Dinky, along with the matching gold single-coil size Alumitones. The gold version looks absolutely fabulous! If you want flash, sparkle and bling, this is the pickup for you.
It sounds good. Very balanced tonally, without much of a frequency peak. It's a slightly odd sound compared to a Dimarzio or a Duncan, but it's a nice sound. Tonally similar to a better EMG. Much more dynamic response than active pickups though!
My only complaint is that due to the new design of the pickups, there is no series-parallel option. It's also not possible to use phase switching unless you have a second pickup. No in/out-of-phase with itself options.
That said, it still gives a nice, trebly out-of-phase sound when used with another pickup. The single-cool switching works best when combined with the phase switch. The difference between single-coil and humbucker is much smaller than with a traditional humbucker. It's definitely usable, but much less treble and gain drop than a traditional split humbucker.
Overall, I'm very happy with this pickup, and I'd strongly consider it as a replacement pickup for a future guitar.