[murat]

Hi folks! I'm new in the forum, ordered a handmade guitar from the local luthier (he's doing an amazing job) and it's almost finished. I'm searching for pickups for a long time but deciding for a bridge pickup is very hard. For the neck I'll use the breed neck that I already have.
The guitar is going to be HH mahogany body/sweet chestnut top, walnut/ebony neck with fixed hipshot bridge. I'm mainly playing drop-tuned metal Drop G#,A,B,C (periphery, ola englund, architects, Monuments etc.) I want tightness, big chord clarity blabla just classic modern metal sound description that the people wrote everywhere, you know what I mean. Also my favourite humbucker sound is probably the BKP C-Bomb or Painkiller but they're way too expensive. In the dimarzio range I'm mainly looking for Satchur8 but couldn't find that much review. Most important factor for me is the lows shouldn't be round and bloating (that's why I didn't like titan that much, lows seem too round), I need something sharp, flat and tight in the low frequencys to get a good, aggressive rhythm sound. Is the Satchur8 good for this application? I want to know as much as possible about this pickup. 
My other options are: Transition, Illuminator, Imperium. I was using Seymour Duncan SH5 Custom before, it was pretty good but seems like it's lacking the mids or got too much hair. But it's aggression is amazing.

[Strangeman86]

I have no experience with the Satchur8 yet, the Illuminator is too boxy for my tastes (although it does have great clarity), but I LOVE the Imperium.  Very controllable and dynamic while still being able to kill small animals at ten yards.  I would also say that it's got that 'flat' quality to the low end that you're looking for.  I've tried ... at least nine different Dimarzio bridge pickups and the Imperium is by far my favorite.  Just my two cents.

[buddroyce]

I'm not too sure if the Transition can handle a Drop G# very well. You'd probably want something like the Gravity Storm or Imperium.

I don't have much experience with the Satur8 so I can't really comment on that.

[Ascension]

BIG A8 fan here but have not tried the Satur8 yet.
 Have a Duncan Alt 8 in my old 93 solid KOA Carvin DC 127 and it RIPS!
 Also have Duncan Custom 8 in my 92 Washburn USA MG 104 and had a Duncan Crazy8 in a USA Washy MG 100.
 If you go A8 with the field strength they need to be a little father from the strings than normal or will kill sustain and pull weird overtones.

[DarthPhineas]

If you have never played this guitar before, put in something that you have sitting around that you are already familiar with. Then you will have a baseline of which direction to go from there

[murat]

If you have never played this guitar before, put in something that you have sitting around that you are already familiar with. Then you will have a baseline of which direction to go from there

It's still in process, actually wood is shaped, fretboard is glued, neck pocket is done that's it. I only have experience with BKP Black Hawks and Duncan SH5 Custom actually. DarthPhineas, you had the Satchur8 and reviewed it as far as I remember, how do you compare it with these two? Does it have the round (like no attack), boxy, dark feeling (that I heard from most of the dimarzios) or bright, alive and open like I want.
That's the tone in my mind, and it's done with BKP Nailbomb, that I can't afford at the moment. SH5 is close but kinda more primitive. Will Satchur8 work for me? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3sVHkj65RpA

[murat]

I have no experience with the Satchur8 yet, the Illuminator is too boxy for my tastes (although it does have great clarity), but I LOVE the Imperium.  Very controllable and dynamic while still being able to kill small animals at ten yards.  I would also say that it's got that 'flat' quality to the low end that you're looking for.  I've tried ... at least nine different Dimarzio bridge pickups and the Imperium is by far my favorite.  Just my two cents.

I'm not very sure about Imperium, the guitar is mahogany with fixed bridge, is it too dark for Imperium?

BIG A8 fan here but have not tried the Satur8 yet.
 Have a Duncan Alt 8 in my old 93 solid KOA Carvin DC 127 and it RIPS!
 Also have Duncan Custom 8 in my 92 Washburn USA MG 104 and had a Duncan Crazy8 in a USA Washy MG 100.
 If you go A8 with the field strength they need to be a little father from the strings than normal or will kill sustain and pull weird overtones.

How does Custom 8 sound, compared to Ceramic Custom? I may use it swapped or not, but reviews are very mixed, what's the advantages/disadvantages of both?

[Strangeman86]

Without opening the unending can of worms that is the tone-wood debate, I agree with DarthPhineas.  Pick something that you're familiar with at first so you can get an idea of the guitar's voice, then get specific with your pickup choice.  What I've personally noticed with the Imperium is that, even though the wind is mid-heavy, it still doesn't mind mid-heavy guitars.  It is overall tight and aggressive, a bit stiff at times, but less honky (to my ears) than the Gravity Storm or even the Dominion (another option you should look at if your guitar ends up being kind of bright).  As far as what Ascension said, a Custom 8 or even the stock Seymour Duncan Custom would also be a great choice if the guitar is mid-heavy (they're both nice and aggressive and sound a bit bigger than the Imperium, though from what you've said they might be a little too 'round' for you). 

[DarthPhineas]

Without opening the unending can of worms that is the tone-wood debate, I agree with DarthPhineas.  Pick something that you're familiar with at first so you can get an idea of the guitar's voice, then get specific with your pickup choice. 

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