I think it would be wonderful if there was a simple option to set Blender’s default material.
I literally never use the Principled BSDF shader.
Literally. Never.
Not there is anything wrong with using the Principled BSDF, but I have created my own PBR shaders that I have created as node groups that I prefer instead. This being the case, every time I add a new material, I have to open up the shader editor, delete the Principled BSDF, add my shader and connect it, which doesn’t sound like much, but when working with a complex scene with many materials to be applied, it would be much better if there was a way to just click new material and have my preferred custom node group applied by default. I dont know anything about python, but surely it would be a very simple task to add the option to choose what you would like to be set as the default material. I really hope that is a feature that will seriously be considered adding to Blender. Perhaps in the preferences panel?
As for myself, I have worked very hard on my shaders (node groups) and I prefer them, but other people may really like the option to have, for example, just the diffuse shader as their default material, or for a 2d animator perhaps a toon shader. Etc.
Just a proposal of an idea that I have wished for over a period of time. Any response will be much appreciated and thank you very much.
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I really like this proposal and I agree that it would serve many purposes. Same as being able to add default meshes to the Add Object menu (like a base human, quadruped, tubes, capsules, etc.). But the best place for a proposal is blender.community/c/rightclickselect and share it to a related channel at blender.chat (and promote your proposal everywhere so it gets views and support).
This site is for developers: to give feedback to each other, share the meeting notes, and to ask feedback to users.
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I use the file>save as default startup menu item. Hope it helps.
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While I understand your request and why are you asking for it, I doubt it’s something that will be implemented natively.
However it’s simple enough to add as an addon, it could be a new button besides the add new material button that generates a enw shader and replace it’s contents with whatever you have defined there, could be a good idea and it’s a small exercise for any young / new developer to python, so as an addon could be easily implemented for sure 
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Would it help in this case? OP wants for the default material to be a different one. I guess your idea would somewhat work for new projects, since it’d make OP’s custom material quickly available.
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Yes, I saved my defaults to include my node groups so that every new scene has them readily available for use, however this does not change the default “new material”, therefore any new object added to the scene still defaults to the Principled BSDF whenever the new material button is clicked. So let’s say you’re creating a complex scene and you have added 10, 20 or 50+ objects and you need to give them all different materials and you dont need the Principled BSDF on all of them. Now, for each object, you have to remove it and add the material node groups that you want them to have (pbr, toon, etc). Well, its a simple series of clicks, sure, but whether in a professional environment or not, that’s a whole lot of deleting and clicking and connecting nodes that takes time. It would be very much more efficient with the option for a custom default new material. That way you could simply click new material for each object’s material and it’s just there and done. Eliminating that whole process.
Just click new material, and the nodegroups are already there, so say your a 2d animater and are only going to use 2d shaders (or the toon shader) for everything in the scene, well all you’d have to do is for example adjust the color. Done. Or say you are a professional working with product visualization and everything in your scene needs to be as photo realistic as possible (and you have a preferred pbr node setup that works differently than the Principled BSDF), all you’d have to do is click new material, and your node groups are there. Adjust color. Adjust roughness. IOR, etc. Done. So much time saved.
Ah, I understand now and I completely and enthusiastically agree with you. A custom New Material setup would be terrific.
I wonder if this is part of the new template system. I hope so.
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