Gibson Tony Iommi Signature Model

Pickup features: Humbucker (passive)
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: BC Rich Super Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan Screaming Demon
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan Classic Stack
Artists using this pickup: Tony Iommi
You musical style(s): Rock, Metal and Blues
Reason for pickup change: To try the new Iommi.

Perceived output level: Very Hot
Tone: Blanced, not compressed distortion sound and dark.
Sonic evaluation: BC Rich + full rig and old Valvestate Combo with 1x12" extension Cab. I usually hate Gibson PUs because of all that treble and shrillyness. Gibson made the best until they started to mass produce their PUs. This was another attempt on my part to try to find a nice mix of the fullness/compression of the Duncan Distortion and the harmonics of the DiMarzio Super Distortion. Bingo! This is the only PU that exceeded my expectations and dropped my jaw. From the 1st time I plugged it into a JCM 800 2203 and let the Iommi rip it rocked. It has this dark undertone that I really like (gives it some uniqueness) and it does 1 thing and 1 thing better than the rest = METAL. People that prefer a 500T to the Iommi obviously don't know how to adjust their amp or they scoop their mids. My mids are boosted and I get this monster tone out of it. You can take all the other Gibson PUs (500, 498, 496, Angus Young etc.) and categorize them the same way harsh and trebly. The Iommi is different and provides the backbone for that great Wall of Sound.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Heavy Metal (not Punk, not scooped Metal, nothing else!)

Comments: Out of the zillion PUs that I own and tried if I was still gigging I'd load my guitars with an Iommi at the bridge. Best distortion PU out there! That's not a comment but more like a warning.

Pickup features: Humbucking / passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 2001 SG special
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock pickup
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan SH-5
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change: wanted something better than the stock pickups

Perceived output level: high out put, almost like the gibson 500T
Tone: nice and middy
Sonic evaluation:
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: I gave this pickup an 8 because it was nothing like what i expected it to be. i was expecting high out put pup with "razor - sharp ' highs. this pick up is nothing like that. at first i had it in the bridge position and it sounded like the worst piece of shit in the world. it was twangy and thin and quite as hell. then i read one of the reviews here and decided to put it in the neck with an SH-5 in the bridge position. and like the guy said, thats when this pick up really came alive. my SG sounds amazing now. the tony iommi in my opinion was meant for the neck position.

Pickup features: Passive humbucker, epoxy potted, no polepieces
Impedence or other specs: Both of mine are 14.68k dc resistance

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: 490R/498T
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues to Hard Rock
Reason for pickup change: Always fooling around trying new things.

Perceived output level: Despite specs and expectations, not as hot as the 490R/498T
Tone: Extremely balanced, very broad response, absolutely no mud
Sonic evaluation: Various amps, Marshall TSL, Trace Elliot Bonneville, Zinky Mofo, and others. Absolutely tremendous pickups with very clean articulation, smooth and deep low end, full midrange, very clear highs. I have two, one in each position, and they work perfectly that way. The neck sounds like the neck, the bridge like the bridge, and neither is muddy or brittle.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Perfect for any music. Roll off the volume and they are very smooth and clean, or crank up the gain and work that old school metal, or do everything in between.

Comments: MF put the discontinued gold ones on sale for 49 each. The best 98 bucks I've spent on gear without a doubt. I've tried EMG actives, Pearly Gates, Duncan Jazz, Duncan Custom, Custom Custom, Dimarzio Super Distortions, and none of 'em was better than the stock pups, except these. I took 'em out for two days, and couldn't live without 'em, so they're back in for life. These are not really hot, but they're not weak by any means, and have such intense clarity that they cut through anything with ease.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Grant/Reid Renaissasnce Model
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: EMG Selects
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Duh!
You musical style(s): Eclectic heavy rock
Reason for pickup change: Wanted better (Gibson!)tone and more output.

Perceived output level: Hotter by a good bit than the EMG Selects! Probably a bit hotter than Gibson 490s.
Tone: Middy. Not great for the neck position, but searing, balanced and rich for the bridge.
Sonic evaluation: I'm currently a solo recording artist and I'm going direct into the COSM modeling of my Boss BR-8 digital recorder. I use a tweaked version of the RAGE! patch for rhythm (I added more mids and highs)which sounds most like a Mesa/Boogie Double Rectifier and the ST THRASH patch for lead. My clean patch is CLEAR SKY.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Mostly heavy rock. This pick up is a good choice for the bridge, but only for clean tones at the neck.

Comments: I've been playing for about 18 years and this is the finest passive humbucker I've heard. In fact since I think active pick-ups sound too harsh and glassy, I'd say it's the best pick up ever. It's a great lead pickup and sounds good in the bridge position with clean tones. I'm able to get that super-rich Gibson tone ala Wolf Hoffman/Rudolf Schenker/Early Hetfield with this. A bit pricey, but no guitars have ever sounded better than those old Gibson Vs and Explorers. Now I've got that sound in my custom designed and much more interesting looking Grant/Reid. If anything ever happened to my guitar, I would most mourn the lost of these pickups. Anything else I ever bought is getting at least one of these babies installed.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: Around 16 ohms

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Stock
Artists using this pickup: I would hope that Tony Iommi uses it
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickup was harsh and muddy

Perceived output level: Moderate
Tone: Bassy, Middy, Muddy, Resonant, Messy, Buzzy Highs
Sonic evaluation: Marshall JCM800 2403 into Marshall 1960av

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This would be good for really low-endy metal that does not require alot of definiton, but otherwise it blows.

Comments: Do not buy this pickup. I paid $160 for installation and the pickup, and it is terrible. The bass notes are boomy and flubby. The mids are clean with a boomy layer of distortion over it. The highs are very messy, sterile, and buzzy. I do not understand how people can review this pickup as well they do. Perhaps they do not know much about pickups, but this one is crap. I was very eager to like it, and I spent about a month tweaking my amp to make it sound good. When you strike a chord, you can hear all of the notes...If you can make them out below that terrible layer of resonant mess above them. You won't be able to get a tight low from this shit magnet if you tried. You hit the low E, and all you hear is a fart-like rumble. I even packed my cabinet with sound insulation to tighten the bass response and kill some of the resonance, but it still sucks. I even experimented with different types of tubes! The clean is terrible as well. I am disgusted. It sounds like it is in the neck position, even when it is in the bridge.
DO NOT BUY OR INSTALL OR LISTEN TO THE OTHER REVIEWERS. I DID, AND IT SUCKS. THERE IS NO DEFINITION OR CLARITY OR TONE AT ALL. AND IT IS TOO FUCKING EXPENSIVE!!!

Pickup features: Passive Single Coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock 498t
Other pickups on guitar: Duncan 59'
Artists using this pickup: I have a deep suspicion that this is used by that guy from Sabbath
You musical style(s): A Punk/Jazz/Folk/Funk/Emo/Hardcore/Psychedelic/Noise/Reggae band
Reason for pickup change: The stock gibson's were extremely harsh

Perceived output level: Not as hot as the stock gibsons, but have very high clean headroom
Tone: Bassy, middy, resonant, and somehow balanced too.
Sonic evaluation: Gibson Les Paul>MXR Distortion II>Sovtek Mig 50 with a THD reactive rectifier>Avatar Cab w/ Vintage 30's

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: decide for yourself if it suits your style

Comments: This pickup will accentuate your guitar wood, amp, and preamp tube choice incredibly.
I began using this with 12AX7's, and found it too breathy, resonant, and dark. It almost sounded like a neck humbucker. The palm mutes were very percussive, and did not have a treble element to them at all. The pickup was very balanced, but it's clarity somewhat lurked below a blanket of overdrive/distortion. Everything seemed too rounded. Perhaps this is because the Les Paul is a dark sounding guitar.
However, I switced to 12AT7's for a brighter sound, and the pickup is the best sounding thing I have ever heard. It is very expressive, and tight with a good palm mute, and untouchable clarity. When playing chords you can honestly hear every note, and when plucking individual strings and letting them sustain together, it created a beautiful and seperated harmony. Do not buy this pickup if you need some mush to hide behind. It has made me a better player.
Personally, I would reccomend this for a very bright amp, or a bright guitar. However, if you wish to have a dark sound (like sabbath), this is the pickup for you.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: See Gibson.com for specs

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Epiphone Stock Bridge AlnicoV
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Bridge switched into Neck Position
Artists using this pickup: You already know or wouldn't be looking at these reviews
You musical style(s): Metal
Reason for pickup change: Basically, I have wanted an Iommi (I am a fan) bucker for quite a while and decided to put one in this guitar. I never like to mess with the Gibson warranty stuff but with a less expensive Epi, it made sense.

Perceived output level: This pickup has the output that is above the Epiphone stock bridge but honestly, not a major difference in output (see below for clarity). The Iommi falls short of output of such makes as JB-4, Dimarzio PAF, and the Gibson 500T. In fact, I think the output is fairly comporable to the Gibson 490T series. Truthfully, Iommi is a huge SG fan. Thus, he started out with stock 490's for quite a while and after his stint with Birch pickups, he landed this Gibson deal. Basically, it makes sense that Iommi would reach for a design that fits the original SG sound but with more tone that he likes. If you want a hot pickup, this is not it. Sorry. I was surprised by this as well..
Tone: Very nice tone. Crisp highs and balanced mids. The bottom is not what I expected but is really similar to the 498T
Sonic evaluation: I have played many, many, many guitars and Amps. One thing I've learned, the amp don't make the player. The sound comes from the hands, not the speakers. Anyway, this pickup has been tested with both Laney 100GH stack to a drifted Crate 15w starter amp. It is the same pickup and thus sounds the same through both.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mostly metal. I love Iommi and his sound. However (again sorry to dissapoint) if you cannot nail his riffs and cords, you will not sound like him with this pickup. I think this pickup is better in the neck position than the bridge but understand this - it is a great pickup regardless. I just think you should realise that it is not quite the pickup that Gibson ads claim. ala: the pickup your mother warmed you about.

Comments: I have been playing for quite a few years. As with most, I am always playing around with what I want next, always trying to get that perfect sound that I like. But it never happens - ever. We poor guitarists are usually trying to replicate a song from another artist or learn to play a popular riff, maybe one that makes the hairs on our arms stand straight up. The pros, the guitar virtuoso's are what they are because the are gifted and practiced their butts off and developed their own style. But for the rest of us - we are left to play with our imaginations and continue to have fun with changing guitars, amps, strings, effects, and pickups. Hell, I even change pickguards and backplates just so I feel I have something special.
Here's the deal. The Iommi is a great pickup. Is it a magical pickup? No. Is it quiet? Totally. Is it hot? Yes and No depending on what you want. Does it have nice harmonics and tone? Oh yea. Is it expensive? Yes. Would I buy it again? No. What would I buy instead? I would make sure I buy an ax I like and stay with the stocks. But, if not, then I would suggest EMG 85 (way overpriced), SD (any of them are great), Gibson (burstbucker or 500T)
For the rating: I hate to give this pickup a low rating because itis a very nice pickup. But, because of the illusion that Gibson gives of it being so damned great (which it is not soooo great), I will leave a rating that will let the buyer understand the limitations.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Les Paul Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Stock
Artists using this pickup: Iommi and cult followers
You musical style(s): Metal/Metal/Metal/Metal/Metal
Reason for pickup change: I wanted the clarity and punch that the stocks didn't produce.

Perceived output level: Not exremely hot (about like the 498) but the clarity is sweet and clear.
Tone: very balanced works with almost any style
Sonic evaluation:
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It's great with both pickups and works well out of phase with stock neck pickup.

Comments: This is a good pickup. Honestly, if you want a hot pickup, you may not like this one because it's not really hot. Instead, this pickup is balanced with clarity and without mush. Yes it sounds like Sabbath/Iommi and will also play Zakk Wylde, Korn, Disturbed, Flaw, Manson, and such. If you want HOT pickup look elsewhere. If you want the balanced clarity buy this one. Seymour duncans will save you money and you can also buy most of them in chrome so...

Pickup features: humbucker, passive
Impedence or other specs: dunno but supposedly the hottest one Gibson makes

Model of guitar or bass: '94 Epiphone Les Paul standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock Epiphone (according to Epi, this was "their" version of '57 classic
Other pickups on guitar: stock Epi in neck, soon to be replaced
Artists using this pickup: c'mon now!
You musical style(s): heavy rock, modern and classic metal, punk
Reason for pickup change: The stock Epi PU was muddy and weak and squealed like crazy.

Perceived output level: a good deal hotter than '57 classic plus, closer to a 500T
Tone: VERY well balanced; vintage warmth with fantastic clarity, mids cut thru w/o being harsh at all
Sonic evaluation: Epiphone LP... hey I know these are looked down on, but I got mine used for $250 and in the dark, I really don't think I can tell the difference between it and a Gibson. Anyway the cost of the gtr plus the PU was only $400 so.... I play it through a '93 Ampeg VH140C (yeah I know it's solid state but I have YET to play thru a Marshall,Mesa or what have you that rips like this w/o serious mods or a stompbox for distortion). I run a Boss TU2 tuner, Boss CE-2 chorus, Morley switchless wah and Morley volume pedal in series.
OK, here we go... I hesitated to buy this even though I'm a huge Sabbath fan because the hype made me worry it be just super hot and distorted. That's not the case at all! It's definitely hot but in a clean transparent way that pushes your amp hard and lets the preamp provide the distortion. That was my biggest surprise, how clear it is. By far the best clarity/string-to-string balance I've ever used. My bass player, drummer and singer all told me to put the same pickup in all my guitars! I play lead and this baby really lets the single-note stuff shine thru w/o having to boost the amp's volume. The crunch is there, the warmth is there, it cuts thru, it's never harsh. I know this sounds too good to be true but this really might be the perfect PU for hard rock, metal, punk, etc. Even the clean tone surprised me; again I thought it might be too harsh, but listening back to gig videos and practice tapes of my band, I was quite pleased. We do an instrumental version of "Little Wing" as a break in the middle of our show and this thing sounds very, very good. As close to a sweet Strat sound as I've ever gotten from a humbucker(no, I didn't even split the coils.) I honestly couldn't ask for more from a humbucker. Oh yeah, I had great results with a '57 classic+ in the bridge of my '84 Gibson Explorer as far as "squeal reduction", that's why I bought another Gibson PU, this is even better! This thing is so quiet I no longer bother with the 31-band EQ and noise gate I used to struggle with to sqaush feedback. Yeah it'll scream if you want it to, but you'll get feedback from the overtones of the strings, not that horrible EEEEEEEEEK from the PU itself. This PU is a bit pricey but the quality of design and engineering actually do make it worth it!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I've been looking for this puppy for a long damn time and I'm sure glad I found it. Based on other reviews here, I'm really thinking about dropping one in the neck position too. In the bridge it's so damn good!!

Comments: I've been playing for over 12 years and have used humbuckers from Dimarzio (PAF pro), Duncan(Distortion, George Lynch) and Carvin(M22). This blows them all away in terms of tone, clarity, noiselessness(?!?)power and versatility. I have a '57classic+ in my Explorer which is really good too but if I didn'e already have it I'd get another Tony.
For sure for bridge pos, maybe for neck pos too, the next PU I buy will be a Tony... and the one after that... and the one after that!

Pickup features: Humbucking/passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Custom
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Stock (neck)
Artists using this pickup: ...
You musical style(s): Rock, metal
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a pickup with no microphonic feedback and a traditional "hot" Gibson sound. The stock bridge pickup was muddy and had a lot of feedback.

Perceived output level: It's safe to say this has about the same amount of gain as a 490t.
Tone: Traditional Gibson tone. Through a 5150 it sounds very buzzy and unpleasant. However, if you play this through something with more character it shines. Somewhat bassy, with tasty mids and just enough treble to cut through.
Sonic evaluation: This is installed in an Epiphone Les Paul Custom. The guitar is plugged into a Marshall JCM 800 that drives a Peavey 5150 slant 4x12. Originally I was displeased because I was expecting a gain monster. A gain monster this is not! What this pickup DOES do is provide a traditional Gibson stock pickup sound with a little more bass and no microphonic feedback whatsoever. One thing that I have also noticed (and lots of people have noticed also) is that notes don't mush together as much when you use this pickup. I wouldn't say that I can hear every note ring out individually at FULL GAIN, but turn down a couple of notches and it's perfect.
To say that hearing every individual note at full gain is the shining point of this pickup is horseshit. You can't plug into a 5150 and play a barre chord and still hear every individual note. To make such a claim is horseshit. All of that depends more on how much gain you use and what type of amp you use.
From my experience with my JCM 800, I can hear every individual note with the gain turned to eight and the master volume turned to about 6 or 7. Not a cruddy sounding pickup at ALL! It is very vibrant and raunchy without sounding overbearingly metal.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is great for anybody into rock music. Classic rock especially, though I would probably point you in the direction of a 490, 498, or 500 series pickup just as quickly. Don't get this if you plan on playing brutal death unless you've got a completely gained out amp that hides your guitar's natural tone. I haven't had the chance to try this pickup out in the neck, although that sounds like it would be a great place for this pickup. The pickup sounds great when the volume is rolled down for a clean sound, but my stock neck pickup sounds fine too.

Comments: Seeing as this pickup was free, I would probably opt just to go get something else. I originally wanted to get a 490t or a 498t, but the store I went to didn't have either in stock. I was kind of reluctant to get a '57 Classic, although I've heard great things about them.
I've been playing for about 5 years now. I own a Jazzmaster in addition to my Paul, and a couple of pedals. This pickup isn't really anything that special when you look at the big picture - it may be a Tony Iommi pickup, but is it going to make you sound any more like Black Sabbath than stock Gibson pickups? Probably not. The only feature that this pickup has that makes it stand out is the lack of pole pieces. Other than that, there is absolutely NO difference that my ears can decipher when you compare this with a 490t.
That's not to say this is a bad pickup - it's an outstanding pickup, and it's got that classic Gibson sound - but it's nothing special in comparison to Gibson's other stuff. You might save money if you go with the 490 series. Hope this is helpful.