Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: Serratus on May 22, 2015, 02:25:32 PM
-
Just wanted some opinions!
I have an Abraxas in the bridge of an alder bolt-on maple neck 7-string. It sounds nice and as a BKP should but I find it a bit light in the bottom end and low mids in that guitar. My favourite BKP has tended to be the Holy diver (recently anyway) but I really want to try something different. Ben at BKP recommended the HD or alnico NB, but I tried the NB years ago and found it a bit too aggressive and hairy, and as I said, I want to try a different pickup to the HD.
So I was also thinking of trying a Juggernaut, but I'm also extremely tempted by a HSP90 (like a Supermassive for example). But I've never had a P90 in the bridge before, so I wanted some opinions! Is a HSP90 more like a vintage humbucker in feel? Will that have a fat bottom end but still very open character?
The guitar also has a single coil at the neck, which will probably be replaced with a cobra :)
Even though its a 7-string I'm not into much metal - mainly it'll be used in a rock/pop covers band.
-
The hotter HSP90's sound quite contemporary. I can see a Supermassive or a Stockholm working in that guitar. They can sound huge, due to the big single coil, but keep usually more snap. There are some forummembers who own these pickups, so maybe they will comment on their experiences. I had only vintage P90's.
-
I have a Stockholm, and would have recommended it except I really don't have much experience with seven-strings or tunings below C# standard.
It might be the case that the Supermassive, which is a less bassy, lower output version of the Stockholm tonally, would be the best bet. Certainly both pickups have a lot more bottom end than most P-90s.
My Stockholm has as much output as my A-Bomb but is not 'hairy' like the latter.
-
Certainly both pickups have a lot more bottom end than most P-90s.
My Stockholm has as much output as my A-Bomb but is not 'hairy' like the latter.
What's the overall balance of tone like? Is it fat, with plenty of mid growl and bottom end? Not thin sounding like a more 'normal' bridge single coil is?
I've tried bridge single coils several times over the years and have always ended up with a humbucker in the bridge because I always find singles just don't have enough mid/low end (even the sinner, which is really hot, in the end it just wasn't middle-y enough for me, and yet even a low output humbucker I still find ok).
So I'm hoping a hot P90 will have some single coil thump and definition but still have more mids/bottom end than a strat single.
I love neck/middle single coils so it would be nice to find a bridge single that I get on with, even if it's humbucker sized!!
-
Oh no it is not thin at all.
It will have a lot more bottom end than a Strat single coil. Even a Piledriver.
The only non-P90 single coil I've heard that comes close in terms of bottom end is Seymour Duncan's Quarter Pound bridge pickup for Telecasters with the 1/4" A5 rods and 17KΩ DC resistance. Maybe a Sinner or Cobra bridge would be close. But anyway there is a lot of bottom end in these.
The overall tone of the mids is smoother, closer to a Miracle Man than a Nailbomb in character I'd say.
I would write to BKP and ask them which one out of the Supermassive and the Stockolm would best suit your 7-string.
On six string guitars littleredguitars2 has demoed both pickups.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEeem32DzOY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geVjMQDqxjM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijedTwqEZZ4
-
Great, thanks for all that. I'm gonna send Tim a quick message about which to go for :)
-
Spoke to Tim, and I am going for a Stockholm bridge with a trilogy suite neck - can't wait!!
-
I have a Stockholm bridge, supermassive neck set in a ESP style LP, tuned to drop A# for In Flames and Machine Head style playing. Great pups. Great bottom end that is both crushing and fat, but not in an overdone way as it has that certain SC definiton which you can hear so clearly when playing low strings clean compared to a HB. They also have a good amount of output without seeming hot since they remain rather uncompressed and open, especially in the midrange, which roars in a beautiful raw way. High end can scream or sing, depending on what you want. Just awesome.
Great for harmonics too.
I use mine from In Flames to pop punk. The difference between the two is that the Stockholm is like a pumped up version of the Supermassive, having more output, hotness, bottom end, and agression.
To me P90s really the best of both worlds, so get one. All the defintion and spank of a SC, but with the mids, bottom end, and power of a humbucker. Kicks butt hard.
With that set you chose you should cover a lot of great ground and deliver tones with serious character. IŽd be shocked if you did not love it.
-
Good to hear. I'd be shocked if you didn't like the Stockholm. It's a great pickup.
You can probably pick out the Stockholm on the demo recording linked in my signature. It's playing the rhythm role, tuned DGCFAD, in an SG Junior. It's the raspy sounding one going through a Peavey 6534+ and Orange 412. Pretty raw, but it gives some idea of the aggression I can get out of it in a punk context with a heavy-ish pick (1.14mm nylon).
I kind of drown the others out on this track a bit :rolleyes:
http://teraniapunk.bandcamp.com/track/contact-request
-
Good choice. Powerful single coils. I love P90's in the bridgeposition. They just sing.
-
Just a quick follow up!
Got the Stockholm HSP90 in the bridge and I absolutely love it! It has transformed this guitar - lots of character combined with power and tons of bottom end (which I always felt this guitar lacked before). It's pretty close to a humbucker in feel, but with lots of character and a nice warm rasp in the mids. Also got a trilogy suite for the neck which matches perfectly with the Stockholm, loud but still with plenty of neck single coil character, and the two pickups together works nicely (obviously then humbucking too).
Quick pic:
(http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m622/Serratus1/IMAG1723_zpskh7skhuj.jpg)
-
Glad to hear you like em. That midrange rasp for me is the single best thing about P90s. So raw. =)
-
Love the ratrock look!
-
Another convert to the Stockholm! It really is a great pickup, glad it worked out for you too
-
Hope the link works ok - I think anyone can see it whether you're on Facebook or not as you don't have to log in to see it.
Just a vid of me messing around on this guitar through my kemper. I played a few runs a couple of times to show the different tones between the neck and bridge pickups. Only recorded on my phone so it's not the best quality, but shows some of the character I think :)
https://www.facebook.com/richard.fay.54/videos/922432237795145/?l=5074530109943941667
-
The video works for me, at least when I am logged in to FB.
Nice sounding guitar. The Stockholm has a great bottom end to it
-
Nice playing Serratus, enjoyed it !
-
Sounds great, but what I'm really dying to know is: where'd you get a 7-string Jazzmaster?
-
Sounds great, but what I'm really dying to know is: where'd you get a 7-string Jazzmaster?
Haha, I built it! Well, in this case I used the neck from a Squier 7-string strat (with some mods like heavily rolled FB edges, etc) and built the body from scratch. Always loved the jazzmaster/jaguar shape but I only ever play 7-strings so I had to build it myself (although I build lots of guitars so it was normal for me to build one!)
-
Great choice Rich and lovely playing as always.
-
Thanks Tim :)