Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: gila on July 30, 2009, 11:22:06 AM

Title: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: gila on July 30, 2009, 11:22:06 AM
iam going to buy one of these pups in few days..i play melodic metal, some classic rock, and heavy-massive riffs...
i use Les Paul, and a voodoo modded old mesa dual recto..
i can't choose in my own
nailbomb or the cold sweat?
thx
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: kevinr on July 30, 2009, 12:13:17 PM
I can't comment on Coldsweat as I'm not a big fan of ceramics, however I can say that the Nailbomb is ideal for what your after, there are some very good clips of NBs in LPs have a listen.
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: gila on July 30, 2009, 12:48:14 PM
oh...iam new there and i can't find those clips...could you please help me with a link or something like that?
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: MDV on July 30, 2009, 01:33:39 PM
With a dual rec....nailbombs, for sure.
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: Antag on July 30, 2009, 01:52:33 PM
Having had NB in 2 Les Pauls & swapped one of them out for a CS, I'm going to disagree with the majority view here & say CS.

Either pickup would cover the musical bases you want.  Power levels are similar (though the CS might be slightly more powerful), CS is certainly tighter & brighter, with a huge low end, but less upper mids than the NB.  I just think it's a better match for Les Pauls.  FWIW, the NB I took out of the LP went into a bolt-on Jackson & it sounds much better there - it was a good swap all round :)

I'd sold my Rectifier by the time I got a CS, but my guess is that it would have worked well - the precision & brightness would have offset the sludgy high gain of the recto nicely.  MDV - why do you reckon having a recto makes NB a better choice?
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: MDV on July 30, 2009, 02:31:41 PM
Because the recto can be fizzy and grainy, which the NB isnt, and the CS with an amp like that might be mistaken for. Its just to smooth the sound of the recto out to help with the mellower end of the dudes tonal interests.

Fair point about its sludgy untightness, though.

Actually, what am I thinking - where did the bare kuckle tradition of recommending anything but what the OP originally thought go?

Painkiller bridge cold sweat neck for you, buddy.
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: Antag on July 30, 2009, 02:45:24 PM
Actually, what am I thinking - where did the bare kuckle tradition of recommending anything but what the OP originally thought go?

Painkiller bridge cold sweat neck for you, buddy.
Oh come off it, you're not even trying!  Calibrated Stormy Monday set FTW!!! :D
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: MDV on July 30, 2009, 03:08:53 PM
:lol: :lol:
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: gila on July 30, 2009, 03:55:44 PM
i've got another LP with EMGs....i like the sounding of that guitar..i think, i need similar voicing
ooor...do you prefer the painkiller? and not the nailbomb? dunno...
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: MDV on July 30, 2009, 04:29:54 PM
The painkiller bridge, while very dissimilar from it all told, is the most EMG 81-like BK. Its the ballance of the EQ (the PK has more mids-mids though, but similar high-mids), ultra-tight, but not overblown bass and extreme attack in the high and high mids.

The PK is louder, more organic, much less comressed, more dynamic and full sounding though.
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: Copperhead on July 30, 2009, 04:46:51 PM
FWIW
I absolutely love the NB, but I have it in a swamp ash/maple Tele though.
The NB is very juicy while delivering chainsaw aggressiveness. Very clear and tight solos but not at all brittle or dry. Orgasmic harmonics and overtones intuitively like it's reading your mind, but not at all loose or sloppy on machine stop rhythms.
VH type brown tones by rolling back the vol a bit.
Plays nice with other pickups when clean in the middle switch position. Best rock pup ever IMO.
I do have a neck CS in a different guitar.
Be careful because the CS is very bright. It does NOT lack bass, but upper mids to highs seem to just scream and dominate. Works well in a dark sounding guitar, I would not put it in anything that sounds bright or spanky to begin with.
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: Dr. Vic on July 30, 2009, 07:04:25 PM
Orgasmic harmonics

Dammit !

You mean as much as....your shakiravatar ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFkW-bReI0c&feature=related
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: ericsabbath on July 30, 2009, 07:29:17 PM
rectos sound way better (actually, less awful  :lol:) with ceramics, imo


Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: MDV on July 30, 2009, 07:54:25 PM
Never played one for long enough to find out for sure - it was just a guess.

Lets see...what did I last play through a recto....It was my jackson when it had EMGs in it, 81 bridge; I still thought it was muddy and sludgy :lol:
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: gila on July 30, 2009, 08:59:27 PM
so rather painkiller than the nailbomb into my les paul...hmm...
you say, that tha painkiller is more like the 81, but its ceramic and the nailbomb is alnico, as like the emg..but ok, there are some differences :)
i never played a guitar equipped with bareknuckles, so i have no opinion
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: ericsabbath on July 30, 2009, 10:36:04 PM
I guess a ceramic nailbomb would be nice
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: Dr. Vic on July 30, 2009, 10:38:46 PM
 :lol:

reading the title of this topic, I was thinking this one as a good way to avoid compromises !

Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: Copperhead on July 30, 2009, 11:04:17 PM
Orgasmic harmonics

Dammit !

You mean as much as....your shakiravatar ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFkW-bReI0c&feature=related

All I'm sayin' is, she hides a Nail Bomb in there somewhere. You can tell because she makes that expression on her face that says "oooooo.....good tone"
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: gila on July 31, 2009, 01:55:01 PM
oh...here, where i live is no more painkiller in the store ..so i think i will go for the nailbombs
but i downloaded some clips made with this pickup and the same with dimarzio tonezone...imho the sound was very similar
i dont know, i hope i wont be disappointed :s
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: Copperhead on July 31, 2009, 02:22:49 PM
I own both Tone Zones and a Nail Bomb.
Let me assure you there is no comparison. Bare Knuckle pickups are at a completely different level than DiMarzio. The depth, clarity, quality of sound is sooooo much better.

You can take the same picture with a cell phone camera or a 30 megapixel digital SLR. Only one of these photos will be good enough to enlarge and publish on a billboard. They both may look the same on a web page however.

Once you get the Nail Bombs installed and play at volume on stage, you will hear the difference in "resolution" my friend. Clips may sound similar on compressed mp3 files on the internet, but that is not IRL....
Title: Re: nailbomb vs cold sweat
Post by: ericsabbath on July 31, 2009, 03:36:15 PM
Once you get the Nail Bombs installed and play at volume on stage, you will hear the difference in "resolution" my friend. Clips may sound similar on compressed mp3 files on the internet, but that is not IRL....

+1
can't tell about the nailbombs yet, but all of the BKP's I had made a lot more noticeable difference at high volumes
especially the miracle man bridge, that gets a lot bigger and more open the louder you play