Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: albin on January 30, 2008, 12:51:29 PM

Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: albin on January 30, 2008, 12:51:29 PM
Right, Im about to buy a new setup for a pop-punk project Im involved in.
I will buy either a Bogner or Engl head and a 2x12 Bogner cab (for portability).
Guitar is a fender strat ultra (humbucker + 2 single coil). Maybe not the ultimate guitar for this but I love to play this one.

What BK pickups would you guys recomend for this type of sound?

The music is commersial and could be described as avril lavigne, blink 182, simple plan, my chemical romance, green day (you know... pop-punk...).
I want distortion with clarity, enough distortion for palm mutes to sound good but not so much to mush things up.

Id be happy for any advice I can get on this.

Thanks guys.
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: MDV on January 30, 2008, 12:55:12 PM
DONT DO IT!!!!

I mean Nailbombs would be....





























TOO GOOD!!

But, yeah, that sorta thing. Medium-high, capable of cleaning up well, output A5.
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: Nolly on January 30, 2008, 01:00:19 PM
Welcome mate :)

Sounds like one of the vintage-hot buckers is going to be your best bet. Possibly VHII? I'll know in a few mins when I get mine installed.

That said, I think the Nailbomb is awesome for the kind of stuff you've mentioned, it is higher output, but doesn't get mushy AT ALL (none of the BKs do!).

Don't know about the singles. Maybe Trilogys? I guess it depends what sounds you want, and what bridge humbucker you pair them with.
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: MDV on January 30, 2008, 01:03:31 PM
Oh, yeah

Hello  :D

 :oops:
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: albin on January 30, 2008, 01:58:28 PM
Thanks for your replies guys.

Gonna check soundclips for those.

Im actually thinking of making room for a humbucker in neck position as well so any advice on a good combination bridge/neck of humbuckers are welcome.

Nailbomb/CS? :-)

Or stormy monday if i stay single coil?
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: MDV on January 30, 2008, 02:00:30 PM
Stormy monday is a humbucker

We'll let you off, cos youre new here. But only once!!

 :wink:

Depends what you want out of the neck, really.
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: Nolly on January 30, 2008, 02:57:11 PM
Quote from: albin
Nailbomb/CS?


I'd stay with the Nailbomb neck if I were you, it's an amazing pickup. More vintagey vibe, but excellent definition under gain and brilliant cleans.
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: Scotty477 on January 30, 2008, 03:14:32 PM
Quote from: MDV
Stormy monday is a humbucker

We'll let you off, cos youre new here. But only once!!

 :wink:

Depends what you want out of the neck, really.



Well he did say this ....

Im actually thinking of making room for a humbucker in neck position as well so any advice on a good combination bridge/neck of humbuckers are welcome.

 :D
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: MDV on January 30, 2008, 03:30:09 PM
Quote from: Machinehead
Quote from: MDV
Stormy monday is a humbucker

We'll let you off, cos youre new here. But only once!!

 :wink:

Depends what you want out of the neck, really.



Well he did say this ....

Im actually thinking of making room for a humbucker in neck position as well so any advice on a good combination bridge/neck of humbuckers are welcome.

 :D


And "or stormy monday if I stay single coil"
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: albin on January 30, 2008, 03:47:27 PM
Quote from: MDV
Stormy monday is a humbucker

We'll let you off, cos youre new here. But only once!!

 :wink:

Depends what you want out of the neck, really.


Hehe, stumbled upon bare knuckle yesterday so i definitely need to do some serious reading-up here in the forum section. Sorry ´bout that    :wink:

Ill mainly use the neck for clean, clear sounds. Wont use it at all for distorted lead sounds or anything like that.
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: MDV on January 30, 2008, 03:55:38 PM
No need to apologise. I was just being a dick (as I am from time to time, and is my want)

Stormy monday would give you the cleans thing, big time.

I havent heard a BK with bad cleans yet, though. Even the Ceramic Warpigs good-enough-for-metal-intros
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: Nolly on January 30, 2008, 04:15:48 PM
How about an Abraxas for the neck? I'd be intrigued to see how that compliments a Nailbomb..
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: il˙ti on January 30, 2008, 04:22:36 PM
I am trying very hard not to be a dick.

All music is equal, all music is equal, all music is equal, all music is equal, all music is equal, all music is equal, all music is...

Yea, all BKPs will give you great cleans, but Stormy Monday is the general advice for stricly clean players. It would pair nicely with a VHII in the bridge I think. I remember a clip from awhile ago with someone playing Motley Crue with a VHII and it would indeed be a great punk tone too.

But if you play punk, what do you need good tone for anyway?  :P Spend the money on beer for Pete's sake!
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: Henk on January 30, 2008, 04:44:52 PM
Yeah i was thinking of that motley crue stuff too, will give a splendid range of PAF sounds when paired with a SM neck.

http://www.myspace.com/scaramofo

Oh and by the way, dont say punk-pop which is a contradicion in terms, just say punkrock and everyone knows what you mean.
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: Nolly on January 30, 2008, 04:51:05 PM
If you're only going to be wanting cleans from the neck, why not stick with single coils? It'd be a lot less hassle...
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: albin on January 30, 2008, 05:03:25 PM
Quote from: ilyti

But if you play punk, what do you need good tone for anyway?  :P Spend the money on beer for Pete's sake!


Haha, yeah, well, it´s not punk but commercial "punk pop" so Im not really that cool :wink:

Its dense mixes with lots of guitars, lots of backing vocals and lots of synths mixed in and all that cr@p so I need some high-tech dist but still with an organic touch. I found EMGs to be too sterile sounding.  

Good suggestions so far Ill check ´em all out. Thanks.

Just listened to Steve Stevens Rebel Yell demo. Thats a nice sound as well although (shoot me now)  it somehow reminded me of the old 80´s ADA preamp  :)
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: albin on January 30, 2008, 05:08:29 PM
Quote from: Henk

Oh and by the way, dont say punk-pop which is a contradicion in terms, just say punkrock and everyone knows what you mean.


Well, I know what you mean but still... I wouldn´t call.. say Avril Lavigne "punk rock" to me thats pop with some punk elements mixed in (punk pop) but maybe thats just me  :P

So, right, the music is punkrock but pretty poppy as such...  :P
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: Philly Q on January 30, 2008, 09:55:22 PM
Quote from: Henk
Oh and by the way, dont say punk-pop which is a contradicion in terms, just say punkrock and everyone knows what you mean.

Well it may or may not be a contradiction in terms, but I'm sure we all know what pop-punk is, even decrepit old gits like me.  There's been more than enough of it around for the last decade or so.

It's one of the main reasons I stopped watching music video channels and buying weekly rock music magazines (the other main reason was the band HIM  :x ).  No offence to anyone who likes it.
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: AdamB on January 30, 2008, 10:49:46 PM
I think you'd like the Ceramic Warpig

The Blink 182 guitarist used a seymour duncan invader which isn't that different technically to the ceramic warpig

Except the bareknuckle will sound much better, clearer etc
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: indysmith on January 30, 2008, 11:00:45 PM
Quote from: adammato
I think you'd like the Ceramic Warpig

total overkill man. I'd go for VHIIs
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: gwEm on January 31, 2008, 12:30:05 AM
commercial pop-punk? steer clear of nailbombs then.

VH2, Rebel Yell or possibly mules surely... depending on how hot you like things.
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: AdamB on January 31, 2008, 12:33:07 AM
Quote from: indysmith
Quote from: adammato
I think you'd like the Ceramic Warpig

total overkill man. I'd go for VHIIs


I disagree
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: MrBump on January 31, 2008, 10:10:03 AM
I think that "pop punk" is a good description.  If I think about punk rock, I think about The Clash or the Pistols, or Stiff Little Fingers - the last thing that these bands would have done is bought expensive, top of the range retrofit pickups!  They played what they could afford at the time and created as much noise as they could through pretty average gear...

So maybe the Stormy Mondays through a cranked amp might be close to what punk was about?
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: gwEm on January 31, 2008, 10:57:53 AM
punks about an attitude, you could use any gear.

nevertheless some punks have great tone! you'd want to go for something agressive - probably not the stormy monday which is quite friendly sounding.

nailbomb would be the thing for modern/contemporary punk probably - but we're talking commercial poppunk - like ash, blink etc etc and i think it would be too agressive.

ash use PAF pickups like the mule. i use the mule myself for 'real' punk, and it works well.

i think the rebel yell has that friendly/agressive combination and sounds quite large and so in my opinion it would be good for the style as well. the VH2 is not a bkp i've tried personally, although by reputation it sits between the two.

dont forget all these poppunk bands are incredibly well produced, they could probably use any humbucker to get that sound.
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: AdamB on January 31, 2008, 11:30:56 AM
albin - Lots of pop punk bands like Set Your Goals, Hit the Lights etc are using EMG 81/85 through mesa rectifiers

I honestly think the ceramic warpig is your answer. It's the BK passive version of the EMG 81, but sounds much more alive and 3D

Sounds like you've got it sorted with your amp set up
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: Henk on February 01, 2008, 09:14:33 AM
Quote from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_music
^ United Kingdom Broadcasting Act 1990 — Part III, chapter I, article 85, point 6 (html). Retrieved on 2007-12-01. “Pop music includes rock music and other kinds of modern popular music which are characterised by a strong rhythmic element and a reliance on electronic amplification for their performance (whether or not, in the case of any particular piece of rock or other such music, the music in question enjoys a current popularity as measured by the number of recordings sold)”


You may only call yourself pop or punk-pop if you have allready sold alot of records appearently  :lol: So i guess metallica may call themselves metal-pop :band4:

Sorry just kidding offcourse, do what ever you like, but i do think pop is a musical genre and should not be used to indicate commercial intent.
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: Philly Q on February 01, 2008, 09:27:20 AM
Quote from: Henk
You may only call yourself pop or punk-pop if you have allready sold alot of records appearently  :lol: So i guess metallica may call themselves metal-pop


Quote
"....whether or not, in the case of any particular piece of rock or other such music, the music in question enjoys a current popularity as measured by the number of recordings sold"

By that definition you don't need to be commercially successful to qualify as "pop".

So pop means popular.  Whether it's actually popular or not.  :wink:
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: ericsabbath on February 01, 2008, 10:52:55 AM
Quote from: gwEm
punks about an attitude


truth.
so, no matter the pickup, you gotta use this:
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: albin on February 01, 2008, 02:29:25 PM
Quote from: Philly Q
Quote from: Henk
You may only call yourself pop or punk-pop if you have allready sold alot of records appearently  :lol: So i guess metallica may call themselves metal-pop


Quote
"....whether or not, in the case of any particular piece of rock or other such music, the music in question enjoys a current popularity as measured by the number of recordings sold"

By that definition you don't need to be commercially successful to qualify as "pop".

So pop means popular.  Whether it's actually popular or not.  :wink:


Hehe, so... The album will be out this spring if all goes well so i guess I´ll have to wait until then to see if its pop (popular) or not.

You can check out the music (not mastered) if you want on:
http://www.myspace.com/thezooworld

Pop punk or not? Or just pop? Or just cr@p   :P

Anyway the album was recorded with a strat ultra with stock pup´s--> marshall JMP-1 --> Marshall EL34 --> marshall 2x12 and recorded through SM57/royer r121 combo into dual Neve 1073s. I was not really happy with the guitar sound. I lacks definition imo. So now im looking to put together a new setup, starting with pickups  :wink:

Many great suggestions so far.
I´m trying to get my hands on every demo that has been posted here in the forum right now to make up my mind  :P
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: Henk on February 01, 2008, 07:15:52 PM
Quote from: Philly Q
Quote from: Henk
You may only call yourself pop or punk-pop if you have allready sold alot of records appearently  :lol: So i guess metallica may call themselves metal-pop


Quote
"....whether or not, in the case of any particular piece of rock or other such music, the music in question enjoys a current popularity as measured by the number of recordings sold"

By that definition you don't need to be commercially successful to qualify as "pop".

So pop means popular.  Whether it's actually popular or not.  :wink:



Owell cr@p, seems a bit of a dodo to make pop music if its not popular though :P
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: Fourth Feline on February 01, 2008, 07:50:41 PM
Quote from: MrBump
I think that "pop punk" is a good description.  If I think about punk rock, I think about The Clash or the Pistols, or Stiff Little Fingers - the last thing that these bands would have done is bought expensive, top of the range retrofit pickups!  They played what they could afford at the time and created as much noise as they could through pretty average gear...

So maybe the Stormy Mondays through a cranked amp might be close to what punk was about?


Totally agree.  Stormy Mondays are an excellent base for what seems to be required. Lovely and open enough to respond to a melodic yet  dynamic style :D

Let us not get side tracked by  philosophical discussions as to what 'Pop Punk' might or might not mean. This is the B.K.P 'pickups' section, let us get back to the prime objective of actually HELPING Albin to find a nice pickup and enjoying WHATEVER  they do ...

Is this the best morale support we can give to a newbie ?

( Meanwhile I'm just off to play post de- constructionalist 'Blues' with a non commercial fusion flavour, but with genuinely black American ethnic focus and just a hint of  70s Rock and 'Country' stylings  )   :wink:
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: il˙ti on February 01, 2008, 08:01:19 PM
Quote from: Fourth Feline
post de- constructionalist

You stole that from Calvin and Hobbes didn't you?
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: Fourth Feline on February 01, 2008, 08:05:21 PM
Quote from: ilyti
Quote from: Fourth Feline
post de- constructionalist

You stole that from Calvin and Hobbes didn't you?


I can honestly say that I did not  Ilyti. I was making up my own 'tosh' as I went along. By the time you reach middle age, you  tend  to have read and  heard enough pseudo intellectual clap-trap to last you a life time. From thereon, you can just make it up ...  " in the style of " :lol:
Title: Pop punk. Which set of pickups?
Post by: HTH AMPS on February 02, 2008, 01:13:47 AM
Having listened to the stuff on your myspace page, I'd say you'd be well suited by Mules, VHIIs, Emeralds or Crawlers.