Updated by Bobby
Updated on October 6th, 2023
Updated links to pickups and checked for availability. Also added compare feature for all five humbuckers recommended. Also note that the Mick Thomson signature set has
Metal tone is all about high output, gain, and getting your guitar to sound heavy. Usually, that means you need a guitar pickup set that can handle a high-level of gain and saturating distortion without sounding weak or messy.
It has to keep distortion tight, while putting out a good clean sound that won't drown out melody. This is a balancing act that's usually handled best by humbuckers, as opposed to single coil pickup you might find on a Stratocaster or Telecaster. That's why this list will focus exclusively on humbuckers.
I'm going to highlight five of the best pickups for metal based on how accommodating they are to distortion and metal playing styles overall. We'll look at three sets from Seymour Duncan and one each from Fishman and EMG.
Read more: Best guitar pickups
Best Pickups for Metal (top 5 picks)
This is a table of the five humbuckers we've chosen for this list. Note that the orange buttons link to Sweetwater pages for these products, which do not change your shopping experience in any way. It's simply a way for us to support Guitar Chalk while offering you great content.
If you like our material, and would like to support us, please consider buying your gear through these links. Either way, enjoy the article.
Pickups | Name | Rate | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Fishman Fluence Modern Humbuckers | n/a | |
 | Seymour Duncan Invader Humbuckers | n/a | |
 | Seymour Duncan Jeff Loomis Blackouts | n/a | |
 | Seymour Duncan Mick Thompson Signature Humbuckers | n/a | |
 | EMG Zakk Wylde Active Signature Pickups | n/a |
Compare More Humbuckers and Pickups
In addition to the humbuckers in this table, you can add more pickups to the comparison bar at the bottom of this page from our database. We don't have everything, but we have a lot and are adding products regularly.
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Questions about the best metal pickups
Humbuckers are almost always better for metal, since they tend to handle heavy distortion and lower tunings very well, employing a thicker and more percussive modern tone. They're also designed to reduce noise, which can be an issue with higher levels of gain.
Active pickups usually produce a smoother and warmer tone with a lot more chunk, making them a popular choice for metal guitar players. They're certainly ideal for metal, but there a lot of great passive pickups for metal as well.
In most cases, yes. EMG builds active pickups and humbuckers that are voiced with a very modern tone and designed for high levels of distortion. This makes them an ideal fit for metal styles and modern rock.
Not all humbuckers are designed specifically for metal. While they're usually more ideal than single coil pickups, you should always check specs, descriptions, and product demos to figure out if the humbuckers in question can handle a modern metal tone.
Metallica's James Hetfield has historically used EMG humbuckers, and has his own signature set, the EMG JH "HET" humbuckers.
1. Fishman Fluence Modern Humbuckers
Instead of the traditional method of wound copper wiring, Fishman uses new pickup construction technology where they stack coils on top of one another inside their pickups. This has yielded the Fluence Modern and Classic humbuckers, which produce some of the best tones I've ever heard. Here's a particularly good demo (gets right into it):
Their Modern humbucker sounds like a cross between passive and active pickups, is low noise, and handles distortion like a dream. You can hear from the above video how tight and percussive the sound is, even with a heavy layer of gain. By far, they're my favorite humbucker recommendation for metal players who want a low-noise pickup that can handle heavy distortion while also keeping their gain levels sounding tight.
Read the full review: Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers
A nice closeup of a Fishman Fluence Modern humbucker at the bridge position. Image via Septyma Guitars
IDEAL FOR: Metal, rock, and rhythm/lead hybrid styles
TONE
n/a
MATERIAL QUALITY
n/a
BUILD QUALITY
n/a
COST/VALUE
n/a
- Ceramic magnet (though sounds like the best of both passive and active pickups)
- Stacked coil technology
- Unrivaled clean tone
- Low noise (great for distortion)
- Expensive
2. Seymour Duncan Invader Humbuckers
The Invader humbucker set by Seymour Duncan is one of the highest-value buys on this list, with a budget-friendly price tag and an aggressive, high-output voicing. This is one of our top pickup recommendations for Les Paul electrics and modern playing styles in general, particularly if you run a lot of heavy gain and saturating distortion.
Read more: Seymour Duncan's wiring resources
Here's a clip of me playing them on my PRS for a Disturbed cover:
A nice shot of the Seymour Duncan Invader bridge humbucker in Wes Borland's Jackson electric guitar. Image via Gleason Guitars
IDEAL FOR: Modern rock, metal, and heavy power chords
TONE
n/a
MATERIAL QUALITY
n/a
BUILD QUALITY
n/a
COST/VALUE
n/a
- High output and aggressive voicing
- Ceramic magnets
- Sound great through a heavily distorted signal
- Perfect for modern rock and metal
- None for the price
3. Seymour Duncan Jeff Loomis Blackouts
Arch Enemy's Jeff Loomis designed these pickups with Seymour Duncan to be accommodating of his quick, high-energy heavy metal playing style. However, the Loomis signatures also fair well in a wide range of stylistic application. While they sound tight and focused under piles of gain, they also sport a good base clean tone that enhances pick dynamics and holds a lot of sustain. It's a great set for metal players who also play a lot of clean picking patterns. Think sweep picking and arpeggiated chord progressions.
Unboxing of the Blackout set. Image via ETMUS
IDEAL FOR: Lead metal and speed
TONE
n/a
MATERIAL QUALITY
n/a
BUILD QUALITY
n/a
COST/VALUE
n/a
- Clear and punchy
- Lots of sustain
- Thick but also chime-friendly on the high end
- Ideal for fast lead
- Expensive
4. Seymour Duncan Mick Thomson Pickups
Mick Thomson's signature Blackouts were designed by Seymour Duncan specifically to handle low tunings and heavy power riffs. Deep notes sound really tight which helps keep low tunings from sounding too thick or undefined. Palm-mutes sound really percussive and heavy, like you would expect from a metal-voiced humbucker. Cleans and high melodies come out surprisingly clear, good for single-note runs and sustained chord strumming.
They're an active pickup set that comes with everything needed to install and get started, so there's no additional purchase required. Keep in mind, active pickups require a 9V battery to run, but those batteries last for a long time, even with heavy playing.
The bridge version of the Mick Thomson signature humbucker. Image via Jay DaMick
IDEAL FOR: Metal, sustain, and drop tunings
TONE
n/a
MATERIAL QUALITY
n/a
BUILD QUALITY
n/a
COST/VALUE
n/a
- Tight and percussive lows
- Designed for heavy gain and drop tunings
- Active pickups (includes everything needed to install)
- Heavy riffs and power chords sound great
- Does a good job of reigning in high gain and making it sound tight
- Active pickups need a battery (9V)
- Not the strongest clean pickup
5. EMG Zakk Wylde Active Pickup Set
All active EMG pickups ship with their own solderless installation kit, potentiometers and require a 9V battery to run. The Zakk Wylde Signature set by EMG is a combination of ceramic and Alnico 5 magnets that produce a uniquely metal sound with a ton of sustain that feels a little less tight than the Seymour Duncan Mick Thomson set. We like this one set better for lead players who want a little more feedback and "chaos" in their distortion. The Mick Thomson set is more rhythm while the Wylde set is more lead.
IDEAL FOR: Lead metal, low tunings, and aggressive styles
TONE
n/a
MATERIAL QUALITY
n/a
BUILD QUALITY
n/a
COST/VALUE
n/a
- Lots of sustain
- Optimal at high gain levels
- Active pickups (includes everything needed to install)
- Distinctly metal
- Aggressive and less tight than the Seymour Duncan sets
- Active pickups need a battery (9V)
Difference between bridge and neck pickup?
Generally, an electric guitar's bridge pickup is brighter, emphasizing the higher-end of the EQ while the neck pickup is thicker and heavier, emphasizing the low-end and bass of the guitar's tone. Technical differences between both pickups - within a single humbucker set - is usually determined by the copper winding (how thick it is) or - in some cases - what kind of magnet is used.
Most humbuckers are sold in pairs with one pickup designated for bridge duties and another for the neck. However, you can get specific pickups for one position or the other. Take the DiMarzio PAF for example. This one is specifically for the bridge:
A humbucker specifically for the bridge
That number on the box - the DP223 - indicates the bridge version of the PAF. The neck version is the DP103. In almost every case you can buy humbuckers as a set, or on their own if you want to mix and match.
Active or passive?
Active pickups, like the Mick Thomson signatures, require a 9V battery to run because they actually produce some of their own power which assists the magnets in picking up the vibration of your guitar's strings.
This usually means active pickups have a higher-output rating (higher DCR) and produce smoother tone that's very accommodating to high levels of distortion and long-winded sustain.
Here's a diagram of the Blackout active humbucker from Seymour Duncan:
Wiring diagram for an active pickup with a 9V battery. Image via Seymour Duncan
Passive pickups don't require a battery and aren't necessarily a bad option for heavier styles. On their own, they just sound less aggressive and put more emphasis on midrange and treble in the balance of EQ.
This difference is part of the reason Fishman Fluence pickups have been so revolutionary.
The stacked coil technology they use produces a sound that seems both active (high output) and passive. You get a heavy, smooth sustain that also produces really sweet, chime-friendly high-end notes, like what you would expect from a single coil Stratocaster pickup.
Are Fishman pickups good for metal?
This design gives Fishman humbuckers a lot of appeal in both clean and distorted tone departments.
The same is true for a wide variety of musical styles, but we especially like them for metal because of the active pickup tone qualities.
The Modern Fluence humbucker set is uniquely voiced for heavier styles, but we wouldn't be disappointed with any of the Fishman pickups in any musical style.
They're great for just about everything, including metal.
Humbuckers Only
Single coil pickups can handle a lot of different musical styles, but they're typically used for cleaner tones and aren't as accommodating of the heavier distortion levels we see in metal.
That's why in this article I've only recommended using humbuckers for the metal style.
This means you're usually going to be using a dual humbucker configuration, like we see in the following graphic.
You have one humbucker at the bridge position and another at the neck position.
A dual humbucker configuration in a PRS electric guitar.
Guitars that use this configuration are common, though the most popular brands would include Gibson, Epiphone, PRS, and ESP LTD.
Ceramic or Alnico Magnets?
What about the difference between Ceramic and Alnico magnets?
Does it have any implications for metal guitar players?
I would say, yes.
We see Alnico magnets used more often in most pickup types, but my personal preference - at least for metal guitar styles - would be ceramic pickups.
In my experience they're a little smoother and thicker, where Alnico magnets tend to emphasize a brighter tone profile. When you have the dual humbucker configuration with Ceramic magnets, you're going to have a more percussive, bass-driven tone profile, even in your clean signal.
Ceramic magnets also tend to handle heavy layers of gain better, creating a tighter, more controlled response.
Keep in mind:
I don't avoid pickups simply because they use Alnico magnets.
There are plenty of great pickups that do and are great for metal guitar styles. However, if I see a Ceramic magnet on a spec sheet, I'll give that humbucker a slightly longer look.
Not a right/wrong issue, but definitely a preference of mine, based on first-hand experience.
Conclusion & Summary
To summarize:
The best pickups for metal should have a high (hot) output, produce plenty of sustain, have a percussive and punchy response, and be able to handle high gain levels without causing notes to lose their shape.
In a lot of cases this leads me to recommend a pickup with a ceramic magnet and/or active electronics.
Again, the Fishman Fluence series is probably the best of both these worlds.
They're my top recommendation in most cases, but particularly for metal.
Since pickups are hard to "try out" you need to be as comfortable as possible with the purchase - up front - before you pull the trigger and actually buy a set. In my experience and others that have tried these humbuckers, what we've listed are all proven, reliable options.
Though it's understandable if you still have questions.
Your Questions
Those that do should leave them in the comments section below and I'll try to help out as much as possible.
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Written by Bobby on Pickups and Roundups
Written by Bobby on Pickups and Roundups
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