Humbuckers · Hot bridge pickup
Dirty Torque
High-gain rock and metal tones with crystal-clear cleans. The Dirty Torque is voiced as the perfect bridge partner to the Blues Engine — bags of output, plenty of bite, and more subtlety than you’d expect from a 16.4 kΩ humbucker.
Hot AlNiCo V Humbucker
The IronGear Dirty Torque humbucker is for those who want a hefty kick of output power from bridge pickup with a traditional AlNiCo V design. We've wound this pickup to 16.4k Ohm and voiced it so that it works perfectly with the Blues Engine neck pickup to give a set that really delivers power and refinement.
With bags of flexibility, this combination can cover high-gain rock to blues and will give you crystal clear cleans and outstanding overdriven tones.
It has a little more subtlety and warmth than the Hot Slag but provides enough brute force to drive most amps into submission!
We make the Dirty Torque with Chrome, Nickel, Raw Nickel or Gold Covers. Black or Zebra Open Coils.
Soundclips
Two soundclips by Ainsley Stones — clean and dirty. Hit play below.
Specifications
| Format | Humbucker (bridge position) |
|---|---|
| DC resistance | Bridge 16.4 kΩ |
| Magnet | AlNiCo V |
| Coil wire | 44 AWG enamel |
| Conductors | 4-conductor (coil-tap capable) |
| Pole spacing | Bridge 52 mm |
| Baseplate | Nickel silver |
| Dimensions | 70 mm L × 38 mm W × 24 mm H (incl. lugs) |
| Cover options | Chrome, Nickel, Raw Nickel or Gold covers · Black or Zebra open coils |
| Recommended components | 500 kΩ pots, 0.022µF tone capacitor(s) |
| Included | Screws and springs |
| Applications | High-gain rock and metal — pairs beautifully with the Blues Engine in the neck for blues, classic rock and great cleans |
What customers are saying
Fourteen unedited reviews from real Dirty Torque owners.
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I recorded clips with my Fernandes Ravelle with the previous Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz, then replaced them with the Dirty Torque (bridge) and Blues Engine (neck). The new IronGear pickups were in a different dimension altogether. As far as I’m concerned, the Dirty Torque and Blues Engine is the best combination I’ve ever heard. Much smoother, more controlled signal — defined and tight without clipping the tone.
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The Dirty Torque really delivers. It growls perfectly but mellows nicely by rolling back the volume. Compared to a Seymour Duncan JB I have on a Jackson Dinky Pro this is far, far superior and makes the JB lack grunt and sound pretty muddy. The combo is designed to work together — this has transformed a cheap guitar into a completely different instrument.
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Fitted the Dirty Torque in the bridge of my Heritage 535. The Heritage is a classy guitar and it sounded good before with the stock Schallers. Now it is an absolute delight — and it looks the part too with the nickel covers.
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Having bought more than 20 IronGear pickups now, I should not have been surprised that the sound quality just blew me away. Gone into a relatively rare Tokai John Sykes Les Paul — the stinging, singing tone is mad. Pinched harmonics fly off the strings, the ability to exact controlled feedback is incredible, and the tone through a cranked JCM 2000 TSL is Whitesnake’s 1987 to a tee.
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Ordered a Dirty Torque for the bridge of my Epi LP Standard. I couldn’t believe the difference when I plugged it in — it was like playing a different guitar. The sound is drastically clearer and brighter with much more character. With the gain turned up it really kicks out that bluesy Led Zeppelin/Peter Green sound without getting muddy.
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Replaced the BurstBucker 3 in my Les Paul BFG. Once fitted, I found it very, very difficult to make any negative comments. It has all the bite, power and clarity I needed — and then some. Cost about a third of a replacement BurstBucker 3, and was just as good, if not better.
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Beautiful aged finish, great sounds from pristine clean to metal filth. Extremely dynamic. Makes my SD JB seem inferior. As good as it sounded, I always wanted a bit more bite from the Blues Engine bridge — this is it. IronGear have done it again.
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The Dirty Torque is brighter, ballsy and a natural sibling to the Blues Engine. It adds a snarl and scream in the midrange which is brilliantly defined. Leaving the Blues Engine split with the volume and tone rolled back while the Dirty Torque is on full humbucker gives an incredible variety of tones to switch between — in a way I have never heard with any other set of pickups.
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The Epiphone SG stock pickups were utterly weak in comparison. The Dirty Torque just gives so much more growl and oomph! Also pinch harmonics fly out of it where I could not get a bean out of the old pickups. Well impressed, keep up the awesome work!
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Fitted the Dirty Torque in my hot-rodded single-pickup Strat. I’m amazed at the tones that can be achieved by wiring through a series/parallel pot. It’s on its own level — the tone is unbelievably sweet and dirty and blue. IronGear, you’ve transformed my axe into a tone monster.
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The Dirty Torque in the bridge really sings, and is so easy to dial in — it doesn’t have the harshness that so many bridge pickups have (including the Burstbucker Pro in my Gibson). Sonically, my Epi now sounds as good or even better than my other guitars. These pickups are not just incredible for the money, they are just incredible full stop!
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Ordered the Dirty Torque + Alchemist 90. I am very impressed. The Dirty Torque provides the power I need for high-gain riffing while maintaining the clarity I need for full chords. The pickups are just great full stop — easily as good if not better than their more expensive competitors!
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Dirty Torque/Blues Engine set installed in my Ibanez DC PRS lookalike. These pickups have transformed it — the clarity is awesome, easily beating most of the Gibsons I have owned in the past and indeed all the Ibanez pickups I have ever used. (I’ve been playing over 35 years.)
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Installed the Dirty Torque and Blues Engine on my PRS Tremonti SE. They are on a par with, if not better than, my mate’s £200 PRS Tremonti pickups. They scream and you get the best of both worlds, from heavy rock through blues. Mark my words, SD, DiMarzio etc. had better watch their backs because IG is offering a better sound at a cheaper price.