Coil splitting versatility - will this work?

[LynchBeard]

Like most mulling over their first BK purchase i've spent more time than i should deliberating which combination of pickups will deliver the perfect tone. At this point i'm worn out thinking about it so a little advise would be great.

I've got a les paul-a-like mahogany body, rosewood board and i'm looking for 2 versatile humbuckers that split well.

I've tentatively decided on the nailbomb for the neck and the crawler for bridge. There isn't a particular tone i'm trying to achieve but i love what i hear from clips of these two pickups.  However i'm slightly concerned how well they will work together and whether they will work in the mahogany guitar.

So, would these work or is there something else i should consider?

Thanks alot!

[kevinr]

You may find that the Crawler/Nailbomb in an all mahogany body with rosewood neck will be a little on the dark side, I would think that a Rebell yell set may suit it better.

[LynchBeard]

Thanks, i'll check out the Rebel Yells. Do they split well? part of the reason for choosing the crawler and nailbomb was that they were meant to split well. Also, is there anything that works well with the RY's ? (with so much good to choose from it seems somehow boring to get two of the same kind! :) )

[kevinr]

I think that you will find all (most?) BKs split well and the calibrated set will work great together, each pickup is wound different to compliment each other.

[Telerocker]

They all split well. Crawler / NB is an interesting combo. The first quite vintagehot-PAF-sounding and the latter way more modern. Mind you, the RY is quite bright, but when your guitar is naturel dark sounding, it could work great.

[Philly Q]

I've tentatively decided on the nailbomb for the neck and the crawler for bridge. There isn't a particular tone i'm trying to achieve but i love what i hear from clips of these two pickups.  However i'm slightly concerned how well they will work together and whether they will work in the mahogany guitar.

So, would these work or is there something else i should consider?

I may be stating the obvious, but have you been listening specifically to Nailbomb neck clips? 

Many clips tend to focus on the bridge models, and it's worth bearing in mind that the character of the BKP neck models is usually very different from the bridge versions. 

I'm not seeing Crawler bridge and Nailbomb neck as an obvious combination, which isn't to say they wouldn't work together. 

[Telerocker]

I think your musicstyle and the tones you're after will point in the direction of certain BKP's. Maybe you could explain what you're looking for?

[LynchBeard]

I may be stating the obvious, but have you been listening specifically to Nailbomb neck clips? 

Many clips tend to focus on the bridge models, and it's worth bearing in mind that the character of the BKP neck models is usually very different from the bridge versions. 

Yes, it's quite hard to find neck clips, especially anything in a style i might actually play. However, there is a wonderful clip of a Nailbomb set in split mode which made me interested. 

I think your musicstyle and the tones you're after will point in the direction of certain BKP's. Maybe you could explain what you're looking for?

Music style is hard to describe but lets say, something like soundgarden meets radiohead. I tend to prefer a more open, non high gain tone. I tend to use the neck for clean and ideally would like a nice warm, clear and non treble-y sound. If i could get a nice smooth overdrive from the neck that would be great too.

I think i've been way over thinking all the options, both in terms of what would match my style and what i'd like to try and then trying to combine them all into one set! :)

I've heard clips of the RY and it's not appealing to me. I'm in love with the Crawlers but i'm not sure how they would sound in a Mahogany guitar...

[Philly Q]

I've heard clips of the RY and it's not appealing to me. I'm in love with the Crawlers but i'm not sure how they would sound in a Mahogany guitar...

If it's all-mahogany, without a maple top to brighten/balance the tone a bit, I think the Crawlers may well be too dark. I had a set in an Edwards LP copy and, although I liked them (and I prefer a warm-sounding neck pickup anyway), I did  find the bridge pickup could have done with a bit more bite.

I know Telerocker has a Crawler bridge in a swamp ash Strat.... I think (for me) that might be a more natural home for it than a mahogany guitar.  The Crawlers were originally designed with both Strats and Les Pauls in mind.

[BigB]

I'm in love with the Crawlers but i'm not sure how they would sound in a Mahogany guitar...

I can only second Philly Q here - Crawlers will work fine to "warm up" and fatten a bright guitar (mines are in a maple going-thru neck / maple sides axe) but might not cut it in a full mahogany body (that is, without a real maple top). 

[kevinr]

My Crawlers are in a quite bright  LP and the bridge is really only just bright enough! the neck has been changed over to AV and it sounds very good now, so I would be very unsure as to how they would sound in all mahogany with rosewood board, maybe Riff Raffs!

[LynchBeard]

I'll drop my crawler dream for now. I have an alder body maple board guitar i could put one in when finances allow!

At the moment i'm considering Black dog in the bridge and mule/abraxas/riff raff in the neck.

[Telerocker]

The Crawler in my strat (swampash - quite percussive tonewood) is great, but I stated before that I think that the Crawler excels in bolt-on-guitars. For mahogany/set neckguitars it can be on the warm side and it has for some players too much compression, specially in ''softer'' sounding tonewoods. For your guitar and style I would look into vintage/vintagehot-pu's like Mules, Black Dogs or Abraxas (which is a leaner Crawler, with a bit more chime and PAF-touch)/ The BD you have to like, it's a middy middy pickup from what I read here. I have no experience with it, though. A calibrated Abraxas-set would not be a bad choiche, I think.

[ShredHeadJHJ]

I don't know man, I think it sounds like the Abraxas set would be best judging from all I've heard about them.

Don't base pick ups on clips you hear of it, necessarily. There are many variables that come into play. Player's guitar, amp, pedals, delays, mics, mic placement, recording method, room acoustics, ect., ect., ect., ect., ect.... On top of that everyone has a different opinion. These are hard decisions (definitely) but a lot of times your first or second gut instinct is the best to go for. My gut told me RY's for my new korina LP. I wrestled with myself for a few weeks about what to get before finally ordering a pair, hahaha.