The Ultimate Tom Delonge Pickup Shootout (X2N, Invader, Dirty Fingers)

So heres the rundown. i used 4 different tones on my axe fx 2 going from cleanest to dirtiest. none of the settings changed at all between the guitars. i even used the same strings, kept the pickups at the same height to keep it as consistent as possible.
MY personal opinions are as follows. the detonator was much better than i could have expected. i always assumed since it was just a cheap (presumably) chinese invader knockoff that it would be bad but it was surprisingly good. the x2n surprised me greatly as well. i think it was a really nice pickup overall. that being said, i think that it would have shined a bit more if the amp setting were a bit more in its favor. still a pickup i'd recommend. the Invader bridge pickup really just nails that delonge tone. whether its early stuff, to new stuff. its a hard one to beat. same goes for the dirty fingers pickup although the invader is a bit fatter sounding. 2 good choices either way. my least favorite was the invader neck pickup. it sounded out of place (which it is) and somewhat tinny for some of the riffs. the EQ was just "off" in a lot of ways. so my personal best to worst would be as follows
1. tied between invader bridge and dirty fingers (both have nice overdriven tones and decent cleans. just different flavors)
2. dimarzio x2n
3. detonator
3. invader neck.
thanks for watching. hope you enjoyed and found it useful!
My original music can be purchased/streamed below! Including my new acoustic EP A Study In Moppishness, available now!
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my links
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/ littleredguitar
sometimes i sell gear at this link
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[@camaroj42]

Maybe it's my crappy speakers but I really like the sound of the invader neck pickup.

[@tf2156]

I was thinking the same thing but even with headphones i like it. Thinking about getting it for my next strat build haha

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

I want two custom single-pickup guitars sharing the same Invader set down the road; not as many pickups have adjustable poles let alone for both sides or really any that big, but it allows you to get a similar volume between each part of all strings instead of a fixed radius pickup or pole pieces placed in a permanent position.

[@SapperRJMorgan]

Definitely sounds like he had a neck pickup in there.

[@DeweyJHall1]

The Invader Neck wins for me. It has that twang and note clarity that all those old school Tom Riffs had. Stay together for the kids, sounded perfect with neck invader also. Tom's tone is not as distorted as people think, and when you played those riffs on that Neck Invader, they sound perfect! Well done!

[@RobertAragonIsGhxst]

Definitely that one rocked

[@roflgrenz]

Hey mate, awesome comparisons. I wanted to listen to any pickup side by side so I made some shortcuts for ya. To anyone this helps: You're welcome :) Cleans: 2:31 Detonator 3:02 X2N 3:35 Invader (Bridge) 4:04 Invader (Neck) 4:34 Gibson Dirty Fingers Distortion: 5:07 Duncan Designed Detonator 5:25 X2N 5:49 Invader (bridge) 6:07 Invader (neck) 6:25 Dirty Fingers After Midnight (with distortion) 6:46 Detonator 7:05 X2N 7:29 Invader (bridge) 7:52 Invader (neck) 8:13 Dirty Fingers Going away to college (distortion) 8:36 Detonator 9:01 X2N 9:24 Invader (bridge) 9:47 Invader (neck) 10:12 Dirty Fingers Not Now (distorted) 10:37 Detonator 10:59 X2N 11:21 Invader (bridge) 11:43 Invader (neck) 12:05 Dirty Fingers The Adventure (distorted) 12:31 detonator 12:56 x2n 13:21 invader bridge 13:46 invader neck 14:14 dirty fingers Enthused (distorted) 14:43 detonator 15:01 x2n 15:19 invader bridge 15:37 invader neck 15:56 dirty fingers All Systems Go 16:17 detonator 16:40 x2n 17:01 invader bridge 17:24 invader neck 17:47 dirty fingers Dysentary Gary 18:12 detonator 18:35 x2n 19:03 invader bridge 19:25 invader neck 19:54 dirty fingers Wasting Time 20:23 detonator 20:45 x2n 21:10 invader bridge 21:36 invader neck 22:01 dirty fingers Up ALL NIGHT 22:26 detonator 22:40 x2n 22:54 invader bridge 23:07 invader neck 23:20 dirty fingers DAMMIT 23:41 detonator 24:03 x2n 24:24 invader bridge 24:44 invader neck 25:05 dirty fingers

[@andy_182]

Fuck man thx

[@TylerLL2112]

Damn, here take this gold. 🏅

[@roflgrenz]

@@andy_182 XD

[@roflgrenz]

@@TylerLL2112 O ty :D

[@lone-wolf-1]

Thanks man!👌🏼

[@jikemenkins7098]

Dude, seriously SERIOUSLY good video! HIGH EFFORT! Can't thank you enough for your troubles.

[@djprofessx]

I really loved how the neck invader sounded. It completely surprised me with how much fuller it sounded than the bridge invader that I’ve been so accustomed to. It also sounded closer to the Dirty Fingers, in my opinion. I loved them all. In fact, this has now made me want to purchase the Dimarzio X2N and put it on one of my strats. I have the bridge Invader, Dirty Fingers, and I’ve had the Duncan design detonator in the past on a Squier TD strat. It’s definitely a sleeper because of its reputation of it being installed in the Squier, but it kicks! And it still can pull off the blink sound with absolutely no problem at all. I would have to say, my top pick was what caught me off guard. The Seymour Duncan Invader neck humbucker is the winner in this shoot out, for me. I’m definitely going to purchase one thanks to your trial. Thanks for doing this. Truly amazing comparison!

[@300atThermopylae]

The neck invader would have a lower output than the bridge which accounts for that "fuller" sound you're hearing. The higher output pick-ups are more compressed and you get a tighter sound but less dynamics than you do with a lower power pick-up. It will also diminish the pick-attack sound and, to my ears, makes fast playing sound a little more fluid. With a lower power pick-up, you get a more open pick-attack sound and can make fast playing sound a little more . . . rushed (?) for want of a better term. Steve Vai, pre-Ibanez, played an X2N and his current Evolution pick-ups are also high output. Joe Satriani's Fred pick-up was vintage to medium powered but his signature pick-ups have been creeping up in power as his playing/tastes mature/change. Interestingly, Billy Gibbons, Angus Young and Eddie Van Halen all use a low to medium power pick-up which was contrary to what I thought when I first started digging into this stuff . . . and Eddie's tremolo picking sounds nothing if not fluid so it just goes to show that the most important part of your sound is your fingers! I hope this helps some of you zero in on a pick-up based on what you're looking for and maybe saves you some money and soldering time! Enjoy the hunt!

[@diddyfaplord]

The neck does not sound fuller lol

[@Ron4president09]

@@diddyfaplord Mr faplord gets it!!! 😂

[@daftdoggo7662]

Came for Tom, stayed for the permanent Waves shirt

[@littleredguitars2]

atta boy

[@gunsandguitars6678]

holy s*** dude you went through a lot of work, thanks for the comparisons ☆

[@immattbailey]

I know right ! I’m thinking wonder how long this took him haha and to change the pick up etc

[@chrisday5341]

The neck invader sounded really good. Less gain at times but very round and unique sounding. I dug it! Great video man!

[@evanage]

seymour duncan invader neck 4:04 6:06 7:51 9:47 11:43 13:46 15:37 17:25 19:26 21:36 23:07 24:45

[@jeanpaulconvers5385]

Thanks for this beautiful work. Great video . The Dirty Fingers is a wild pickup, a real alive thing !

[@himynameis77]

Wow the neck invader really nails it along with the dirty fingers 👌🏻

[@delusionwalker8852]

thank you for not talking and get straight to the pickups tests. Your video really helped me to change my mind about Dimarzio x2n and Gibson dirty fingers

[@billywastaken6645]

Just watched your video from 8 years ago. Wow. The improvement. And thank you for this insightful video

[@nicolasgarza2001]

GREAT VIDEO!! I really liked the neck invader also.... You solved my questions on building a Strat. Keep at it!

[@michaelkozma5929]

You are the man for doing this... Nice A/B testing with all of them and all the riffs.

[@pepitoflanders]

Dude ! Amazing video i love the way that the dirty fingers and invader neck pickup sounds !

[@jayz6008]

Man . As a teenager I remember seeing this Squier on musicians friend catalog and thinking how it would be grew to have. I totally forgot about it and seeing it again in your video made me feel nostalgic .

[@TheBlackStrat502]

Fantastic video! Thank you for doing this, keep up this series with other bands, please.

[@ericcoombs]

This makes me wanna trade out my bridge invader for a neck invader

[@tylerl8934]

The neck invader and x2n killed everything.

[@duosonic391]

Agree completely with both

[@a.siphrodias2867]

Totally agree. Although I really liked the bridge Invader on certain parts as well!

[@jamarcusrussel2352]

fake news. bridge invader is way better

[@jamarcusrussel2352]

Fake news

[@asdoriangui]

didn't know about the neck invader! what a surprise! i actually have the bridge version on my replica... that's why it never sounded the same to me! guess i'll have to get the neck version now......

[@lollihorse]

First of all, thank you for all the work you put into this video! Excellent!!! I've been looking to replace the single humbucker in my strat, along with some other mods. I have to say, I didn't find much difference between the detonator, invader bridge and x2n, although I think they're all great for their intended purpose. I was pleasantly surprised at the sound of the invader neck. To my ears the note definition was much better and sounded more classic rockish if that makes sense. It's exactly what i'm looking for.

[@coltonmuri3672]

Thanks so much for making this video. I used it to determine i wanted the neck Invader in my Squier hardtail partscaster build and i really love it after installing a treble bleed circuit. This pickup does the telecaster twangy sound but also has beefy palm mutes and enough output for pick scrapes and ghost notes. Super versatile.

[@camerone9153]

Great video idea, needed something like this! Thank you man

[@NickSelfridge]

The neck invader actually added a nice twang that sounded more like Tom’s sound especially with dammit since it’s a single note riff. It stood out best to me (Edit) I just tried putting a neck invader in a strat build…cool twangy tone but too single coily especially for Blink 😬 I stand corrected, I prefer the bridge invader

[@kylezalewski8948]

I definitely agree. I'm not even sure if he recorded TOYPAJ with that guitar, or if it had that pickup in it, but there's a twang to the sound on that record that I've never been able to replicate with the Detonator. The neck Invader has it.

[@michaelcarey9359]

@@kylezalewski8948 That's because the neck Invader pickup has a widdy-biddy cap inbetween the coils that stops the neck from getting too muddy, while letting through the nice high end. The high end sound is party from the 25.5" scale, which is something the Gibso sig does not have. I didn't even know the Squire had a Detonator... they only sell Fenders at the stores I try out guitars at.

[@andy_182]

@@kylezalewski8948 The reason it has a twang is cuz he layered humbuckers with single coils

[@kristianjohnsen7995]

@@michaelcarey9359 Some squier strats has the detonator. It sounds allright for blink songs. In studio I’m pretty sure Tom used Les pauls with humbuckers for most of the big sounding guitars, and single coiled strats and tele’s for the single note riffs.

[@floppacaps]

@@kylezalewski8948 a lot of TOYPAJ was on a tele lowkey

[@RobertAragonIsGhxst]

I been watching you for 6 years ever since I started playing n I appreciate your love for blink and toms sound. One day n for years I planned this I'ma have an exact replica of his sticker strat

[@tristanprice5621]

Thanks so much for doing this man. It would take a bit of work to swap all those pickups, and for people like me who want to get a sense of the sound of something before they buy it, you can't get any better than this. Stay well

[@TylerLL2112]

Makes the best Blink related videos AND rocks a Rush shirt in multiple videos. Nice man. I appreciate the time and effort put into these videos!

[@littleredguitars2]

🤙🤙🤙

[@zeusPERAS]

Hey man, thank you for the time and effort spending on this vid. :)

[@Nomad_za]

Thanks for the video! The Invader neck sounds the closest to the studio versions, but I can hear the other pickups fit in on the live shows, if that makes sense.

[@connorohalloran9225]

I thought the Gibson dirty fingers really shined on most of the stuff. seemed a little more versatile.

[@ezgregory7794]

Neck invader sounds more like the original recordings.

[@Shaolol]

Nice to see a proper comparison and great job putting the effort in to switch out all the pickups! I'd honestly say that on the initial clean riffs, the neck invader sounds closer to the record for me - lacking on the distorted tones though. I own the bridge invader (and love it), but impressed with the X2N here too.

[@JulesHoppus]

Dude !!! this an amazing video, i can't belive that you have all the pickups he has used by the pass of yearsm each sound reminds me to one specific song. Thank you for sharing, I'm thinking of change the detonator for the invader (necj) to my squier. greetings from México !

[@antoniojimenezperez50]

Yeah i made my mind now and also will go for the neck invader on my bridge as so Manu others. Also I must say this probably IS the best comparision video on youtube!

[@IKBroski4]

neck invader is perfecr for blink. Dirty fingers was better for AvA

[@pagonel]

yeah, that's the most blin-y one. other preferences are restlees metalheds - where detonator rocks imo

[@nickgames7120]

I prefer the bridge pickup

[@nickgames7120]

Never mind I changed my mind

[@nickgames7120]

Ok my mind changed back

[@nickgames7120]

I can’t make up my mind help meeeeeeeeee

[@joshs5135]

For me it’s a tie between invader neck and the detonator. That one really blew me away for a Duncan designed. Great video!

[@nathanbartlett5284]

DiMarzio is very clean... very nice. Well done video

[@MrXIII-nq3rs]

What a nice review🔊🎸💥

[@skummtoons6686]

Thanks for the video post. A lot of time went into doing this. I picked up a TDL Squier black strat for $70.00 with the DD detonator. This thing sounds great and plays like butter. I got lucky on finding this one. It's on my profile pic. Thanks again 👍👍.

[@jus10_lee]

The Neck Invader sounded closer to Tom's tone than the Bridge Invader imo. What's crazy is that Tom may not have even used his Strats with the Invaders on Enema or TOYPAJ. He's said before that he would just use Jerry Finn's guitars. I think overall the Dirty Fingers sounded the most well rounded.

[@raybbaby]

It's not that crazy. The equipment used while recording is rarely what performers are using on tour and at TV performances. Those big endorsements are for raising "brand visibility" and that's about it.

[@freeman2511]

yeah Tom used les pauls on like half of the enema songs.

[@Lucasarrillius]

Justin Lee you’re right on with that, he used les Paul’s in recording and very well probably used the neck pick up for a lot for the cleaner parts. His signature strats were jut love instruments for the most part

[@Bpags868]

The Strat + Mesa was just his live sound. I don't think that combo ever appeared on any of their albums. The tone on those two albums sounds more like Les Paul + Marshall to me.

[@jus10_lee]

Brian Paglia he definitely used the rectifier and a marshal on the albums too. He said it himself in an interview. The guitars varied though.

[@alexhiggin]

I gotta say I liked both the X2N and the Invader Bridge. The X2N had a lotta chunk but the Invader retained clarity through high gain a bit better. As for the neck invader, I’m surprised so many people like it. It sounds a bit too brittle to me regardless of if the Fender TD strats used them. EDIT: Opinions change. This is a two year old comment and as much as I still love my X2N I’m really taking a liking to the neck invader here. Lotta twang, reminds me of Enema and Take Off.

[@justinnutter6008]

Awesome vids dude!

[@rdavid3848]

Thanks for doing all that work. Your playing is amazing. I liked the Gibson Dirty Fingers the best. It had the big beef and some midrange definition I liked. The Duncan Invader bridge gets second place.

[@volltroll]

This is so great! you put so much work into this video and its quite a good comparison even if you're not a tom Delonge fan and only looking for pickups. Would have loved to see the SH4 or EMG81 in there just for comparison as they are very common pickups for heavy music. I like the Invader neck for cleaner parts and the bridge for the dirt. Dimarzio has bottom end, but it sounds just over the top. Please keep doing these awesome comparisons!

[@dying2belikeyou]

hey man love your videos !!

[@TheBlinkisback09]

Thank you for actually comparing bridge and neck invaders!

[@davidmiranda7937]

I assume he used the neck invader for note clarity on his fast single note parts. Plus his tone started to be way less gainy in that era. So this all makes sense. Also he probably wanted the bottom end intact with the neck pickup

[@punkgrl325]

I'm blown away by how well the neck Invader handled these riffs. The X2N was a bit too muddy on the lows and harsh on the highs. It's tone was also a bit thinner compared to the others. The Dirty Fingers got a bit too bright for my liking on the higher notes, but overall, I think it was the clearest, and while the Detonator and bridge Invader were overall very similar, the Invader was a little more clearer and louder. However, they both got a bit muddy on the lower single notes (wasting time is where this really showed). The only one that really compensated for all these flaws was the neck Invader. Not only does it already have the thick, solid tone of the Detonator and bridge Invader, but because it's the neck, it's still significantly clearer and cleaner than both, and isn't overly bright or harsh. Dirty Fingers would probably be second for overall playing, with the bridge Invader coming in third for the signature Tom tone. For the best of both worlds though, the neck Invader wins it for me. That being said, crazy props on this video. It must have been annoying constantly swapping the pickups in and out, but man, it was definitely worth it!

[@JorisGriffioen]

I think a lot of people are comparing the sound of one guitar with a full mix. The extra highs in the neck Invader are covered by the cymbals on the record. The bridge Invader sounds much more like the actual guitar parts of those records, especially the amount of compression it creates. Either way: great video dude, thanks!

[@JustJoshing4L]

To me, the neck invader sounds like it has more mid-range along with more high-end, and less low-end than the bridge invader. So even if the high-end gets covered up, the mids would still stand out

[@andy_182]

Josh Martin which one sounded more identical to the records

[@JustJoshing4L]

@@andy_182 to me, the neck invader, but it's close. Run the neck invader, and add just a little low end from the amp to make up for the lack of low end the neck version has so it has a little more "omph". The bridge version is pretty scooped, so you'd have to compensate by adding mids. I think you could easily get by with either version. The bridge version just has a little too much bite. Sorry for the super late reply. Just saw this comment.

[@JustJoshing4L]

@@andy_182 I also REALLY like the X2N, but it also has a little too much bite like the bridge Invader.

[@andy_182]

@@JustJoshing4L Hey man thanks for getting back to me, after comparing my TD fender, to a neck invader in a different strat, I strongly believe the Bridge invader, will get you closer, if used with the right amps obviously. Im running through BiaSFx2 and i can get a Damn identical sound

[@muse-mech-moda]

I fell in love with the Invader neck and the Dirty Fingers - cheers

[@mercatorjubio3804]

Up ALL NIGHT 22:26 detonator 22:40 x2n 22:54 invader bridge 23:07 invader neck 23:20 dirty fingers

[@obsoletetv2737]

I think he used the Dimarzio X2N for Stay together for the kids, it sounds too perfect.

[@RacoonCH]

Thanks for posting this, I will definetly buy the neck invader.

[@as17ns22]

Cool video. I think a key thing to remember here though is that a number of different guitars would be used on studio recordings, along with different amps and settings. There is definitely a "tone" of his that is common on a number of the records, but it is hard to pinpoint exactly what that is.

[@roflgrenz]

man i've been waiting for this video XD

[@roflgrenz]

that detonator fricken rips too!

[@thefray123]

Awesome video idea man

[@freeman2511]

You can't beat the bridge Invaders fat and creamy tone. best one imo. Appreciate the work that went into making this!

[@smutsharry]

Very well crafted comparison! Big plus for playing clean! Also wearing a Rush t-shirt makes you trustworthy.

[@slavesforging5361]

i'm quite fond of my invader bridge pickup and was both considering getting a dirty fingers based on Circle of Tone's Whitesnake Video and was curious what the invader neck pickup sounded like. So this Video is really a gem for me. Thanks so much for posting it! surprised your invader neck is so bright- must be the axe settings- mine was dark as shit until i changed my wiring/pots/capacitor. (but i play more metal settings-it's also the pickup Sinister Gates uses). I did think the Invader neck was really spot on for a lot of the open position riffage for Delong's playing though. I really liked the Detonator for similar reasons- lots of meat. perfect for this style. great vid!

[@alexvaneeckhout]

Nice demo! My choices based on the examples with amp breakup. No cleans. #1 Dirty Fingers My all around favorite. I think the Dirty Fingers sounded balanced and open. I feel it would be the most versatile. #2 Invader (Neck) When it's in a mild crunch, it has kind of a jangle sound. Single note riffs on the A and D strings with high gain sounded mean! #3 Invader (Bridge) Good beef to it. More Low-Mids than the Dirty Fingers or Dimarzio. #4 Detonator Sounded similar to Invader (Bridge) except not as open sounding? #5 Dimarzio X2N When hearing the examples of this pickup right after hearing the beefy Detonator, I thought "thin" sounding, but that's probably not fair to say. Maybe, I'd say that it's not as muddy as the Detonator. It might cut through the mix more than the Detonator. CLEANS I'm a fan of single coils when it comes to cleans, so I don't really have an opinion on the cleans on any of the examples. Just the ones with amp breakup. Also, I love how you're playing a hardtail Strat! I have the Dirty Fingers (bridge humbucker)/Pearly Gates (Neck humbucker) in a Strat and it's my favorite setup. At a moderate/high gain, I get a nice woody tone with the Dirty Fingers without being too muddy. It kind of "sings" as it responds to your playing. Clean, ehhh, I don't prefer it. Usually go to Pearly Gates or combination (middle position) and I'll be contempt. I also have the Fender Delonge model, but didn't realize about it being a neck pickup. Just assumed that that was the bridge. After hearing the two Invaders, I went, "Huh, so that's the difference. Neat!" Thanks for taking the time to make this demo!

[@CaringClover]

This is basically what I was gonna say, but much smarter

[@zAvAvAz]

great video great pickups

[@paurelius885]

Thank you so much for this man. Got an hh and tryna figure out the pickups I will get.

[@martinparigini8087]

Cool video brother, dirty fingers has a very good tone

[@zachkelley3131]

Best video iv seen so far this year. I lean invader.

[@bkkboy1981]

Thanks for sharing this comparison Dirty finger for dirty sound

[@ChanceProductions]

I previously had a fender delonge, and it had a neck invader in the bridge. I sold it and kept the squier version because it played better, and i just LOVED how that detonator sounded. I was SO surprised how much more i loved the squier than the fender model. blew me away

[@rowlandstraylight]

This was a very interesting comparison. Best is difficult. The neck Invader nails the Tom Delonge sound, but I'd keep the dirty fingers if I were playing a more varied rock repertoire, and the X2N for a more more metal tastes. Hot DiMarzios are all about the pinch harmonics and I find that I have to do less EQ recording with them to get them to sit in the mix, and they cut through everything else live much better, but tend to not sound as impressive unaccompanied or in a three piece. That said I sold the guitar I owned with an X2N in, although I do regularly record a guitar with one in and on a Floyd equipped guitar it is a squealing monster from hell. Cutting but much thicker than the dime sound associated with a similarly styled blade humbucker. I had a bridge Invader in my Squier strat in my late teens and early 20s. It was a brutal monster that crushed all subtlety. I had it paired with a Gotoh Hotrail in the neck which was the only thing that I could find to match the insane output. It sounded so Dave Murray (Iron Maiden). I switched to an X2N for a while in search of a bit more clarity before going back to a more stratty sound with some STK1s. Whilst my taste moved on from Blink 182 in the years between teenage me finding pre-enema imports in the one independent record store my corner of small town England had to offer, I did find a few combinations over the years that nailed the sound and bought back waves of nostalgia. My stage guitar 2004 to 08 was a deArmond (briefly another fender cheap brand with a neck that felt very Squier strat) M55 with a GFS crusader pickup. It did that sound better than my strat ever did. The surprise results was a iron gear steam hammer that I tried briefly in my Ibanez SIR70FD. Ok, it's a big pole piece away from the hammerhead which is IronGear's take on the Invader style but it's quite a bit brighter, although the mahogany Ibanez is quite dark sounding. I didn't keep the iron gear pickup, as I was after something tighter opting for the Dimarzio/IBZ in the end.

[@AkiraSpectrum]

Very cool video concept! I think I agree with your rating overall. The Invader and Dirty Fingers had the low end power but also the high end presence that I associate with Tom. The X2N was actually really good too. The Detonator sounds like a pretty decent stock pickup, but seems to suffer from what I see in a lot of overseas bridge pickups: a lack of high end richness/presence/chime. The Invader neck sounded pretty cool but didn't give me the impression that it naturally fit into Tom's tonal characteristics.

[@eliascisneros5461]

I just put a dirty fingers humbucker on the bridge and a Seymour Duncan invader SH-8n neck pick up on my SG SPECIAL

[@insteument-allover3572]

I liked the bridge's seymor duncan invader. Thanks for the video!

[@agastyapradnyana2163]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

[@guillermorosario4578]

Great vid brother...

[@jonathananthony1901]

I know its been said.... but WOW that Invader bridge nails Tom's tone closer than i ever expected!

[@bartonamon]

Epic! Thank you.

[@fk9552]

Great job! Invader neck is a big surprise, great sound clarity and upper mid punch for clarity and ‘roundness’. X2n and invader bridge are a bit on the ‘metal’ side while dirty fingers is all round awesome. Detonator is well whatever 😅

[@thinkingjack]

My friend bought the fender signature back in 2002 and when he dropped it and broke the pick guard I helped him install the replacement it was a neck position on his also. I only remember because he called fender and bitched about it and they replied saying it was the correct pickup just like toms guitar

[@nurk_barry]

Nice tones....the thing about chasing such a specific “tone” from Tom on certain albums is this: all 3 pickups are relatively similar in design and output, so they sound almost identical with very slight differences. The best approach to me is to pick the right pickup for the application; in this case all 3 will work just as well and will yield similar results. That being said, I really liked the invader Neck in there, sounded really good and the closest to Tom’s actual tone, so maybe the forum people are right about that.

[@lilstjimmy]

You can't go wrong with the fat tones of the bridge invader imo. The dirty fingers and x2n are also both great!

[@kmw5100]

Interestingly enough, the detonator sounded pretty cool on the after midnight bit.

[@3lackwoodmusic]

Would love to hear this shootout with the guitars double tracked and panned L&R. Dirty fingers was awesome for power chords, I think invader had it for lead lines and single note stuff.

[@daffy7588]

Bro sick video I subbed - this is everything I was looking for in one video for some binge gear watching ! I wanna grab a squire model but also wanna mod a nice mexi and put probs dirty finger in it Orr invader with maybe two in a HH Setup could bring. Some dope tones too hmmmmm

[@SyNdRoM3k]

Very good idea!!!

[@masonbradley4274]

Ive been watching your vids for a good minute,at first it was because of your interest in bands i like and blink but man your rad as hell dude,started listening to your record and its good stuff man,hope i hear more man but,i like your album reveiws a lit man.maybe make one of some newer bands you like or something,up to you man.Thumbs up to you

[@basilio182]

The Neck Invader sounded to me like TOYPAJ, Box Car Racer and Enema Of The State era :O!

[@brycejamesfilm5]

Great video

[@Caba182]

Gibson dirty fingers are like a combo between invader neck and bridge, I love it

[@danielo.m.288]

Nice job!

[@SP-xy7yh]

I have my Fender Tom DeLonge Strat registered with Fender, and the service diagrams do indeed say it’s an SH-8n (neck) Invader. It makes a lot of sense, because the overdrives and distortions sound a lot more polished than the bridge version, which sounds too damn harsh for pop punk.

[@fdre3wsd]

bon2yan88 I have a bridger too, oh well works for me

[@Ron4president09]

They all bridge pickups this has been debunked like 800 times

[@jamarcusrussel2352]

could have been a misprint in the booklet though, why don't you see what is actually in your guitar

[@Ron4president09]

@@jamarcusrussel2352 he made the comment 4 years ago and never followed up, clearly talking outa his @$$. They were all built with bridge pickups (which for the record sound excellent) and can absolutly be used to play pop punk, ever heard of rolling back the volume lol works wonders

[@JPCommenting]

They are bridge pickups. To get that sounds that you see in the video all you have to do is volume down your guitar a bit. 90% of the tone in that pickup is simply your volume knob, the other 10 (given that you don't have your "tone" / High pass filters linked,) should be the way you play.

[@noahcarroll6934]

After listening to this, I’m pretty sure my Tom Delonge strat has the neck invader, but I’m curious to go double check

[@dizzyboi04]

Great video👌🏽Here are my favorites: Stay Together For The Kids: Invader Bridge What’s My Age Again?: Dirty Fingers After Midnight: Dirty Fingers Going Away To College: Invader Bridge Not Now: X2N The Adventure: Invader Bridge Enthused: Dirty Fingers All Systems Go: X2N Dysentary Gary: Invader Neck Wasting Time: Invader Neck Up All Night: Detonator Dammit: Detonator

[@garethallison5915]

Invader neck and Gibson Dirty Fingers both sounded legit to my ears. 👍

[@antoniolopez6798]

Hello friend ... LIKE ... Excuse me ... I want to put the "Dirty Fingers" pickups on my guitar ... and I have seen many forums that rave about these pickups ... But I saw one that talks that they are too loud and not very defined, and that they can only work in a large tube amplifier so that they sound good ... My amplifiers are some hybrids and others digital (30W) ... Are they as noisy as that guy says in the forum that is complain so much or are they okay? I already bought them and I am about to put them (or sell them) ... THANK YOU and LIKE

[@michaelpaulaguilar9741]

I prefred the Seymour Duncan Invader Bridge. I was listening trying to figure out what tone i liked best. I wasn't trying to compare it to Tom's sound or the recordings.

[@whoohaaXL]

I wound up ordering the chinese-made clone invaders after hearing way too many good reviews about them. Got a bridge and a neck pickup set for $20 shipped. I'm thinking that it was going to be a waste, and that I'd have a neck Invader clone sitting around for no reason, but honestly I think I'm using that in my build. I really liked the twang it had during the clean and the rounded balls during distortion! Nails Toms sound. I'll put the bridge in one of my many Ibanez RGs. One of the lead guitarists, well they're both lead guitarists, from the band Strung Out, has a purple body / black bobbin bridge Invader in his LTD horizon. For anyone who doesn't know Strung Out, Tom's white sticker guitar had a sticker for them on it, and they are probably the most Metal of all punk bands. Putting it in an Ibanez RG with a mahogany body is just going to be Metal all day long, which I love. 🤘😈🤘

[@vonnievalencia6047]

Love the sfs

[@larrysentelle1244]

First, thank you for all of the work you did to make this shootout possible, you did an excellent job! I've been using Invaders since the late 80's/ I stull own a hot rodded Charvell...One Invader in the bridge position wired to a 500K potentiometer, san the treble bleed resistor. Tom may put his name on the design but, I've been playing a guitar set up like this since Tom was a kid! LOL Had to buy. I own a 2002 black model. You want the Invader or any high output pickup to reallly scream? Find a potentiometer whose value is 2 Meg ohm. You think the stock set up rocks hard? Try this! You won't have much taper left on the volume control but, you will make a good tube amp sound like it is going to explode! For Punk/Metal/Hardcore it'ss my go to. This beast, a coup[le of sweet OD pedals and a tube half stack, and if you can't find a great heavy tone, give up, surrender! I like both the neck PUP and the Bridge Invader, both tones are very useful/ The 1988 Invader in my Charvell and the 2022 Invader sound extremely different. The 1988 version is more tonally round than the PUP which came in the 2002 Delonge, the mids are much more forward. The 2002 Invader (the 1988 and 2002 are both Bridge models) sounds scooped. The 2002 Fender Delonge has a Big, phatt, punchy low end, crystal clear highs. The two guitars make great partners in the studio. The Delonge Strat is a one-trick-pony, yeah but, it does what it does beter than any other guitar. I abhor active PUPs. I thought the GIbson Dirty fIngers sounded really sweet, maybe for a nice SG.

[@svT647]

Great work, I am shocked that I liked the neck Invader! The Dirty fingers has a great tone as well. You can leave the Detonator and the Dimarzio. 😎

[@antoniolopez6798]

Hello friend ... LIKE ... Excuse me ... I want to put the "Dirty Fingers" pickups on my guitar ... and I have seen many forums that rave about these pickups ... But I saw one that talks that they are too loud and not very defined, and that they can only work in a large tube amplifier so that they sound good ... My amplifiers are some hybrids and others digital (30W) ... Are they as noisy as that guy says in the forum that is complain so much or are they okay? I already bought them and I am about to put them (or sell them) ... THANK YOU and LIKE

[@wipperwils2111]

What I can say that surprised me most was that the frickin stock Duncan Designed unit was great, different but not inferior. In most tracks the beat the dirty fingers IMHO.

[@SRFMPF]

i love the invader neck!

[@the_anthonymarino]

great video..DIRTY FINGERS!