I have a Big Apple Strat. This pickup, along with the Pearly Gates, came with it Stock. I'll have to say I was a DiMarzio Man until I plugged this guitar in for the first time.

The '59 is absolutely great for neck pickup soloing with high gain. In fact, when I go for an Yngwie lick I use it full on not split, and I get the noodly type solo tone I have always carved from a neck pickup. Even with high gain this pickup does NOT mush out and you notes come through with clarity and definition. A word to the wise, if you decide to go for a fast picked run your technique had better be up to it as this pickup doesn't hide a thing. I would recommend the '59 for anything from metal to blues. It is a nice compliment to a high output bridge pickup and also will allow you to sustain a note for as long as you plan to. It's no secret that Nuno Bettencourt has used these in the neck of his guitars, along with a Lawrence 500 in the bridge of his signature guitars.

Use for any style you play and you won't be dissapointed. Nice bass and mids with a good Vintage vibe on the high end.

I got a duncan designed invader style pickup for my bday but I was afraid it wasn't versatile enough for me so I got it traded in for the 59' and WOW I was not disapointed! It can play everything from classic rock,country, alternative and its just amazing for metal! And its really chunky (which I love). My guitar is an Ibanez destroyer from about 2003 and its made of basswood and I've never heard any guitar show mine up yet. For whatever style of music you play BUY THIS PICKUP! P.S. I got mine in the bridge position.

I put this in the bridge position of my Epi AlleyKat and it definitely slays the Epi '57 Classic it replaced (duh!). Much thicker and more muscular with a better-defined top end. It also blends well with the Duncan SM-1 mini I put in the neck.

I also have a '61 RI SG with a '57 Classic/'57 Classic + setup. The '59 has a higher output but I definitely prefer the tone of the '57s, particularly the Classic +. The Gibsons are just a bit more elegant. But the '59 is still a fine pickup and, considering the significant price difference, is probably as good or better a deal than the Gibsons.

I can not say enough good stuff about the SH-1 '59. It turned my bland sounding Epi Les Paul into a tone monster. Korean guitar + american pickup = vintage american tone. It sounds way better than the stock pickups in my Gibsons. Page, Angus, Gibbons, Van Halen, Frampton, Walsh... all the classic rock sounds are here.

This is BY FAR the best sounding neck pickup there is. Every single aspect of tone you're looking for when trying to find a neck pickup, this pickup has it. It's incredibly smooth, especially with a lot of heavy overdrive. It's very sweep arpeggio friendly. If you're into doing arpeggios and neck pickup shredding in the higher frets, and you're looking for that warm smooth sound that I'm SURE you're familiar with, definitely get this pickup.