Pricing and availability

We compare 600+ stores and found this item at 8 stores. Prices updated .

Sweetwater
5.0 (23)
$229.00
Guitar Center
4.5 (8)
$229.00
Amazon
4.7 (192)
$229.00 New
$200.56 Used (Like New)
Reverb
5.0 (3)
$109.00 27 available New
Musician's Friend
5.0 (17)
$229.00
zZounds
5.0 (6)
$218.00
Thomann
4.8 (63)
$239.00
Gear4Music
£259.00

Average Price: $212

High-end/Boutique

$99

$200+

Price Tier

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Standard

High-end

Price History

Based on price data from 4 merchants for "Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup". Prices shown reflect NEW condition. Tracking began Apr 2, 2026.

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Description

Give your guitar the voice it deserves with the Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup, a true monster of metal. Engineered for the fiercest tones, it's the perfect companion for those who play with aggression and demand ultimate power from their instrument.

The Black Winter is not just a pickup; it's a statement. Its high-output design is born from three large ceramic magnets, ensuring an unrelenting power and sustain even in the most punishing high-gain situations. Its custom overwound coil design offers an unmatched clarity in the mids and highs, while the low end remains controlled and focused. This is a pickup that doesn't just handle extreme tunings - it thrives in them.

Whether you're delivering crushing palm mutes, fluid sweep picking, or mind-shattering leads, the Black Winter handles it all with ease. With this pickup, your guitar will roar with a ferocious intensity, without sacrificing string-to-string separation or sensitivity.

The Black Winter doesn't just sound brutal - it looks the part too. The Seymour Duncan logo graces the pickup in an Old English font, while black poles, black screws, and a black bottom plate add to its menacing aesthetic.

Key Features:

  • High-output passive humbucker pickup designed for extreme metal
  • Three large ceramic magnets for maximum output and sustain
  • Custom overwound coil design for clarity in mids and highs
  • Designed to handle low tunings and aggressive playing styles
  • Comes with 4-conductor lead wire for multiple wiring options
  • Vacuum wax potted for squeal-free operation
  • Unique aesthetics with black bottom plate, black poles, and black screws
  • The Seymour Duncan logo in Old English font

Product specs

Type Set: Humbucker
Active/Passive Passive
Configuration HH Set
Magnet Material Ceramic
Number of Conductors 4 wire plus shield
DC Resistance 16.6K (bridge), 13K (neck)
Connectivity Soldered
Number of Strings 6
Covering Uncovered

FAQs

Are Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups suitable for metal music?

Yes, the Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups are specifically designed for extreme metal, offering high output and aggressive tone with ceramic magnets for maximum sustain and clarity.

What type of magnets are used in the Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups?

The Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups use ceramic magnets, which provide a powerful and articulate sound ideal for high-gain music styles.

Are the Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups active or passive?

The Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups are passive, offering a natural and dynamic response suited for aggressive playing styles.

Can the Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups be used with a 6-string guitar?

Yes, the Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups are designed for 6-string guitars, providing a balanced and powerful tone across all strings.

How are the Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups wired?

The Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups feature a 4-conductor wiring plus shield, allowing for versatile wiring configurations such as coil splitting or series/parallel switching.

Ola Englund

Ola Englund

Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups

Video thumbnail for Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups by Ola Englund

Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups

Ola Englund

Ola Englund

Video thumbnail for Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups full review by Tone Quest

Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups full review

Tone Quest

Tone Quest

Video thumbnail for Seymour Duncan BLACK WINTER vs NAZGUL - Passive Bridge Pickup Guitar Tone Comparison Demo by Mike Stamper

Seymour Duncan BLACK WINTER vs NAZGUL - Passive Bridge Pickup Guitar Tone Comparison Demo

Mike Stamper

Mike Stamper

Video thumbnail for Seymour Duncan Black Winter Pickups by Metalhead Productions

Seymour Duncan Black Winter Pickups

Metalhead Productions

Metalhead Productions

Video thumbnail for Seymour Duncan BLACK WINTER vs EMG 81 - Bridge Pickup Guitar Tone Comparison Demo by Mike Stamper

Seymour Duncan BLACK WINTER vs EMG 81 - Bridge Pickup Guitar Tone Comparison Demo

Mike Stamper

Mike Stamper

Video thumbnail for Seymour Duncan INVADER SH-8 vs BLACK WINTER - Passive Bridge Guitar Pickup Comparison Tone Demo by Mike Stamper

Seymour Duncan INVADER SH-8 vs BLACK WINTER - Passive Bridge Guitar Pickup Comparison Tone Demo

Mike Stamper

Mike Stamper

Video thumbnail for Seymour Duncan BLACK WINTER vs JB SH-4 - Passive Bridge Pickup Guitar Tone Comparison Demo by Mike Stamper

Seymour Duncan BLACK WINTER vs JB SH-4 - Passive Bridge Pickup Guitar Tone Comparison Demo

Mike Stamper

Mike Stamper

Video thumbnail for DiMarzio SUPER DISTORTION vs Seymour Duncan BLACK WINTER - Passive Bridge Guitar Pickup Comparison by Mike Stamper

DiMarzio SUPER DISTORTION vs Seymour Duncan BLACK WINTER - Passive Bridge Guitar Pickup Comparison

Mike Stamper

Mike Stamper

Reviews

PROS

  • Exceptional clarity and articulation, even with high gain settings

  • Versatile tone, suitable for metal and clean genres alike

  • Powerful distortion with perfect saturation and crunch

  • Coil-splitting offers unique single-coil tones

  • High output without sacrificing warmth and richness

  • Great separation of strings, even with complex chords

  • Surprisingly versatile across various music styles

  • Excellent response to pick attack and volume adjustments

  • Rich and articulate lead tones in neck and bridge positions

  • Easy installation, even for novices

CONS

  • Bridge pickup not versatile for non-metal genres

  • Some may find high output difficult to control at first

Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup.

Comparisons

  • Owners compare the Black Winter to active pickups like EMG 81/85, noting that Black Winter offers more "life" and balanced highs with articulate low-end, unlike the high-end snap of some active pickups.

    Source
  • The Seymour Duncan JB is described as more mellow and rounded, whereas the Black Winter offers a metally tone with less bass and cutting mids, suitable for heavy genres.

    Source
  • Users frequently compare Black Winter to the Nazgûl, noting Nazgûl's design is supposedly better for lower tunings, though preferences vary.

    Source
  • Some users prefer the Nazgûl bridge pickup over the Black Winter for certain tones.

    Source

Mods and upgrades

  • Using a Maxon OD808 or similar tubescreamer-type boost pedal can tighten distortion tones by rolling off bass frequencies, especially beneficial for metal genres.

    Source
  • Adjusting amp input/preamp gain can help manage the high output when using amp sims.

    Source

Setup and maintenance

  • Owners encountering out-of-phase issues in the middle position should reverse the hot and ground lead wires to resolve the volume drop problem.

    Source

Use cases and applications

  • Black Winter pickups are favored for downtuned settings, enhancing the twangy Fender sound in lighter tunings, while providing fantastic mids for metal genres.

    Source
  • The Black Winter is praised for its ability to enhance tremolo picking due to its low-end articulation, making it suitable for black metal.

    Source

User experience

  • It's noted that the pickups can pick up every detail, requiring players to change chords cleanly, as any imperfections are easily detected.

    Source
  • Some users report that the Black Winter is the highest output pickup they've used, surpassing even EMGs, requiring adjustments to overdrive or noise gate levels.

    Source
  • Some owners find these pickups too harsh and bright, suggesting they might not suit all musical styles.

    Source

Features and functionality

  • The Black Winter pickups offer high output but maintain clarity in clean tones, appealing to both metal and non-metal players.

    Source
  • The neck pickup is described as "dark and clear," providing an "evil" sound, while the bridge pickup is noted for being "nasty and tight," appealing to metal players.

    Source
  • The pickups are known for enhancing pinched harmonics, making them popular for metal guitarists.

    Source

Other

  • Customization options include pickups with black or no lettering to address aesthetic preferences.

    Source

Build quality

  • Issues reported with coil or wire rubbing and splitting at the pickup base, requiring repairs.

    Source

Critic Reviews

Seymour Duncan Black Winter Pickups

guitarinteractivemagazine.com

Seymour Duncan's Black Winter Humbucker Pickups are a metal guitarist's dream, delivering ferocious aggression and impressive clarity. With high output levels and ceramic magnets, these pickups excel in the mid and high registers, making them perfect for extreme metal. Surprisingly, they also offer a touch of warmth and sustain, ideal for melodic leads. While primarily designed for metal, their clean tones hold up well, offering a balanced sound across strings. Although limited to six-string versions, their performance makes them a top choice for transforming any guitar into a powerful, metal-ready machine.

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5.0 out of 5

Based on 2 Reviews and 13 Ratings

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ben_ferguson

Great for metal - and any other style you want

Seymour Duncan markets this one for "extreme metal", and it's certainly great in that application, but there is SO much more loaded up in this thing. Balanced tone across the spectrum, and really amazing response to pick attack and volume/tone control adjustments. After installing this pickup, I dialed in a high-gain lead tone on the ADA MP-1, and just for kicks I rolled the volume control back to see how well it handles. Well, it handles - I got an edge-of-breakup clean sound WITH THE AMP STILL ON THE HOT LEAD SETTING.

A+ tone for metal, but also REALLY good for blues, classic/hard rock, jazz (with the tone and volume knobs backed off a bit) and, yes, even COUNTRY. I wired it up for coil-splitting, and due to the high output level, it does a very convincing Telecaster single-coil sound. I haven't been able to get a bad tone out of this thing.

ghost_java666

awsome

these are in my strat and I'm not taking them out ever. some people don't like the abrasive upper frequencies these have but I love all the extra attack. definitely one of my very favourite pickups for sure.

Artist usage

Add artist
See how Andreas Kisser uses Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup

Andreas Kisser

Guitarist

Sepultura

...
Verified via YouTube

For this video in Portuguese, Andreas gives a rundown of the rig he's using for the Machine Messiah Tour 2017. 5:48 into this video, he mentions using Seymour Duncan Black Winter pickups.

See how Keith Merrow uses Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup

Keith Merrow

Guitarist

Conquering Dystopia

...
Verified via YouTube

In this YouTube video, Keith Merrow was seen demonstrating the Black Winter pickups.

See how Teloch uses Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup

Teloch

Guitarist

Mayhem

...
Verified via The ESP Guitar Company

He plays here LTD EC-Black Metal which has Black Winter humbucker.

See how Spencer Hazard uses Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup

Spencer Hazard

Guitarist

Full of Hell

...
Verified via GearGods

Spencer changed out the original EMG pick-up from his BC Rich Iron Bird Pro for a Seymour Duncan Black Winter.

See how Luc Lemay uses Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup

Luc Lemay

Singer, Guitarist

Gorguts

...
Verified via YouTube

In the video showcasing the Stealth guitar for Death To All Tour, Luc mentions it by name: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8Yld8pAsB0

See how Cole Crutchfield uses Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup

Cole Crutchfield

Guitarist

KNocked Loose

...
Verified via Photo

in this post cole shows off the black winter pickup set that duncan sent to him

See how Samoth uses Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup

Samoth

Guitarist

...
Verified via Twitter

In this post he endorses LTD EC-Black Metal which has one Black Winter humbucker in "blackened" satin finish. Few others gods of Norway endorsed this series of guitars.

See how Piotr "E.V.T." Dziemski uses Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup

Piotr "E.V.T." Dziemski

Guitarist

Mgla

...
Verified via Equipboard

On live concert he plays very often LTD EC-Black Metal, which has one Black Winter humbucker in bridge position. This all he needs to rock on.

See how Hunter Agufish uses Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup

Hunter Agufish

Guitarist, Music Producer

...
Verified via YouTube

IN this video Hunter mods a cheap Hello kitty 7 string he bought on alie express. For this guitar Hunter installed a Duncan Black winter. Hunter opted to go with the white version to match the rest of the guitar

See how Andrés Giménez uses Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup

Andrés Giménez

Singer, Guitarist

De la Tierra

...
Verified via Seymourduncan

Andrés Giménez describes the Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup as his favorite, likening its powerful sound to "a sledgehammer hitting your head." This statement is featured on the Seymour Duncan website, highlighting his use of this pickup to achieve his signature heavy metal tone.

See how Aaron Homma uses Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup

Aaron Homma

Guitarist

Annihilator

...
Verified via Seymour Duncan

on the seymour duncan website, it states he uses this pickups

N

Nate Garnette

Guitarist

Skeletonwitch

...
Verified via Seymour Duncan

While this is discussed in numerous places on the WWW, I learned it by asking Nate's co-guitarist Scott Hedrick about what pickups they were using during a stop on the "Serpents Unleashed" tour. He told me they'd recently switched from the Duncan Distortion, and recommended the Black Winter very highly!

Album Usage

The Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup has been featured on the following albums:

Genre Usage

Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.

Used With

Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Seymour Duncan Black Winter Humbucker Pickup, it is most commonly used with the following gear.

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