Looking for pickup recomendations

Sidivan

Fractal Fanatic
For around 9 years now, I've been using an EMG 60 in the bridge and an 81 in the neck of my Custom ESP. I don't have any big beefs with this setup tonally, but I'm sick of changing batteries. I'm looking for a couple of passive pickups that are going to cut well for heavy tones, but still have smooth, natural clean. I like the clarity of the 60 in the bridge, but it's a little too harsh for clean. I used to like the 81 in the neck, but I'm quickly falling out of love with it as it gets really muddy with even the mildest amount of distortion. I normally use the middle position (3-way toggle) for clean and the bridge for dirty and it's been treating me pretty well thus far.

The guitar is a Horizon shape, Mahogany body, Flame maple top, Neck thru maple with ebany fingerboard. I play 1/2 step down and usually drop D (technically Drop Db). It has a very strong mid range tone, which I really like.

My band can be listened to on www.facebook.com/chaosinquestion if you'd like to hear the style that I play. I don't particularly care for the tones on the demo as it was recorded over a year ago before I knew how to really dial in the axe fx.

I'm leaning towards a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge with a matched Jazz in the neck. The bridge pickup absolutely must have good harmonics. What would you guys recommend?
 
Personally, I've been using Suhr pickups for the past year or so (in my Suhr S6 and my Modern), and they seriously kick ass for distortion. Compared side by side in the same guitar, JB is thinner and harsher sounding than Suhr SSH. Jazz is nice in the neck, though, and so is '59. Another great pickup I have discovered recently (though it's not really for cleans) is Dimarzio Evo 2. I couldn't stand the old Evo, the only useful position for it was to put the neck pickup in the bridge.

Evo 2 sounds fuller, has more bass, yet still remains a upper-mid to treble focused pickup, so it cuts really well in the mix.
 
I can't get my Alumitone to sound bad.
http://www.lacemusic.com/electric_pickups/alumitone/alumitone_specs.php

alumitone_humbucker.jpg
 
The added bonus there Don is that Alumitone looks freakin' awesome! Which model are you using and in what position/kind of guitar?
 
I have the P-90 model in the bridge position (ha, where else...) of this guitar

P1090712.jpg
Does it sound like a P90 still? I'm assuming that it's noiseless as well. I've got an SG that I swapped the P90's out for a set of Dimarzio Virtual P90's and they sound decent, but I miss the P90 sound big time. I'm just surrounded by hum inducing things though and I can't play any single coils in my location at all. I've looked into the Fralin humcancelling P90's which are pretty clever, but at $180 a pop and a lack of information on them I'm hesitant.
 
Man, I'm seriously considering a pair of Alumitones. The info I find on forums say they're incredibly transparent and bring out the natural sound of your guitar, which is something I'm definitely interested in. Hmm... the deathbucker certainly looks cool, but why would you boost lows and highs in a pickup? Metal is all about mids...
 
Well, I know the bare knuckles pickups have the Aftermath which was described to me as having all the aspects of emg 81s without any of the negatives. It's tight as hell and has a really full midrange. They have clips on their site, it's worth a look.
 
Holy crap, @ 240 pounds a set + 12 pounds shipping, those aftermath pickups better sound like God. That's $400 USD!
 
Yea the matched sets a pretty pricey, but they do make the best sounding pickups I've ever heard, but that's pretty subjective.
 
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