Lace Pickups Alumitone Deathbucker BK

Bridge position:
Sound: Super clear, aggressive, and tight. It handles high gain really well and keeps the notes nice and defined.

Feel: Great for metal, prog, and any heavy styles where you need fast, precise riffs to cut through the mix.

Output: High output, but it doesn’t get muddy or overly bassy like some other high-gain pickups.

Neck position:
Sound: Surprisingly bright and clear for a neck pickup. It doesn’t get that usual mushy or overly warm neck tone.

Feel: Think smooth, expressive lead tones with lots of clarity – great for solos.

Output: Still powerful, but a bit more focused on mids and note separation.

I installed the Alumitone Deathbucker in my Ibanez Prestige, and it honestly feels like a different guitar now.

I'll start by saying that I'm not really a pickup snob. I've never been the type of player who constantly swaps pickups or spends hundreds of dollars chasing tiny differences in tone. In fact, I rarely replace pickups at all. That said, I've been curious about Lace's Alumitone pickups for years, and eventually decided to see what it's all about.

I'm glad I did.

This pickup is aggressive, clear, and incredibly articulate, especially for metal. Palm-muted riffs hit hard, harmonics jump out effortlessly, and even under high gain individual notes remain easy to hear. The low end is tight, the highs are clear without being harsh, and it never gets muddy.

What impressed me most is that I could immediately hear and feel the difference. Since I mostly play modern high-gain music, I wasn't expecting such a noticeable improvement, but it was obvious from the first time I plugged in. The pickup stays clear under heavy gain and remains responsive to your playing instead of feeling compressed.

After trying a lot of gear over the years, this is one of the few upgrades that immediately made me wonder why I hadn't done it sooner.

Pros:
Incredible clarity and note separation
High output without sounding compressed
Excellent harmonics
Tight low end
Very responsive to picking dynamics
Hum-free
Looks great

Cons:
Unusual design may not be for everyone but I love it
Not the cheapest pickup on the market
May make you want to replace the pickups in your other guitars too