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Author Topic: A longtime lurker.....  (Read 2690 times)

ShotgunInnocence

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A longtime lurker.....
« on: May 14, 2009, 04:05:40 AM »
and new forum member.  I'm gonna start with the perhaps the most common thread on here....which pickups for a "fill-in-the-blank" guitar.  In this case,  the guitar in question is a custom build I'm preparing to finish.  Solid flamed maple San Dimas style Strat, with a maple bolt on neck and a rosewood board.  It's going to have a Gotoh High Stability tremolo with a brass block.  A bridge humbucker, and a neck single coil.  I'm pretty well sold on the Trilogy for the neck, but for the bridge.........oh decisions, decisions!!!

The clips I've enjoyed the most from the Players room so far have been from the NBs and HDs.  Tim advised against anything that hot for solid maple in A5.  Told me the hottest A5 he'd go with would be a RY.  Ceramic on the other hand is another story and is suppsed to be a good match for maple.  Are the differences in tone between rock and flamed maple subtle?  The info on Warmoth's site described rock maple as more "brittle" than figured maples.  Do they both have the same pronounced mid range or is figured maple a little more forgiving?  On the other hand, Ben's HD demo on YouTube was absolutely amazing, and it's almost certainly a rock maple body on his ESP.  If the mids do end up a little overpronounced, can they be compensated for through EQing?

Also can anyone comment on how well a ceramic NB or HD cleans up?  How do they respond to rolling off the volume? What kind of brutality can RYs achieve?  Tone wise I'd like this to be able cover from "Wild Frontiers"-era Gary Moore, to Savatage, to Firewind.  HELP!!!!

Twinfan

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Re: A longtime lurker.....
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2009, 08:43:05 AM »
Greetings  :)

I play "Run For Cover" on my HD equipped PRS McCarty in my band and it sounds great - juicy and fat.  I think the regular HD would sound great in your guitar  :D

Roobubba

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Re: A longtime lurker.....
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2009, 09:26:46 AM »
And I'd say don't worry too much about gain, depending on your amp anyway. You *can* achieve total brutality with low output pickups if you use a high gain amp (and/or boost in front, rwar!). It's probably more important to get the tonal characteristics of the pickup right!

Having said that, the HD does sound ideal. :)

Roo

38thBeatle

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Re: A longtime lurker.....
« Reply #3 on: May 14, 2009, 06:47:58 PM »
I'd just say welcome to the forum-can't help with humbuckers though.
Send three and fourpence we're going to a dance
BKP's: Apache, Country Boy, Slowhands.

AndyR

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Re: A longtime lurker.....
« Reply #4 on: May 15, 2009, 08:22:54 AM »
I'd just say welcome to the forum-can't help with humbuckers though.

+1

Great username as well :D
Play or Download AndyR Music at http://www.alonetone.com/andyr

ShotgunInnocence

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Re: A longtime lurker.....
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2009, 07:14:49 PM »
Thanks for the welcome and the suggestions guys.  Gotta say, this has to be the most helpful and friendly group I've encountered on any music forum/site........

Has anyone posted any clean ceramic bridge clips that I haven't seen (particularly with Sweats or 'bombs......wasn't too keen on the MM's cleans)?  I've seen lots of Cold Sweat clean neck clips, but everybody seems to shy away from doing clean clips with ceramic bridges pups......

If I understand correctly, HDs have more low mids, and NBs have more high mids (according to Tim, this is what produces the hard mid tone with maple, but is also what allows your sound to cut through in a mix).  Would the HDs hi mids become more "present" and allow it to cut through in a similar fashion to the way a NB does on most other guitars?

I really need to stop overanalyzing things, don't I?

Roobubba

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Re: A longtime lurker.....
« Reply #6 on: May 17, 2009, 12:50:58 PM »
Check out Antag's clips, he's posted some HD Bridge cleans, I'm pretty sure.
Of course, I don't know if you've already heard these, or not!

Roo

ShotgunInnocence

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Re: A longtime lurker.....
« Reply #7 on: May 17, 2009, 03:45:14 PM »
I have indeed heard Antag's HD clips (those were the first ones I heard!) and pretty much every other HD clip I could find here.  Same for all the NB clips.  Have to admit, I came here with a strong bias towards alnico pickups (most ceramics always sounded kinda cold and clinical), but between Nolly's ceramic NB clips and rule #1 (when in doubt, listen to Tim!), I'm close to ordering a ceramic Nailbomb.  If you're out there Nolly, can you offer any insight to how your Nailbomb's cleans sound? 

Dr. Vic

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Re: A longtime lurker.....
« Reply #8 on: May 17, 2009, 05:22:16 PM »
Don't know if he will show, anyway he explained here pretty well how does the C-bomb sound and interact with the BKP modern range.

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=16628.0

You'll find here many other topics dedicated to the C-bomb...Hope this would help...

Anyway the Ceramic BKP are less-cold-clinical-and-more-natural-organic than the ones you may have tried with other brands. Also wait for some CS, C-NB users and maybe the users of other BKP's ceramics to confirm you that.

Don't know what to recommend you in that guitar...but Welcome to the boards!  :drink:

ShotgunInnocence

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Re: A longtime lurker.....
« Reply #9 on: May 17, 2009, 08:44:48 PM »
Mucho grassy ass for the tip on that thread Dr Vic.....missed that one!  Definitely gives me an even better idea of what I'd be in for.  Dunno too much about Sikth, but may have to check them out to get more sound samples of the C-bomb.  (crosses fingers in hopes Nolly shows

Tim's recommendation for maple was either a Rebel Yell (as the hottest choice) if I went with alnico or going to a ceramic if I wanted something hotter......