Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: EffigyForgotten on January 30, 2012, 10:18:02 AM

Title: Metal pickups.
Post by: EffigyForgotten on January 30, 2012, 10:18:02 AM
Hey guys, i'm looking for 2 sets of pickups for metal tones both for PRS SEs.

1) For my current PRS because the emgs sound "boring" I guess and the 81 in the bridge sounds really thin and the 85 just sounds like mud. I use this guitar for prog metal anywhere from dream theater to opeth and I would like it to sound more organic while having a good lead sound and be tight enough to play thrash and more old school death metal like death. I want a neck pickup with a balanced clean sound that doesn't get harsh in the highs or have to much bass as well as have a lead tone that can cut through.

2) Another PRS, this will be my primary heavier guitar which has a longer scale length and I will use this guitar for B standard, Bb and A standard. I like these tunings for slower death metal/doom stuff that I write myself and the stock pickups that come in this guitar IMO are horrible, I don't use huge strings (in fact I still haven't tried anything bigger than a 54) and I like to play stuff like meshuggah as well and their tone is amazing and is something I like to also be able to do with this guitar.

Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: ericsabbath on January 30, 2012, 11:21:33 AM
1) nailbomb bridge / cold sweat neck

2) painkiller bridge / nailbomb neck
Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: darkbluemurder on January 30, 2012, 11:51:46 AM
Fully agree with Eric's suggestion on 1). For 2) the Painkiller set came to my mind.

Cheers Stephan
Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: Madsakre on January 30, 2012, 07:07:45 PM
Eric said it.
Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: witeter on January 30, 2012, 08:34:11 PM
I have two PRS SE's set with BKP's-and for my primary one i wanted exactly what you mention. I was recommended a Ceramic Nialbomb bridge and Nailbomb Neck. But as Eric mentioned, the coldsweat neck is fantastic, so yes i would say the same as Eric but changing the nailbomb bridge for a Ceramic Nailbomb bridge.
Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: metalmaniac93 on January 31, 2012, 02:33:51 AM
I also agree with Eric as far as the Nailbomb/CS combo.  I have these in my ESP Horizon NT and they nail Petrucci's tone especially the CS neck.  The CS neck is fluid without sounding muddy!!!  Perfect through high gain and the cleans are real nice!!!   Played an SG with a PK bridge, but did not really get to crank it up in the store.
Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: EffigyForgotten on January 31, 2012, 11:35:33 AM
Well I came across the manhattan P90 on the site and now think that would be a perfect neck pickup for clean playing in my guitar tuned to D.

Why the painkiller over the aftermath? And I tend to dial in almost any amp I play through with bass at least 3/4, mids around half and the treble like in between them.

This is a good example of how I want my prog guitar to sound like
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf8PJvUpjog

This is IMO the ultimate clean tone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEo8IrU5MQk

And for the heavier guitar sorta in between this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G1S-YBtbx4
and this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChzWzkTwxIs
Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: Dr.Pain on February 01, 2012, 03:38:43 AM
I use an eq to thicken up my 81.  But then I put an 81x into an old ESP I have and damn it sounds so good.  It's thicker and more natural sounding than an 81.  I'd like to try the Hetfield set at some point too.
Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: EffigyForgotten on February 02, 2012, 10:19:50 AM
Hey guys, I listened to each of the modern pickups on the BKP site from :57 to the end each and the painkiller really sounded the best! To me the aftermath clip sounds kinda muddy and doesn't punch through like the painkiller does.
Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: Madsakre on February 02, 2012, 12:51:01 PM
I love the painkiller
Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: DoomBuggi on February 02, 2012, 03:53:14 PM
I had the Ceramic Nailbomb set in my Les Paul recently, and I exchanged them for the Painkiller.  The NBC is a really cool pickup.  I just realized that I like having a lot more MIDs in the EQ detail. I can't wait until they get here.   
Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: EffigyForgotten on February 03, 2012, 06:31:00 AM
I had the Ceramic Nailbomb set in my Les Paul recently, and I exchanged them for the Painkiller.  The NBC is a really cool pickup.  I just realized that I like having a lot more MIDs in the EQ detail. I can't wait until they get here.   
I don't really like sound from their "low mid" pickups, (miracle man, warpig, holy diver, I like the way the aftermath is described and the death metal clip (not really death metal xD) but the modern metal clip sounds muddy.
Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: ericsabbath on February 03, 2012, 07:13:36 AM
in my experiece, the aftermath has the same eq voicing as the holy diver
they're both center mid focused, not low mid
the painkiller is pretty close, but it delivers more aggressive upper mids
Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: EffigyForgotten on February 03, 2012, 07:17:31 AM
in my experiece, the aftermath has the same eq voicing as the holy diver
they're both center mid focused, not low mid
the painkiller is pretty close, but it delivers more aggressive upper mids
Why do many people here think the aftermath is the tightest BK? At that last part in the modern metal clip out of all of them the aftermath sounds the least tight.
Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: Zaned on February 03, 2012, 07:35:33 AM
I don't have anything to add to the recommendations..but while you're waiting for your BKPs to arrive, change the positions of the EMGs. 81 to neck, 85 to bridge. They both work in both positions.

-Zaned
Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: DoomBuggi on February 03, 2012, 07:37:47 AM
in my experiece, the aftermath has the same eq voicing as the holy diver
they're both center mid focused, not low mid
the painkiller is pretty close, but it delivers more aggressive upper mids
Why do many people here think the aftermath is the tightest BK? At that last part in the modern metal clip out of all of them the aftermath sounds the least tight.

The recordings are simply in place to give an Idea of what the pickups sound like.  In your guitar, through your signal chain, into your amp & its eq, and your playing style is going to have a a detrimental impact in the way that the tone is actually going to sound.  

  That being stated, The Aftermath is considered the tightest pickup out of the bunch.  I believe that the term tight is referring to the timing that the bass is delivered with the treble and mids when they are projected from the speakers.

Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: ericsabbath on February 03, 2012, 10:15:47 AM
the aftermath clip wasn't recorded with the same guitar of the other clips
Title: Re: Metal pickups.
Post by: EffigyForgotten on February 06, 2012, 04:44:12 PM
Bump  :tfrag: