Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: leolyonsofficial on February 08, 2015, 10:17:13 AM
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I'm looking to nail the Sykes tone from still of the night and the Neal Schon tone from escape, frontiers and raised on radio.
Modern players include Doug Aldrich, Steve Lukeather, typical les Paul melodic rock fair but not as heavy as zack Wilde.
Thanks! Guitar is 1995 standard les Paul!
I play in a band with only me on guitar, one keys, one bass, one drums.
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Well Cold Sweat is Sykes Lizzy tone obviously, i don't think it's as hot as the MM either.
The Rebel Yell is really an underwound Nailbomb, similar voicing but the output or hotness is on the same level as the 'Vintage' BKP like the Mule.
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Cool thanks :smiley:
Any suggestions or just go with the mules and be done?
All styles covered!
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Cold Sweat should be able to do everything you want. It is an interesting pickup. Not as modern sounding as a Nailbomb but with a solid output. Very articulate and clear clean sound, doesn't have much of a ceramic character except for tightness and some scoop to the EQ curve typical of ceramic pickups. If you are looking for something that is a bit like the Miracle Man but not as extreme it will also fit the bill there too. Basically it provides a lot of early '80s NWOBHM goodness.
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I'd say Cold sweat set - although a Miracle Man will work well too or a mix of the two
A Miracle Man bridge and Cold sweat neck pairing works very well in a Les Paul and the MM bridge does a good Aldrich and Sykes tone too
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Thanks for the info!
No votes for the rebel yells?
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Thanks for the info!
No votes for the rebel yells?
Not yet :)
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Rebel Yell clean clip is amazing, cold sweat good but not as good. The others sound too muffled when played clean.
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I like the middle position clean on my Cold Sweat set
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That's reassuring!
The rebel yell had a lovely chimey clean on the demo.
I've never liked the les Paul clean sound! Way too jazzy, far to thick!
This is the sound I'm gunning for:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COq2RouJ2tQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Maybe this is miracle man territory?
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The Rebel Yell certainly isn't what you're after in my view as it's just not the Sykes tone, especially the Whitesnake era. I think there are three distinct possibilities for you:
Cold Sweat - Tight and with good cleans, it's certainly got that Sykes vibe but it's far more Thin Lizzy than Whitesnake, which was a far smoother tone, hence you also referencing Aldrich.
Miracle Man - The ceramic magnet means it's tight like the Cold Sweat but here the tone is far smoother and much more in keeping with Syke's Whitesnake tone, though the cleans aren't as good as the Cold Sweat.
Holydiver - To my mind, this could be your answer and it's the alnico magnet that holds the key. It's not as tight as either the Cold Sweat or the Miracle Man but that certainly isn't to say it's loose because it isn't. This is a very articulate pickup with excellent note separation. It's also smooth like the Miracle Man while also being richer and sweeter. Out of the three, this easily has the best lead tone and certainly has the best cleans. There is a reason why this is the number 1 BKP suggestion for the Aldrich tone and will get you closer to Whitesnake than anything else. The neck version is awesome too :grin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T26RqvH3YBA
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The Rebel Yell certainly isn't what you're after in my view as it's just not the Sykes tone, especially the Whitesnake era. I think there are three distinct possibilities for you:
Sorry to disagree here, but I have a Rebel Yell bridge in my LP Custom, and that guitar does Sykes and Ozzy tones to a T.
I am a big fan of John Sykes' tone in Whitesnake and Blue Murder but I found his tone with Thin Lizzy thin and hollow.
I can see the Cold Sweat and the Miracle Man doing it as good. I am not sure about the Holydiver bridge in this case. This pickup may be too middy and not biting enough for these tones. I also don't really hear the similarity to Doug Aldrich with the HD bridge - to me the HD epitomizes the Jake E. Lee tone.
Cheers Stephan
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It would be a boring world if we all thought the same :smiley:
I agree that the Holydiver does Jake E. Lee very well, because his tone is smooth and warm. That era of Ozzy is my favourite for that reason and it is that same smoothness that seems to me to characterise the Whitesnake sound. It was these tones I was specifically after myself and I also mentioned Doug Aldrich as a result and Tim had no hesitation in suggesting the Holydiver. It worked a treat. The Cold Sweat and Rebel Yell always seem more open to me, the Cold Sweat is more cutting thanks to the ceramic magnet and the voicing on the Rebel Yell never really seems to be quite that era for me. Ultimately they're all good pickups and there will be many other factors involved in achieving that tone. I can only comment on my experience but I recognise that your experience may well be different.
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The Rebel Yell certainly isn't what you're after in my view as it's just not the Sykes tone, especially the Whitesnake era. I think there are three distinct possibilities for you:
Sorry to disagree here, but I have a Rebel Yell bridge in my LP Custom, and that guitar does Sykes and Ozzy tones to a T.
I am a big fan of John Sykes' tone in Whitesnake and Blue Murder but I found his tone with Thin Lizzy thin and hollow.
I can see the Cold Sweat and the Miracle Man doing it as good. I am not sure about the Holydiver bridge in this case. This pickup may be too middy and not biting enough for these tones. I also don't really hear the similarity to Doug Aldrich with the HD bridge - to me the HD epitomizes the Jake E. Lee tone.
Cheers Stephan
I am gonna have to agree with this. I think the RY would be fine. What is being overlooked often times is the player and the amp. The pickup is only one of many components.
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What is being overlooked often times is the player and the amp. The pickup is only one of many components.
While I stand by my suggestions, I do agree with this and made this point myself.
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Well, if it helps with your decision, John Sykes bought a Cold Sweat set from us a few years back!
From the information you provided I would also recommend the Cold Sweat set.
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I love the Jake e lee tone but might be slightly dark but definitely more my sound than zakk.
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Cold Sweat should be able to do everything you want. It is an interesting pickup. Not as modern sounding as a Nailbomb but with a solid output. Very articulate and clear clean sound, doesn't have much of a ceramic character except for tightness and some scoop to the EQ curve typical of ceramic pickups. If you are looking for something that is a bit like the Miracle Man but not as extreme it will also fit the bill there too. Basically it provides a lot of early '80s NWOBHM goodness.
how does CS bridge cope with leads? For example my CBomb as it`s great rhythm pickup, handles leads just 'ok' to my ears. How would you compare it to Nailbomb, would CS bridge be a better lead pickup than NB for example?
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Someone said the yells cut through keyboards better than anything else. This is important for me
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the Rebel Yells have a beautiful upper mid focus with lively harmonics and a mountain of clarity. They're extremely open sounding but also very tight in the bass. I think they're really quite perfect in an exceptionally dark guitar, where the instrument adds tonnes of body to the tone without mitigating the top end for a truly wide sound.
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I'm trying to formulate a sound in my head!
A part of me wants to believe the sweats are the sound from still of the night but I'm guessing its the sound from the last thin Lizzy album and rebel yell is the tone from the billy idol album but since Steve Stevens had input on them then its his new evolved guitar tone!
Where's my top gun theme tune?
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I'm trying to formulate a sound in my head!
A part of me wants to believe the sweats are the sound from still of the night but I'm guessing its the sound from the last thin Lizzy album and rebel yell is the tone from the billy idol album but since Steve Stevens had input on them then its his new evolved guitar tone!
Where's my top gun theme tune?
Anything wrong with the Cold Sweat Lizzy tone though? Sounds fine to me.
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A part of me is now thinking miracle man for that 80s emg tone! Searing high gain. I wonder what def lep use? Phil colLen.
If you cross ACDC with Rainbow with Sykes whitesnake, what pickup do you get? Lol
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Got to agree about the amp etc.
The difference between my blackstar studio 20 and fender vaporizer
Is extreme. The Miracle man bridge I have is warm with less top through the
Blackstar and rather bright in the vaporizer.
(The vaporizer is awesome btw)
T
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I love Steve Stevens tone on the new Billy Idol album so maybe, they are for me if that's what he's using!
However I love the Eclipse guitar tone:
http://youtu.be/r453Xtjn6bA (http://youtu.be/r453Xtjn6bA)
Miracle Man?
Someone please help me get this tone!
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A part of me is now thinking miracle man for that 80s emg tone! Searing high gain
Just wondering if MM would deliver 'searing high gain'. High gain for sure but that searing?
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In that track I hear a holy Diver or ry vibe over the mm.
The mm feels too smooth and has more bass for that track to me.
I know the mids in a hd may not make a comparison to the ry
But both do have a lesser bass to match the track.
At times I really miss my Rebel yell..........Le sigh.
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In that track I hear a holy Diver or ry vibe over the mm.
The mm feels too smooth and has more bass for that track to me.
I know the mids in a hd may not make a comparison to the ry
But both do have a lesser bass to match the track.
At times I really miss my Rebel yell..........Le sigh.
Ah yes. I love the rebel yell bridge, it's so open, clear, tight, and punchy. Great, expressive pickup for lead / solo playing and it takes gain like a champ!
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although the cold sweat was made for the sykes sound, the ceramic nailbomb gets closer to that, in my opinion
it sounds similar to the cold sweat but way thicker in the mids and a bit more compressed
probably the most balanced model on the contemporary line
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If you find yourself crying, "More, more, more", in the midnight hour, you'll likely be a candidate for the RY.
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Absolutely nothing you've said or provided links to has shaken my belief that either the Cold Sweat or Holydiver is what you're after. If you want things a bit tighter and more open, get the Cold Sweat and if you prefer things thicker and smoother, it's the Holydiver. Both will do what you want.
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Cold Sweat neck and Holy Diver bridge?
Or Rebel Yell all the way?
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The Rebel Yell is more 'Modern' voiced than the HD. It is a Nailbomb tonewise, but is low gain.
You mentioned keys in your opening post, which is something the RY works well with.
The HD is 80's rock tone and the RY is more modern sounding, so it depends on wether you prefer the classic tone or modern one.
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The Rebel Yell is more 'Modern' voiced than the HD. It is a Nailbomb tonewise, but is low gain.
You mentioned keys in your opening post, which is something the RY works well with.
The HD is 80's rock tone and the RY is more modern sounding, so it depends on wether you prefer the classic tone or modern one.
Its just that the clean of the Yell sounds useable on a les paul whereas the others sound to thick and muddy.
I like the idea of a modern sounding pickup but someone said the yells expose your every mistake!
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The Cold Sweat is not thick and muddy.
You might find the RY a little lacking in bottom end in some applications
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Yes the RY's are a more modern affair. They cut like the bejesus too !! At first I thought it was bright bright but no its more cut than bright. Its tight and very VERY dynamic to your playing. The distortion character moves around with your attack so plan on being blown away or improving your chops !!! Buddy of mine came over and first riff he payed was "Still Of The Night" and it was damn similar.
Pure on vintage tone is not the RY's calling card but it has enough vintage sound keeping it from being overly aggressive and harsh. Great with the guitars volume knob and the neck RY is my favorite neck model pup by any manufacture. I was very surprised with that and now use the neck more often.
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Yes the RY's are a more modern affair. They cut like the bejesus too !! At first I thought it was bright bright but no its more cut than bright. Its tight and very VERY dynamic to your playing. The distortion character moves around with your attack so plan on being blown away or improving your chops !!! Buddy of mine came over and first riff he payed was "Still Of The Night" and it was damn similar.
Pure on vintage tone is not the RY's calling card but it has enough vintage sound keeping it from being overly aggressive and harsh. Great with the guitars volume knob and the neck RY is my favorite neck model pup by any manufacture. I was very surprised with that and now use the neck more often.
Great review. True on all points.