Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: simong on April 14, 2015, 04:59:32 PM
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Hi Guys,
Just dropped on a Gordon Smith G-60 with twin Humbuckers, i'm not too chuffed with the pups.... bit of a clicky compressed attack that gets on my nerves and they're not that open sounding either (bit wooly?) .... resistance is ok for me at about 9K, dont like really hot pups.
I have a pair of crawlers in my prs, and they were a revelation :)
Any suggestions for good open cleans and classic rock / early metal distortion with good string separation.
Set neck mahogany with rosewood board if it helps.
Cheers
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Mules I reckon!
Or maybe a riff raff bridge with a mule neck.
It depends how bright you feel this example is.
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Yeh, Mule or Riff Raff would be the obvious. Abraxas if you want a pinch hotter and smoother in the highs.
Or Stormy Monday if you want less gain, which was mentioned here a couple of weeks ago, since it always gets overlooked.
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I love my Mules in an all mahogany rosewood-fretboard Saint Blues Bluesmaster. I you want a tad extra mids and compression, you could consider an Abraxas-bridge with Mule-neck. They pair well.
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Classic PAF = Mules
Hotter PAF with more mids = Abraxas
Bit more aggressive PAF with mids = Black Dog
I think for me it would be either the Abraxas or Black Dog in the bridge and a Mule in the neck but that reflects my personal preferences, which may not be yours.
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Thanks guys,
I seem to be thinking along the same lines as you..... its looking like Abraxas bridge but the jurys still out on Abraxas or Mule in the neck atm.... i need to do more research.
I wouldnt say the guitar is bright, but it is VERY resonant, lively and rings like a bell, its quite heavy but not as much as my custom 24.
Cheers
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I think the Mule and Abraxas neck are virtually the same anyway, or at least, any differences are marginal.
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Cheers :grin: thats made that decision easier then!
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Abraxas neck might be slightly hotter than the Mule neck, but they are close.
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I have Black Dog bridge and Riff Raff neck in my G60.
Good pair and the Black Dog feels hotter than it is due to the big slab of mids.
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Mules or AB would very probably do the job, but in an all mahogany guitar for classic rock / early metal I'd probably go for a Riff Raff set, or possibly MQs.
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Oh god, please dont give me any more options...... i'm still on abraxis bridge and mule (or abraxis) neck...
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Oh god, please dont give me any more options...... i'm still on abraxis bridge and mule (or abraxis) neck...
Really, the RR has a more punchy / focused character that really rocks (specially in full mahogany guitars) while still keeping the clarity and vintage vibe. Mules are great pups indeed but a bit softer (not to say they turn to mud with gain - they don't, really - but they are not as punchy) and the neck works better in brighter guitars (think maple cap...), and the ABs being mostly overwound Mules might just be too mid-heavy for a full mahogany guitar.
Caveat: I never played ABs (and I'd like to) but based on experience with a Mule neck on a SG, a Mules set on a LP and a Crawler neck (which is quite close to a AB neck) on a full maple (hence quite bright and snappy) guitar, I really wouldn't expect the best from ABs on a full mahogany guitar. Not to say they would sound _bad_, but unless your G-60 is naturally on the bright side, chances are you'll get better results with a RR set for the styles you mentionned (if you were asking for clean / jazzy / bluesy tones I might not have said the same - but even then the RR can be great IMHO).
My 2 cents...
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I'll investigate the RR too! cheers :cool:
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You like the Crawler a lot, which has a chunk of mids but you want something more open so the more I think about it, the more it sounds like you'd really like the Black Dog.
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UPDATE.....
I've put a black dog in the neck... too dark sounding, thought it might be but, hey ho... with the tone down it sounds like you're under water!
Sounds great and really shows up the GS bridge pup but, its too bassy.
Would a mule neck be brighter? and would the black dog be ok in the bridge? (calling Brow...)
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Why go for a BD neck pup? Nobody advised it on this thread...... :wink:
The Mule neck might be the best choice i think
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Mule-neck is one of my fav BKP's. It has a nice sparkling topend. Not dark at all.
If want more chime then look at the brighter RiffRaff-neck.
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Sorry for putting the BD in! it turned up at the right price, so i thought id try it..... :tongue:
Would a BD be good in the bridge, or still too dark?
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Sorry for putting the BD in! it turned up at the right price, so i thought id try it..... :tongue:
Would a BD be good in the bridge, or still too dark?
it will be alot better in the bridge. even if you move the black dog on, its good to have a reference point. I think you did the right thing buying it.
the wood Gordon Smith uses (cedar I think?) does sound different to mahogany. Spikier mids and a bit more bass.
After trying the black dog in the neck and having it too dark, I would definitely say go with Riff Raffs in the neck position.
edit: I quite liked the normal Gordon Smith pickups until I tried something else in the same guitar. I like the attack of them, but they are a bit flat.
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Thank you.... i did need a yardstick! at least i now know....
I'll keep my peepers open for a mule / riff raff neck now ive beel told lol.
yup the GS bridge definately sounds flat (and lifeless) in comparison
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Update 2!!
I now have a mule for the neck, which i will be fitting this week, i'm thinking of trying the current Black dog NECK pup in the BRIDGE..... has anyone tried this? would it work in the bridge. Yes i know you'll say, try it! but i just wondered if it was worth it.... ? hmmm
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Well, you said it is too dark in the neck. It will be brighter in the bridge. The output should also match since neck PUs are always a bit lower than the neck due to them being able to "see" larger string movement. So putting the BD neck in the bridge should work with the Mule neck in that regard. In terms of character it is harder to predict, but in my mind it sounds like it could work well.
....sooooo......try it.
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My thoughts exactly! the neck mule is 7.1K AIV and the BD is 7.6K AV.... i have high(ish) hopes :grin: the standard pups in the GS were the same anyway...
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should sound somewhat similar to an old dimarzio paf or gibson t-top
bright, thin and articulate
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UPDATE.....
I've put a black dog in the neck... too dark sounding, thought it might be but, hey ho... with the tone down it sounds like you're under water!
Sounds great and really shows up the GS bridge pup but, its too bassy.
Would a mule neck be brighter? and would the black dog be ok in the bridge? (calling Brow...)
Sorry, I've not seen this until now!
I have my Black Dog paired with a Riff Raff in the neck and I wouldn't say either was too dark. The main thing I'd say about the Black Dog is it's very thick sounding, but not too dark.
If that makes sense?
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UPDATE.....
I've put a black dog in the neck... too dark sounding, thought it might be but, hey ho... with the tone down it sounds like you're under water!
Sounds great and really shows up the GS bridge pup but, its too bassy.
Would a mule neck be brighter? and would the black dog be ok in the bridge? (calling Brow...)
Sorry, I've not seen this until now!
I have my Black Dog paired with a Riff Raff in the neck and I wouldn't say either was too dark. The main thing I'd say about the Black Dog is it's very thick sounding, but not too dark.
If that makes sense?
Yup, the BD is brighter than most people think
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Donīt forget that we are talking neck model in bridge here, not the bridge model. Or is the neck model bright also? Cause OP does not seem to think so.
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The BD neck definately wasnt bright in my geetar!
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UPDATE..... mule neck now in, perfect match :afro:
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UPDATE..... mule neck now in, perfect match :afro:
Great, good choice.