Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: Disaxis on June 15, 2018, 02:34:45 PM
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Hey! Sorry if this post is abit long, but you can look for the bold highlighted words to see what you can skip incase you don't want to read it all.
I'm on the lookout for new pickups for my Les Paul so I'm in the corundrum of which one to choose. The amp i am using is a JMP 2203 from 81 which sounds really good, but the pickups (I believe) are abit harsh in the top end so I can't really have the brightness where I would like it without getting a nasty screaming feedback and ear piercing treble.
I've been looking at the Rebel Yells, Holy Divers, and the Mule. I've heard alot of demos, but it's still really hard to tell which one would bring me the tone I would love to have.
What I am looking for is a pickup with semi-tight bass response, not too tight because in my opinion some of the magic disappears then, but not too boomy either because I want some sort of definition in the bass.
Mids should be punchy and make me cut through the mix in a band setting, but I don't know how much I need because a 2203 is a mid heavy amp which I also will slightly boost with an overdrive.
Trebles should give me clarity, but not make ears bleed and I would love to avoid that nasty unmusical treble feedback without having to kill the clarity.
I am mostly playing in different variations of punk/hardcore/post-hardcore bands where I sometimes play pretty fast with large chords, but I also enjoy playing some rock, stoner, post-rock, and some down tuned metal.
Big thanks to those who decide to give me some advice!
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In fact you describe Mules, but I don't know if they're hot enough for you. Mules can do metal too. I believe our honoured member Nolly did some metal Mule-clips in the past.
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For Punk / Hardcore I say Alnico Nailbomb.
It has these wonderful throaty mids and plenty of aggression.
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In fact you describe Mules, but I don't know if they're hot enough for you. Mules can do metal too. I believe our honoured member Nolly did some metal Mule-clips in the past.
Think I found the video of mules doing metal, sounds amazing!
For Punk / Hardcore I say Alnico Nailbomb.
It has these wonderful throaty mids and plenty of aggression.
Cool, how does the alnico nailbombs handle large chords?
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how does the alnico nailbombs handle large chords?
Really well! It's my favourite pickup for that sort of thing. The only thing I will say about the Nail Bombs is that they sit really well in a mix and don't really cut through it in the way that you might want. The RYs will cut through a bit more and the HDs even more so but neither actually sits in a mix and gives it depth and breadth like the Nail Bomb.
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In fact you describe Mules, but I don't know if they're hot enough for you. Mules can do metal too. I believe our honoured member Nolly did some metal Mule-clips in the past.
Nevermind, now I found the Nollys clip. It is this one right https://soundcloud.com/nolly/snuggles-tenzing-norgay ?
atleast that's an impressive tone right there!
this is the other clip I found: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe9zcmmdz50
Thanks alot to you guys for helping me out with the decision! But right now seems like the Mule is the better contender because output won't be a problem when I use an overdrive to boost my marshall.
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Rebel Yells are less gainy and more open, with more harmonics, and string separation. Lots of high end chirp too.
I think the Juggernauts have CRAZY string separation. A-Bomb not as much but they are still very clear like most BKP are. I am thinking you may find the Rebel Yells too bright and tight in the lows unless you are putting these things in a solid mahogany guitar like an explorer or something.
I'm working right now but maybe I can record a few chords with an A-Bomb later?
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Rebel Yells are less gainy and more open, with more harmonics, and string separation. Lots of high end chirp too.
I think the Juggernauts have CRAZY string separation. A-Bomb not as much but they are still very clear like most BKP are. I am thinking you may find the Rebel Yells too bright and tight in the lows unless you are putting these things in a solid mahogany guitar like an explorer or something.
I'm working right now but maybe I can record a few chords with an A-Bomb later?
Yeah man, that would be awesome!
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I got something for you. I will export and upload to soundcloud hopefully this afternoon. I gotta go to my Daughter's preschool graduation now. Chat soon!!
Rebel Yells are less gainy and more open, with more harmonics, and string separation. Lots of high end chirp too.
I think the Juggernauts have CRAZY string separation. A-Bomb not as much but they are still very clear like most BKP are. I am thinking you may find the Rebel Yells too bright and tight in the lows unless you are putting these things in a solid mahogany guitar like an explorer or something.
I'm working right now but maybe I can record a few chords with an A-Bomb later?
Yeah man, that would be awesome!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcmxXeMjAXg&feature=youtu.be
Shoot me a PM if you want high quality audio.
https://soundcloud.com/paul-levasseur-2/electra-dyne-a-bomb-les-paul-punk
I **THINK** soundcloud sounds better than Youtube?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcmxXeMjAXg&feature=youtu.be
Shoot me a PM if you want high quality audio.
https://soundcloud.com/paul-levasseur-2/electra-dyne-a-bomb-les-paul-punk
I **THINK** soundcloud sounds better than Youtube?
Damn, they sound good too, might have to get them both eventually!
Thanks for all the input guys!
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That clip is of the A-bomb in my les Paul standard. The a-bomb is that aahhhh vowel sort of a 90s punk tone and it would be my first choice in a Les Paul for that application. It also does rock and metal easily.
I had a rebel yell in the bridge before but it is in my mahogany guitar now.
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#1 I would definitely go for something with an Alnico 5 magnet.
In a Les Paul you have a few options. The A-Bomb is a great recommendation. I think it can do all of the stuff you want it to do, although I am not sure about the stoner stuff. I think it would be passable there, but expecting one guitar to handle everything is unrealistic in my view. I have an alnico Nailbomb and an alnico Black Hawk that I interchange with one another in the same tuning for the same band, so I think those two are comparable. Out of the two the A-Hawk is the better one for leads. The A-Bomb has a lot of character as a rhythm pickup, and is noticeably hairier whereas the A-Hawk is a bit hotter and more compressed. Both are brilliant for chords.
The Holy Diver and Rebel Yell could also be good but I don't have direct experience of them. The RY might be a bit bright and the HD might not be aggressive sounding enough for hardcore.
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The Rebel Yell is much tighter in the lows. It doesn't have the balanced, beefy tone of the A-Bomb.
In a LP, it is great for rock and classic rock. It doesn't have the same push as the A-Bomb and it is more even sounding. It growls with a very even harmonic spread and has an open, chain saw sort of a tone.
The A-Bomb, is has the right amount of added phatness in the lows and it just drives an amp harder. The treble 'cut' makes it do thrash and it has that punk rock AAHH sound.
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Sorry guys, I know you really love the A-bombs, but I went for the Mule since I really enjoyed the sound they managed to achieve using them and they were cheaper too. I still got more guitars where I have to change pickups and a-bombs are definitely the next on the list! I got another les paul that has emgs in them :embarrassed: I know it's blasphemy, but I was young and dumb :laugh:
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EWW EMGS hahahahaha!! Have fun ;)
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Sorry guys, I know you really love the A-bombs, but I went for the Mule since I really enjoyed the sound they managed to achieve using them and they were cheaper too. I still got more guitars where I have to change pickups and a-bombs are definitely the next on the list! I got another les paul that has emgs in them :embarrassed: I know it's blasphemy, but I was young and dumb :laugh:
Well, you've redeemed yourself now! Enjoy the Mules, I think you'll love them.
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Sorry guys, I know you really love the A-bombs, but I went for the Mule since I really enjoyed the sound they managed to achieve using them and they were cheaper too. I still got more guitars where I have to change pickups and a-bombs are definitely the next on the list! I got another les paul that has emgs in them :embarrassed: I know it's blasphemy, but I was young and dumb :laugh:
Well, you've redeemed yourself now! Enjoy the Mules, I think you'll love them.
Can we find your metal Mule-clips somewhere?
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Is there anything that Mules can't do? Could they be the most versatile pickup set in the Bare Knuckle range?
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Can we find your metal Mule-clips somewhere?
I'm not sure, it's been a while! The Mules are certainly capable of more or less anything though, there's no reason why you wouldn't be able to pull off very heavy tones with them. I did use them on this recently, though it's not exactly a flat-out aggressive tone:
https://soundcloud.com/user-511849395/m-m-poppunk
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Can we find your metal Mule-clips somewhere?
I'm not sure, it's been a while! The Mules are certainly capable of more or less anything though, there's no reason why you wouldn't be able to pull off very heavy tones with them. I did use them on this recently, though it's not exactly a flat-out aggressive tone:
Really like the tones you got here Nolly! Could you shed some details (what guitar were the Mules in and the amp you used)? Sorry if this is kind of derailing this thread.
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Can we find your metal Mule-clips somewhere?
I'm not sure, it's been a while! The Mules are certainly capable of more or less anything though, there's no reason why you wouldn't be able to pull off very heavy tones with them. I did use them on this recently, though it's not exactly a flat-out aggressive tone:
https://soundcloud.com/user-511849395/m-m-poppunk
Gah, I really need to get mY GGD working. (Kontakt 5 is saying that the .nki file is corrupted or not supported... =-(
It's interesting to hear the difference with mixing. I've been doing a lot of 'garage' style mixing for work. With Nolly's mix, I noticed that compression on the drums really allows for the guitars to come up quite a bit in the mix and it makes the mix sound bigger overall. Vintage punk was all about that cr@ppy recording aesthetic but the newer stuff is super produced sounding and very well mixed.
Old MxPx - Teenage Politics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd44gvgeXdw&list=PL43CB3AB854C8E20C
Old Propagandhi - How to Clean Everything
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI130b4tMjs&t=97s
Bad Religion - Against the Grain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1IiPkQa2iY
New / Produced Punk. I can't get over how huge and clear this mix sounds.
Propagandhi - Victory Lap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTANmHJhbF8&list=PLcZMZxR9uxC98izRhq-RDindXuU4WhjBB
Here is a different mix I tried for my little Punk Pop A-Bomb demo.
Nolly's sounds so immense, it's really quite amazing. He must be cheating ;)
(Seriously, I'm blown away)
https://soundcloud.com/paul-levasseur-2/electra-dyne-a-bomb-les-paul-punk2
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Glad you like the tones :)
That guitar sound was a hollowbody with an unpotted Mule in the bridge, straight into a block letter 5150 on the rhythm channel, into a Suhr reactive load box and through an IR of one of my Zilla 4x12s.
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Glad you like the tones :)
That guitar sound was a hollowbody with an unpotted Mule in the bridge, straight into a block letter 5150 on the rhythm channel, into a Suhr reactive load box and through an IR of one of my Zilla 4x12s.
Thanks for the response Nolly! I like that the tone a lot it’s a great rhythm tone. I’ve actually never played a 5150, so I guess I better try one out! I have been hesitant to try Mules since I played an Abraxas set and was underwhelmed. I thought they lacked a little top end and the bass was a little too flabby on a Mesa Mark V, but your Mule clips sounded much more to my liking.
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Thanks for the response Nolly! I like that the tone a lot it’s a great rhythm tone. I’ve actually never played a 5150, so I guess I better try one out! I have been hesitant to try Mules since I played an Abraxas set and was underwhelmed. I thought they lacked a little top end and the bass was a little too flabby on a Mesa Mark V, but your Mule clips sounded much more to my liking.
Ah, well the Abraxas is definitely darker and looser in the low end than the Mule, which is to be expected with an overwound AIV set in general. I don't know if you have reamping capability or even just an amp sim you can throw this through, but here's a DI of that guitar. The strings are somewhat old, and probably a touch on the light gauge side for chunky riffing but I think you'll still get the idea. Also remember that this is a hollowbody so is very resonant in the midrange - you could expect a more extended low end and faster response from a solidbody.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jx9535kxy9njhf4/Nolly%20Mule%20DI.wav?dl=0
And through an amp sim (not an ideal tone):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zzk0yfeqv03rfsh/Nolly%20Mule%20DI%20with%20Ampsim.wav?dl=0
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Thanks for the response Nolly! I like that the tone a lot it’s a great rhythm tone. I’ve actually never played a 5150, so I guess I better try one out! I have been hesitant to try Mules since I played an Abraxas set and was underwhelmed. I thought they lacked a little top end and the bass was a little too flabby on a Mesa Mark V, but your Mule clips sounded much more to my liking.
Ah, well the Abraxas is definitely darker and looser in the low end than the Mule, which is to be expected with an overwound AIV set in general. I don't know if you have reamping capability or even just an amp sim you can throw this through, but here's a DI of that guitar. The strings are somewhat old, and probably a touch on the light gauge side for chunky riffing but I think you'll still get the idea. Also remember that this is a hollowbody so is very resonant in the midrange - you could expect a more extended low end and faster response from a solidbody.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/jx9535kxy9njhf4/Nolly%20Mule%20DI.wav?dl=0
And through an amp sim (not an ideal tone):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zzk0yfeqv03rfsh/Nolly%20Mule%20DI%20with%20Ampsim.wav?dl=0
Thanks for sending those Nolly! I was able to reamp them but my set up is pretty primitive (just a headphone plug to 1/4"), but I got at least an idea of what a Mule would sound like through my rig, and it was definitely better than the Abraxas. Overwould A4 isn't my thing (for really hot pickups I prefer A5 or ceramic), but the Mules have fewer winds does seem to get rid of some of the stuff with the Abraxas that I didn't like.
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Thanks for sending those Nolly! I was able to reamp them but my set up is pretty primitive (just a headphone plug to 1/4"), but I got at least an idea of what a Mule would sound like through my rig, and it was definitely better than the Abraxas. Overwould A4 isn't my thing (for really hot pickups I prefer A5 or ceramic), but the Mules have fewer winds does seem to get rid of some of the stuff with the Abraxas that I didn't like.
No worries, I'm glad it was of use!