Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: HEadoftheAges on March 23, 2016, 09:04:46 PM
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Hey folks! So, I have, in my possession, an ESP LTDMH327 super-strat-ish guitar. It boasts a maple neck-through, mahogany body, rosewood fretboard, and some off-brand Floyd Rose trem. I am looking at either the Riff Raff or the Aftermath in the bridge position (apples and oranges, I know), but I am open to suggestions. It is one of the two guitars I use for Kosmodemonic, which is my sort-of psychedelic, black metal-oriented band (www.kosmodemonic.bandcamp.com, in case you fancy checking us out); we play in open B (BF#BF#BD#, from low to high), so warmth and clarity are of paramount importance. It also has a stacked single-coil in the neck position. Which of BK's single coil neck pickups would any of you recommend?
Thanks,
Alec
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That is less apples and oranges than potatoes and cherries. Or something. xD
Anyhow, having a quick listen in pickups that came to mind were rather the Coldsweat and Miracle Man. Also the Painkiller. The Riff Raff seems a bit low in output here, even though it can do metal. Just a bit off. The Aftermath could work, but is very centermid heavy and dry as a dessert. Perhaps not optimal.
Enter the CS, an aggressive pickup that work well for black metal. Lightly scooped and with some vintage character retained. The MM is often described as a bloated up version of that. Crushing low mids and aggressive high end. Would fill the super strat style up better I recon.
Then there is the PK, also big chug potential and a djent favorite, even though inspired by the Judas Priest classic. The aggressive tone of that song should lend itself nicely to the music and suite the guitar.
In that sense I would recommend you have a look at the MM and PK first and see what you think of them. Maybe there is something good on them in the review sticky thread here too. Worth having a look.
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This sounds like a job for the Miracle Man
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For a maple neck-thru guitar, the Miracle Man is the best choice. The EQ fits the construction perfectly, it's tight for Metal and also retains plenty warmth. It's the ideal choice for you. For the single coil, I'd be tempted to try a Sinner, maybe even a baseplated bridge Sinner in the neck position.
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Maple neck-thru guitars are particular instruments. Tom Anderson among other builders doesn't work with this kind of construction. He does not say its worse. Just Neck-thru implies some particular issues about tone, responsiveness,... and he feels more "at home" with bolt-ons. I don't know if it's just coincidence but my most difficult guitar to find a pickup was an Ibanez rgt220antf (maple through). I tried a lot of pickups and was about to sell the guitar but never decided because it was my best guitar for metal shredding... but unplugged. But then Miracle Man arrived, and never thought of a better name for the miracle it worked. From BKP I tried in this guitar; Holy Divers, Warpigs, VHII and Rebel Yell, and I love these pickups in other guitars. It was a pity that I discover late this pickup because I wonder how it would work in other guitars.
I don't know how it will work with down-tunned guitars. I'm completely lost in this field.
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I agree entirely. I had two maple neck-thru guitars and they were a pain. The Holydiver was pretty good and the Miracle Man was better but everything else was awful, with the A-Bomb being particularly awful in that guitar.
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Alrighty, then! The Miracle Man it is! Thank you, all. What about a single coil neck pickup to pair with it? Ben recommended the Cobra to me, but I am open to suggestions.
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The bridge Sinner with a baseplate is known to work well with a Miracle Man in the neck position of a neck-through maple guitar. There are reviews here somewhere