Dave Mustaine

For years Dave Mustaine, the legendary charismatic leader of Megadeth, relied on our passive JB and Jazz humbuckers to record some of the most influential riffs in the history of Metal. But like most extreme players, eventually you just want more.We worked with Dave to voice a set of active humbuckers that deliver the distinct tonal character of the JBJazz combo but with extra ferocity and gain. The Dave Mustaine LiveWire set is perfect for players who want to try active pickups without drastically changing the tone of the passive pickups theyve become accustomed to. The smooth upper midrange crunch of the JB and the articulate warmth and clarity of the Jazz neck remain intact while the custom tuned active preamp delivers the increased output and touch sensitivity only an active pickup can provide. A unique covered passive humbucker look embossed with Daves signature also ensures these will look and sound great in any guitar.We include pots, mounting hardware, capacitors (active pickups require a special cap value), battery clip, stereo output jack, and wire needed for installation.

In 1990 Megadeth released their landmark fourth album, “Rust In Peace”. Widely regarded as one of the most iconic and influential metal albums of all time, its breakneck rhythms, intricate arrangements, shifting time signatures, and blazing dual lead guitar lines showcased the band’s mastery of their craft.

During the recording of the album Dave relied heavily on one guitar in particular, loaded with a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and 59 model in the neck. According to Dave, that JB had a tone that was different from an ‘off-the-shelf’ JB – and had become part of his signature sound.

We worked closely with Dave to recreate the tone and feel of his favorite JB, ultimately altering the winding process in order to achieve the tone he was looking for – compared to the standard JB model, the Thrash Factor’s low end is tighter, the mids are slightly scooped, and the highs are more aggressive.

In this picture, you can see a Bill Lawrence L500 XL on the neck position on his Jackson King V DM 01 in the Rust in Peace era.

Used on Megadeth's Symphony of Destruction and in many of Mustaine's guitars.

Listed under Mustaine's official Seymour Duncan artist page.

Dave used Kahlers on most of his guitars during his time with Jackson. You can see one on his guitar in the photo.

The Seymour Duncan website states he uses this pickup

Dave Mustaine's ESP DV8s and Axxion came with Tonepros locking bridges from the factory, and he had them on his personal ESP and Dean guitars. He probably used the high end TPFA and TP6A models, but that has not been confirmed.

Dave Mustaine is seen wearing a Gibson Accessories Logo T-shirt - X-Large in a post on his Instagram.