I found it to be a good pickup for high gain applications, but a bit harsh for anything more subtle. It has a great full-bore sound. When I needed to crank it up and turn everything to ten, this pickup came through all the way. The only reason I replaced it is because I sometimes want to dial back the volume for more dynamic range, and that isn't what this pickup was made for.

I've tried practically every pickup under the sun. Duncan 59, JB, RTM, dokkenbucker, 78, screamin demon, pearly gates, invader, dimebucker, custom, custom-custom, dimarzio EVO, PAF pro, 36th ann PAF, tone zone, Evo2, norton, air norton, super distortion, X2N, steve's special, crunchlab, liquifire, Bareknuckle VH2, rebel yell, Suhr Aldrich, SSV, SSH+, EMGs, I'm just rambling.......but my point is I've played a ton of pickups and I always come back to this one.

It has everything I love about the JB, but just pushes the envelope a little bit more which works great for me. If you play hard rock, heavy metal, or just like to shred this is a great pickup. The low-end is tighter and bigger than a JB, and it's just a little bit hotter so it makes pinch harmonics and solo techniques like fast legato and sweeping feel easier as the sound is more compressed and it helps you out a bit.

Clean tones aren't great, but if you're looking at this pickup you probably don't care. This pickup ROCKS, the end

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There's a reason that ESP has chosen this pickup for the Bridge position on their '87 Mirage Reissue: it just doesn't get ANY better for reproducing the sounds of '80s Hard Rock and Metal than with the Seymour Duncan SH/TB-6!
From "1st Gen EVH Brown Sound" to ANYTHING ANYBODY was doing with Metal during the '80s, it's ALL HERE!
And guess what? A 100w Marshall Plexi is NOT a necessity to achieve the goal! (Of course, running one won't really HURT...except for maybe THE EARS of anyone within a one-block radius!)
I'm running STRAIGHT outta my pedalboard (stereo) into a Mixer, through a Power Amp, and then through PA Speakers...and NOTHING is being "lost" (maybe some surprise "finds" though!).
It seems that it had more to do with the PICKUP than the AMP all along!
Tonally, the Duncan Distortion sits somewhere between the smoother, more "bottom-heavy" Original JB (SH-4) and the harder-edged articulation of the "Dimebucker" (SH-13)...if that description helps for those less acquainted with the sonic era I've been referencing.
I've installed this TB-6 in my vintage Charvel Fusion Deluxe (see photos!), paired with a Duncan STK-S7n (swapped from a previous install in my vintage ESP Mirage Deluxe; since it's way more "Stratty" than the original "Hot Rails stacked-single"...and it fit the factory "Rout" properly). I'm running a Gunstreet pre-wired "Treble Bleed" Volume and Standard Tone/ 3-way Switch Kit—which gives an easy-to-dial "edge" for either p'up when needed.
All things considered: Sure, you can spend more $$ and go "Boutique"...but for "authentic" '80s Hard Rock and Metal, I don't believe you can actually DO better than with the Original Duncan Distortion Humbucker!

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Really woke this guitar up. Highly recommend.

I was a little apprehensive on purchasing a pickup I had never heard in person, but I was blown away with the results. The installation process was seamless and smooth. The definition this pickup offers in a higher gain setting was exactly what I was looking for. And still I was extremely satisfied with the sound of the cleans it offered as well. I highly recommend this pickup!

Tight, paunchy, with just the right about of output! Put this baby in a 2023 EVH WG Standard! Absolutely killer Tone from this pup!! Highly recommended!!

The JB is the "tried and true" pickup; but the Distortion is a hidden in plain site gem. Do NOT let the name "distortion" fool you; this pickup is amazing. Tight, articulate, and wonderful. It's my favorite Seymour pickup.

The SD distortion pickup is excellent. I use it in a variety of makes and models and I've yet to find a guitar that it doesn't sound good in. Do not let the name fool you. This is not just a high gain/heavy pickup. This pickup can do it all. I really like this pickup and I think you will too.

I put this in my Jackson SL3X to replace the Seymour Duncan SH-6b I previously put in it six months earlier. The SH-6b is great but didn't realize there is a slight difference in the pole spacing. The TB-6 is pretty much the same except made for tremolo guitars. The poles line up perfectly with the strings now. This thing got me the sound I wanted out of my Jackson. It has a slightly higher dc resistance than the SH-6 and it really puts out the tone. I am very happy with it. I order this one evening and got it the next day. Thanks to my sales engineer Ian Lemberg for always taking care of me. You can't get the support like we do from Sweetwater anywhere else.

Just had this trembucker put in my Fender MIM Strat. I hate to say it, but it sounds so much better than my 59 Tribute 'Buckers in my Les Paul to me. Having my AC15C1's Top Boost volume at only 9 o'clock gets me a great early breakup tone. Turning it up about 2 o'clock and that's all the gain I'll ever need! Shoutout to David, my sales engineer, for providing the best customer service from any online music store I've bought from!