Whether playing solo, or as a member of Arch Enemy or Conquering Dystopia, Jeff Loomis requires a 7-string active pickup set that stays clear under heavy distortion, with a strong pick attack to maintain detail when he plays fast, and with enough sustain and dynamics to keep up with his advanced legato and picking techniques. He also needs a tone that leans more towards the voicing of high-output passive humbuckers but with the output, headroom and low noise benefits of actives.

Jeff’s active Blackouts™ set is designed to sound more organic and dynamic than most active humbuckers. His bridge humbucker is a high-output pickup made with an Alnico 5 bar magnet. It keeps power chords sounding big and powerful and has a pronounced midrange response with a strong pick attack for tracking fast playing. His neck pickup employs Alnico 5 rod magnets to further enhance the response to picking and legato techniques, with a slight bump in the treble frequencies and a focused bass response to keep lower notes from sounding too boomy.