Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: metalmaniac93 on February 20, 2011, 10:24:18 PM
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I was wondering what the best contemporary pick-ups for an ESP Horizon Neck-Thru with Mahogany Sides and Maple Top. I just ordered the guitar and it comes with the typical SD JB/59 combo. I usually play thru an Engl Savage and want a pick-up that is kind of versatile and not too over the top. Tim recommended the Aftermath, but I am afraid it might be too tight and not as versatile? Plus I have tended to stay away from ceramic pick-ups. He is the man and should know. It appears the Holy Diver sounds like something I would like since it can do more than just metal. Also locking at the Nailbomb A5, which I heard was awesome. Any suggestions from this group.
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Tim knows his pickups best. What I read here is that the Aftermath is very tight in the lowend and on the dry side. Seems you're not after that. The HD is reckoned to be the best leadpickup in the alnico-league. Cleans up well too. The NB is a great allrounder, more agressive on the uppermids then the HD, but with less roundness/fatness of the HD. I think HD could be your pu, but your better ask HD-users on the forum.
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Telerocker,
Thanks!!! Yes, I am looking for a sweet sounding lead pickup that also can do some heavy metal rhythms/riffs. I am mostly a lead player anyways, but do like the thrash/modern riffs as well as some of the older 80s stuff like Ozzy, Maiden, Dio, Priest, Dokken, Metallica, etc . I also have a Schecter C-7 Blackjack with the JB and does some of the heavy modern riffs very well thru the Engl Savage. I read that the HD is similar to the JB, but is tighter and fatter with more pronounced lower mids.
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HDs are really great for what you need, the neck is also an amazing pickup as well! if you like the SD JB you are going to love these :D
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I am looking for a sweet sounding lead pickup that also can do some heavy metal rhythms/riffs. I am mostly a lead player anyways, but do like the thrash/modern riffs as well as some of the older 80s stuff like Ozzy, Maiden, Dio, Priest, Dokken, Metallica, etc .
That sounds like a Holydiver is the way to go.
I read that the HD is similar to the JB, but is tighter and fatter with more pronounced lower mids.
I agree to the "tighter and fatter with more pronounced lower mids" part. That makes it much different to the JB.
Cheers Stephan
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but...
i'm quite sure you'll prefer A5 Nailbombs!
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Might I ask why he'd prefer an alnico Nailbomb? I don't know that much about Bare Knuckle pickups yet but it seems to me that the Holy Diver, alnico Nailbomb and alnico Warpig might all do what he wants as they're all hot and got that sweet alnico tone but I don't really understand why one would be better over another.
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Had both a NB and HD set in a ESP Horizon NTI (so Ash wings), the nailbomb were incredibly good but had this constant aggressive edge that i found hard to tame...
The real revelation was the HD set. It's tight enough and has ton of rich mids; lead tone is stellar. It will likely remains there.
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Might I ask why he'd prefer an alnico Nailbomb? I don't know that much about Bare Knuckle pickups yet but it seems to me that the Holy Diver, alnico Nailbomb and alnico Warpig might all do what he wants as they're all hot and got that sweet alnico tone but I don't really understand why one would be better over another.
because when i think about sweet lead tones AND modern thrash riffis i think about nailbombs!
in my opinion they're the best lead pickups around...
and by the way great nickname! ;)
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and by the way great nickname! ;)
Thanks :D I'm a big fan of 'The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy'. I wanted to call my first son Zaphod Beeblebrox but the wife wouldn't let me :(
Thanks for the insight. It's interesting that nobody suggests the Warpig so perhaps I was on the wrong track with that one. It seems that both the Nailbomb and Holy Diver are very good and it boils down to if you want an aggressive edge or not. I'm probably going to be getting a maple neck-thru guitar myself soon so this thread is of particular interest to me, however, I won't hijack this thread with my own requirements as that wouldn't be fair. I'll carry on researching and start my own thread when the time comes.
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Ash J Williams and Dheim, thanks for your recommendations. I am leaning more towards the HD, but the A-NB is my second choice. I have an Engl Savage 120, so I do not need an overly agressive pick-up with an upper midrange spike. The Engl Savage is voiced in the upper midrange and is plenty aggressive.
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I'm with J Williams
the Savage, like all other ENGL models, is already plenty of edge
and so is the Diver!
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J Williams, is the HD neck articulate enough when used with high gain like the Engl or do I need to go with something like a CS in the neck?
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It's interesting that nobody suggests the Warpig so perhaps I was on the wrong track with that one.
the pig is perhaps my favourite pickup (both alnico and ceramic versions), and i think it's much more versatile than it could look like, being a massive beast, but it's got a very aggressive edge that could be simply too much for metalmaniac's needs (if i really got the idea of what they are...)
regarding maple neck throughs, i happen to own one (http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=20655.msg278258#msg278258), with mahogany wings and a set of alnico nailbombs that sound absolutely killer! :)
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J Williams, is the HD neck articulate enough when used with high gain like the Engl or do I need to go with something like a CS in the neck?
it is, it is, don't fear! it's quite scooped, at least compared to the middy CS, and lacks CS's incredible balance between definition and fluidity, but it's quite articulate itself, even if much warmer. if you love warm PAFy neck pickups i suggest the HD. the CS has got a peculiar tone, much less vintage(ish)
for the record, i've got an ENGL Fireball100, so there's plenty of gain to talk about! ;)
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dheim, that is an awesome looking guitar. Never heard of the company. Nailbombs are my second choice, but the Engl Savage is plenty aggressive and I am afraid the A5 NB will be a bit too much. I also play other stuff and while this will be mostly a metal guitar, i can get some fairly aggressive tones out of my Heritage 150CM (Les Paul Style) with Lindy Fralin Vintage Output PUs when plugged into the Savage.
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Yes, the Engl Fireball is brutal!!! Another great amp!!!
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it's not a company, just a small luthier i would be surprised to learn you had heard about!
anyway my NB suggestion is based purely on my limited experience... i had HDs in an all-mahogany dark guitar (wrong, WRONG choice) and in an Ibz S, that's a difficult beast to tame... very middy and quite bright, it worked well with HDs but had a very focused and "dry" tone, that was not completely right for me... i still have to find a bad sounding NB, and i've got (or had) alnico and ceramic bombs in 5 different guitars. other forumites had a totally different experience with nailbombs and divers, actually...
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I am still trying to choose the right PU and do not want to go wrong since they are expensive. I also have an Ibanez RG Prestige (Mahogany with Maple Top) with an Air Norton and TZ that I might decide to swap out for something else. Maybe the A5 Nailbomb in the bridge?
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I think the "problem" with the diver is not about all mahogany guitars, but THIN body mahogany guitars
I had a brazilian les paul standard copy that wasn't all mahogany, but had an imbuya top, that is way darker and more muffled sounding than mahogany, and a thick brazilian mahogany (same species as the honduran) body and neck
that was a quite dark and VERY bass heavy guitar, even with the painkiller and also the miracle man
and the holy diver sounded AWESOME in the guitar
even better than in my jap les paul copy with maple top, that's way brighter
the SG faded I had was just as resonant and had the same acoustic "reverb" and detailed honduras mahogany tone, but the same pickup sounded awful in that SG
it still ruled on leads, but the rhythm tone was pretty bad for BKP standards
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J Williams, is the HD neck articulate enough when used with high gain like the Engl or do I need to go with something like a CS in the neck?
Well i think dheim has greatly described the HD neck.
It's pretty much a matter of what you're expecting of a tight neck pup; the HD neck is really beautiful and versatile.
If you need the tightest alnico-style Petrucci neck lead, Coldsweat definitely. Plus, it's very versatile too.
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J Williams, thanks!! I do have a little time because my guitar is being built, but I might buy a set of Holy Divers from my Carvin Bolt-T Plus Alder guitar, if I can get them to fit. I love that guitar and it plays like a dream, but the Carvin PUs are just not cutting it.
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I think this kind of guitar + the HDs will be an extraordinary match.
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J Williams, I just pulled the trigger and ordered a pair from Guitar Asylum (NY).
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The Holydiver has the Megadeth smooth distortion (Youthanasia, Countdown to Extinction) as well as the Whitesnake John Sykes 1987 tone (CHildren of the Night etc - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrQ9kwJmj70). It's great in my LTD MH400 mahogany/maple top body, maple/rosewood neck - set through construction (deep set-neck).
Tight enough and its main characteristic is that it's smooth and very clear with a balanced EQ.
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The Holydiver keeps going up in my estimation the more I hear about it.
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Looking forward to them in my Carvin Bolt-T Plus. I will go with the HD in the bridge and possibly a CS in the neck for the ESP NTII when it arrives. John Sykes is one of my favs. I was just watching the Sykes Live In LA 1995 last night.