Detail 01
Noise at -96dBV
Effectively silent between notes. Under heavy gain you hear the amp and room, not the pickup.
Product detailSKU #1274034493473
Seymour DuncanOriginal HB-1 Blackouts Active Humbucker Bridge
Independent shopping perspective
The Korena take
A single active bridge humbucker with a discrete FET preamp. For players adding low-noise, high-output bridge tone to one position rather than a full set.
Strong match
Who this is for
- Replacing only the bridge pickup on a high-gain guitar
- Players who need a very low noise floor for recording
- Guitars already wired for active pickups and a battery
Consider the trade-offs
When to look elsewhere
- Neck position — this is a bridge-specific pickup
- Anyone wanting a matched pair out of one box
- Passive-only builds with no room or wiring for a 9V
What matters in use
The specifications, translated
Catalog numbers tell only part of the story. These are the details most likely to change how this product feels, sounds, or fits into a setup.
Detail 02
Battery life 1420 hours
Roughly two months of continuous plugged-in time. Unplug when idle and one 9V lasts a long gig season.
Detail 03
350 microamp draw, 1K ohm output impedance
Low current, low impedance. Drives long cable runs without the treble loss passive pickups get.
Detail 04
Resonant frequency 530 Hz
The emphasis sits in the low mids rather than the upper presence range, which is where chug and note weight live.
Detail 05
2.00 volts RMS average output
Hot. It pushes an amp's front end harder than a passive pickup, so expect more breakup at the same amp settings.
Detail 06
18 dB preamp gain, discrete FET input
The preamp supplies the output instead of a hot coil, which keeps the response clear rather than compressed.
Final check
Know before you order
- 01Bridge position only. You need a separate neck pickup to complete the guitar
- 02Requires a 9V battery and cavity space; a stereo jack switches the circuit on
- 03Active-specific pots and jack are needed; your passive harness will not work as-is
Product questions
Before you decide
Straight answers to the questions shoppers most often ask about this product.
01Can I put this in the neck position?
No. It is voiced and built for the bridge. A neck pickup sees a different string position and needs its own version.
02Can I pair it with a passive neck pickup?
Mixing active and passive in one guitar creates volume and wiring mismatches. Most installs run both positions active.
03How do I know when the battery is low?
Output drops and the tone goes thin and dull before it quits. Swap the 9V at the first sign rather than mid-set.
04Does the high output damage my amp?
No. It hits the input stage harder, so you may want to back off the amp's gain and input volume compared to a passive pickup.
Reference
Full specifications
The complete catalog record, organized around the decisions musicians make when comparing gear.
1 detailsSound
- Resonant Frequency
- 530 Hz
3 detailsPickups & controls
- Preamp Thd At 1v
- .003%
- Preamp Gain
- 18 dB
- Preamp Topology
- Discrete hybrid differential, FET input
1 detailsBody & build
- Color
- Black
4 detailsConnections & power
- Output Impedance
- 1K Ohm
- Maximum Output Voltage
- 2.60 Volts RMS (2)
- Battery Life
- 1420 hours (3)
- Average Output Voltage
- 2.00 Volts RMS (1)
2 detailsOther
- Current Consumption
- 350 micro-amperes
- Noise
- -96dBV
