I've been caught up in pickup swapping alot over the last couple of years. Not necessarily out of unhappiness with what was in there, but I wanted to experiment and see what styles, brand, and makes seemed to fit me best. That said, I still haven't touched the stock Duncans in my new Hamers. Will I in the future? Probably.....but if I never had the means to do so I could definately be happy with the stock Duncans. My overall experience has been good with Duncan/Dimarzio, but the boutique makers like Bareknuckle, WCR, Wolfetone, _insert your favorite here_, has been that they do have an edge on most production model Duncan/Dimarzio offerings. It might only be a slight percentage better, but after I came to that realization its hard to sit there and not wonder if I could make my guitars sound just that much better with a pickup swap, even if it will only be a small change for the better.