Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: The Silverwulf on August 07, 2007, 08:02:38 AM
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I'm trying to figure out which BKP's would be good for me to try, but the descriptions seem to all start sounding similar after reading them enough... :lol:
Can anyone give me a break down of what the modern BKP humbuckers are based on? For example, I keep seeing the Cold Sweat referred to as being similar to the Gibson Dirty Fingers pickup.
To give you an example of what I'm looking for, I play mostly metal music. I play in a band that plays in the style of old Metallica, Iron Maiden, etc. The sound that I typically enjoy is a very tight and articulate sound ala Metallica's "Master of Puppets" or possibly even a little different as in "The Black Album". I've also been a huge fan of Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth's rhythm tone, especially on albums like "Alive in Athens". That tight, articulate, yet punchy and defined sound. I understand he's now been using BKP's recently. Any clue what he's using for his primary rhythm tone?
In addition to that, I also like to have a nice clean sound. We do have some songs that feature lengthy clean passages. It doesn't have to be an amazing clean tone, but still somewhat nice. I can afford to sacrifice some in the clean dept if the heavy tone will be that much better.
The pickups will be going in Gibson and Epiphone Les Paul's, possibly a Gibson Flying V. I'll be playing through either a (2 channel) Mesa Dual Recto or Splawn Quickrod head unit into a Mesa 4X12 with V30's.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated...thanks!
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Try some Greenbacks instead of the V30s with your Splawn world of difference.
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The Miracle Man would probably be the obvious choice - nice and tight for metal and is supposedly very good for that Metallica scooped tone. However, with it having a ceramic magnet you would sacrifice the cleans a little. The Painkiller would also be a good choice I think?
For better cleans you'd need something with an Alnico magnet, possibly the Nailbomb?
I'm no metal expert so these opinions are based on what I know from the forum. Hopefully one of the metal guys will help you out soon :D
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Miracle Man - all the way.
Stick it in front of a Marshall and a decent boost - it's old school 'tallica
Stick it in front of a high gain fire breathing beast like and Mesa or Engl - it's Black era 'tallica!
andy!
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Can anyone give me a break down of what the modern BKP humbuckers are based on? For example, I keep seeing the Cold Sweat referred to as being similar to the Gibson Dirty Fingers pickup.
They're not exactly "based on" specific pickups (although some models like the Stormy Monday, Mule and Riff Raff are recreations of vintage-spec PAFs and Patent No. pickups).
As you'll have seen, the pickup names are mostly taken from well-known songs which should give an idea of the type of tone they're capable of producing, but they're not reproductions of those artists' pickups. The designs are all unique to BKP.
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i can say miracle man all the way.
i can even post a clip up that shows that the cleans can be quite nice with a tad of chorus....
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Thanks! Seems to be a lot of voting for the Miracle Man around here. So you guys think the Miracle Man would work out better than the (Alnico V) Nailbomb?
Also, what are you guys recommending for the neck position? I don't use the neck as often for the cleans. It gets mostly used for leads. I'm coming over from a set of EMG 81/85's that are in my guitars at the moment.
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The Cold Sweat neck is very popular with the metal guys...
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None of the BKP models are based on other brands, just the sound, feeling and tone other bands create.
Miracle Man - Zakk Wylde
WarPig - Black Sabbath
Nailbomb - Sepultura/Soulfly/Max Cavalera
Trilogy - Wingnut Malmstein
Painkiller - Judas Priest
Cold Sweat - John Sykes/Thin Lizzy
Emerald - Thin Lizzy
Riff Raff - AC/DC
Mule - Warren Haynes?
VHII - EVH
Apaches - Hank Marvin
Irish Tour - Rory Gallagher
Sultans - Dire Straits
Mother's Milk - RHCP
and the list goes on!
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Nailbomb based on Sepultura? That's interesting.
I've always loved the John Sykes sound when it comes to leads, so if the Cold Sweat is anywhere based on his type of sound, it may be perfect for the neck position for me. Odd as it may be, I've actually always loved his lead sound on Whitesnake's "Is This Love".
The Painkiller sounds interesting, but that type of Priest tone may be a but mid-pushed for me. How about the Holy Diver? Obviously I'm familiar with DIO and the song/album, but how does the Holy Diver differ from say the Miracle Man? I've always lumped Zakk and his 80's type tone in with the 80's metal crowd, so I'm curious as to how those two would differentiate from each other.
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I believe the HD is lower output than the MM, with lots more fat midrange.
It's supposed to be similar to the original Duncan JB from 20-odd years ago (not the modern JB we all know and, er, love... :roll: ).
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Well if your after Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth's rhythm tone, then try PM'ing Tim he is in Iced Earth after all.
Holy Diver uses Alnico V whilst the Miracle Man is ceramic. So the MM should be a touch brighter and more biased towards 80's metal whilst HD has more in the midrange for a high gain heavy rock tone.
Maybe you could try mixing MM bridge with the HD neck???
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Well if your after Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth's rhythm tone, then try PM'ing Tim he is in Iced Earth after all.
Holy Diver uses Alnico V whilst the Miracle Man is ceramic. So the MM should be a touch brighter and more biased towards 80's metal whilst HD has more in the midrange for a high gain heavy rock tone.
Maybe you could try mixing MM bridge with the HD neck???
I don't think he is a member of the band anymore.
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Well if your after Jon Schaffer of Iced Earth's rhythm tone, then try PM'ing Tim he is in Iced Earth after all.
I may do that. I don't think Tim is in Iced Earth anymore. I think I recall an article from Jon prior saying something to the effect that Tim simply didn't have the time for the band at the moment. Don't quote me on that...just going from memory! I know Jon used Gibson's basically loaded with stock pickups previously, which seemed to be a combo of stock Les Paul Standard (498T bridge) and some Gothic models (500T) later on...based on what he's said in articles in the past. I think the newest IE album being made will be the first to feature BKP's, but I would be curious to see which ones he's using these days.
Holy Diver uses Alnico V whilst the Miracle Man is ceramic. So the MM should be a touch brighter and more biased towards 80's metal whilst HD has more in the midrange for a high gain heavy rock tone.
I'm curious about the brightness too. I saw someone give this review overall of BKP's:
"From each amp I found that when I used the guitar fitted with Cold Sweat pickup's that the top end was way over the limit for my style - remember I use the wah for the tapping. The result was that no matter what volume I played at (except nearly no volume) I had unwanted feedback through the amp - and changing my sound this much was simply not for me. This is NOT particularly a criticism of the Cold Sweat Pickup's - they do exactly as described. But if you think you like top end - my own view is that when you try these they may well be more top than you bargained for. The quality of these pickups has never been in doubt - Tim and his team's manufacturing standards are as good as any company in the world."
Anyone else experience a lot of unwanted feedback or "too" much top end?
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Is that Cold Sweat review from somebody's website (Tony McKenzie???)? There was a discussion about his comments somewhere here on the forum - might be hard to find, but the consensus (I think) was that he was talking out of his ar... sorry, that nobody agreed with him.
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Is that Cold Sweat review from somebody's website (Tony McKenzie???)? There was a discussion about his comments somewhere here on the forum - might be hard to find, but the consensus (I think) was that he was talking out of his ar... sorry, that nobody agreed with him.
Haha...thanks for the info. It may have been him, I'm honestly not sure. I was reading various reviews online and ran across that one.
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The discussion I mentioned is in the thread below, if you're interested - starting near the bottom of the second page, then most of the third page:
http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=tony+mckenzie&start=0
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I've read that review - this was a guy who insisted on playing with a wah permanently set at full tilt and then had the nerve to talk about top end.
In my view, if you play with a wah fully c--ked as your standard setup - only a MUD LLC pickup is going to not give you too much top end, so the review was pretty bogus to my mind.
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Thanks for the link. I do agree with him in the respect that even though the pickups may be named after specific albums/songs, it can be a little difficult to discern exactly what type of sound they can provide. After reading the descriptions, some of them start blending together after a while... 8)
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After reading the descriptions, some of them start blending together after a while... 8)
True, but exactly the same is true of Duncans, DiMarzios or whatever. At least a name like "Black Dog" instantly brings the song - and guitar sound - to mind, whereas "Custom Custom" means absolutely nothing (which isn't meant as a criticism of SD, it's just a fact).
I've found that owning a few BKPs, and getting familiar with their sound, has made the "big picture" of how the other models compare a lot clearer in my mind. And the same was true with DiMarzios and Duncans.
Having said that... now I'll probably buy an Emerald or something and it'll sound nothing like what I imagined. :wink:
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Going back to your original question about Jon Schaffer, he seems to have a hell of a lot of gear but in this article he mentions Black Dogs and Riff Raffs, surprisingly:
http://www.icedearth.com/news/051407.htm
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True, but exactly the same is true of Duncans, DiMarzios or whatever. At least a name like "Black Dog" instantly brings the song - and guitar sound - to mind, whereas "Custom Custom" means absolutely nothing (which isn't meant as a criticism of SD, it's just a fact).
I've found that owning a few BKPs, and getting familiar with their sound, has made the "big picture" of how the other models compare a lot clearer in my mind. And the same was true with DiMarzios and Duncans.
Having said that... now I'll probably buy an Emerald or something and it'll sound nothing like what I imagined. :wink:
That's true, but I think that most of the other pickups by this point have had been around long enough for people to compare and contrast among them and a good bit have multiple albums that were done with each for comparison. Although EMG 81 or Duncan JB might not be descriptive of what they sound like, you wouldn't have to look far to get countless opinions that describe their sound, find easy comparisons, as well multiples albums each was used on. Not so much for the BKP's since they don't have that long lasting history.
I don't think song/album names alone can give an accurate description because the amps on those records played more of a role than the pickups. Plug in Zakk's EMG 81 loaded Les Paul he used on Miracle Man/No Rest for the Wicked into a Mesa Dual Rectifier and it's a whole other world. Swap out the pickups into the same rig, and the tone would be different...but not as drastic as changing the amp.
The perfect example is that Tim just recommended the Painkiller to me for what I'm looking for, which is that old Metallica "Master of Puppets" or Iced Earth sort of sound. However, I don't perceive the album of that pickups namesake to be like those tones. If anything, I view the Painkiller album sound as a mid-range filled, honky sorta Marshall sound (which I like but wasn't what I wanted). So, I would have never expected to be recommended a pickup in that vein to achieve an almost scooped type metal sound...but I was... 8) So, I don't think the names are an accurate indicator of the overall sound of the pickup. I think it would be ideal to have some sort of tone comparison chart like Seymour Duncan has to compare the models. Now THAT would help a lot.
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That's true, but I think that most of the other pickups by this point have had been around long enough for people to compare and contrast among them and a good bit have multiple albums that were done with each for comparison. Although EMG 81 or Duncan JB might not be descriptive of what they sound like, you wouldn't have to look far to get countless opinions that describe their sound, find easy comparisons, as well multiples albums each was used on. Not so much for the BKP's since they don't have that long lasting history.
Absolutely, but as you've said yourself it's early doors for BKP, give 'em time :wink: . Maybe in 15 years people will be asking for a "Warpig tone" in studios around the world.
I think it would be idea to have some sort of tone comparison chart like Seymour Duncan has to compare the models. Now THAT would help a lot.
Tone charts are on their way, in the legendary website update! :D
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Yeah, give 'em time and people will know them a lot better. Tone charts will definitely be great when they arrive. I'm glad Tim pointed me to the Painkiller. By just using names and basic descriptions, it was honestly the last on my list! Time to reevaluate... 8)
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i recently posted a couple clips with Miracle Mans in my V through a marshall if you want some kind of a reference tone.
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holy diver, painkiller and especially the nailbomb sound more like old metallica than the miracle man
metallica didn't use EMGs on MoP
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holy diver, painkiller and especially the nailbomb sound more like old metallica than the miracle man
metallica didn't use EMGs on MoP
No, but they did on AJFA and the Black Album, as did Jon (Iced Earth) on Alive in Athens.
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MOP was Hetfield's SeymourD Invader loaded guitar into the preamp of some Mesa Mark amp. That amp's preamp was slaved into a Marshall power amp. Easy to recreate at home, obviously.
Then he recorded three rhythm tracks, one left, one right and one in the middle. Try copying that! ;-) BTW Kirk was not allowed to record any rhythm tracks. Hetfield probably considered him the noob in the band or whatever.
Flemming Rasmussen actually posted the amp settings on some forum as well as all the other recording equipment used.
IMO you really shouldn't bother too much about nailing Metallica's sound 1:1 (because you won't!). You'd need to play rhythms as tight as Hetfield and even if you don't like the band and their music, you still have to grant his rhythm chops are pretty awesome.
A Miracle Man will give you a good starting point for a sound similar to that of MOP. It would give you a good starting point for a lot of good sounds actually.
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No, but they did on AJFA and the Black Album, as did Jon (Iced Earth) on Alive in Athens.
what 'live' in athens? :roll:
the amp settings for all up to the black album are available on the net.. though black is the most complete.
kirk not playing rythm.. it's cos hetfield is lightyears ahead of him as far as rythm playing goes and it's easier for everyone that het plays everything 5 times, than to wait for kirk to record it 50 times.
as far as the tracks on each album go.. AJFA has WAY too many to list. try 5 different amps and a couple of different guitars. thus producing the thick sound (though the bass on that record is just ridiculous)
another example is maidens NotB. i got the classic albums documentary and basically the guitar tone sucks! untill they add the aditional takes. 2 adrian, 2 dave, one track of bass playing the rythm line, another bass track playing chords and bass harmonics on the easy stuff, like the Hallowed intro.
give to that any and all effects they used in the studio ... bla bla.
any record sound is pretty much impossible to recreate 100%
besides playing STYLE plays just as big a role as amp choice, or guitar choice. if you play real tight as oposed to 'sloppy' (bad comparison i dont mean ability but style.. if you understand)
... what am i onto here? bah. forgot .. anyway.. good luck in the pickup choice :P
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MOP was Hetfield's SeymourD Invader loaded guitar into the preamp of some Mesa Mark amp. That amp's preamp was slaved into a Marshall power amp. Easy to recreate at home, obviously.
Then he recorded three rhythm tracks, one left, one right and one in the middle. Try copying that! ;-) BTW Kirk was not allowed to record any rhythm tracks. Hetfield probably considered him the noob in the band or whatever.
Flemming Rasmussen actually posted the amp settings on some forum as well as all the other recording equipment used.
IMO you really shouldn't bother too much about nailing Metallica's sound 1:1 (because you won't!). You'd need to play rhythms as tight as Hetfield and even if you don't like the band and their music, you still have to grant his rhythm chops are pretty awesome.
A Miracle Man will give you a good starting point for a sound similar to that of MOP. It would give you a good starting point for a lot of good sounds actually.
his white flying v copy didn't have an invader yet, at least not on the photos of that time
but the black one had a 500t, which is closer to painkiller
i still find nailbomb, painkiller and holy diver closer to that sound (in the right amp of course)
my ex-mesa rectifier liked the miracle man better than the holy diver, but in tighter amps or rawer distortion sources, the holy diver sounds a lot better than the miracle man (i've tried both in the same les paul)
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MOP was Hetfield's SeymourD Invader loaded guitar into the preamp of some Mesa Mark amp. That amp's preamp was slaved into a Marshall power amp. Easy to recreate at home, obviously.
Then he recorded three rhythm tracks, one left, one right and one in the middle. Try copying that! ;-) BTW Kirk was not allowed to record any rhythm tracks. Hetfield probably considered him the noob in the band or whatever.
Wow...lots of info. Where to start... 8) Anywho, I never stated that I wanted the "Master of Puppets" tone. What I said was that when I play, I like tones "ala Album X and Y". Those are nothing more than references to describe a sound because it's the easiest way to get a point across.
I actually spoke with Flemming prior to him posting those settings online. It was probably about a year prior. I'm the one who mentioned to that forum they should contact Flemming (who I knew didn't care sharing info because I spoke with him before), which resulted in him posting them.
Master of Puppets was Kirk's Mesa Mark IIC+ Head slaved into a couple JCM 800's they had at the time. There was actually 6 tracks of rhythm on there, not 3...and none were up the middle. There was 2 tracks of the main rhythm, 2 tracks of the countering rhythm, and 2 tracks of just the palm muted low E's in the song for extra chunk.
It's common practice for one guitarist to record all of the rhythm tracks (in metal at least). The reason being is that there is little nuances in everyones playing that sets them apart, and it's a lot easier for one person to double himself than have someone else try to copy it. When we record, I (or the other guitarist) will track all of the rhythm, and usually quad track everything (4 tracks of rhythm).
what 'live' in athens?
the amp settings for all up to the black album are available on the net.. though black is the most complete.
kirk not playing rythm.. it's cos hetfield is lightyears ahead of him as far as rythm playing goes and it's easier for everyone that het plays everything 5 times, than to wait for kirk to record it 50 times.
as far as the tracks on each album go.. AJFA has WAY too many to list. try 5 different amps and a couple of different guitars. thus producing the thick sound (though the bass on that record is just ridiculous)
AJFA was pretty much the same as MOP, though this time they slaved the IIC+'s into a Mesa strategy 400 Power Amp instead of a Marshall. I think the only track that featured a different amp was "Shortest Straw", which was a Mesa Quad Preamp. There's various things like a JC-120 and an ADA MP-1 on places for cleans and leads, but the bulk of the album is just the IIC+. They were also using EMG's by this time.
And yeah...gotta love the "live feel" of Alive in Athens... 8)
his white flying v copy didn't have an invader yet, at least not on the photos of that time
but the black one had a 500t, which is closer to painkiller
Yeah, to my knowledge, Eric is right on this one. If I recall correctly, it was still the 500T at that time.
Anyway, thanks again for all the info guys!
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I'm glad Tim pointed me to the Painkiller. By just using names and basic descriptions, it was honestly the last on my list! Time to reevaluate... 8)
I had much the same experience. I wanted something that was versatile but it was vital that it could cope with loads of distortion. In fairness, Tim's first choice was the MM but I simply don't like the tone at all; it's too thin and artificial to my ear so I needed something else. I thought that perhaps he'd say Warpig, Painkiller or Holy Diver but surprisingly he suggested a Cold Sweat for the bridge. That was the last pup I expected him to say as it is the least powerful of the modern pups he does but what do you know, it's perfect. Beautifully organic and takes masses of gain. If Tim says Painkiller I'm pretty sure that is the way to go. What did he say about the neck pup? I'm curious as the Cold Sweat neck sounds perfect for what you're after there.
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one important thing is to discover what YOU like in a pickup
a friend of mine played my holy diver and loved it, and then decided to order a pair of 7-string BKPs
he asked me to choose and buy it for him
he said he was looking for Jeff Loomis sound (EMG 707/85), so the closest one would be the alnico warpig
but he didn't like the bridge pickup that much, cause he's been playing for 12+ years and never had an alnico pickup
he always had ceramic pickups with that hard attack and sharp edge, so he thought he wanted Nevermore or Arch Enemy sound (both use alnico pickups), but the truth is that he was looking for the kind of tone that he already ever had
so he asked me what would be the closest to the gibson 500t he has in other guitar... the obvious choice in this case would be painkiller
so he emailed tim and that's exactly what he answered (but i didn't know that painkiller had 3 magnets too :? )
now i ordered a painkiller-7 to replace his warpig (but he'll keep the neck warpig pickup... or maybe put the bridge warpig on the neck :? )
so you need to know what characteristics do you like in pickups that you played with your own hand, not a pickup you've just heard
your style and your amp will make a hell of difference
my ex-rectifier sounded better with the miracle man, but when i play in tighter or rawer distortion amps, the holy diver eats the mm
so just saying you like some band's tone won't help that much
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on there, not 3...and none were up the middle.
I just remembered that from a Petrucci interview, where he was talking that the MOP album had such a great sound. He claimed it was in part because of a third rhythm track in the middle of the mix.
But maybe something was recorded incorrectly there in the interview, who knows what he was talking about.
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I just remembered that from a Petrucci interview, where he was talking that the MOP album had such a great sound. He claimed it was in part because of a third rhythm track in the middle of the mix.
But maybe something was recorded incorrectly there in the interview, who knows what he was talking about.
Ah, I think you've got the right idea, but wrong album. James did use a third rhythm track up the middle on the Black Album. I'm an engineering whore (dabble in some producing myself), so I'm always fascinated by how people achieved sounds in the studio and talk to producers/engineers every chance I get.
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I had much the same experience. I wanted something that was versatile but it was vital that it could cope with loads of distortion. In fairness, Tim's first choice was the MM but I simply don't like the tone at all; it's too thin and artificial to my ear so I needed something else. I thought that perhaps he'd say Warpig, Painkiller or Holy Diver but surprisingly he suggested a Cold Sweat for the bridge. That was the last pup I expected him to say as it is the least powerful of the modern pups he does but what do you know, it's perfect. Beautifully organic and takes masses of gain. If Tim says Painkiller I'm pretty sure that is the way to go. What did he say about the neck pup? I'm curious as the Cold Sweat neck sounds perfect for what you're after there.
I associated the Painkiller with the Priest album, and assumed it had that honky Marshall mid-range quality to it. But, Tim told me that's not the case. He said that the Painkiller doesn't have a mid-spike but it does have a broad mid Q. So, that's what he recommended for heavy, tight rhythm playing ala old Metallica, Iced Earth, etc.
For the neck, he actually suggested the Nailbomb, again, which surprised me. I told him that my ideal neck pickup lead tone would be John Sykes on Whitesnake's "Is This Love" and asked if he thought the Nailbomb would be better than the Cold Sweat, and he said "yes"...then said the Miracle Man would actually be his first choice for smooth, sustaining leads. I was quite shocked by the opinions, because it was almost the opposite of everything I was thinking... :lol:
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i prefer the neck cold sweat over the neck miracle man
it sounds more open and clear
miracle man and warpig sustain better and they are very powerful and smooth, but a little nasal compared to cold sweat
probably the neck nailbomb is between cs and mm
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I'd recommend Miracle Man set. Its awesome.
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I think I'm either going with the Painkiller or Holy Diver. It'll likely be going in a Les Paul, and I've saw some differing opinions on how the HD sounds in a LP.
@ Eric, I think you mentioned before that the HD was your favorite overall. What do you like about it in comparison to the others? I saw the HD clip on youtube through a Splawn, and it was very tight and articulate, but a little thin sounding. Could just be the clip. Anyone else experience this?
For the neck, I'm leaning towards the Cold Sweat or Nailbomb. I know Tim recommended a Nailbomb there...we'll see I guess.
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I think I'm either going with the Painkiller or Holy Diver. It'll likely be going in a Les Paul, and I've saw some differing opinions on how the HD sounds in a LP.
@ Eric, I think you mentioned before that the HD was your favorite overall. What do you like about it in comparison to the others? I saw the HD clip on youtube through a Splawn, and it was very tight and articulate, but a little thin sounding. Could just be the clip. Anyone else experience this?
For the neck, I'm leaning towards the Cold Sweat or Nailbomb. I know Tim recommended a Nailbomb there...we'll see I guess.
i have 2 les pauls
my favorite one is loaded with the HD and CS
i've tried a miracle man set on it too, then moved it to the other les paul
probably you saw twilightodyssey video (strat + splawn?)
i don't know if his holy diver is the same as mine, cause the first version was in dimarzio super distortion ballpark (13k ceramic), and i think that the second version (14k alnico) became the rebel yell model
mine is the last 16k alnico version, which is in dunca JB ballpark
mine sounds anything but thin
it's very balanced and has full spectrum frequencies
fat, strong and incredibly clear and dynamic
in the rectifier it sounded like Tool tones, but in this amp the miracle man sounded better cause it helps to focuse the excessive bass of the amp
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probably you saw twilightodyssey video (strat + splawn?)i don't know if his holy diver is the same as mine, cause the first version was in dimarzio super distortion ballpark (13k ceramic), and i think that the second version (14k alnico) became the rebel yell model
mine is the last 16k alnico version, which is in dunca JB ballpark
mine sounds anything but thin
it's very balanced and has full spectrum frequencies
fat, strong and incredibly clear and dynamic
in the rectifier it sounded like Tool tones, but in this amp the miracle man sounded better cause it helps to focuse the excessive bass of the amp
Yeah, I think that was the clip I saw. It was tight, don't get me wrong...but it sounded very thin to me. I didn't realize there was a few different versions/revisions of the HD. Would you consider this latest revision close to the Duncan JB in terms of sound?
I've never has any bass issues with my Recto. Of course, I also have a '94 "Blackface" Dual (early Revision G) and use very moderate bass settings. I actually have a Splawn Quickrod too, so I'll need something that will sound nice in both since I usually just grab whichever amp strikes me at athe time for gigs.
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probably it's thin cause of his settings, and it's in a strat style guitar
HD is in jb ballpark, but the major difference is that Tim fixed the overbrightness of jb
HD sounds full on bass and center mids and doesn't have the excessive upper mids
jb bottom end sounds loose and boomy, where HD is punchy and heavy
it has more articulation too and the clean sounds are wonderful
it's really fat, so if you're planning to put it in a gibson style guitar, you don't need to fear problems with it
you just need to know what kind of attack and midrange do you prefer
if you want a tighter attack and crunchier mids you should go with miracle man or painkiller
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you just need to know what kind of attack and midrange do you preferif you want a tighter attack and crunchier mids you should go with miracle man or painkiller
Yeah...the reason I started inquiring about the Holy Diver as another option was because if it gets me in that ballpark and is tight sounding, I assumed the cleans would be better on it being an Alnico V as opposed to the MM and PK both being Ceramic. That was my only hesitation there, otherwise it would be a Painkiller all the way for me. Even though I play metal, we do have some lengthy clean sections at time, so decent clean sounds are important to me. I even finger pick the intro to one song ala "Last in Line"...haha
I start looking at the order forms here...I see the prices of each and shipping...what about any types of mark-ups or customs for shipping them here to the US I wonder? Any US users here that could shed some light on costs to get them here? I checked some of the US dealers, and no one seems to have a good selection in stock.
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I don't know about customs into the USA but you can deduct "VAT" as that only applies to EU residents. VAT is 17.5%. At the moment the rates of exchnage between the $ and £ are punitive to you which is a bit of a pain for you guys.
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I don't know about customs into the USA but you can deduct "VAT" as that only applies to EU residents. VAT is 17.5%. At the moment the rates of exchnage between the $ and £ are punitive to you which is a bit of a pain for you guys.
Yeah, the exchange rate is a pain at the moment, but it prob won't push them costing much further than some other pickups. I think the Burstbuckers I was looking at were roughly $129 (USD) anyway.
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here in brazil the import tax is 60% over any product above US$50 :evil:
i usually ask the international sellers to declare low prices and mark the gift blank on customs declaration or i'd be seriously screwed up
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Just to clear any confusion, the HD that TO was using is the new style A5, I know this because it is my pickup that I had collected at the 2006 LGS. It was one of the first after the decision was made on which pickup would be the Rebel Yell.
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Is this thread actually ABOUT anything?!
If so, can someone enlighten me before I take out my red pen and scissors and start to make a coherent thread out of it?!
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Is this thread actually ABOUT anything?!
If so, can someone enlighten me before I take out my red pen and scissors and start to make a coherent thread out of it?!
I think the whole thread seems pretty straightforward to me...we've been talking for 3+ pages over what the pickups compare to, how they sound, and how they contrast versus one another.
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None of the BKP models are based on other brands, just the sound, feeling and tone other bands create.
Miracle Man - Zakk Wylde
WarPig - Black Sabbath
Nailbomb - Sepultura/Soulfly/Max Cavalera
Trilogy - Wingnut Malmstein
Painkiller - Judas Priest
Cold Sweat - John Sykes/Thin Lizzy
Emerald - Thin Lizzy
Riff Raff - AC/DC
Mule - Warren Haynes?
VHII - EVH
Apaches - Hank Marvin
Irish Tour - Rory Gallagher
Sultans - Dire Straits
Mother's Milk - RHCP
and the list goes on!
Tim recently suggested that I try the Trilogy bridge pup for my Strat, was wondering tho, if anyone can guess what the 'Sinner' models ?
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Early priest song I think
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Early priest song I think
Could be, especially considering it talks about being the "metal god of grind" in the description...but I actually think they were using humbuckers back in the "Sin After Sin" era.
Still debating for myself among the Painkiller, Holy Diver and Miracle Man. Everyone says the Miracle Man has a mid-scoop to it, which may be nice with an upper mid heavy amp (Splawn).
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The Sinner is basically a very hi output Strat bridge coil-I wanted something that would rival a humbucker in output and really wail in a Strat.......it put me in mind of KK Downings classic Strat whammy solo in The Sinner hence the name.
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Still debating for myself among the Painkiller, Holy Diver and Miracle Man. Everyone says the Miracle Man has a mid-scoop to it, which may be nice with an upper mid heavy amp (Splawn).
Really? Who is this everyone that says the MM is mid scooped?
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The Sinner is basically a very hi output Strat bridge coil-I wanted something that would rival a humbucker in output and really wail in a Strat.......it put me in mind of KK Downings classic Strat whammy solo in The Sinner hence the name.
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Tim
That's pretty much what I'd thought, my friend from England has a few of those pups and really didn't know the origin, after plastercaster's post I remembered KK Downing and relayed that info.
By the way she will be the one ordering for me tomorrow (the Trilogy bridge pup)..I thought about what you wrote in the e-mail and decided that it makes more sense for what I play..a lot of clean stuff (jazz/Country thus the need for a "steel sound" every now and then) ..I'm quite sure at 15k it shouldn't have any prob getting into the P90 realm for the Rock stuff that I do..will e-mail again with more specifics.
Miss Watson (Gem~)
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The Sinner is basically a very hi output Strat bridge coil-I wanted something that would rival a humbucker in output and really wail in a Strat.......it put me in mind of KK Downings classic Strat whammy solo in The Sinner hence the name.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s-cBPn31ys
I always picture KK playing it on his white Strat with a left-handed neck, but it's the sunburst in that clip. Awesome! :twisted:
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Still debating for myself among the Painkiller, Holy Diver and Miracle Man. Everyone says the Miracle Man has a mid-scoop to it, which may be nice with an upper mid heavy amp (Splawn).
Really? Who is this everyone that says the MM is mid scooped?
I'm not going to dig through threads again to show specific comments, but I've ran across that comment quite a few times, as well as it having a smoother mid response than other BKP's.
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Trilogy - Wingnut Malmstein
"Wingnut"...is that really a song or a group? :lol: or are you just playing with Malms first name :? :lol:
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Still debating for myself among the Painkiller, Holy Diver and Miracle Man. Everyone says the Miracle Man has a mid-scoop to it, which may be nice with an upper mid heavy amp (Splawn).
Really? Who is this everyone that says the MM is mid scooped?
I'm not going to dig through threads again to show specific comments, but I've ran across that comment quite a few times, as well as it having a smoother mid response than other BKP's.
i find it a bit scooped
it doesn't lack mids, but it has a lot more treble and bottom end than center mids, so it's V eq'ed
actually the neck pickup seems to have a bit less center mids than the bridge version, but it doesn't appear to, cause it's very smooth on the highs and fat on low mids, so it doesn't give the mid scoop impression
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Trilogy - Wingnut Malmstein
"Wingnut"...is that really a song or a group? :lol: or are you just playing with Malms first name :? :lol:
I'm playing with his first name.
My dog is also called Malmsteen - when her ears go down to the sides her head looks like a wing nut!
andy!
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I'm playing with his first name.
My dog is also called Malmsteen - when her ears go down to the sides her head looks like a wing nut!
andy!
(lol) I feel like an oaf now, I told my freind that it modeled Wingnut and Malmsteen :lol: :oops:
should have known when I seen that your name was a take-off on "buckethead" :lol:
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The Aphache's are the old Mark Knopfler sound, not so much the Sultans.
The Sultans are called that because they are a very clean pickup as I understand, and the Alnico 2 poles make a smoother sound. In the late 70's Mark used a 61 strat and also another strat which was not 100 per cent Fender. The pickups are most similar to the Apache's. The old Mark Knopfler sound wasn't actually completely clean because he used a natural crunch and also he used different set ups from gig to gig and track to track on the two first studio albums.
The sound that Mark used on the Sultans of swing record wasn't very clean at all infact, but as the BK Sultans is a good clean pickup I think Tim named it the Sultans because most people think of the sound of that song as very clean.
The Aphach'e have got the clean Hank Marvin thing of course but also look at how many people have used the early strats for hard rock aswell.
Don't just go on the names, they are just names.
The Sultans with Alnico 2 poles have got a different wire to the 50's and early 60's Strat wire, Mark did move on to SD APS 2 later and these have got the Alnico 2 poles like the BK Sultans but the Sultans have still got a different wire, because the SD APS have got the vintage wire.