Generator

I honestly didn't know what to expect with this pickup but it vastly exceeded all my expectations. It is so punchy and yet so clear across nearly all the frequencies. I've tried a lot of pickups across the big 3(Duncan, Dimarzio, EMG) in numerous guitars and this kind of fits the vein of at least some of the Duncans I've tried.

The bottom end is a bit tighter than the JB without that mid spike, it is less harsh than a Duncan Custom IMO and a bit more versatile than a Duncan Distortion. It's got a similar bright top end to those pickups which makes it extremely articulate and clear. I didn't want a modern distortion pickup but rather something that could pull a lot of 80s metal and hard rock tones without too much trouble.

One tone this does extremely well is straight into a JCM800-like amp which sounds so close to early 80s Judas Priest - bright but with a good "thunk" in the bottom end. But with different amps/EQ you can get Whitesnake, Ratt, Crue, Randy, and many others across the 80s. I found this to cover more tones across bands than the JB or Distortion because the JB always has that mid-spike and the Distortion is too metal in some cases. This pickup feels a bit less compressed and more dynamic than both of those.

I paired this with an Alnico IV and I love this combo. Another thing that works great with this is a treble bleed - this pickup is clear all the way down on the volume.

The packaging was great on these and I'm getting ready to place other Toneriders in some other guitars.

I upgraded my Squier M-80 from the original Duncan Designed to Generator. The tone is far better and these things are high-energy. The attack is really aggressive on the bridge. Flip to the neck and the attack mellows, but is still much greater than the DD. Feels like a second life for this guitar, nothing sounds the same. I should have done this years ago!

I’m a builder and this is my 5th set of Tonerider pickups, great sound.

Generator

Got one of these in a used guitar first and totally fell for them, immediately ordered another one. Will order more shortly. I've been using Gibson standard 498t's a lot since the 90s and like them much, but they're a bit harsh and stiff into modern digital gear - so I've been modding them with C8 magnets trying to get a more pleasant sound and it has worked. Also used JBs often but always something missing with them, so I've been looking for new pickups for a good while. But no more need - the Generators will henceforth to to every guitar I get. Just need to pick a neck as well to go with it. These have a great clarity, full chords ring notes out even with distortion, much like the Gibsons, BUT they also have a really pleasant warmth to them without sacrificing the scream. Contemplating selling my old pups and just ordering a whole bunch of these at once, these are so good and I can't believe the price!!!