Suggestions for some BKPs for single-cut style guitar

[fjs]

Hi!

So I'm getting a new single-cut style guitar and I'm wanting to put some BKPs in it.  Guitar will have a solid mahogany body, maple set in/glued in neck, ebony board, TOM bridge, string through and 25 inch scale.  I've never heard BKPs in person and there are no dealers within a reasonable drive around me (live in the US) so all of my research is based on the web and well we all know that can be hit or miss.  My goal with this guitar is to have something that can do the more classic stuff I enjoy and at the same time get up into high gain mode and still hold it's own.

Some more info about what I use and what I like.

AMPs - Mesa Single Recto, Dual Recto Roadster, Genz Benz El Diablo 60, Blackstar HT-5 (so as to not really piss off the neighbors daily!)

Guitars - Generally I'm using a single cut style, be it a Gibson LP or an LTD EC

PUPs - Gibson 490r/498t (I really like these but I often wish they had more separation in them tone wise) - SD Alnico IIs (these are really my favorites but they are just not hot enough for some of the music I like to attempt to play, I particularly like the full warm sound they put out but I find myself wanting more chime on the neck and more crunch on the bridge) - SD 59/JB (to my ears this pair is the in-between of the other two but I still find it lacking for some reason)

Music I attempt to play and enjoy - Kiss, Metallica, Lamb of God, All that Remains, Creed, Godsmack, Killswitch Engage, Dream Theater, Tool, Van Halen

I'm particularly afraid of ceramic magnets because every time I play my V which is equipped with Gibson 496R and 500T I feel as though it sounds too over the top and doesn't sound "full"  I'd appreciate opinions from those in the know about BKPs with ceramic.

I have a guitar with EMGs in it already and I do like those but in my hands I can't get any good "all around" tones from them just good metal tones.

So based on sound bytes, youtube and reading I have come to the following conclusions.

1. I like the Nailbomb and would like to use it on this guitar, I was thinking the bridge.  Not sure if the A5 or Ceramic is the way to go.
2. I have no clue what to use for the neck to pair with the nailbomb, maybe the NB should go in the neck and something else in the bridge?  I was at first thinking a mule, or maybe a vhII or a cold sweat?

Opinions/Suggestions please!

Thanks for reading!

[darkbluemurder]

Hi,

Classic crunch to metal on the bridge: Alnico Nailbomb
Chime on the neck: VHII

It's what I have on my Singlecut.

Cheers Stephan

[witeter]

I have a ceramic nailbomb on the bridge: its massive sounding, tight and chunky-it has a lot of low mids; from what i gather the alnico version has more mid projection. I love it though!

[ElectricTurkey4369]

I'm using a Holydiver in my Les Paul and it NAILS Tool and DT sounds. I'm also using a roadster too.

[BigB]

The ABomb bridge should indeed get you the "crunch" you're after without getting mushy (very tight lows, superb definition even under hi-gain), and will work fine for classic rock (rolling down the volume pot) to metal tones. It can get a bit abrasive sometimes, but given your rig (rather fat and warm amps) this shouldn't be a problem (and FWIW, it helps cutting thru the mix).

The Mule neck is just amazing clean, almost single-coilish on a Fender amp, and sings well with overdrive, but it has a very vintage vibe. I personnaly LOVE it, but I'm not sure how it would work for more modern tones.  I've not tried them, but fromthe clips and "forum wisdom", a VHII or Holy Diver might be a safer bet here ?

[lyonk55]

I haven't played enough of the range to really give a useful opinion, but I really like the Nailbomb in the bridge of my Tanglewood LP with a Cold Sweat in the neck: it's got a clear, "fluid" sound to it which works well for Dream Theater type leads.

[Telerocker]

Holy Diver and VHII-neck would be my choiche in this case.

[Nolly]

I agree on the choice of an alnico Nailbomb for the bridge position, but it'd be nice to know more about the tones you are wanting from the neck position. The bridge Nailbomb will pair nicely with anything from the Mule up to the Painkiller neck so there is a wide range of possible choices here.

[fjs]

Thanks for all the replies.

I also took the time to email BKP and ask what they thought.  I added on additional note to my mail that was not in this post. That being that I would like to coil tap the pups in this new guitar and get a reasonable "fender" sound instead of just a volume cut.

I heard back from Ben and got the following.
1. Go with a nailbomb alnico set
2. Go with the alnico nailbomb in the bridge and the vhII in the neck
3. the nailbomb is not going to produce decent "fender" type sounds when coil tapped, but the VHII will

Some have asked for more detail on what I want out of this upgrade.  So to try to articulate this better - I like the way my SD Alnico II pro set sounds compared to the other stuff I have.  What I like about this is the "warmth" it has - it has bass and it sounds "full" to me.  The bridge position lacks some output to get up into more modern metal tones IMO, and the bass could be a bit tighter.  Given all that I really do think the alnico NB is the way to go for the bridge.  As for the neck, perhaps "chime" was not the best word to use.  I like the fact that the neck A2pro sounds warm, but I wish it had a little more control of the bass and a little more treble to it.  I feel as though it gets to sound muddy very fast on me.  I'd like the neck pup to be articulate but at the same time not overpowering.  Make more sense?

Hopefully that gives some more detail.

As for the coil tapping, I've all but given up on that for this guitar since the BKP crew said the NB just won't do it all that well.  However, if anyone has suggestions on what to drop into an LP and get a good coil tapped sound - I'm all ears.   I'm really looking forward to experiencing some BKPs first hand and I'm sure I'll wind up upgrading another guitar if they are as good as I'm inclined to believe they are.

Thanks for reading!