Originally Posted by: Magnum_opus7may i ask what the difference is between a passive pickup and an active in terms of sound????.
also, for a quality heavy metal sound what pickups/combos would be recommended?
Cheers!

Active pickup run off batteries and have higher output. They are best suited for heavy stuff. EMG pickups are active and are used by many metal guitarists (hammet and zakk wylde to name a few). i think a popular combination for EMGs is 81 in the bridge and 85 or 60 (?) in the neck.