Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: Defi on November 09, 2010, 03:05:23 AM
-
Hey all. I'm thinking about buying a PRS Custom 24 (mahogany body/neck, maple cap, rosewood board) and if so would like to consider a set of BKP to try out in it. I figure this is probably the best made guitar I've bought so far so I might as well go the extra effort with the magnets too!
Anyway, to follow is a bunch of words and phrases used to describe sound that will demonstrate the difficulty in doing so...
I will be using an Axe Fx preamp so versatility is a MUST. My music is comprised of heavy charging melodic turbopick annoying to play riffs to more technical interwoven guitar parts to attempts at sweeping to acoustic rhythm breaks with ebow leads to clean delayed ambient parts to synth textures and over and over the place but the backbone is definitely the metal aspect. A sort of progressive/folk inspired metal project. (I love metal but hate what metal guitar has become... but for reference, some of my favorite tones are Ensiferum/Wintersun, Opeth, some strapping young lad, mastodon. I like 5150s, splawn, boosted jcm800, engl SEs, dual chan recto, mesa mark, and I play around with those sort of amps in stereo with the axe fx. jc-120 and ac30 for the clean tones)
-------------------------------------------------------
Tonal qualities I'm looking for:
Bridge Dirty:
Tight punchy high-lows and low-mids, aggressive upper-mids and lower-highs, smooth top highs. Must be clear and defined. I use medium-high gain amps but don't like tons of gain for rhythm. I prefer the sound to be a bit more dry, natural, woody, and aggressively voiced. A very slight southern sound and a ver. slight. djent sound. I sort of imagine an evil telecaster playing through an engl and framus in stereo.
Neck Dirty:
My favorite lead tones I have heard and played come from guitars with alder/mahogany/maple construction and PAF Pros. I love the smooth soft leads on the higher strings/frets and that distinct paf pro "Aoooo" synthy/choir effect I could hear! But I need something that remains a bit more clear when you bring it down to the lower strings/frets and can get a bit more of a grind to the sound in the wound strings or with the right technique. I like to use subtle delay and reverb to help the lead tone.
Bridge clean:
A colder spacy glassy clean from the bridge position. Would be played slowly picked arpeggios/chords for example (Tiamat's a deeper kind of slumber). Something a bit more compressed and sharper.
Neck clean:
The neck clean I want to be something warmer than can venture into a light breakup to get to a blues/jazz feel or a softer solo.
-------------------------------------------------------
The PRS has the 5 way rotary, so it would involve various splitting that I am a large fan of. I like playing around with volume and tone controls so something that responds well to that, as well as amp settings, is desirable.
I tend to talk more than warranted so I'll leave it at an already large post.
Thanks.
Edit: Maybe I should mention that some of the pickups that I have considered are Emeralds, VHIIs, Mules, Cold Sweat, Painkiller, and Nailbombs... but that's just from the youtube clips/posts around here so it's not very solid and I can't make specific inferences off them. Also my experience with high output pickups is that I'm sick of them because I keep sacrificing versatility. So I do consider some of the higher output options still with BKP provided there isn't such a compromise.
-
Rebel Yell's, maybe a Mule or VHII in the neck.
-
I would guess Painkiller set, or Painkiller bridge/Cold Sweat neck. I haven't actually used any of those pickups though, so I'd wait for someone who has experience with them.
-
Yeah I don't expect any one response to be the definitive answer, but once I have it narrowed down I will try and get Tim's opinion and give it a shot!
BTW: Here are some cliff notes: I do not like treble, high gain, or the metal sound that is commonly found in detuned guitars. the machinelike djent grinding, that stuff isn't me.
-
I would guess Painkiller set, or Painkiller bridge/Cold Sweat neck. I haven't actually used any of those pickups though, so I'd wait for someone who has experience with them.
Defi said:
Edit: Maybe I should mention that some of the pickups that I have considered are Emeralds, VHIIs, Mules, Cold Sweat, Painkiller, and Nailbombs... but that's just from the youtube clips/posts around here so it's not very solid and I can't make specific inferences off them. Also my experience with high output pickups is that I'm sick of them because I keep sacrificing versatility. So I do consider some of the higher output options still with BKP provided there isn't such a compromise.
Think the Painkiller is tonally (too bright) not what he is after, think he is better of with vintagehot and let the amp do the work. So RY's, Crawler (more smooth) or something vintagehot, maybe a Black Dog, could be the best choice.
-
I'm thinking about buying a PRS Custom 24
If you're not bought it yet, why think of changing pus? stock pickups on custom are already very versatile
-
I'm thinking about buying a PRS Custom 24
If you're not bought it yet, why think of changing pus? stock pickups on custom are already very versatile
Yes you are right! I realized someone might say this and should have said that it is indeed contingent on how well I get along with the stock pickups. I just kind of have the preconception that even if they are good I would be able to find something about them that a BKP could supposedly do better.
But hey, maybe I'll be wrong and they'll get the job done.
... but i still want to try some BKP some day..? :lol:
edit: and I did buy it today :)
-
BKPs are far better in all respects, you just can't compare them.
-
Think the Painkiller is tonally (too bright) not what he is after, think he is better of with vintagehot and let the amp do the work. So RY's, Crawler (more smooth) or something vintagehot, maybe a Black Dog, could be the best choice.
Right. Axe FX. Derp. :lol:
Carry on.
-
a preamp is an amp too :D cause you can't compare it with a combo/full stack. but what you put in, you will get out. it is a matter of the tone you're after. if the tonecharacteristics of the pickups don't have any influence on the sound with the Axe FX, why put in new pickups? In my reply I was focussed on the tonal qualities he's after.
-
You have pretty much the same gear that I use and even your tonal preferences are close too mine. Unforunately I cant help you decide which pickup to get. I only can suggest you not to get a alnico nailbomb. To me they are pretty close to the sound you are after, but a bit too bass heavy for your PRS. At least they are for my taste in my PRS. Tim recommended me to try a cold sweat set ... but I havenīt so far. Damn lazy me!
Have you already asked Tim? I dont exactly know why, but he seems to be fairly competent when it comes to choosing pickups.
-
Rebel Yell in the bridge, no doubt in my mind. I have several friends that have put RYs in their PRSs - the results have always been spectacular, and furthermore in keeping with the the requirements you have expressed.
If you want the PAF sound from the neck, you should definitely try the Mule neck. It's a near-as-damn exact replica of the '59 PAF design, and with the scatterwinding and coil-offset you will find it MILES clearer than the PAF Pro.
If you're not bought it yet, why think of changing pus? stock pickups on custom are already very versatile
Interesting first post on the Bare Knuckle forum :lol:
Welcome, anyway!
-
I have a Rebel Yell Set is my Artist III.. works a treat for me.
Good distortion tones from Bridge and excellent clean on coil split!
-
Have you already asked Tim? I dont exactly know why, but he seems to be fairly competent when it comes to choosing pickups.
No I haven't--email sales@bkp.. etc?
-
Have you already asked Tim? I dont exactly know why, but he seems to be fairly competent when it comes to choosing pickups.
:lol:
Couldn't be because he makes them or anything. :P
But I've always gone through the "info@" address with any questions. I would definitely email Tim. EDIT: Just noticed his responses are from "sales".
-
I think you can choose from Info@ sales@ or tim@ Worst thing that can happen is, that some one equally qualified could answer you.
-
BKPs are far better in all respects, you just can't compare them.
True, certainly for the VB/HFS set.
OP
I swapped out these for the Cold Sweat set (nearest equivalent according to Tim) on my CuRo24 and the results were pretty spectacular. The other choices may work better for you, it depends on what you think of the stock set. Same vibe, Cold Sweats will work, different vibe, check the other options.
I've recently picked up an old PRS Standard which has one of the iterations of "T & B" pickups. These are far better, IMO, then the HFS/VB so are staying put!
-
Well I did email the bkp staff, I changed my question to asking which pu's to put into a custom guitar I plan to make. They responded saying I should wait until I try the guitar... maybe they misunderstood me.
But in regards to the Cu24, the stock pickups are very nice. There are definitely areas that could be improved upon though. The bridge is nearly fantastic in every respect. What gets me is the neck. It does some things very well, but it doesn't get a smooth sustainy singing lead tone. I might just have to try playing around with the height a bit more.
But anyway, I might just do a blind test guess and order either a cold sweat set or crawler/RY bridge + mule neck.
-
I just slapped a Coldsweat into the bridge of my CU24, it's like the HFS only better. It has similar top end response and mid body but is much clearer and responsive, the bass is backed off so it's a bit less girthy but this just speeds up the response for riffing. It is just slightly lower output but it doesn't make much of a difference, it probably makes things stay very defined. The coldsweat makes all the settings sound a lot clearer even with the VB still in (using the 5 way switch). Now to try the Aftermath in another CU24 and to hunt down just the right neck pickup for what I like. Do know if you put a set in with a 5 way switch you need to flip one of the magnets to have the phases in the right place for some of the inbetween settings. Let me clarify on my signal chain, CU 24, Keeley Comp., Mesa Mark IV, Visual Sounds H20 chorus and delay in the loop, into a boogie recto 2x12 cab. I play mostly metal with nods towards prog, jazz fusion, and modern classical music, the new pickup works well for what I do and how I play.
-
One thing that needs tyo be mentioned if putting in a PRS with the rotary pickup selector is that the magnet in the neck pickup needs to be flipped/reversed so that some of the other sounds will work right (positions 2-4)
-
One thing that needs tyo be mentioned if putting in a PRS with the rotary pickup selector is that the magnet in the neck pickup needs to be flipped/reversed so that some of the other sounds will work right (positions 2-4)
http://www.stewmac.com/tradesecrets/ts0069_humbkrcover.hzml?jrl=162437&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ts0069&clk=195805
And that is how you do it.
-
One thing that needs tyo be mentioned if putting in a PRS with the rotary pickup selector is that the magnet in the neck pickup needs to be flipped/reversed so that some of the other sounds will work right (positions 2-4)
http://www.stewmac.com/tradesecrets/ts0069_humbkrcover.hzml?jrl=162437&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ts0069&clk=195805
And that is how you do it.
Ah - well found!
Often a good idea to re-wax dip after reassembly to minimise risk of microphonic feedback
But if ordering a new one either direct or from a stockist like ourselves, might as well get it made how you want it in the first place