It's not overly dark by any means. It has a full low end, but it's not overbearing. It certainly doesn't blur out the highs, just "supports" them, if that makes any sense. The neck pickup sounds huge! I rarely use it for anything high gain, but I have been using it on some cleans and it's a very full, balanced, smooth, and fluid tone. I haven't had a chance to demo them on video yet, but I'll get around to it sooner or later!