Mixing different types

[Trido]

Hi.  I have an Ibanez RGR321EX into a Peavey Bandit 112 Amp.  I'm not really using pedals at the moment but I have been seriously considering buy a Wampler Triple Wreck as that thing is a beast and I love the sound out of a Triple Rectifier.  I also favour that type of nu-metal (Korn mainly) distortion.  The stock pickups in the Ibanez are not that good.  The Neck is ok but the Bridge is terrible and that in standard tuning.  I haven't tried to go down yet as I don't think the results will be very good.

A friend put me on to BKP and after an email to Tim with my musical preferences he suggested the Painkiller in the Bridge and an Emerald in the Neck to compensate for a distinct lack of treble in my current set up.  What do you guys think about this sort of mix?  I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to mix pickups like that.  I wasn't sure if maybe I should go for something like an Alnico Nailbomb set which might be a better all rounder set if that makes sense.

[38thBeatle]

Welcome to the forum- I can't comment on humbuckers but I think that most of us would say that if Tim has made a recommendation then it would be a good idea to go with it.

[JonnyScaramanga]

Mixing pickup types is fine – especially if Tim says so. The only definite avoid is a neck pickup that's hotter than the bridge. And even that can be manageable – I've got a Gibson R4 custom with a ridiculously high output Alnico V staple pickup in the neck – but for what you describe it would be a bad idea.

[BigB]

Mixing pickups is not a bad thing per se, and you'll find that BPKs "sets" are composed of two distinct - and sometimes quite different (magnet type, wire gauge etc) - pickups. Tim knows his pickups well and pay attention to customers feedback so if you clearly explained what you have and what you're looking for chances are his recommandation is the best advice you can get. Now if you're unsure you can always get back to him to consider another option...

I can't comment on the PK/Emerald as I never played any of them and I'm not really into metal. I have an Abomb bridge / Mule neck combo on my SG, works fine for me but the SG is a pretty different beast and I'm not sure the ABomb would match your guitar, might be a bit _too_ abrasive without the full mahogany plank to tame the highs.

[Deafcat64]

I would follow Tim's advice. As for mixing pickups, I have an Abraxas bridge,with a Mississippi Queen neck in my SG, and they work fine together.

[Trido]

Oh yeah, I didn't mean to imply I was doubting the recommendation.  I just wanted to know what you guys thought about mixing such different sounding pickups!

[Telerocker]

The Emerald neck is quite hot and should be a good combo with the Painkiller. I think it's no problem mixing ceramic and alnico (IV in this case) pickups, unless you value a very balanced inbetween position. Mind you: I have a Crawler in the bridge and Irish Tour in the neck.  :lol:

[Deafcat64]

The Mississippi Queen neck actually overpowered the Abraxas bridge when it was adjusted close to the strings. I had to back it down just a bit. It takes some tweaking to find the right balance.

[metale]

The Mississippi Queen neck actually overpowered the Abraxas bridge when it was adjusted close to the strings. I had to back it down just a bit. It takes some tweaking to find the right balance.

Same here with a Mississippi Queen on the neck and a Black Dog on the bridge, even tho they are both middy voiced.

I have a korn inspired guitar (7 strings tho, not 6 string as the RG321, but same woods), and I went for a very different pickup (Riff Raff) and could not be happier with it.

[BigB]

Oh yeah, I didn't mean to imply I was doubting the recommendation.  I just wanted to know what you guys thought about mixing such different sounding pickups!

Well, mostly depends on your tastes I'd say. If you like your neck and bridge tones to be quite close then it might not work for you. OTHO having two really different pups gives you a lot of options, specially on the middle position when you're playing the balance between the pups, but they still have to be complementary somehow and it can take some time and a lot of tweaking and adjustements to find the "sweet spot".