Carvin CS4 Pickup Replacement

[creativeboundary]

Hi everyone,

I have a brand new Carvin CS4 and I want to swap out the stock pick-ups for a pair of Bare Knuckles. The guitar has a mahogany body/neck, maple top, and an ebony fretboard. I was looking to install an A5 pickup for versatility. If you could please recommend a pickup that splits well and complements the wood selection I would really appreciate it. I will be playing this through a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, but may be replacing it in the future.

I play in drop D and C#. The styles of music I lean towards are; Rock, Hardcore, Melodic Hardcore, Indie and Nu Metal. This is a list of bands that I like and I would like a pick-up that could replicate their sounds.

AFI, H.I.M., Jimmy Eat World, Thursday, Underoath, Alexisonfire, Tool, and Deftones.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I hope this helps you out. I've already asked Tim and Nick @ Axe Palace, and now I want to know your suggestions.

http://www.carvinguitars.com/catalog/guitars/index.php?model=cs4

[Deathmonkey]

I have a few Carvins with BKPs - 2 CTs (one with a Nailbomb and one with a Warpig) and a Painkiller loaded 727. Out of the three, the Nailbomb is my fave - and I play in drop C. I'm interested in the Holy Diver as well, so maybe someone can shed some light on that too :D

[ericsabbath]

I will be playing this through a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier

something ceramic for the recto
had a single and a dual recto, and hated both with alnico pickups (including the holy diver and nailbomb)

the cold sweat in my '73 Les Paul Custom does some convincing Tool/Deftones tones
I'm playing mostly through a heavily modded '73 Marshall JMP that has a similar loose and big low end response to a rectifier (also a 4 stage high gain circuit), drop C# tuning

[creativeboundary]

Thank you for the fast responses. I don't want the dual recto to be a factor in the pickup selection because I'm most likely going to be replacing the amp. I myself would like to know more about the Holy Diver.

@Deathmonkey where did you get the pickup bezels for your CTs and what are the specs of your guitar?

[Deathmonkey]

I just bought Allparts rings from MF. The specs on the CT are: mahogany neck/body, plain maple top, BEM fretboard, stainless steel jumbo frets. I just won a Holy Diver off ebay, so I'll try to holler when I get it installed :D

[creativeboundary]

Can't wait to hear what you think about the HD. Keep us posted

[Doadman]

I think you'd need a tighter pickup than a Holy Diver to cut through mahogany so maybe consider the Nailbomb or a Rebel Yell. The Rebel Yell is very tight and apparently works astonishingly well in mahogany guitars and is quite versatile.

[Nolly]

Another vote for the Nailbomb here. Great pickup for all the styles and tones you've mentioned.

[ericsabbath]

Can't wait to hear what you think about the HD. Keep us posted

it's a wonderful pickup as well
just different
it's powerful, but not aggressive like the cold sweat or nailbomb
it's an open, clear and mid heavy pickup, with a smooth top and a really thick single note response

nailbomb has a bit less low and center mids, a noticeable upper midscoop compared to the holy diver, but still keeping the punchy low end and a ton of biting high end instead of the Diver high end rolloff
I had the impression that it was a lot louder and more biting, although it had less midrange, which probably implies a hotter output

both worked pretty well in my mahogany/maple top les pauls