Active vs Passive Schecter Shred off

Check out my new track playthrough on the Schecter 7-string Multiscale
• Playing through a new ... -~-
I recorded a little shredder of a track to compare the sound of two Schecter guitars, one with active Duncan (designed) humbuckers and the other with Schecter USA Apocalypse humbuckers.

[@dariangrey1236]

I have been struggling with debate for a long time, now my question has been answered, thanks for this demo James, outstanding and informative. Passive all the way!

[@kennethdutton4153]

Passive Seymour Duncan Thrash Factor Dave Mustaine humbuckers, Dirty Fingers, etc. Active can’t touch em. And 9 volt batteries 🔋 are $10 a pop. That gets pricey

[@BoyAditya]

I guess the cat love passive pickups 😁

[@danielskrivan6921]

The cat is there for the apocalypse.

[@TundraBoy]

You know you have reached a new level when your guitar matches your cat

[@ilovenoise]

I'm happy with that!

[@ianhinkle1878]

“Passives sound better because somebody told me to not like active pickups”

[@thehighcomposer8393]

Or cut the volume in half “dynamically” right after you go full gain with actives.

[@RichLunaMusic]

Don’t believe what the internet tells you.

[@jt6980]

Just the video I was looking for. Thanks!

[@Jobvdschouw]

I like the actives the most but HOT DAMN!! YOUR SHREDS ARE INCREDIBLE!!!!

[@perumetal]

You are so talented!!!

[@serdar213]

My friend has an Ibanez Premium RG8700 modified with JP Crunch Lab, I gave him to try my ESP Standart SV with EMG 81/85 for his bands one stage performance. At the soundcheck, The other band members instantly recognized the more powerfull, tight and articulate sound which fulls all the stage with just one guitar.

[@AnrijsSirmais]

Epic sound and epic cat!

[@atariforeva9810]

The cat is there and it isn't there at the same time, must be a Schrodinger cat.

[@tigerucapgras474]

Nah,that was Shredinger's cat

[@Hellsmachinery]

The cat only appears when Apocalipse pickups are used. Made my choise.

[@ilovenoise]

Very wise ;)

[@bobu5213]

I didn't hear much difference until you started throwing power chords. Wow those actives punch the treble right through. Awesome, this alone is enough. Maybe clean tones would have been nice as a comparison

[@CodyCEngdahl]

Yeah, I'm going to go with the one that comes with the cat.

[@rickraydubs]

Sounds amazing! Either way lol, you rock.

[@AkiraSpectrum]

Great video!

[@angusorvid8840]

As always, great demo! You absolutely shred the roof off the place! I prefer passives, but those actives do sound very good. I prefer the passives on the guitar with the Floyd, although I don't like Floyds and prefer the other guitar with the string through construction. I have an entry level Schecter with the string through setup with a Duncan Full Shred/Jazz combo and it sounds fantastic, plays like a dream. I've owned a number of actives over the years, and have an EMG 81X set on my workbench which I removed from my PRS SE Allender before replacing them with a Duncan Full Shred/Jazz combo, which sound far better to my ears. There's not denying the dynamics and headroom you get with actives, and they do have their advantages. A friend of mine who's a very loud jazz and blues player popped a Gilmour set into his strat and couldn't be happier. He sounds fantastic with them and they really capture what's great in his style. But I could never get the hang of EMGs. If I played bass I would certainly want actives because of how much more control they give. I just prefer passives for guitar. I say keep and open mind and see what's out there. I want to try Duncan Dualities which are actives but designed to keep the dynamics of passives in tact. I'll check them out eventually.

[@helixworld]

I agree with your cat. We both like the Schecter passives better.

[@robertfalconer5054]

Schecter make awesome passive pickups..

[@aux1z11]

Is that a active or passive cat

[@jbbeaudry]

aux1z11 Schrödinger’s humbuckers

[@gregmerritt9366]

jbbeaudry Internet win

[@mlm32809]

The cat was hanging with the passive.

[@Lone_wolf_31]

Active

[@kevinmatthews9469]

Passive aggressive

[@BullShark1579]

I have that demon 6 and its Awsome. Great bang for the buck.

[@rulexisonline]

Because you play good, I has subcribed you

[@DrumRoody]

I'm just here for kitty

[@jmcsquared18]

Was difficult to tell them apart for speed metal. The chugs and pinch harmonics seemed to really reveal the differences.

[@i.shadrin]

James, could you please make a current Roger Mayer Octavia Classic (or TC) and Vision Octavia comparison? Seems they have different drive sounds. This would be super helpful for all pedal geeks and historical perspective as well

[@SiddharthKarunakaran]

How to play like you? How did you learn guitar? What books and DVDs did you use? I really dig your tone, playing and personal brand.

[@jbbeaudry]

The difference was obvious. Only passive pickups have built in cats.

[@BullShark1579]

Active all day everyday 😀😀

[@The_G_in_Jesus]

i have the 2014 demon and i love the active duncans. i've been able to adjust my way around to even getting nice clean sounds. the passives are more all arounders, and more for the player playing specifics. the duncan designed ones are just good enough to cover the options decently imo. you can't go totally wrong, but i'd say most people should go with passives. i fell in love as soon as i played the actives. i suggest you all reading this to try both! your hands will tell you. edit: the passives that come stock from schecter are definitely lackluster. consider upgrading for sure. i see even other people in this comment section feel that way lol

[@orbit6663]

How is the neck on that guitar? I've seen a lot of people calling it too thick or not as "fast" as the Wizard necks from Ibanez?

[@picchihannan9593]

Could u do a review of the PT Apocalypse?

[@user-wr6zj8fj6u]

Too distracted by the teleporting cat to take any of this in haha

[@XlouietheflyX]

I much prefer the dynamics, richness, and raunch of high-output passives over actives. I had Blackouts in a Blackjack ATX and all of my bandmates agreed that the other Schecter I have with the Bare Knuckle Black Hawks fitted works much better with my amp and cab (and playing style) for our band. But it is death doom with big sustained chords with a tube amp driven by a boost and the pickups, so each chord or note hangs out there for a while. With other setups and styles the actives might be superior. As they say, YMMV

[@grahammorgan6208]

The dimension shift ING moggie is in another level lol

[@rar91181]

I'd honestly like you to compare the apocalypse c1 frs tone compared to a fixed bridge like on the apocalypse pt since they have the same pickups. I have a km7frs and a km7mk2 and the frs tone is really bad in comparison.

[@xx2]

I would like to know if Apocalypse pups can have the clarity and great sound in low tunings despite of that , they make a baritone model of this guitar. I would like if they put fishmans there. I dont know those pick ups and i would like to know about clarity in low tuning with distorted sound

[@oskartuuling8703]

i like the idea of active

[@kylelc17]

That cat is magic

[@jorgemartins1738]

Don't known if its the youtube compression, but they sound almost the same... maybe if i listen with a good monitor.... Both awesome. However, i miss a tube overdrive boost sound...

[@Sublight77]

Listen again theyre quite different

[@ryndanriley5348]

In some of the comparisons they sound identical but in others theres a definite difference.

[@devontoner]

I'm running a usb dac to sound magic hp150s and there's a pretty clear difference. It's probably your source.

[@SoundingSix]

I heard absolutely no difference in the lead tones both on top of the track or solo. I wish you'd have played the rythm chopped up like you did the lead but I didn't hear much of a difference in the rythm either. Passives do offer better dynamics but the tone sounds the same for the most part. Schecter makes great guitars. I still grab my old C-1 quite often when I get the urge to rock out. Great playing by the way! Not your usual stuff for sure. I've always liked your playing, you often remind me of Sponge guitarist Joey Mazzola, your style I mean. Good stuff!

[@radicalgambino2959]

I normally prefer passive pickups but on this occasion I prefer the actice pickups

[@Hiro.the.God.]

I just bought a schecter guitar, and I plugged it in clean amp but it sounds like I have an overdrive pedal on. Is that what they’re supposed to sound like? If so can you recommend a Humbucker that I can replace the neck one with for some clean tones?

[@stiffdrinkmime366]

I wasn't paying attention at the beginning so spent the whole video trying to figure out which was which. Guess it doesn't matter if I can't tell.

[@codcade]

What effects did you use to get that tone

[@melodic44]

the cat! ♥

[@tumblelake63]

Oh man, thank you for this video. I have been torn between buying the Demon-6 with active pickups or the Omen Extreme-6 with passive pickups.

[@reidd8334]

What did you end up deciding on and why if you don't mind me asking?

[@XChristianNoirX]

Active have the punch and often sound the best recorded, but I can't let go of the feel of passive and the dynamics. I've tried other actives other than EMG, that promise more dynamics, but then they don't end up with the punch of the 81.

[@jeffreyquinonez8964]

Im gonna have to stick an 81 in the bridge of my schecter sls c1. I dont get enough punch from the fishman modern 🤷🏿‍♂️. The neck is very good though. Im keeping that in lol 😂

[@Mike-vu7em]

For those who practice with headphones, actives make a volume boost u can’t get with passives. With amp only difference is longer sustain and probly a unnoticeable difference in volume. At least to me

[@RichLunaMusic]

5:30 I thought you were gonna play some “T.N.T.” for a second 🧨

[@ilovenoise]

I definitely should have!

[@eddiedeets]

I’m too fascinated by the cat

[@DeathRattlingWhore]

That cat seems to be more attentive whilst listening to the passive ones.

[@mailvilla]

I have never held one of these archtop Apocolypse style guitars. Does the forearm edge dig into your right arm and become uncomfortable?

[@mailvilla]

@Cletus Anfernee JacksonThanks for your reply. Most people never do reply. I understand the Schecters are for heavy metal, but can you play other styles of music, such as Country, Classic Rock and Roll, and old-time Ventures music, suck Walk Don't Run?

[@mailvilla]

: Thank you for your speedy reply.@Cletus Anfernee Jackson

[@KillNeckRiff]

How you record a drumss? Using midi controller?

[@lgalindo7111]

sounds good, but I got to teach my cat how to do that!

[@philw8049]

I agree with the cat, passives all the way!

[@whitepolarbearmc8367]

He thing about active pickups, they give me more of the muddy more aggressive tone while the passive pickups give better clean and clear tones. I love both but I prefer the active tone. I also own the black guitar he's using, the Demon 6 Fr, the only difference is mine has a floyd rose.

[@mrdevil848]

Are the pickups good on it

[@whitepolarbearmc8367]

@mrdevil848 if you're going to be using the guitar for straight up metal and such, Active is the way to go, although after are 3 years with the Demon Fr, the pickups have died and need replacement. The pickups on it are stock Schecter branded pups, I'd swap them for EMGs.

[@mrdevil848]

@@whitepolarbearmc8367 oh Thnks for the info

[@mrdevil848]

@@whitepolarbearmc8367 what's the tone difference on active and passive is sustain the only thing?

[@whitepolarbearmc8367]

@mrdevil848 idk about sustain, but the active has a thicker more boosted sound, pairs really nice with high distortion, but as time has went on, I kinda prefer passive pickups.

[@shipsahoy1793]

Never did understand active pups for guitar, makes a little more sense for use on certain bass tracks where needed, but high distortion guitar styles are very compressed already by default due to the high gain distortion. I think a shredder that needs active is probably lacking in his technique, since going passive would be much more versatile for the guitar player imho. That said, a good bass player should be able to play well and sound right regardless of whether they're using compression or not also. Dynamic range is one of many components of musical sound production that has been continually degraded, especially since the advent of digital sound production, which is ironic, due to its improvement over analog, but the desire for loudness, convenience, portability, and minimized storage space all obliterated that! Rock on James..

[@sirsoothsayer]

you guys talking about how the passive ones sound better need to remember the schecter apocalypse costs TRIPLE what the demon 6 does. The fact that it's even a contest is a pretty big win for the demon's pickups imo

[@mhuq4854]

It only means the Apocalypse pups are more versatile and responsive than the Duncan actives. I don't think this validates as a passive vs active debate. The EMG 57/66 set, for example ;) ...

[@WiserInTime]

Magic cat

[@chickentwisties2298]

Actives for me

[@USMC0332]

My cat likes distortion too.

[@lanopal]

SIR I NEED THESE TABS PLEASE

[@BlankFile]

I'd like to know why your cats jaw looks like that. Was there tumour?

[@NamrataD-uv4dw]

What's the name of the cat?

[@ze-ce.cra_]

I am really really sorry to say this, but... I like your playing more than the guitar , ehehe . . :-D

[@ramaynard77]

Pretty much sound identical to me

[@aaronwilliams7988]

I preferred the active they weren’t as rough they were more smooth

[@warawutsiwanukro6825]

where is the deferent of tone?

[@elcentinela1000]

PASSIVE hands down...

[@Bricklinsv1970]

Active for Metal and Passive for rock and heavy rock.

[@bobu5213]

Your cat is not bothered

[@psocques]

Dude, is your cat ok?

[@raul21md]

psocques 🤣

[@ignaciomarlonolivares2887]

I preferred passive picku ps, just for the cat.

[@jessicaabner1212]

actives sound a little better

[@zetareticuliband]

1:52 2:16

[@ILLRICARDO]

The Duncan designed aren't the best pick ups...you should try the emg X series or the fishman fluence.

[@bjoerngriebel8051]

emg x are great in dynamics, clarity, punch and overall soundscape = totally underated

[@dominator7369]

The cat 🐈 🐱 😂😂😂🎸🎩🕶

[@ilovenoise]

Yep! That's my little Rascal

[@mlm32809]

So, the cat’s name isn’t Slash?

[@baddavinci1110]

the cat say yes to pasive pu

[@csj9619]

Remarkably similar to my ears. Your cat looks unimpressed by both.

[@Sanek972]

metallcat)

[@markmaagad]

Tab pls 😅😅😅

[@Naaras1503]

On lead tones there were actually no difference at all.....on rhythm tones active sound more compressed and thats all

[@cbosmooth]

Fermented,,,, offal,,,discharrrrrrrgw

[@wildersound]

There is literally not much of a difference between these two pickups. I personally find Actives better for my playing style, but actives are equally good. Just for different kinds of playing.

[@RichLunaMusic]

Clean tones all the way!

[@JOEmfnAUSTIN]

In conclusion, active pups look better. They pretty much sound the same.

[@Danyu91]

The cat is very distracting xD

[@yogapaule]

Pickups don't make a difference at all if you play high gain so save your hard earned money and don't Fall into the marketing trap my dudes

[@TTaDJIA]

pussies vote for passive)

[@hectordep1536]

Its the same shit

[@milotin2755]

Too much post production

[@JohnGalt539]

Great playing very Malmsteen like, terrible tone, made me cringe.

[@impossivelcore1132]

Quiero escuchar las pastillas . No tus habilidades musicales 👎