I assume most electric guitarists have at least heard of Seymour Duncan and know that they have been producing some of the best pickups for a really long time. The list of highly regarded models they produce is long, but there have been a few combos that over time have become industry standards in they own right.In particular when the SH-2/SH-4 set came out it almost instantly became a classic for hard rock and early metal tones. They took the concept of a hot rodded PAF and elevated it to a new standard, it's the pickup tone you have heard a millions times on your favorite songs. The Nagzul/Sentient combo is a continuation of this idea bringing the hot rodded PAF into the 21st century. The Nagzul bridge pick up is even spicier than the SH-4 making it perfect for modern high gain metal. It has all the chugs. Thanks to the ceramic magnets, even with very low drop tunings it retains your clarity and note separation (a welcome upgrade as the Alnico 5s can mud up in the low end at high gain). When rolling back volume on your guitar crisp and articulate cleans tones can be had if that's your thing.The Sentient neck pickup is said to split the difference between the SH-1 and SH-2 pickups. It's hotter than the SH-1 (which is more or less a standard PAF), but is still extremely responsive and articulate. The pickup shines for solo work and even though is more modern in voicing, still drips with the classic PAF neck tones that are so beloved.All in all you can't go wrong with these pickups,… read more especially if modern metal is your thing. Naturally being Seymour Duncan's they are hand wound, top quality, made in the USA, and very quiet. It noticed a not insignificant reduction in noise from the my pickups due to the vacuum potting process that is used to make the set. If you are looking for a hot PAF with a modernized voicing that can do anything from clean to high gain these is a great option for just about any axe.

Sound
The character of the tone is a hot rodded PAF that has modernized voicing and high emphasis on note clarity and articulation. It is primarily tailored for modern metal, but in the wild they are used across all types of music with great success. To maximize the tonal experience, manipulating your guitars volume knob lets you dial in clear cleans with no loss of responsiveness to your picking. Experimentation with settings yields lots of good results.

Features
The "most useful" feature of the Nagzul is its ceramic magnet. The more traditional spicy PAFs usually use Alnico 5 magnets which can for sure bring the gain, but often "putters out" at the highest of gains which muddies your low-end makes the responsiveness more loose. With the ceramic magnet the PAF vibe is retained, no articulation is lost, and the output is very hot. Best of all worlds.

Ease of Use
Super easy to get great sounds. Simple as installing (ez pz to DIY or have a guitar tech do it) the pickups, plugging in and rocking out. Also being passive pickups there is no battery to worry about, your always good to go.

Quality
Seymour Duncans are some of the highest quality hand wound pickups on the market. You might say they are industry standard and come as the stock pickups in MANY very high end guitars mades by Jackson, ESP, etc. I have multiple guitars with SD pickups in them and all have been wonderful and not given me any problems.

Value
They are for sure at the top end of the major brand electric guitar pickups, but pickups arnt very expensive items and the price is well worth the tone that it delivers. Quite honestly simply swapping out the factory pickups in an inexpensive low quality electric can take the $200-$300 guitar and make it sound more like a $800-$1000 guitar. In my book that's comming out on top!

Manufacturer Support
Never contacted Seymour Duncan as I have never had any issues with their products, but they are US company with normal business hours and a website/contact, so I assume that they are responsive and available if you should need them.

The Wow Factor
The appeal of these pickups are very high. The type of tone they lay the foundation for is one of the most revered and sought after sounds in the history of Rock (think archetype Slash/GnR sound). People can and do make great music with other pickups, but for many this set is exactly what they are looking for. For me it took my Explorer and made it everything it wanted to be. Retained everything I loved about the Gibson Burst Buckers, and filled all of the gaps and missing pieces I needed in my tone. Go get you some.

Musical Background:
gig musician, cover band guitarist, producer, keyboardist

Musical Style:
Classic rock, hard rock, hair metal, glam metal, heavy metal, extreme metal read less