Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: Fuzz0r on January 08, 2008, 12:58:01 PM
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Hello,
I'm looking to replace my stock Gibson Les Paul Standard pickups. I want the bridge pickup mainly for heavy distortion (for metal), yet remain very clear. I feel that currently I either have a great scooped heavy sound that is not clear, or a clear sound that isn't heavy enough. I'd like to be able to tell the different notes that make up the sound, and not only the root note. I also play some rock with lighter distortion, so I'm looking for a pickups that will also excel in that. My pickups is also very noisy, so I'd like to get rid of that.
I use the neck pickup for clean and sometimes solos. The current neck pickup is usually too bassy, and I'd like to change it to a different pickup that will bring out the best of my guitar's clean sound.
I'm really in the dark here, as I never used a different pickups then my stock ones. Any suggestions will be helpful.
p.s. Out of curiosity, which pus do muse and sikth players use?
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The guy from Muse has a Nailbomb bridge and a Mississippi Queen neck.
From what you're describing, I'd suggest a set of Miracle Men might be up your street?
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p.s. Out of curiosity, which pus do muse and sikth players use?
Pin from Sikth uses a Blackmachine B6 (http://www.blackmachine.net/) equipped with Bare Knuckle Nailbombs. Googling turned up a thread by Tim on the News forum mentioning it - click (http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=57187&sid=d1632f9e4fdf2d359b4522c48ac7e804) - but it's over a year old. Haven't seen any newer articles to suggest he's switched pickups.
Dan Weller uses a PRS Custom 24 but I've had less luck finding out what pickups he's using.
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From what you're describing, I'd suggest a set of Miracle Men might be up your street?
Why miracle man and not the nailbomb/warpig/mule?
And what should I put in the neck?
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Metal distortion with clarity is what I believe the Miracle Man excels at in a Les Paul. The Nailbomb is supposedly a bit warmer sounding so not as good for tight sounding metal. The Warpig is very thick sounding and doesn't have the clarity you're asking for. For clarity with lots of gain you need something with a ceramic magnet, like a Miracle Man :)
A Miracle Man neck and bridge sounds, to me, what you're asking for. There is some compromise of course, and that's with your clean and light gain sounds. For those, an more organic pickup is best and this is where the Mule is great. However. if your main style is metal I'd go with a metal pickup.
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Metal distortion with clarity is what I believe the Miracle Man excels at in a Les Paul. The Nailbomb is supposedly a bit warmer sounding so not as good for tight sounding metal. The Warpig is very thick sounding and doesn't have the clarity you're asking for. For clarity with lots of gain you need something with a ceramic magnet, like a Miracle Man :)
A Miracle Man neck and bridge sounds, to me, what you're asking for. There is some compromise of course, and that's with your clean and light gain sounds. For those, an more organic pickup is best and this is where the Mule is great. However. if your main style is metal I'd go with a metal pickup.
How about a combo of Nailbomb/Miracle Man in the bridge and Mule in the neck? As I said, I need the pickups not only for metal, I play a lot of rock and other light distortion/clean genres.
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I think you should maybe email the guys at BKP with as much detail as possible of what you're looking for and see what they suggest - they're usually spot on!
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If you're going for the ceramic sound for the bridge pickup, maybe you could go a bit lower-output and get a set of Cold Sweats? Ceramic bridge, alnico V neck which is supposed to have decent cleans and excel at shred.
I don't speak from personal experience, though, I'm afraid.
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p.s. Out of curiosity, which pus do muse and sikth players use?
Pin from Sikth uses a Blackmachine B6 (http://www.blackmachine.net/) equipped with Bare Knuckle Nailbombs. Googling turned up a thread by Tim on the News forum mentioning it - click (http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=57187&sid=d1632f9e4fdf2d359b4522c48ac7e804) - but it's over a year old. Haven't seen any newer articles to suggest he's switched pickups.
Dan Weller uses a PRS Custom 24 but I've had less luck finding out what pickups he's using.
You're nearly right, Pin plays B2 (http://www.blackmachine.net/assets/IMG_0406.jpg)'s, and his Nailbomb sets are custom-they have a ceramic bridge magnet (like mine :) ).
Dan uses the stock PRS pickups.
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I think you should maybe email the guys at BKP with as much detail as possible of what you're looking for and see what they suggest - they're usually spot on!
Will do, thanx.
I've got a few questions that I didn't find answers to on the FAQ:
-What are ceramic pickups?
-Is the pickup cover only for cosmetic, or does it effect the sound?
-The prices for calibrated set in the online shop are for two pickups?
-If so, is it possible to get a calibrated set of two different pickups? (i.e Nailbomb and Mule like I suggested).
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I've got a few questions that I didn't find answers to on the FAQ:
-What are ceramic pickups?
See this thread:
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8005
-Is the pickup cover only for cosmetic, or does it effect the sound?
Historically, to protect the pickup and provide additional shielding. But think of it mainly for cosmetics - it does affect the sound, but not significantly. BKP wind the pickups to compensate.
-The prices for calibrated set in the online shop are for two pickups?
Yes, a matched set of neck and bridge (not two identical pickups)
-If so, is it possible to get a calibrated set of two different pickups? (i.e Nailbomb and Mule like I suggested).
You can combine a Nailbomb bridge and Mule neck, or whatever you like, but you have to buy them as two separate pickups - there's no price saving.