Nailbomb for an Ibanez RG3120 Prestige

[metalmaniac93]

Well I had my first BK PUs installed in my Carvin Bolt T+ and I tell you that the Holy Divers are awesome!!!  I cannot wait to hear them in my ESP Horizon NT when it arrives.   I want to try something different in my Ibanez RG3120 Prestige (Mahogany Body/Maple Top/Maple Neck) and was wondering if the NB Alnico would be a good fit.  I really do not like the Dimarzio Tone Zone very much, but the Air Norton in the neck is very good.  I heard Tim's Nailbomb clip in an RG550 and it sounded amazing.  My main amp isan Engl Savage 120.  How does the neck PU sound also?

[Nolly]

Should certainly work well.
The Nailbomb neck has a bright hot PAF-style sound. Fairly woody with a lot of definition.

[Slartibartfarst42]

I just couldn't get on with the Nailbomb at all, though I maintain it should work a lot better in mahogany than it did in my maple neck-thru. The more mahogany the better in my opinion. I think the Miracle Man would also be good in your RG and if you fancy something more vintage, how about Emeralds. THere doesn't seem to be that many people using Emeralds and I can't understand why as the clips sound fantastic. Maybe they're a secret gem.

[BigB]

I just couldn't get on with the Nailbomb at all, though I maintain it should work a lot better in mahogany than it did in my maple neck-thru.

The ABomb bridge does indeed work fine in my  SG, and given how bright and clear it sounds in this rather dark guitar I dare not imagine how it would react in my maple neck-thru Vox... But then, I'm not sure one can really predict with 100% accuracy the result of a given pup / guitar combination.

@metalmaniac93: I have zero experience with RG Ibbies, so I just can't tell if a ABomb bridge would fit. All I can say is that it's very bright and aggressive (in a good way), surprisingly clear and open sounding for such a hot pup, with a very rich harmonic contents which makes pinched harmonics a piece of cake. It manages to retain it's dynamics, definition, articulation and note separation even under somewhat massive gain - which makes it  rather unforgiving FWIW -, and cleans up very  beautifully to a more classic, PAF-like yet still clear and bity tone when rolling off the volume pot. On my SG, the lows are tight (no mud at all) but deep, present and chunky, and the mids really roaring. Not a "sweet" pup when full cranked, but it warms up and fattens well using the tone pot, a bit like a good Tele bridge. Well, I'm still in the honeymoon phase, but so far the more I play it the more I like it.

[metalmaniac93]

Thanks to everyones comments so far.  My only experience with BKPs are with the Holy Divers and they are amazing PUS and I will have two guitars with them in a month or so when the ESP comes in. As far as the Ibanez goes,  I just want something better than the Tone Zone.  The TZ appears a little muddy at times and somethimes it sounds good and other times not so good.   As far as the neck PU goes, the Air Norton is damn good, but I would probably look at getting a BKP for the Ibanez. 

[metalmaniac93]

From wjat I have read, the ANB has a high treble spike that some of the BKP users do not like, but Tim's clip sounds amazing.  I know he is using a Marshall amp and I have an Engl Savage and the two guitar woods are different.  Basswood vs Mahogany body/Maple Top.

[Slartibartfarst42]

I didn't find it had the huge bottom end that is described on the website and that's partly why I think it would work best in a lot of mahogany. It was the tightest pickup I've ever tried that's alnico by a huge margin and has a very 90s Metal feel to it with a very edgy and gritty distortion. Take what I say with a pinch of salt as it clearly didn't work for me but I'd be wary of putting it in anything that hasn't got a lot of mahogany. I MUCH prefer the Holydivers I changed it for but you said you wanted something different and a NB is certainly different to a HD  :D

[jorona11]

I'm pretty much in the same situation. I have an RG3120 with Evo's in it. Needless to say I don't dig the Evo's too much and want something warmer. I've been thinking Rebel Yell/ VHII or some Nailbomb's. I play a lot of prog rock/metal and I think they'd fit well. AMIRITE?

[Slartibartfarst42]

The Rebel Yell and VHII are both bright pickups so would need to be in a dark sounding mahogany guitar to work at their best in my opinion. Both seem to be good Rock pickups though while the Nailbomb is more 90s Metal. I'm biased but for me, it would be Holydivers. They're just so astonishingly good and versatile.

[metalmaniac93]

Slartibartfarst42,

I know you are not a huge fan of the A-Bomb, but what would you recommend for a Ibanez RG with a Mahogany body, maple top, and maple neck with Lo-Pro Edge Tremelo other than the HD?  The Tone Zone has to go at least.  The Air Norton can stay, but I would like a calibarated set of BKPs.

[Slartibartfarst42]

It's not that I don't like the pickup, it's just that my experience of it suggests that it needs a good chunk of mahogany to tame the hairiness and it just didn't work in my guitar, to my tastes. I'm sure in the right guitar it's superb and if you like that style. Your RG is mahogany but it's not like it's a huge slab of mahogany in the way a Les Paul is. I used to have an RG similar to yours and I used a set of Cold Sweats that worked fine. They were bright but didn't have that super tight hairiness of the Nailbomb. I found the Cold Sweat a little more flexible so that may work. Moving away from my personal experience, I find I'm increasingly drawn to the Emerald. I spent ages reading threads about it earlier today and I listened to loads of clips and it sounds like it has some characteristics in common with the Holydiver. It's well defined in the bottom end and still thick sounding at the top with a smooth distortion. To me, all that sounds very appealing as it sounds like a less powerful Holydiver. If you want to stick to a contemporary pickup, try looking at the Miracle Man. I've tried one of these a few times and always been impressed.

[metalmaniac93]

Well, I opted to stay with DiMarzio until I decide on what to get.  I put in a Super Distrotion for now until I can make a decision on some BKPs.  Sound pretty good so far, but no where as good as the BKP HDs.