High Voltage Humbucker 2-piece Set - Aged Nickel Review

Classic and Versatile

The Seymour Duncan High Voltage humbucker set is a high quality pickup option with a classic and versatile sound. The optional light aging is more subtle and realistic than the Antiquity aging, and just looks like the pickup is old rather than "reliced." Installed in a batwing style Gibson SG Standard the pickups have character and clarity not found in some other pickups. They… read more are both very dependent on height and proximity to the strings. The bridge has snap and snarl, and a bit of midrange honk that sounds great with overdrive, but not so much that it sounds like a cocked wah. It also has less bass output, which helps keep the sound tight. The neck can be surprisingly boomy unless set with a low height, and even then it is very full frequency, but not dark. It is warm yet clear, striking that tough balance. It has the sweetness of alnico II, though not as sweet and even as the Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro (another excellent pickup and my personal favorite set). Separately the pickups offer related yet differing complementary sounds. With the lower bass of the bridge pickup and the fuller neck pickup the in between setting takes the best of both and sounds full and defined with a smooth chime. Overall they are an excellent pickup option, one I am glad I finally tried and am very satisfied with.

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Great Set of Pups for Gibson SG

My experience with the High Voltage pickups is in a 2016 Gibson SG Standard. The stock pickups aren't terrible, but the bridge was too honky and boxy for me. I own/have owned many SGs (mainly Custom Shop reissues) so know how to dial my Friedman Dirty Shirley Mini in to get a tone I like with a SG. However, the 498T just didn't feel right. I then tried a set of SD Antiquities --… read more no luck. Not a bad set of pups for a LP Custom in my experience, but in a SG they sounded overly harsh, particularly in the bridge. I had my eye on the High Voltage for a while and thought that it was worth a shot. I mean, I'm not an ACDC fan, but if they were made for Angus how bad could they be? In short: wow -- these pickups are great! I was going to initially go with a set of Saturday Night Specials to capture that classic T-Top sound, but figured I'd give these a try first. I was basically looking for something similar to a Gibson Custombucker but with more punch -- and these do deliver. They have a vintage PAF vibe, not unlike the Custombucker, but with a touch more teeth in the bridge and clarity all around. They don't have a lot of bottom end compared to the stock pups that were in the SG, and for me that's perfect. I find the Dirty Shirley Mini to be a pretty dark amp, where I typically have the bass down around 1 or 2 for my humbucker guitars, so this EQ curve is ideal. The highs are smoother, so the problem I had with the Antiquities was solved. Like the Gibson Custombucker and the Throbak 101, they sound airy and woody (if that makes sense and doesn't just sound like mumbo jumbo). When I crank the Friedman or play out of a JCM900 at my practice space, the neck pup has a beautiful sparkle and the bridge undoubtably kicks you in the chest. I can't recommend these enough for anyone looking to breathe new life into a SG.

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