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I’ve spent years chasing tone with pickups. I’ve tried many many different things from boutique passives to both of the other well known active brands and while I’ve had great tone at times from other pickups it wasn’t until I acquired a guitar with a set of these that I found my sound. These have so much punch and power it’s crazy but, they’re not overwhelming and they don’t push the amp so hard that they make it fuzzy or mushy. Even though they have all this power they still retain clarity. The thing I like the most is that these have a crunch to them, they don’t have the clear sterile thing that people always say about actives. These are like a great crunchy pickup but with a lot more power. They do amazing with harder rock music but you can roll back the volume and get great classic rock and even clean tones you just have to use that volume pot! I can’t speak to how they do with surgical precision metal because I don’t play it but with the music I play they’re perfect. They add tons of just “meat” to the tone. They make thin body bolt on guitar sound like a wall of sound and it’s incredible. When it comes to actives I won’t ever again use anything but blackouts. Word of warning, these do NOT come with any type of “solder less” kit. These are hand wired old school. Wasn’t expecting that when they arrived but with Duncan’s excellent diagram library I was able to get it done. Overall I highly recommend these. Even if you’re not a metal player these are awesome. If you’re looking for more power and you want a sound that is muscular and authoritative this is it. Duncan support is also amazing. I needed long shaft pots and I called them and they sent me a set for free!