Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: littlemurph7976 on March 06, 2010, 01:38:38 AM
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Hi all, havent posted in here in a loooooong time.
Ive quite a few projects in the works that Im wanting to put BK's into so bear with me, theres gunna be alot of writing. I apologize in advance :P
1. Im wanting some new pup's for my Carvin DC727. Its got a mahogany neck and wings and a flamed koa top. Seen as its a 7, my main interest is clarity. I want articulation, punch and absolute clearness. Ive got a basswood RG (more on that later), with a C-Pig in the bridge and a Nailbomb in the neck and it sounds GODLY, exactly how I want it to sound. Each note comes through clearly which Ive never really had with any other pickups.
Versatility is a big thing for me, surprisingly, the C-Pig is very versatile which is really cool, it can be quite warm and full sounding, even though its Ceramic. I like a good, powerful bridge pickup with lots of chunk, that cleans up pretty well and note definition is definately my biggy for the bridge, which is why I was thinking maybe a Miracle Man, though Ive heard theyre lacking in mids which I dont want. I need help with this as I really dont have a clue lol.
In a neck pickup I like mega versatility which is why I was thinking Nailbomb, though Im not sure how it would do in mahogany, maybe a Ceramic Nailbomb? Im looking for nice full cleans, clear note definition and a nice smooth lead sound for Teh ShRedZzz. Id like it to be able to come down and maybe do a bit of blues too without sounding too harsh. Again, I need help here lol. Both pickups should be good split too, as Ive got some little coil split switchy thingies on the Carvin :)
Im also aware of the stupid Carvin pickup route sizes, before anyone says anything, Im planning to sort that out after I get the pickups. And a decent router :)
2. My previously mentioned RG. Its not a very high end RG, however, it is the best sounding guitar I own. Im thinking one of two things, build a new body out of mahogany (I have a huge lump of brazilian mahogany in my room :) ) or plug all the routes including the stupid edge III route in my basswood body with whatever I can find (probably ash) and maybe put a veneer on top and keep my existing BKs. The only thing stopping me is how the pickups will change when I put them into mahogany instead of basswood. I have a C-Pig in the bridge, Irish Tour single in the middle and a Nailbomb in the Neck and both HB's are coil tapped which effectively turns it into a strat. Will they sound as good in mahogany? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
3. Im hoping to build a Tele which will look something similar to this:
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m191/littlemurph7976/TeleBuildIdea2.jpg)
I have all the wood for this aside from a Birdseye Maple fretboard which Im yet to work out where Im going to get from. Ive got some ash for the body which will be a 2 peice, and some maple for the neck which will probably be a 3 peice laminte with a nice flamed stripe down the middle.
Anyhooo, Im not too sure what pickups to put in it. I was thinking of going with a Nailbomb in the bridge for that classic Sikth type tone, and running a push/pull volume pot for coil splitting it. As for the neck Im completely undecided, I want something a bit different. A single coil, a P-90, maybe a Mississippi Queen, Im not really sure. Give me some suggestions on what you think would be cool, Im willing to try anything just for poops & giggles :D
Im really sorry for the wall of text, this took me so long to write out. Any and all help is seriously appreciated, thankyou in advance.
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I know this isnt exactly the msot active forum, but its been a few days now.
Nobody? :(
Please fellas, I really need some help and advice with this. Anything at all would be a massive help.
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I am sorry you are not getting a response. I regret that I cant help with BKP humbuckers.Hopefully some of the others can help though.
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Haha thanks for replying anyway :)
I know people aren't rude or stupid on here, I just think theyre intimidated by my wall of text. Should of made seperate threads maybe ....
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Lets hope we get some ideas coming forward for you.
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Bump.
Come on people, please?
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Yeah come on gents- a chap needs help here.
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I'm surprised no one has ventured their opinions. Maybe you've scared them! Sorry like Mr Beetle I can't offer any constructive advice.
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I can't help on the 7 string, and music wise I'm not too familiar with sikth, however having put together a tele for D&L with HB/SC, I would reccommend either an Irish Tour or a Trilogy Suite for your neck position. On your Ibanez, I would put back the pickups you have currently and see how they sound. Depending on the mahogany you use, I think they will still sound great.
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Hi,
I've saved up and am gonna give you my 2 cents. Might not be worth that much though ;)
For your 7-string Carvin, I would definitely go the ceramic route on the bridge, probably Cold Sweat. A CS neck to match. It all depends on how much mids you want. Mahogany tends to have a lot of mids already, so bear that in mind when comparing that to the basswood RG + C-Pig. The CS neck excels in shredding type purposes; it retains a tight attack and articulation, but is fluid and singing.
About mahogany and C-Pig: it's a combination that works. The only question is whether you like that tone or not :) I haven't had first hand experience on that combination so I can't really give too much comment about it.
About your tele..well, I'd be tempted to try a VHII on it, just go lower on the output as your other axes will probably have higher output pickups. As for the neck pup, a P-90 would be nice and different :)
-Zaned
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Wooooo replies! :D
Thanks fellas, now we're getting somewhere. Ive been doing alot of looking around, "research" about what Ive been asking, looking for sound clips and what not.
So, for my Carvin, Im liking the sound of a Cold Sweat for the bridge, but Im not too sure about putting a ceramic pup in the neck position. How well does it clean up? Im looking for alot of versatility from the neck, so maybe an alnico Cold Sweat? Im assuming Id have to custom order that? I dont even know if you can do that.
As for my RG, I think Im going to go ahead and build the mahogany body as planned and put my current set of BKs in from my basswood RG. If it doesnt sound how I want it, Ill resort to plan B and plug the holes in the basswood body and do the veneer idea and shot the pups back in, then finish building a neck for the mahogany body and get some new BKPs. Wow that was a long sentence.
For the Tele ... Im still very much undecided. One thing I dont want to happen is to end up with a bridge pup that wont go dirty enough for me. Id rather have a high output pickup, then I know that the power is there if I need it, but I can just turn the gain down. Still, I havent tried many lower/medium output pickups so I dont know how well they do heavier stuff. A Nailbomb in the bridge is still looking good, but I also like the sound of the VHII, just worried about getting it hot enough.
As for the neck pup, I think an Irish Tour or Trilogy would be a safe choice. I love the Irish Tour I have in my RG, very crisp. However, I dont know all that much about P90's either, and they intrigue me alot. Ive never tried one before, though I imagine they sound somewhere between a HB and a single coil? I dont really know, Im just guessing. Could someone explain exactly what a P90 is and whether or not its very versatile? Ive never really looked into them before, other than I know Matt Bellamy uses a Mississippi Queen in one of his Mansons and he gets some pretty killer sounds ....
Again, sorry for the wall of text :P
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So, for my Carvin, Im liking the sound of a Cold Sweat for the bridge, but Im not too sure about putting a ceramic pup in the neck position. How well does it clean up? Im looking for alot of versatility from the neck, so maybe an alnico Cold Sweat? Im assuming Id have to custom order that? I dont even know if you can do that.
The Cold Sweat neck is alnico, only the bridge is ceramic. They sound very different from each other, and make a great set. :)
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The Cold Sweat neck is alnico, only the bridge is ceramic. They sound very different from each other, and make a great set. :)
Ahhh I somehow managed to overlook that :lol:
Ive heard the Cold Sweats described as lacking in mids? Is this true for both bridge and neck?
Ive also heard the Painkiler would be better if I want more mids. How is the Painkiller set? Same as the Cold Sweats with cermaic bridge/alnico neck? Versatility?
Maybe Painkiller bridge/Cold Sweat neck? How does the Painkiller neck compare to the Cold Sweat neck?
So its between the Cold Sweat set and The Painkiller set, or a combination of the two. This is confusing lol.
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I can't comment on the Painkillers, except to say that the PK neck is ceramic (it's the only ceramic BK neck pickup).
I wouldn't say the CS bridge lacks mids, but it certainly doesn't have a pronounced midrange, it's more of a balanced tone. Quite bright, and tight in the bass.
The CS neck (IMO) isn't at all lacking in mids, it gives a fat warm tone but with a bit more clarity and power than a vintage/PAF type humbucker.
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I can't comment on the Painkillers, except to say that the PK neck is ceramic (it's the only ceramic BK neck pickup).
I wouldn't say the CS bridge lacks mids, but it certainly doesn't have a pronounced midrange, it's more of a balanced tone. Quite bright, and tight in the bass.
The CS neck (IMO) isn't at all lacking in mids, it gives a fat warm tone but with a bit more clarity and power than a vintage/PAF type humbucker.
indeed, the neck CS has got a lot of mids!
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So is the Painkiller overly "middy" sounding then?
Im really thinking of either a Cold Sweat set, or a Painkiller bridge/Cold Sweat neck.
Which would you say is the tightest, and which the most versatile?
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I second Phil that the CS is not scooped, but balanced on the mids. It doesn't really peak there, although it has a certain hairy raunch to it which I love. The bottom is tight and full.
Out of the two, I guess the PK is tighter. It has it's voice more in the mids, a lot of high mids. Out of the two, PK is more modern, CS has a bit more vintage voice in it.
-Zaned
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So is the Painkiller overly "middy" sounding then?
Im really thinking of either a Cold Sweat set, or a Painkiller bridge/Cold Sweat neck.
Which would you say is the tightest, and which the most versatile?
if your eq has got a lot of mids (mine has) yes, it could be overly middy in a bright way... of course you can shape the eq! it sounds very direct and "dry", and for sure is less versatile than the CS. but it's damn tight, no doubt about it!
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Ok, so at the moment, Im liking everything thats been described to me about the Cold Sweat set. Im still quite intrigued about the Painkiller bridge but Im leaning more towards the Cold Sweat.
What about a Nailbomb set? Ceramic Bridge/Alnico neck? How are they in Mahogany?
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The ceramic nailbomb is basically an overwound Cold Sweat. So it has a bit more output, mids and less treble, and is bit more compressed. Less (and especially, DIFFERENT) mids than the PK.
I think Tim usually pairs the C-bomb with the regular Nailbomb A5 neck. A CS neck would work there too.
It all comes down to how the Carvin sounds, and how much mids you want.
-Zaned
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Ok, after careful consideration, I think Im going to go for the Cold Sweat set seen as they were described as the most balanced and slightly less modern sounding. I really like the way they've been described, much more so than the Painkiller or the Nailbomb, or even the C-Bomb. I realise Ive been a pain the arse, and I apologise. Thankyou very much to anyone who posted in this thread.
Ill probably make another thread about pickups for my builds once Im a bit further into them. But at least I got one problem sorted :)
Thanks alot everybody. Should be ordering them at the end of the week :D
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I realise Ive been a pain the arse, and I apologise. Thankyou very much to anyone who posted in this thread.
people around here loves this kind of endless quest, so no problem! :)
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I realise Ive been a pain the arse, and I apologise. Thankyou very much to anyone who posted in this thread.
people around here loves this kind of endless quest, so no problem! :)
Yes, we certainly do. :) Questions like this also serve a two way purpose, in that (hopefully ) you get what you are happy with first time - and your own requirement and it's solution, might be the same / similar as someone browsing the forum in the future.
All the best with your B.K.P. babies ! :D