Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: schneidas on June 24, 2015, 07:57:30 AM
-
Hi guys,
So I'm about to receive this new Tokai Love Rock. It was a custom order with a Honduras Mahogany body and quilt Maple top.
I know their stock pickups (I have 2 more Tokais) and am not too fond of those so I gotta get a new set of pickups.
First I thought, go with a set of Mules. But I'm also contemplating a Black Dog bridge with an Abraxas neck.
I'm thinking the Black Dog will have a touch more "weight" over the Mule and the Abraxas will be a hair hotter for shreddy solo play on the neck pickup.
I play a Kemper amp (usually models of JCM800, JVM's and other hot rodded Marshalls) and my style and sound is somewhat a combination of Gary Moore, Slash, Dave Murray and a hair of Yngwie - so kinda difficult to describe.
What do you reckon?
Thanks,
Chris
-
played a gibson les paul standard with vhII's through a kemper
sounded absolutely amazing
but I'd stick with mules or even something warmer, like stormy mondays or pg blues
just adjust the kemper when you need to go hotter
-
Hi Eric, thanks for the reply.
Seriously, the SM's or PGB's?
Can they handle shreddy speed picking?
-
Alright, after doing plenty of research I've narrowed it down to an unpotted and nickel capped Mule for the neck.
For the bridge, I'm now between these:
-Black Dog
-Abraxas
-A-Bomb
-Rebel Yell
-VH2
If you guys can give some insights or help me rule out any of those for the bridge...
Thanks :smiley:
-
For tones like Slash and Gary Moore I would keep it to the vintage(hot)-side. Personally I would have picked a Mule, but you ruled that one out. A-Bomb and RY are a tad too modern for what you want I guess. The VHII can be a miss or hit in Les Pauls. Seems to be the more obvious choice for bolt-ons. I have one in a strat. Great rocktones, but not so versatile as I would have thought. That leaves the BD and Abraxas. I think Abraxas and Mule-neck is a fine combo for the tones you're after. The Abraxas delivering a bit more mids, less topend and more output than the Mule, but still has some Mule-character. The BD sounds less PAF-ish to me, but could work good too. Lots of (low)mids in it, but still enough topend sparkle.
-
Gary Moore does in a way also call for the PG Blues, does it not? I mean it is modelled after the one he played. The magnet and wind also lends itself nicely to Slash.
-
I share most of your influences and for me, the answer isn't the obvious ones, partly because of the range of players and partly because people like Gary Moore covered a lot of styles in their career. If it was me, I'd go with a Black Dog in the bridge because it has enough of a PAF feel while still having enough balls for a slightly more modern interpretation of the tone. Both Gary Moore and Dave Murray can use quite a bit of bite in their tone. Dave Murray tended to use more of a PAF feel in the neck while he used to favour a Super Distortion in the bridge. It's one of the reasons I tend to use hotter bridge pups and PAF necks. The Black Dog should strike a decent balance for all the genres you're trying to cover.
For the neck you need something to have enough power to match the bridge, have enough cut for shredding and still retain a distinctly PAF feel to it. Of all the neck pickups I've tried, I'd say the Holydiver is worthy of consideration. It's NOTHING like you would expect. It's quite a light wind and sounds very like a PAF but the AV magnet gives it more cut. The Emerald is another option. Despite the AIV magnet, it's less like a PAF than the Holydiver because it's a hotter wind but that magnet does give it a really sweet tone. If it wasn't either of those, I'd be looking at a potted Mule.
-
Thanks guys for all your help... I'm close to a decision...
Cheers :smiley:
-
Hey Schneidas! Long time no see! I sold you a vintage Dimarzio SuperD a few years back on Dimarzio forum! To answer your question about the Abraxas Neck, yes it does handle speed picking well and is warm and full but also very clear. I have the Abraxas set in my '14 Les Paul Traditional and it really rocks. Not sure how the A4 Mag will sound when used with an A5 mag bridge pickup but it might be amazing!
-
Hey Schneidas! Long time no see! I sold you a vintage Dimarzio SuperD a few years back on Dimarzio forum! To answer your question about the Abraxas Neck, yes it does handle speed picking well and is warm and full but also very clear. I have the Abraxas set in my '14 Les Paul Traditional and it really rocks. Not sure how the A4 Mag will sound when used with an A5 mag bridge pickup but it might be amazing!
Hey man! Yes, I remember you very well :) Still enjoying that SuperD of yours in one of my Strats.
Thanks a lot for chiming in and letting me know. I already placed the order with BKP - it's a Mule for the neck - but hopefully it is similar to the Abraxas neck and will react similarily to speed picking etc.
Anyway, cool to see you around here! Cheers :)
-
I am sure you are in love with the Mule in the neck. I had one briefly paired with a VHII bridge and it was a killer set. Very versatile and inspiring to play. The mule has been a favorite for the neck for me so far, and is very very similar to the Abraxas neck. Almost impossible to hear a difference in my experience.