Bartolini Bartolini 4d-01 and 4d-03 (7 string pickups)

Passive Humbuckers but as the other Bartolini models can be boosted and become active with an internal preamp, I never tried cause I don't need it.

The 4d-03 and 4d-01 pack are the seven string version of the 1d-01 and 1d-03 pickups.

1. Model of guitar: A luthier custom superstrato, all mahogany body and neck, ebony fingerboard and knobs , sperzel tuners, dunlop straplocks, a push-pull on tone knob..... a dream guitar, check it out here: www.o3custom.com

It's the blue cat custom model.

2. Pickup being replaced: My luthier tried the duncan sh5 on it and the bartolini was my choice.

3. Artists using this pickup: Don't know.

4. You musical style(s): Hard rockish with some metal influences.

Perceived output level: The neck pickup has a paf sound type, not hotty, the bridge pickup is hotter but not extreme, something like the sh5 output, a midrange pickup.

Amp used : I tried it wth a Brunetti MC2, a Brunetti 059, Line6 stuff and Diezel Einstein combo

Tone: Let me say something about those pickups.... the difference between Bartolini and Duncan or DiMarzio pickups is the dynamics... you can feel perfectly the attack, they have unbelievable cleans, clear and defined also with the B string.

They would be a little dark sounding but nothing you can manage with a filter on the tone knob. The neck pickup has a lot of mids, perfect for soloing..... but let me say that this pack is modern sounding, it sounds extremely defined, sweet if your attack is, but strong and violent if it's too.

If you play them as single coils you will be VERY suprised, I say.... I tried a lot of humbuckers that tend to sound sterile and thin... those not..... they sound like a real single coil, specially the neck one.

For which styles is this pickup suitable: Unless you play styles like jazzy type of music it would be suitable if the amp is, they are too clear, too much as they force yourself to play better hahahaha, and they work very well when you roll the volume off, they become very crunchy.

I found that Bartolini pickups are a very good alternative to those guys who are into Duncan and DiMarzio world and feel themselves like they need something better. There are a lot of nice pickup makers I didn't try... BareKnuckle, Haeussel, Rio Grande, all of them seem to have that personal love for the sound, a love that Bartolini have too, so I think that the better you can do is to try them, try as much pickups as you can, it's the only way to found your sound.