Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: witeter on October 21, 2011, 06:32:49 PM
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This may be slightly pointless i know but Ive recently oredered a Cold Sweat bridge which is currently being fitted-however the tech has a backlog and it wont be ready for about a week-hence im just dying to try it but in the meantime cant stop thinking about it and the tones itll provide :-) so just wondered if you guys could make things a zillion times worse telling me what you like most about your Coldsweat bridge! :-)
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sorry to say, but it sucks :(
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I'm interested in knowing more about this bridge. I never hardly hear people talk about it. You hear people talk about the bridge pickups on all the other models, but this is the one were people only seem to speak about the neck.
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Oooooh interesting :-) well i will be finding out soon whether it sucks or not-im expecting it to be like a slightly less hotter ceramic nailbomb with a bit more percusiveness and highs-i will be reviewing it once i have it installed.
By the way Eric-why didnt you like it? what guitar did you install it in? what music were you playing?
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Well to me the cold sweat bridge is like a less hot & less bassy miracle man.
Those are the main two differences.
Now onto the CS in general its tight, clear, punchy and has a great high end presence & midrange character but for what i play it was just a tad too bright
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Hey man thanks for that-and what music was it that you played? and what guitar was it installed into? i was after something with a better mid-high end attack and im hoping that in my all mahogany guitar itll shine and not be too trebly
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Hey man thanks for that-and what music was it that you played? and what guitar was it installed into? i was after something with a better mid-high end attack and im hoping that in my all mahogany guitar itll shine and not be too trebly
It was in my Ibanez RGD before i swapped it out for an aftermath i put it into my RGA which is mahogany and it sounded a lot better and was a lot more suited to the guitar.
In fact that was when i noticed how similar it was to the miracle man as that guitar usually has a miracle man in the bridge.
What kinda guitar are you getting it in?
Oh and i play 80s thrash sorta stuff with a lot of modern & power metal influences thrown in there
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Hey man thanks again for the info-im putting it into my PRS SE Tremonti, mahogany body and neck, rosewood board. I play heavy stuff (90s and modern metal) though wanted something versatile also. I was told it should be fine and do what i want it to do..we shall see i guess?
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Hey man thanks again for the info-im putting it into my PRS SE Tremonti, mahogany body and neck, rosewood board. I play heavy stuff (90s and modern metal) though wanted something versatile also. I was told it should be fine and do what i want it to do..we shall see i guess?
Im surprised you didn't get the Ceramic Nailbomb or Miracle Man. They both work wonders in mahogany guitars.
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I imagine it will work very well for you.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it once you've played it for a few days.
One thing to note is BKPs are very sensitive to height which you may already know but the CS is more so.
So if it doesnt sound quite right make a few adjustments and you should get where you want
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Hey man thanks again for the info-im putting it into my PRS SE Tremonti, mahogany body and neck, rosewood board. I play heavy stuff (90s and modern metal) though wanted something versatile also. I was told it should be fine and do what i want it to do..we shall see i guess?
Im surprised you didn't get the Ceramic Nailbomb or Miracle Man. They both work wonders in mahogany guitars.
They do but so does the CS
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Hey man thanks again for the info-im putting it into my PRS SE Tremonti, mahogany body and neck, rosewood board. I play heavy stuff (90s and modern metal) though wanted something versatile also. I was told it should be fine and do what i want it to do..we shall see i guess?
Im surprised you didn't get the Ceramic Nailbomb or Miracle Man. They both work wonders in mahogany guitars.
Of course. I'm actually very interested to see what he thinks of the Cold Sweat bridge, and hopefully hear some clips :)
They do but so does the CS
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Ah cool thanks well will deffinetely review it once i have a chance to mess around with it.
Well i already have a PRS fitted with a C-Bomb set, and its great but a bit on the scooped side, not a big deal as i play with lots of mids from the amp live, so its fine. But was curious to try something even more versatile maybe and with a bit more mid/high end hence i was advised on the CS-also was told that its extremely clear which sounds very cool!
Will deff mess around with height-do u remember how close you used to have it to the strings (prob a stupid question i know lol)
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To be honest i cant remember at all it was well over a year ago when i had a CS i just remembered that the closer you got the bass got a really great kick but too close and it was too much
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Ok cool no worries man will mess around with it when i have it installed and do a review also-did you find it to be a very clear pickup?
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Ah cool thanks well will deffinetely review it once i have a chance to mess around with it.
Well i already have a PRS fitted with a C-Bomb set, and its great but a bit on the scooped side, not a big deal as i play with lots of mids from the amp live, so its fine. But was curious to try something even more versatile maybe and with a bit more mid/high end hence i was advised on the CS-also was told that its extremely clear which sounds very cool!
Will deff mess around with height-do u remember how close you used to have it to the strings (prob a stupid question i know lol)
I thought the Coldsweat was as scooped as the C-Bomb in terms of EQ, except the Cold Sweat has a tad bit more high end? I'm surprised you didn't go for the alnico Nailbomb if you wanted a more versatile p/u with extra mids. But then again EQ aint always the case. I've seen the Holy Diver in Les Pauls that sound great. The good thing is, if you don;t like the Cold Sweat, you're always free to exchange it with another p/u from BKP. That's the great thing about Bare Knuckle :)
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i was after some more mid/top end though i do agree that from the eq charts, it does look as scooped but has more highs-as u say all guitar is different so i wont know till i have it installed..nervous wait lol
Yeah thats what i figured if i didnt like it,etc i wuold replace it with an Aftermath-how long have i got to send it back? is it 2 weeks? and do i need to activate the guarantee before doing this? cheers man
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i was after some more mid/top end though i do agree that from the eq charts, it does look as scooped but has more highs-as u say all guitar is different so i wont know till i have it installed..nervous wait lol
Yeah thats what i figured if i didnt like it,etc i wuold replace it with an Aftermath-how long have i got to send it back? is it 2 weeks? and do i need to activate the guarantee before doing this? cheers man
This is something I'd actually be very interested to know tbh. If you got it from BKP directly, I think it's just a matter of keeping your reciept. Regarding the time you have, I have no idea. I was going to say, if you don't like it; try the Rebel Yell. It's like an Alnico Nailbomb except it tracks the bass notes a lot better (you could say like a Ceramic does tbh) and it just has that bit more presence about it, and is a lot clearer. I find it a lot more versatile too. When you get the Cold Sweats, i think you'll really like the neck pickup, so if you don;t like the bridge, but you do the neck; replace the bridge with a Rebel Yell. They're a great match. I personally don't think the clips do it much justice to show how much of a great pickup it is in terms of sound and versatility
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Ah ok cool yeah will drop them an email to find out - it may be an issue because as im not fitting it myself its taking a while to get it sorted (due to backlog of guitar tech) so if i dont like it i will have to make a quick decision if im thinking of sending it back and theres a time constraint.
Thanks for the recommendation-i would never have thought of the Rebel Yell to be honest but will deffinetely consider it if the CS is not my thing-im only getting the bridge btw as i didnt have enough money to get a set. What if i didnt like the CS bridge but just chucked it into the neck and got a different bridge? weird but may work...lol
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Ah ok cool yeah will drop them an email to find out - it may be an issue because as im not fitting it myself its taking a while to get it sorted (due to backlog of guitar tech) so if i dont like it i will have to make a quick decision if im thinking of sending it back and theres a time constraint.
Thanks for the recommendation-i would never have thought of the Rebel Yell to be honest but will deffinetely consider it if the CS is not my thing-im only getting the bridge btw as i didnt have enough money to get a set. What if i didnt like the CS bridge but just chucked it into the neck and got a different bridge? weird but may work...lol
I wouldn't recommend it, but hey, what do I know? The EMG 85 is actually a bridge p/u ya know? Now it's like the Universal EMG neck p/u. Regarding the Rebel Yell, I was the same. There was nights I even questioned myself if I'd made a mistake. I don't know why, but I had bad vibes from my decision the entire time. it's only a Miracle I ended up actually getting it. I just think the BKP clips and the description kind of gives you the wrong idea regarding its versatility. I think they should add some more clips for it and make the description bigger because, really, it is a great pickup. I'd say its the best pickup for versatility, but the Nailbomb just slightly edges it out due to the fact it seems to work better in most guitars. but for your guitar, it's the rebel Yell over the Nailbomb hands down. You would really be surprised. Nolly on here has a band called Red Seas Fire, and I was blown away by how heavy it actually sounded when you need it to be. But how nice it is for less intense stuff.
Anyways I'm going to shut up now. I'm probably going to make you nervous about ya Cold Sweat if I carry on haha. When the truth is I've never played the CS bridge so I can't compare.
Oh and I've been there before when fitting pickups. I bugger it up everytime I try, so I have to wait like a week for a tech, lol
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Regarding the bridge pickup in the neck slot.
I actually used a bridge nailbomb in the neck with a Miracle man in the bridge for quite some time.
i preferred it in the neck by a long shot it was very fluid and excellent for legato stuff
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Hehe no worries man i make myself nervous without anyone saying anything lol-its that thing of not knowing 100% how that pu will react to your specific guitar...ah well , will just have to suck it and see..
Yeah it was Nolly who actually recommended me the coldsweat bridge, so im sure itll be a winner!
the rebel yell does sound intriguing-i know what you mean about the descriptions, its because of that that i would never ever had considered that pup for the stuff i play-id think it was too low output or just not suited for that stuff.
Yeah i knew the 85 was supposed to be a bridge pup! u never know i may stumble on some great sound with the CS bridge as a neck pup-similar to what toe-knee just mentioned, i suppose if u dont try these things youd never know :-)
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Hehe no worries man i make myself nervous without anyone saying anything lol-its that thing of not knowing 100% how that pu will react to your specific guitar...ah well , will just have to suck it and see..
Yeah it was Nolly who actually recommended me the coldsweat bridge, so im sure itll be a winner!
the rebel yell does sound intriguing-i know what you mean about the descriptions, its because of that that i would never ever had considered that pup for the stuff i play-id think it was too low output or just not suited for that stuff.
Yeah i knew the 85 was supposed to be a bridge pup! u never know i may stumble on some great sound with the CS bridge as a neck pup-similar to what toe-knee just mentioned, i suppose if u dont try these things youd never know :-)
Aye that's always true. Nolly knows his BKPs very well, so you've definitely been advised by someone very well educated. And the Rebel Yell is actually higher output than the Cold Sweat. The Cold Sweat is actually a pretty low output p/u. But you wouldn't think it, tbh. But if it comes to the point where you're not keen on the Cold Sweat, or you think the differences between that and the C-Bomb isn't worth £200 (+fitting), then message Nolly about the Rebel Yell. He knows it VERY WELL!!
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Awesome man thanks for that-will deff. drop him a line to recommend me another pup if im not keen on the CS-and yeah i didnt realise the RY was higher output lol just checked the website now! but ive also been told that its not like the CS is weak or anything. One thing that would put me off the Rebel Yell though is the Alnico bridge magnet, now if there was a ceramic option if would be an absolute contender in my eyes for the kind of stuff i play. Im just hoping itll give this other guitar of mine a different tone to what i already have without being too harsh on the treble-ive also read the CS is actually tighter/more percussive than the CBomb which surprised me :-) in a verrrrry good way :-)
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I dont think youll have any issues with the CS.
I personally cant stand Alnico pickups for metal unless im using a modeller as they are nowhere near tight enough unless you hit the preamp really hard with a boost or something which just isnt what i want to be doing
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Yeah same here-thats what would put me off the RY tbh, my bridges always have to ceramic, its like the first condition for any of my guitars lol well cant wait for the pup to be installed and to give u guys a review-hopefully itll all work out. I also ordered one of those pots to go with it which suppsedly gives you more top end, so we shall see how it works out with that also..
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Awesome man thanks for that-will deff. drop him a line to recommend me another pup if im not keen on the CS-and yeah i didnt realise the RY was higher output lol just checked the website now! but ive also been told that its not like the CS is weak or anything. One thing that would put me off the Rebel Yell though is the Alnico bridge magnet, now if there was a ceramic option if would be an absolute contender in my eyes for the kind of stuff i play. Im just hoping itll give this other guitar of mine a different tone to what i already have without being too harsh on the treble-ive also read the CS is actually tighter/more percussive than the CBomb which surprised me :-) in a verrrrry good way :-)
This is something I don't get about the Rebel Yell. Its Alnico, but has the tightness of a Ceramic. Its very very weird. But being Alnico, it regains that more organic feel. It's like the best of both worlds. If you suggested a Ceramic Rebel Yell to Tim, he'd probably just say to get a C-Bomb, lol. Advantage of the Rebel Yell is that it regains that mid range weight. I find the C-Bomb has a kind of grind within the mid range.
Here's something you might never have noticed on the clips: Listen to all the Ceramic Modern Metal clips and leave the Ceramic Nailbomb till last. When you listen to it, you'll recognise a sort of grinding sound that the others don't have. This will make up your mind whether you can or can't live without that certain quality. And something which really is weird; If you listen to the first chord on the C-Bomb, you'll notice that it almost starts to turn into an overdriven feedback, which really adds character. Bit of pointless info, but I had to share it, haha
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I dont think youll have any issues with the CS.
I personally cant stand Alnico pickups for metal unless im using a modeller as they are nowhere near tight enough unless you hit the preamp really hard with a boost or something which just isnt what i want to be doing
Just listen to Nolly's band 'Red Seas Fire'. now you can't say that's not tight. You can download it for free here ---> http://www.redseasfire.co.uk/
Oh and regarding you saying the CS aint exactly weak. Just look at the Aftermaths output. And that's like BKPs most metal pickup
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Ah thanks man-nope i have never noticed that and yes i know what u mean! i do kinda like that but its not something that would be pivotal in my choice. Interesting you mention about the ceramic style tightness of the RY, seems almost as if its some kind of hybrid, even though its not-very intrigued. Oh yeah i know RSF are tiiight but then again it is low tuning and through an Axe-Fx and then professionally reamped-probably a single coil would sound uber tight through a setting like that :-) . I mean more about how the RY would feel when you play live,etc as you cant mess around with the sound as much as when u record and i'd love to hear it with no frills and see how it compares to a ceramic magnet-youve deffinetely got mke theinking though!
Yeah youre right about the output, it can be misleading for ppl still learning about all this stuff like myself as immediately you think oh this is weaker than that one,etc-when its not necessarily the case
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I dont think youll have any issues with the CS.
I personally cant stand Alnico pickups for metal unless im using a modeller as they are nowhere near tight enough unless you hit the preamp really hard with a boost or something which just isnt what i want to be doing
Just listen to Nolly's band 'Red Seas Fire'. now you can't say that's not tight. You can download it for free here ---> http://www.redseasfire.co.uk/
Oh and regarding you saying the CS aint exactly weak. Just look at the Aftermaths output. And that's like BKPs most metal pickup
yeah ive heard it.
its reamped and boosted through a high gain amp.
I prefer to just go straight into an amp with no boosting etc so alnicos are completely out of the question for me.
And also a lot of the tightness on that demo is in the production.
I'm not saying they're bad they just really aren't tight enough for me
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I think the ep sound of RSF is great, but would love to try the RY for live use,etc and see how it sounds,etc. I play through a Mesa so i have to boost that amp im afraid, so it maybe that an Alnico RY would be fine through my rig as im not going direct. But if i was to go Alnico on the bridge i would 100% have to hear it or try it first as id be going into uncharted territory for me :-)
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I think the ep sound of RSF is great, but would love to try the RY for live use,etc and see how it sounds,etc. I play through a Mesa so i have to boost that amp im afraid, so it maybe that an Alnico RY would be fine through my rig as im not going direct. But if i was to go Alnico on the bridge i would 100% have to hear it or try it first as id be going into uncharted territory for me :-)
Well Nolly would be more than happy enough to provide you with recordings, clips, etc. Give him a message.
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will do man cheers!! logging off for the day so thanks to all u guys for ur input- i really appreciate it!
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sorry to say, but it sucks :(
Most unhelpful comment I've seen on the forum - everybody's mileage differs
I have coldsweat sets in a few of my guitars and love them .
It does exactly what it says on the tin. (this is the important bit)
It is as has been said a bass light version of the Miracle Man, but it is utterly fantastic for early 80s rock and metal tones , and in the right guitar it slays.
I use mine for John Sykes and Michael Schenker type stuff - either in Les Pauls or flying Vs (or explorer) guitars
Now in certain guitars it may seem a bit thin and gutless , but that is down to a mismatch of pickup and guitar.
NEVER overlook the effect the woods and hardware of the guitar has on the tone
I am in a lucky position to have boxes full of BKPs and can swap pickups between guitars
Sometimes I have found that on a certain guitar I preferred the Miracle Man to the Cold Sweat if the guitar needed more low mids to the sound, while other times the CS has suited my needs better
There is no one pickup solution to all your needs - you need to marry up the pickup to the guitar based on YOUR OWN preferences for sound and not someone elses, as they may not like the same harmonic signature that you crave.
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sorry to say, but it sucks :(
Most unhelpful comment I've seen on the forum - everybody's mileage differs
I have coldsweat sets in a few of my guitars and love them .
It does exactly what it says on the tin. (this is the important bit)
It is as has been said a bass light version of the Miracle Man, but it is utterly fantastic for early 80s rock and metal tones , and in the right guitar it slays.
I use mine for John Sykes and Michael Schenker type stuff - either in Les Pauls or flying Vs (or explorer) guitars
Now in certain guitars it may seem a bit thin and gutless , but that is down to a mismatch of pickup and guitar.
NEVER overlook the effect the woods and hardware of the guitar has on the tone
I am in a lucky position to have boxes full of BKPs and can swap pickups between guitars
Sometimes I have found that on a certain guitar I preferred the Miracle Man to the Cold Sweat if the guitar needed more low mids to the sound, while other times the CS has suited my needs better
There is no one pickup solution to all your needs - you need to marry up the pickup to the guitar based on YOUR OWN preferences for sound and not someone elses, as they may not like the same harmonic signature that you crave.
An extremely good post!
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I've been recommended the Cold Sweat by both Tim and Ben.
I'm buying a Tokai Goldtop LP and plan to install a CS set in it.
Like Felineguitars says, there's no absolutes. It depends on taste (one man's dull is an other man's warm), interaction with a specific guitar and the rest of your rig.
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I have a Cold Sweat in the bridge of an Ash bodied strat and really like it.
It's very cutting and cuts through a mix great, but (imo atleast) isn't overly harsh sounding.
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Hey Brow thanks for that-yeah I love my CBomb in the other gtr but did find that I had to really boost my mids on my amp to cut through live (compared to the stock pups i had in there previously)-this is not a big deal as thats what the EQ on the amp is for-right?
I just wanted a pickup this time round that offered me a more cut-through-the-mix sound by itself and added another sound to my arsenal-yet was still tight and percussive :-)
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Well to me the cold sweat bridge is like a less hot & less bassy miracle man.
That is a very good description. It is the exact same experience when I replaced the Miracle Man for a Cold Sweat.
Now onto the CS in general its tight, clear, punchy and has a great high end presence & midrange character
Exactly. It really opened up the guitar I put it in. The enhanced presence was just what that guitar needed.
Cheers Stephan
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Awesome :-) thats just what i want to achieve- to open the guitar up if u know what i mean.
Did any of you guys notice it to be clearer than some of the other modern sounding BKP?
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Did any of you guys notice it to be clearer than some of the other modern sounding BKP?
All the contemporary BKPs I played - see my signature - had clarity but to me the CS and RY have the most, followed by the MiM, the HD and the A-Bomb.
Keep in mind though that the A-Bomb was still clearer than ALL the pickups of other makers I had in that particular guitar.
Cheers Stephan
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Yeah i know what u mean, I have a Cbomb and thats clearer than any of the other pickups ive had-glad to hear the CS is one of the most clear, thats just what i wanted also-really good clarity, even for BKP standards!