Looking for a metal pup.

[Itchy]

First, I would like to say that this forum has HEAPS of information. Maybe a little bit too much.

I'm putting together my dream guitar and I'm looking for my dream bridge humbucker. I had originally intended for a Nailbomb, but more reading here as opened me up to the idea of Painkillers or Holy Divers. I keep going back and forth, but I can't quite make the decision.

specs:
-Jackson Dinky, alder body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, Floyd Rose
-Amp is a Marshall DSL 401
-The style I play is for the most part, good ol' heavy metal
-I always use either Drop D or E Standard tuning.
-The sound I want is the HUGE balls-out tone of Powerslave era Iron Maiden, but having that notes-jump-out-of-the-fretboard Satriani-ness.

As a reference, here is the sound I'm talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ubmft9_LeE8
Please excuse the overly 80's video.  :P

Thanks guys!

[ericsabbath]

really depends on what's your objetive
warmth/fluidity x raw picking attack
both are great pickups for alder + marshall + 80's
if you're a big boosting adept like Criss Oliva was on Savatage, I'd pick the Diver
if you're running it straight into the amp, then the painkiller can be a better choice

[Itchy]

If by big boosting adept, you mean very skilled at overdriving the signal, I put a Bad Monkey in front of the amp, but nothing like Criss having two Boss Super Overdrives plus an external preamp. As for the warmth/fluidity and picking attack, I would definitely favor warmth over fluidity. My picking attack varies, but for the most part its pretty heavy, and I use a metal pick so there is plenty of attack to go around.

Also, what is your opinion on putting a Nailbomb in there?

[Itchy]

I just discovered the Players portion of the forum.  :P I think I definitely want the Holy Diver. Any objections before I pull the trigger?

[ericsabbath]

the diver is very sensitive to boosters
the picking attack and pinch harmonics get a lot more evident
it's also a very open sounding pickup, and that's a good thing for the oversaturation of amps like the JCM 2000 and JVM

Also, what is your opinion on putting a Nailbomb in there?

the nailbomb is a great pickup too, but no near as middy as the pk or hd
compared to the diver, it's more focused, with flat modern paf-like mids and more aggressive high end
it's hotter, but the diver sounds "juicier" to my ears
the nailbomb sounds quite thick too, but not as fat as the diver
I wish the nailbomb had more midrange

[Itchy]

Yea, midrange is something very important to me. Thank you for the input, I'm now sure that a Holy Diver is what I want.