INVADER PICKUP SHOOTOUT! The Good, the Bad and the Copies

4 pickups, 24 massive pole pieces and a shed load of low end power. Here's how Seymour Duncan's Classic pickup the Invader stands up against the clones. Which one is your favorite?
I hope you enjoy this video, check out the other videos on my page if you do.
/ officialstormborn

[@Schroo]

The Chinese copy sounded pretty good to me

[@paultulip2917]

Just bought the Warman and fitted to my brand new custom build...love it...surprising clarity in the mids when distorted and tons of harmonics...my winner all day..and only 20 quid..awesome!!😁

[@DaveViner]

Nice! Glad you are enjoying it!

[@ZagrasNixillis]

The Warman surprised me. I think I liked it the most.

[@DaveViner]

The warman seems to be the favourite amongst viewers! It sounds good it just felt...spongy when playing it. I can't describe it.

[@AireSound]

Yes I listened to all twice on good Yamaha phones and the Warman stood out for me also. I can get what you mean by the physical response though, because the Duncan and Iron Gear sound more detailed. At the end of the day what really matters is how it sits in the mix. I have an HSH guitar that I intend fitting with the Chinese cheapos to replace EMG Select passives. Thanks for setting this up.

[@Theintruder100]

Between the Iron gear and the Warman for me great shit playing by the way lol

[@manoskf]

I have SD Invader as well ... it is hursh but the clarity is unbelievable

[@windsurfmaui8239]

Even with headphones on the sound was too close to call for me. So I just bought a pair of the cheap ones and if I don't like them I'll change the magnet and see how that changes the tone. Thanks for doing this review you saved me a lot of money..

[@DaveViner]

You're welcome dude!

[@hanhtar9062]

Thanks for the comparison!

[@DaveViner]

Thanks for watching!

[@lorcanmeister]

I think the explosion sounded the best, I'll install it in my Harley Benton

[@DaveViner]

Play it through a line 6 spider 2 for the BEST audio experience

[@justinbowen1183]

Very nice video. I just purchased the invader neck and bridge I have to wait till payday on Monday to get a iron and some material. Normally with wires I just use electrical tape but these were $190 for the set so I want to do things the proper way.

[@DaveViner]

Yes you will need to solder these in my man!

[@justinbowen1183]

@@DaveViner had them up and running for a few months now, absolutely love them no regrets. My only complaint is that I had to tame the feedback noise with noise suppression but now I can't grab the fucking harmonics on command like I used to. Other than that I absolutely love them. Crunchy and punchy as fuck dude.

[@DaveViner]

@@justinbowen1183 Glad you are enjoying them!!

[@Twirlyhead]

I have the Iron Gear and like it very much. The heavy thing it does very well indeed but there is far more to them than that especially with the coil split enabled.

[@DaveViner]

I dig it, i actually ended up putting it in my Iceman!

[@Twirlyhead]

@@DaveViner In your Iceman is great. Mine is in a DeArmond M55, a single humbucker solid, small, light electric. The original pickup was fine but the Hammer Head + coil split has completely transformed it in a good way. I have various Iron Gears in a few guitars.

[@AleArzMusic]

Oh yes this is a great video and comparison.

[@DaveViner]

Thanks man

[@gprice1978]

I have to agree. I had a vintage brand sg with irongear hammerheads and man that guitar was a beast, I traded in a moment of madness for a 7 string, regretted it every day since. I've had a few warman pickups and they always arrive with bent lugs, badly packaged.

[@DaveViner]

We all have the one that got away...

[@Canuplease1974]

I bought a pair of the Amazon MIC invader copies, and installed them in my Schecter Omen-6.... To this day, I love the Raw, Brutal Sound I get from them. I've had to roll the Bass knob on my amp down to 2, because the Yootones Pickups already have so much bottom end... Such a good deal for $16

[@DaveViner]

I also love that with the cheap pickups you can always get them in 10 different colours lol

[@Jediroller]

Try putting a capacitor in series with the pickup and it'll cut the bass... So hot pup wire>0.033uf cap>Vol pot or switch (fender types)

[@Gumdropnipples]

Anyone notice how they all had slight tone differences but none of them sounded especially bad?

[@DaveViner]

It really is preference, one mans trash and all that.

[@carlospaz28]

Cool review, i'm looking foward to buy the chinese ones. Price is insane & seems to sound pretty decent.

[@DaveViner]

For £9 its worth a shot, i thought they were going to be pure garbage but they surprised me!

[@Zombie_13x33]

Not all of them sound good. I bought a set from one company and liked them but got a different color from someone else and hate them. They almost rob the distortion

[@DaveViner]

Yeah, i would say that the quality will vary between pickups as i doubt QC is high on the agenda. FWIW i put this set in a Harley Benton Tele for shits and giggles and the neck pickup is pretty terrible!!

[@greasekidmedia1556]

@@Zombie_13x33 same here, ordering these pups is a hit or miss

[@3001jl]

Very good review

[@DaveViner]

Thank you

[@patrickbutcherine142]

That second pickup, the random chinese knockoff... it sounds really really good to be honest. I wouldnt mind putting that pickup in next position with any invader or detonator series pick up. It stands it's own. I feel a tad looser feelimg in the upper mids to lower hig end freqs and just shy of the famous Duncan low end/mid chug. Possibly swapping a magnet in that chinese one, possibly the middle with an ALNICO vaiant. Alot of those Chinese knockoffs can really kick some serious ass. I bought a no name dual rails and it turned out to be a really good pickup in my crappy SILVERTONE guitar and I bet itd sound just awesome in a well built higher end guitar.

[@bellywitchproductions2183]

Thinking of buying some invader knockoffs on Temu. I appreciate this comparison video 🙏🤘

[@DaveViner]

Thanks man

[@andreadonisbrasil]

Great!! Thanks for vídeo! Any feedback problem with the chinese? I had a Chinese EMG copy and a Lot issues with too much feedback when loud. 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@DaveViner]

I can't say i used it loud enough/in a live environment to tell if there would be feedback issues. No problems during recording though!

[@andreadonisbrasil]

@@DaveViner many thanks, Bro!

[@vonicrimson3619]

I know how to fix the noise issue

[@tamastoth3579]

At the clean tones my favourite was the Warman, when riffing, then maybe Irongear. I like the darker tones, that's why I would go for those two. For those, who want more treble, SD could well be the best choice. It's hard to find a clear winner, because all of them are slightly different, and all of them are more than decent. Could You teel, where have you ordered the chinese pickups from? Thank You for the good comparision, keep it up.

[@DaveViner]

The chinese pickups were just a random ebay purchase. When searching for Invaders they came up!

[@Rocknrebel]

I liked the Warman the best. They all sound good though. Cheers

[@DaveViner]

Thanks for watching, i may revisit the Warman as i still have it maybe my opinion will change!

[@jerryarm4160]

Well, it looks like I'm looking for a Warman pickup now.

[@DaveViner]

They've got a really big selection, you should find something you will like!

[@TheSgenua]

I own a matched set of Invaders installed in my LTD MH-400B baritone and love the brutality that they can produce but I, much like you, as a joke bought a set of Chinese knock offs (I could only get cream colour unfortunately) to install into my Parker P44 and man they are gnarly little beasts. They sound pretty damn close to my invaders. I will say that the Chinese pups did need me to invest some time into properly wax potting them but after that was taken care of they can rock with the best of them. If you have a cheap guitar that has a need for more nasty pickups then the China Invaders are a great investment.

[@DaveViner]

Wax potting is a good idea but for £9 they're rather impressive!

[@TheSgenua]

@@DaveViner Agreed! Great comparison video my friend.

[@stephanpeters3875]

I liked the Invader and the random Chinese clone. It's not really a clone because they sound different, but that Chinese pickup sounded surprisingly good.

[@DaveViner]

They're all good in their own way, tbh the differences are so minor, the build quality on all the cheap ones is also surprisingly good.

[@BlueeyesofSkye]

I swapped my PRS Tremonti’s out of my Tremonti for some Invaders. I sold the Tremonti’s. This guitar now sounds warmer, dark, and heavier than ever before. Who knows, maybe the thick LP style body blended better. All my buddies love this axe, but now they all want it.

[@DaveViner]

Yeah man, theres a nice lower mid thickness to the invaders that i love, it really thickens up a bright or lightweight guitar

[@simounbahardi]

Great video bro, just bought the chinese copy however I don't know the orientation of the wires. Let me know how you did yours. Thank you so much man. Great stuff.

[@DaveViner]

If i remember I'll have a look when i can!

[@DaveViner]

Ok, red and white tape solder together and tape off Green and bare to groud Black is the hot, solder to pickup selector

[@simounbahardi]

@@DaveViner Thank you so much for this Bro. This helps a lot :D

[@zayne2798]

Hey, I just watched one of your older reviews with your s470 when the invader was in it, just wondering what the other pickups in it were, it sounded amazing

[@DaveViner]

Seymour Duncan SH2 Jazz in the neck. The middle was the stock Ibanez Infinity single coil (a nice pickup!).

[@zayne2798]

@@DaveViner awesome, thank you so much

[@-processdrone-]

er... my favourite is the warman. mind you, it's not that I think they sound like invaders, they're a lot more present in the bottom end . Certainly the actual invaders have the most harmonic content, I think (and this is weird ) I'd actually go for a real invader in the bridge (I'm actually running a DImebucker) and a warman 12 pole in the neck (which is actually what I did with no regrets at all) . This configuration amplifies the bright bridge warm neck thing that naturally happens . Those £9 one are awful! no harmonic content , no presence. Our opinions definitely differ a lot. Comparison videos edited in this way are so informative and enable people to make an informed choice that suits their own ears & aims, thank you for providing it.

[@1337wafflezz]

Agreed. The tone is ever so slightly more reserved and I like that for cleans. Makes it more versatile. The real Seymour Duncans have a cool growl to them but make them less suitable for certain genres. Almost like they distort and have that high input crunch right off the bat instead of letting the amp/preamp and pedals do the work.

[@parksoo-kim6908]

The Warman is way too noisy

[@alexandergornostaev610]

I'm using Invaders fo 15 years now. My goto pickup for standart tuning.(For tuning lower then D it has too much lows imho )

[@DaveViner]

I like the bridge model

[@HumanoidFX]

The real SD invader only has slightly more clarity

[@n34z3r]

Cool video and thanks for sharing. May have to look into Iron Gear then. I thought the Warman sounded good. Carry on dude

[@DaveViner]

The warman isn't a bad pickup at all, just my opinion on the flavour and feel. It is more versitile than the invader tbh due to the lower output. Depends on what style of music you play.

[@gnarshred1239]

Do you recommend the chinese pickup for me to drop into a kramer striker bridge in lieu of the stock pickup?

[@DaveViner]

I wouldn't change it personally unless you want to change the appearance

[@kingkuna6804]

Is there any noticeable difference in volume between the cheaper ones and the SD?

[@DaveViner]

Not that i noticed no.

[@kingkuna6804]

@@DaveViner Wicked. Thanks 👍

[@lone-wolf-1]

I liked the Warmann the most, chinese and S.D. on pair, last the Irongear

[@DaveViner]

I really like hearing peoples opinons on these! I actually ended up putting the irongear back into this guitar!

[@lone-wolf-1]

@@DaveViner I reheared the samples with better phones, and they are very close actually. I’ll put the chinese last, the others are so close that it‘s only a matter of preference. The SD had the biggest frequency range and clarity. For my taste maybe a bit too bity voicing, but in band context probably the best of them. Irongear with less hights, sounded a tiny bit muddy’er. The chinese was lacking a bit clarity and string definition, but generally impressively good! Warmann had the nicest voicing, without lack of definition and grit, and is more versatile I think (for rock too, last sample leads me to that) Cheers!✌🏼

[@Healcraft]

Plot twist, he never changed pickups

[@DaveViner]

🤫 Nah, I'm just playing I did actually change them lol

[@j.j.8387]

Very good video. I am looking for information about the origin of IronGear and Warman because in the photos and videos they look exactly the same as the Chinese ones, you who have them in your hand do they also look the same? I think they are the same thing, and that Irongear and Warman buy them on Alibaba for $3 and resell them under their brand. If so, I see no reason to pay more for the same... I think a $10 Chinvader would look great on my cheap Tom Delonge Strat project.

[@DaveViner]

There is a difference in appearance, the £10 chinese ones look and feel very cheap. The Irongear and Warman are definitely better quality.

[@j.j.8387]

@@DaveViner You, who tried them all, tell me honestly if you think there is such a difference in sound as to pay triple for IronGear or 10 more for SD? Thanks!!

[@DaveViner]

If you just want the look for your Delonge strat get the Chinese ones, if you want the look and a bit better quality get the Warman or the IronGear, if you need it authentic get a used Invader.

[@j.j.8387]

@@DaveViner The warman pickups are exactly the same ones that Donlis sells on Aliexpress, if you check the Warman models one by one you will find that there is always an identical one in Donlis... If it looks like a dog, smells like a dog, and behaves like a dog, it must be a dog.

[@DaveViner]

I can say for sure the warman and the chinese i owm are different, whether Warman's are just rebranded import pickups I can't say for sure but if that is your observation that is interesting. The warman logo on the pickup are cheap stick on letters that come off very easily so it wouldn't suprise me if they are just rebranded import pickups.

[@rogeriocavichioli2370]

Parabéns pelo vídeo. Aqui no meu país (Brasil ) um seymou duncan invader custa muito caro. Cerca de $$ 800,00 . Não sei quanto seria em dólar. Gosto muito do som do invader. É grave , encorpado e definido.

[@DaveViner]

$140 for an invader is very expensive!

[@rogeriocavichioli2370]

@@DaveViner você acredita que o invader é bom pra hard rock ?

[@coolcatreturnsdavis9955]

Do you have a link to the china copy?

[@DaveViner]

I don't if you do an eBay search for an invader pickup they usually come up i just bought the 1st one i found lol.

[@zAvAvAz]

the warman

[@jasoncadell2276]

I'm using the Chinese SDs

[@DaveViner]

They're not bad at all!

[@mvyper]

I ended up loving all the stuff I buy on AliExpress.

[@DaveViner]

I've never used it, I'm worried they'll take my money and I'll never recieve my Chibson Strat copy

[@mvyper]

@@DaveViner in my humble experience, I've always received everything I ordered, in mint condition and beautifully packaged. Is it Uber quality? Not really. But, for the money I'm spending, it's totally worth it. 😊 That said, results may very. If you ever pull the trigger, prepare for a longer wait, as everything is coming via post from he other end of the world.

[@DaveViner]

As long as ot arrives and resembles the pictured item i guess thats all one can ask for lol

[@fearofthedark88]

lightning strikes twice...

[@davidmurray9193]

All very close in my opinion if the the chinese is not microphonic then bargain, i noticed on the cleans though the iron gear puched through a bit more, other than that its a preference style

[@DaveViner]

There's not a huge difference, especially under gain. Chinese ones I purchased are not microphonic, I was very impressed considering they were less that £10

[@davidmurray9193]

@@DaveViner couple I just got are from yibuy I'm just working out which guitar to put them in

[@DaveViner]

@@davidmurray9193 nice, let me know what you think!

[@davidmurray9193]

@@DaveViner I will do 😁😁😁😁🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@owdgfprojects]

i bought a chingvader a few years ago - still going strong - All I needed to do to it was soak it in melted parrafin to remove the whistle under high volumes - otherwise very good pickup for the money $20 australian

[@DaveViner]

Is the process of wax potting fairly straightforward? Ive never had to do it myself.

[@wongway40]

@@DaveViner sure, i melted mine in a boiling water bath. Sit it in a pot of boiling water in its own vessel. Then when it melts, drop the pickup in as is, leave it for a while, then fish it out and let it cool down

[@DaveViner]

Oh cool seems rather straightforward then!

[@wolfgangwylde5889]

Invader was very bright and thin The Chinese copy sound similar but a little thicker than the Duncan. I kinda think the hammerhead sounded best, yet they all sounded very similar, but the Duncan sounds thin and brighter to me, maybe more definition, but that may be due to the bright thin tone it produces

[@DaveViner]

It's interesting to hear that! Most people always describe it as thick and muddy!

[@EpictheEpicest]

Pretty sure the IronGear and Warman are the same as the Chinese pickups...they just import them in bulk and resell. They might pot the pickups if they aren't already.

[@DaveViner]

Potentially, i think a commentor said the Warmans are UK made. The Irongear pickups i am not sure.

[@maidenman74]

TBH I cant hear £100 of difference in any. If forced into a decision i would go for the Iron Gear had very slight better clarity in the solo section.

[@keithhampton9700]

They all sound great! Im a budget minded person so I would go with the random Chinese copy. I have a SG with a original invader pickup,and a Chinese copy on the way.🤨🤔🤘😳🤯

[@DaveViner]

What colour did you go for? Red makes you play faster but the black ones sound heavier.

[@arrrrrran3043]

I just bought an invader from aliexpress that cost me 2.79 (on sale)

[@DaveViner]

Let me know what you think when it arrives

[@LXIXBK]

Listening with headphones Seymour Duncan significantly has the best tone. Worth the money

[@DaveViner]

🤘

[@b.scottfarthingsworth]

The Warman and Invader are rather close. The Warman sounded noisier when not playing but that could be any variable from this to that. I'd stick with Duncan, customer service is top notch

[@DaveViner]

Thats one of the reasons i put it low on the rankings tbh. It seemed to be a bit noisier overall. Not outrageously noisy but enough that it bothered me

[@timbuk1126]

Duncan Invader wins

[@nathanaelmoxon4996]

I don't know how we're meant to tell the difference with this recording quality...

[@DaveViner]

A direct recording?

[@jaykirkley1570]

The dragonfire crusader is essentially and asthetically the same pickup as the duncan invader ,there is no variance in sound and quality.

[@angusorvid8840]

The original Invader is still the best. A beast of a pickup. It may be a super high output monster but it's very well designed, has better low mids than any other Duncan, or most other pickups. I tend to dig DiMarzios but I'd get an Invader over a Titan any day.

[@OrkhanJulfa]

Copies are better than original :D

[@DaveViner]

And a fraction of the price!!

[@vtautogrow6096]

I think a better amp could help showcase each one better

[@DaveViner]

What amp would showcase the difference in pickup sounds better?

[@vtautogrow6096]

@@DaveViner I’m only suggesting from past experiences but usually the only time pickups can really be distinguished are through break the bank amps , such as Mesa boogie mark series, orange heads and cabs , high end Marshall’s , peavy 6505+. Especially when comparing pickups made for metal such as these

[@DaveViner]

If the signal chain is the same and the only thing that changes is the pickup then a difference can be heard be it through a solid state, digital, tube, etc. I used to believe the same (I've owned amps from Peavey, Laney and ENGL and played through Marshalls, more ENGLS, digital amps like Kempers, Line6's HD stuff) but a difference can be heard through anything as long as your only changing the one parameter.

[@Burnin-U]

Iron gear

[@diegotrincado8980]

La china de 9 e ganó 😂😮

[@drew5400]

Great video, but I thought your base tone and drive sound like smeared dogshit...I'm sorry for being harsh, tone is a journey. That being said I appreciate the comparisons. It seems to me a place like artec make the pickup and the different companies put their name on them. Also I've had to re-wax pot almost every discount pickup I've ever purchased. Which makes a huge difference, it's amazing what some hot wax does for them. Take care, stay well and rock on.

[@DaveViner]

One man's trash is another man's smeared dogshit.

[@ThePlutsch]

What's wrong with this guy? The warman was great.

[@DaveViner]

This guys opinion is that i liked it the least. The sounds was fine, the feeling when playing it was off, i cant describe it. It was also the noisiest of the 4! Thats the point of this shoot out though, people can make up their own opinions. The Warman has gotten the most love in the comments section! 😎

[@seanscott5730]

That cheap Chinese copy was pretty good for 9 bucks

[@DaveViner]

Worth a go for £9 right?

[@edomoto9548]

China 2:44 Seymour 3:42

[@DaveViner]

💪

[@danielcarter3928]

just bought a chinese copy of ebay

[@DaveViner]

Enjoy

[@gabrielhearn2274]

I've never seen anyone make Duncan's sound so bad.

[@DaveViner]

The subjective-ness of 'good tone' my friend.

[@drewharry88]

Tom Delonge showed that its good for pop punk too lol