Tonerider Rocksong Neck

This is a passive humbucking pickup made with Alnico II magnets. The DC resistance according to the website is 8.0K. It also has 6 adjustable poles to fine tune the strings optimal output.

* What model guitar or bass did you install this in?
I have this installed in an ESP/LTD MH-1000, which is all mahogany with a maple neck and a rosewood fretboard

* What position is it in?
I installed this in the neck position

* What pickup are you replacing?
I am replacing a set of GFS Fat Pats, they were a little too fat for my style of music

* Other pickups installed on the instrument?
The bridge pickup is a Tonerider Generator

* Any artists using this pickup?
I am not aware of any artists using these pickups

* Reason for changing the pickup?
The Fat Pats sounded pretty good with plenty of output. They just seemed to get a flubby when I would palm mute. I play mostly hard rock and they got woofy even in standard tuning. The Fat Pat pickups are probably better for classic rock.

* What's the output level like?
The output is definitely more on the vintage side, which I like for a neck pickup. The lower output pickups seem to sing all the frequencies without becoming harsh

* What amps and effects are you using it with?
I am using a Rocktron Vendetta, the Bruce Egnater tube design, with a Zoom PD-01 for a clean boost and an Ibanez DE-7 in the loop for delay.

* Tone - Bassy, middy, muddy, trebly, balanced?
I really like the tone on this pickup, the cleans just sing and the leads have fluid sound to them. If not dialed in right on the amp, it could become bassy and muffled. There is plenty of opportunity for making these sound bad if the eq's aren't correctly dialed in, as goes for any pickup. The highs aren't ear piercing and the lows aren't overly tight, and it has enough mids to be heard. Overall the tonal frequencies seem to compliment each other very well. One of the attributes I like about this particular pickup is that it doesn't sound compressed. This is my first experience with an Alnico II magnet pickup, and so far it is what I was expecting and more. I now really want to try the bridge version of this pickup.

* What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?
I play hard rock and some classic rock and metal. This pickup probably won't respond too well with thick saturated gain like the website says it will, but honestly I don't know why anyone would want to away from it's singing character by slamming it with massive amounts of gain. As far as matching my genres of music, I would say for the most part. I bought solely to switch to for a good clean sound and smooth leads.

* For which positions is this pickup (un)suitable?
This pickup was designed for the neck, and they offer a bridge version as well

* If it was destroyed or stolen, would you buy it again or get something else?
I am very pleased with this pickup, and right now I very happy with the sound I am getting. I wish I would have known about these a long time ago. In the neck of this guitar I have had an EMG 81, 60, 60A, a Seymour Duncan Jazz, a Rio Grande Punchbox, a GFS Fat Pat, and finally the Rocksong from Tonerider. When I put it in the first impression was "Whoa" the others I have tried gave me a sense of satisfaction but I haven't heard a pickup sing like this one yet, out of all the pickups I have tried the EMG 60 would be my second choice.

* How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
I have been playing 10 years, and mostly play at home right now. I used to get out and play local shows, but work has pulled me away from that. Anyway, aside from the gear previously stated, I have my starter guitar (a Rogue HSS with a Floyd Rose) that I bought from Musicians Friend.

* What do you love about it? What do you hate?
For the price this is a great pickup. I was able to get a set of humbuckers for $78 (which included shipping) that sound great. I haven't found anything I hate about the pickup yet, it is dynamic and responds to the intensity of the picking. It has a nice singing tone that sustains. Artificial harmonics are easy to pull off, which most of the neck pickups I have tried tend to not produce the best artificial harmonics. When it comes to playing natural harmonics they have a nice chime to them that ring out and sustain well.

* Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
I was thinking about just getting a set of Generators from Tonerider, but honestly they both sounded great on their website. I was originally going to try either a Seymour Duncan JB/Alnico II Pro or a JB/Pearly Gates. The price of these swung me to them. The Pearly Gates alone is around $100. The others run for around $75. I was able to get the set shipped to me for $78.

* Anything you wish it had?
The only thing I wish it had was more detailed and explained wiring diagram. If you use common sense, it won't be hard to wire up.

* Are you satisfied with this pickup or still searching for <b>that</b> sound?
As of right now I am content and very happy with my neck pickup, I am still not sure about the bridge. However that is an entirely different story.

* Anything else you'd like to share?
Don't let the price deter you away. I have played a couple different cheap brands that don't deliver what they say they do. These are the real deal and sound just great. Tonerider has a winner with this neck pickup!