Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: kmanick on January 31, 2011, 04:10:28 AM
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I've got a dimarzio Crunchlab in the bridge of my BRJ 7 string and I don't like it's lead tone very much.
I play thru a Mesa Mark IV, and I'm trying to figure out which BK 7 string pickup has the best lead tone
and still stays pretty tight for rhythm playing.
I've had an alnico Nailbomb in a previous 7 that I really,really liked for lead playing , but felt it could've been bit tighter.
this guitar is all mahogany (neck thru) with a maple top /ebony board.
is the Nailbomb my best bet?
I've always wondered about the Holydiver but I'm hesitant to put it in this much Mahogany
I don't like the sound of Ceramic magnets so I'm interested in alnico based only.
(pulling out the Painkiller in my Rg7CT for a Rebel yell)
What would be some good options?
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I have a feeling people are going to start chiming in with a chorus of Rebel Yell.
I have a BRJ 7 with the exact same specs as you that's currently on order (apparently still in his woodshop though). It's gonna ship with the Crunch Lab. I play through a Mark III (similar to you), so I'll be keeping track of this thread. Good luck dude.
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I've had both the JP signature bridge pups, and to be honest I think any BKP will have a better lead tone. No anti DiMarzio bias, the CL just doesn't do it for me (I loved my Evo 2). My Ceramic "Brutal Bass/Low-Mid Heavy Metal-Rhythm Pickup" Warpig does a better job than the CL or D-Sonic IMHO.
Based on what you're saying (alnico, tight, rhythm/lead), sounds like the obvious choice is a Rebel Yell, but wait for the Holydiver users to drop in. I seem to remember a lot of conversation about the HD in darker guitars a while back. Also, although you said you don't like ceramic mags, I can recommend the Aftermath for a mahogany guitar. It's very thick and tight, a lot different than the Painkiller. Out of curiosity, what experience do you base your dislike for ceramic on?
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best lead pickup ever = holy diver
most fluid, thick and clear single notes I've heard
and the pinch harmonics sound huge and come out a lot easier than with the nailbomb
not really tight in low tunings, but still clear
it does get pretty tight with a TS or SD overdrive, or an EQ before the amp, though
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Out of curiosity, what experience do you base your dislike for ceramic on?
I've always used Alnico pickups until my 2 current 7's (painkillers and the CR/LF) set. I find the Ceramics have a single coil "clickyness" to them that I don't like. With super high amounts of gain it kind of goes away, but I don't use super high amounts of gain. I do clean boost up front when using my 7's but that is more for sustain than gain (if that makes sense ).
I don't play death metal I am wanking around playing lead probably 80% of th time I'm playing.
I've been writing a bunch of stuff lately that would be in the vein of 7 string heavier "Greg Howe-ish"
instrumentals from his Parallax era, (If that helps at all), and the Ceramics just don't sound right for that type of style.
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I hate to be predictable but I'm going to have to say Rebel Yell as well. It has all of the alnico sweetness you're after with a tightness to rival ceramics.
http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=3433&highlight=rebel+yell
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cool Well I guess I will try the Rebel yell that I have on order in my BRJ instead of my ibanez, and
see how I like it.
thanks for the input guys!
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Both the Holy Diver and the Black Dog have that as their strong parts. In comparison, the BD is clearer and cleaner, the HD has more smoothness.
I totally understand your problem with the Dimarzios. I had a ToneZone and a D-Sonic. Slamming rhythm sounds, but the leads just never did it for me.
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I totally understand your problem with the Dimarzios. I had a ToneZone and a D-Sonic. Slamming rhythm sounds, but the leads just never did it for me.
Exactly, if I was just playing rhythm, no problem.
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Miracle man.
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Miracle man.
had one in a 7620. Loved it for rhythm, not so much for lead .
Isna't that a Ceramic magnet?
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Yes it is. But then I didnt so much as read the OP as....not read it.
Nailbomb then.
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seems the Rebel yell/Nalbomb/ Holy diver are the 3 that are getting the most mention here.
anybody play all 3 of these (well I know Nolly has) and let me know which of the 3 is the tightest?
I'm guessing all 3 will be good for lead playing.
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Rebel yell is the tightest of those.
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Rebel Yell is the tightest, Holy Diver has the sweetest leads and Nailbomb is usually regarded as the most versatile with nice leads and still very tight.
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nailbombs, followed by rebel yells. alnico warpigs have a surprisingly smooth lead tone on high notes, even if they're (of course) the most compressed of the bunch... holy divers (in my opinion) are too dry and focused and lack and to work really well on leads, unless you shred at light speed...
cold sweats are really fine in a dark guitar, but you excluded ceramics so i'll do it too.
i would have never said that i could (almost) agree with mark's statement on miracle men until i tuned my MM equipped guitar in B... in E they were too fizzy for my taste.
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holy divers (in my opinion) are too dry and focused and lack and to work really well on leads, unless you shred at light speed...
lol wut
had 16 pickups in my lp copy and the holy diver was hands down the most fluid lead pickup in that guitar
also had the same pickup in two other guitars (that also had several pickups), and the results were the same (well, it sucked for rythms in a gibson sg, but the lead tone was still there)
didn't try the rebel yell, but the diver was much easier to deal on solos than the nailbomb, warpig, miracle man and cold sweat
here's an old cr@ppy video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=BR&hl=pt&v=T1RafxMYU5w
it helped a lot with my poor sloppy playing :lol:
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+1, I'm with you Eric!
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here's an old cr@ppy video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=BR&hl=pt&v=T1RafxMYU5w
it helped a lot with my poor sloppy playing :lol:
Wow man, sounds better on leads than id does on rhythm chugz.
I just loaded up on gear last month, but next guitar I buy I am looking to build a mahogany dual hum guitar. I wanted to put a Rio Grande BBQ/Texas set in the guitar, but now I'm starting to wonder if the Holy Diver or Rebel Yell would be close tonally to that particular set. I really want to try some more BKP's.
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I'm considering the exact same three pickups for my rico as well as I don't like ceramics either (for the same reason). Based on the recommendations I've been getting you may try the Rebel Yell, as it's the tighter of the three and will sound great on mahogany.
The Holydiver sounds somewhat modern and focused to me. I've always associated the clips I've heard of it to Killswitch Engage tone, and watching Eric's video made me confirm that :)
Or you could buy all three from a dealer with money back warranty and keep the one you like the most.
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Well I've got a Rebel Yell on it's way. Now I need to decide whether I want to put it in the Rico
or pull the Painkiller out of the bridge of my Rg7CT and put it in there (as I'm not happy with that pickup at all)
My first impulse is to go with a HolyDiver for my Rico but I'm worried that it may sound muddy
in an all Mahogany neckthru 7?
Between these 3 any one know which has more "lower mids" to it?
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EMG81..
ooooo 8)
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Well I've got a Rebel Yell on it's way. Now I need to decide whether I want to put it in the Rico
or pull the Painkiller out of the bridge of my Rg7CT and put it in there (as I'm not happy with that pickup at all)
My first impulse is to go with a HolyDiver for my Rico but I'm worried that it may sound muddy
in an all Mahogany neckthru 7?
Between these 3 any one know which has more "lower mids" to it?
the holy diver has more lower mids
but the tightness is directly related to your amps, speakers and boosters
in that video I was using a tube preamp through a quite saggy power amp head, that didn't sound tight on the lows with any pickup at all and the guitar was a les paul copy in drop C
the holy diver sounded quite tight through the framus cobra, my friends SLO100 clone, his peavey 5150 and the peavey rockmaster I had
if you have a similar amp (I guess you have a Mesa Mark) or some sort of hot rodded or stock Marshall, it won't mud up at all
it's a quite tight and clear pickup, with just enough warmth in the lows
still tighter than a duncan JB, that's a common pickup in 7-string schecters, for example
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Cool!
I do have a Mesa mark IV and I also have a 5150 II so maybe I will bive the HolyDiver a shot.
I like the lower mid sound of the Miracleman but the lead tone from that pickup left me a little "cold" as well (ceramic again) :(
So maybe the Holydiver thru a boosted mark IV (or a boosted 5150 II) thru a 2X12 recto cab would be tight enough for say something like this? (rhythm tone not lead)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK2i5Ap5Ovo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK2i5Ap5Ovo)
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Cool!
I do have a Mesa mark IV and I also have a 5150 II so maybe I will bive the HolyDiver a shot.
I like the lower mid sound of the Miracleman but the lead tone from that pickup left me a little "cold" as well (ceramic again) :(
So maybe the Holydiver thru a boosted mark IV (or a boosted 5150 II) thru a 2X12 recto cab would be tight enough for say something like this? (rhythm tone not lead)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK2i5Ap5Ovo (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK2i5Ap5Ovo)
yeah, if you're talking of a bass sucking overdrive like a tube screamer or SD-1 based pedal and not a bass heavy pedal like an OCD, Crunchbox or MXR CAE, it will sound that tight through most amps
clean boosters won't help much
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I have a modified SD-1 that I run in front on my MArk IV that tightens it up real nice.
I actually just ordered a Holydiver thru Nick at the Axe-Palace for my BRJ, so I guess I've made a decision :D
thanks again for the input guys!
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Nick has a holy diver fetish, so I'm sure he was glad to help someone get another one in a BRJ (of which he has several as well). Glad you came to a decision, man. Enjoy!
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Interesting. If it sounds good on mahogany, it will sound great with a maple neck through as well. I look forward to read your impressions of it!
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The BRJ is surprisingly bright for an all mahogany guitar (well maple top and ebony board, but you get my drift).
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Well I finally got the Rebel yell in and I decided to put it in my Ibanez RG7CT. The guy I bought it from told me it had a matched set of painkillers in it but come to find out it had a set of ColdSeats in it not Painkillers.
So I yanked the Bridge pickup out and put the Rebel yell in and I must say it's a lot better than it was,
much thicker sounding and still really tight. (The
"clack" I was hearing is now gone and it's no where near as bright or thin sounding. )
I've had a Coldsweat neck 7 before and I loved it so it's no surprise to me that I liked what I was hearing out of the neck pickup.
I need to play around with the height a little bit but so far it gets a thumbs up.
I also decided on trying an Aftermath in my BRJ so that is on it's way.
I may still go with a Holy diver in the end.
I have a USA Jackson SL2H-Mah that has a JB/Jazz combo in it and the JB in that guitar sound just perfect to me.
I've been chasing a 7 string version of that guitars tone for a while now and still haven't found it.
Unfortunately the JB 7 does not match up well to the JB 6 so I need to look elsewhere.
hope fully the Aftermath will get me close enought to where I'm happy with it.
I'm almost ready to start recording some original instrumental shreddy stuff but I still don't have the tone I'm looking for out of my 7 to match up with my Jackson. :(
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I have a USA Jackson SL2H-Mah that has a JB/Jazz combo in it and the JB in that guitar sound just perfect to me.
I've been chasing a 7 string version of that guitars tone for a while now and still haven't found it.
Unfortunately the JB 7 does not match up well to the JB 6 so I need to look elsewhere.
hope fully the Aftermath will get me close enought to where I'm happy with it.
I'm almost ready to start recording some original instrumental shreddy stuff but I still don't have the tone I'm looking for out of my 7 to match up with my Jackson. :(
If the Jackson is a mahogany neckthru, your best bet would be trying to capture that tone with the Rico. Rebel Yells have a similar EQ curve than current JBs, so maybe if you swap pickups between guitars you'll find the sound you're looking for.
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good idea!
once the Aftermath is in I'll figure it out.
The RG7CT is mah/maple top + bolt on maple neck,
I figured it wouldn't be too different from the Rico,but I'm probably off in that thinking.
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the diver is still closer to the jb
the rebel yell is thinner, tighter and brighter
more articulate than both jb and diver
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Ok I had forgotten how Height sensitive these PUPs are.
i was a little underwhelmed with this thing until I started palying around with it's height.
I found it's sweet spot and man oh man this thing sings.
Zimbloth over at the Axe-Palace had told me that it should like a tighter alnico Nailbomb.
Dead on description!
I had a NB in my all Mahigany Carvin DC727 and this sounds very similar but tighter.
It's not very modern sounding (a bit of a "Satch" type vibe to it)
but that's ok with me.
I will try to put a clip ASAP
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Satch? Really?
I guess in different players hands, its always gonna sound different. I named the aftermath after this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0n2Ew2RS4o
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Satch? Really?
I guess in different players hands, its always gonna sound different. I named the aftermath after this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0n2Ew2RS4o
when I use 'satch" as a reference think "Satch Boogie" or "Crushing Day" but thicker sounding
Actually alot like this (I was jamming out to this tune today and I was really close to this type of sound )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26A9Ly-KY90&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26A9Ly-KY90&feature=related)
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Satch? Really?
I guess in different players hands, its always gonna sound different. I named the aftermath after this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0n2Ew2RS4o
I think he's talking about the Rebel Yell.
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Satch? Really?
I guess in different players hands, its always gonna sound different. I named the aftermath after this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0n2Ew2RS4o
I think he's talking about the Rebel Yell.
Yes I am talking about the Rebel Yell, I haven't gotten my Aftermath yet