Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: kmanick on April 13, 2011, 03:03:15 AM
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So I decided to try an Aftermath in the bridge of my Bernie Rico 7 string.
not loving it. :(
I replaced a Crunchlab with itand it doesn't sound all that different
from the Crunchlab to me.
I was hoping for thicker fuller single note lines but alas the dreaded ceramic magnet has foiled me again.
My Rico is all mahogany with a maple top and an ebony board, and for some reason my bridge pickups sound really bright. (it has a 500k pot , checked that out already)
I have a Rebel Yell in my RG7CT and I love it, but I want something different in this guitar.
so I'm thinking a HolyDiver or if I can get my hands on a 7 string AlnicoV magnet maybe swapping out the Ceramic pickup in the Aftermath?
I like the toanlity of the Aftermath but I need something warmer.
I don't Djent and I don't play death metal , more Prog/shred (I play a lot of lead)
and I don't use insane amounts of gain (this is thru a Mesa mark IV)
I need some suggestions
thanks
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If you like the tonality of the Aftermath, maybe you could ask Tim about putting the neck model on the bridge. i'd been very curious to try some of the neck models on the bridge myself, as I feel the same as you towards ceramic magnets.
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i'm not sure of what you love in the AM tone if you find it too trebly and thin, but an excellent choice - if you're mostly a lead guitarist - could be an alnico nailbomb. best lead tone (IMO) of all BKP range, the right amount of bass and mids and a bright but rounded top end...
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I have found (IMO) that with high outpbu ceramic pickups that the sound on the lower strings is
very good, nice and tight with good clarity, but this translates to an almost single coil type of sound on the higher strings. This drives me crazy, I hear it with almost evey ceramic bridge pick up out there that I've tried.
The Nailbomb is great I had one in my old Carvin DC727, but I actually like the Rebel Yell better, it sounds very close to a nailbomb but with a tighter bottom end.
If I didn't already have one in my Ibanez RG7CT 7 I'd grab another, but I want some variation with my 7's (all 3 of them :D )
I think I'm going to try a HolyDiver. I got a response back from Ben at BK this morning and I like am leaning in that direction.
the only Ceramic 7 I've liked so far in the bride is the MiracleMan (in y 7620's).
For some reason in Basswood this pickup kicks ass.
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I was hoping for thicker fuller single note lines but alas the dreaded ceramic magnet has foiled me again.
so I'm thinking a HolyDiver or if I can get my hands on a 7 string AlnicoV magnet maybe swapping out the Ceramic pickup in the Aftermath?
I like the toanlity of the Aftermath but I need something warmer.
I don't Djent and I don't play death metal , more Prog/shred (I play a lot of lead)
and I don't use insane amounts of gain (this is thru a Mesa mark IV)
This to me screams Holydiver but Alnico Nailbomb would work, too.
Cheers Stephan
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I have found (IMO) that with high outpbu ceramic pickups that the sound on the lower strings is
very good, nice and tight with good clarity, but this translates to an almost single coil type of sound on the higher strings.
you should ask tim to make a mixed magnet pickup... :lol:
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you should ask tim to make a mixed magnet pickup... :lol:
I was under the impression the Aftermath had several magnets in it(was it 3?). Not too sure on what's inside exactly, but maybe that could be used to an advantage if you're the magnet swapping type. :wink:
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you should ask tim to make a mixed magnet pickup... :lol:
I was under the impression the Aftermath had several magnets in it(was it 3?). Not too sure on what's inside exactly, but maybe that could be used to an advantage if you're the magnet swapping type. :wink:
he would probably need a 4mm alnico bar in a 7-string size
that would be interesting for sure
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I just checked the specs 3 custom size ceramic magnets.
I'm not going to mess with it.
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holy diver then
you'll lose a lot of output and keep a similar voicing, but you'll get a much warmer picking response (did this straight AM->HD swap recently)
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I have found (IMO) that with high outpbu ceramic pickups that the sound on the lower strings is
very good, nice and tight with good clarity, but this translates to an almost single coil type of sound on the higher strings. This drives me crazy, I hear it with almost evey ceramic bridge pick up out there that I've tried.
I feel exactly the same! It's the reason I went "Alnico" on most guitars now.
I would encourage you to try the Holy Diver as well, I think it might be a little more suited for your style than the Nailbomb.
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glad to hear it (and know I'm not crazy :D )
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I would count in a alnico warpig 7 too. mine sounds amazing in my Rg, its one of my most used recording guitars. The notes are warm and clear, the cleans are not bad either too
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My BRJ is all Mahogany with a maple top.
I have a Miracleman in my RG7620 and love it!
I'm pretty much decided on going with the HolyDiver (If I can get my hands on one)
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One thing to try with the aftermath is to get that pickup really close to the strings like 2mm. Then back away the bass side until the bass sounds not so flabby. I realized with the aftermath it's all about pickup height it's really sensitive.
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On the treble strings raise the poles closest to the neck. This will thicken the sound off those strings.
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thanks for the suggestions , I'll give them a try!
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On the treble strings raise the poles closest to the neck. This will thicken the sound off those strings.
I actually do this as well and it works for me too. Those pole pieces really help fine tune things. I raise the bridge side on the 2 lowest strings to tighten up the bass and attack a bit it realy cuts the flub down but if you want it to sound warmer and looser you can always raise the neck side I'm sure it'll get you closer to what you're after. And in general if the pickup is closer it's going to sound fatter and more compressed, and further away more open and wider. I felt when the aftermath was far away it just really lost all it's charm it felt really weak and empty. Just try a bunch of stuff and see where you get.
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so I just looked at the pickup can I just loosen the screws? (pole pieces are screw on mine)
and do I need to do both sides (front back /not left right)
obviously I've never done this before :lol:
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yes you can loosen and tighten however you want. Basically if you are looking at the pickup the screws closest to the bridge side when raised will increase high end response and general tightness. The set of screws closest to the neck when raised will fatten the tone and reduce brightness, it'll probably sound a little looser. So you can custom set each strings response. I raise about 1/2-1 turn the bridge side pole under my lowest 2 strings to tighten their bass response and add attack. Under my 2 unwound highest strings I do the opposite and raise the neck side pole pieces to fatten them up and give them a slightly warmer less trebly response. So when looking at each string there is 2 pole pieces beneath each one and those 2 effect that strings tone. So remember when raising closer to the bridge adds high end and attack, and closer to the neck adds warmth and fattness.
Also, this might be subtle so don't expect it to sound like a whole new guitar. In mine I hear the change very easily. Hope this helps.
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awesome thank you!
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and if you raise both equally you are going to increase the output for that string so if you have uneven volume response you can correct that as well. A lot of guys will follow the arc of the neck as a starting point so each string is equally distant to the pickup then tweak from there. Someone explained that altering the bridge/neck pole balance will shift the resonant peak of the pickup so raising the bridge side shifts that peak to a higher frequency and raising the neck side shifts it to a lower frequency.
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ya I just tried this for the last hour.
still no good.
Unfortunately this thing is on it's way out.
It's just not a good match for this guitar (which blows my mind since it's all mahogany with a maple top) :?
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yea sometimes it isn't meant to be, there are so many pickups out there. You'll find the right one.
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If you don't like ceramics, you won't like it regardless of the guitar. I've hated every ceramic pickup that I tried for anything but metal. :lol: