Need your advice (Pickups for Les Paul)

[LDR]

Hi everyone!

I've read a ton of posts and reviews but still can't decide so I'm asking for your help. I'm very bad in describing what I want though, so I hope this post makes any sense :)

The guitar in question is Orville LP Standard. It sounds like a 'darker' kind of LP to me, but I haven't played a lot of LPs to be sure. But it certainly sounded deeper and gloomier than a couple of Gibsons I tried before buying it. The body resonance is average I think (again, not a lot of LPs to compare with).

I'm a metal guy with the preference for classic boosted British kind of distortion. I play stuff in the vein of Blind Guardian, Running Wild, Opeth, Anathema, Dark Tranquillity, viking-era Bathory and Iron Maiden's later epic stuff.

The guitar currently has two Gibson 57 Classics in it, which are not bad, but I'd like to improve on them in several aspects:

- for the bridge, more power but still have at least some of the PAFs' singing quality for leads and clarity for chords. Think Rock'n'Rolf's solos and Opeth with their complex distorted chords on higher strings. And Iron Maiden and Bathory-style riffs to complete the picture.
- for the neck, a bit of brighter on cleans (not too bright though - not a fan of Fender/PRS cleans, for example) and if it brings me closer to Dave Murray's lead tone, all the better (yeah I know that he plays strats).
- so far I disliked all ceramic pickups I tried (super distortion, black winters, emgs... - none in this guitar, though), but hey maybe I just haven't found one I'd like.

Very tempted to try a set of Emeralds - they'll probably be great for solos and chords, but worried whether they'll have enough punch for riffs and whether they'll be too bright for cleans. Rebel Yells - too harsh or exactly what I need? Something from the 'Contemporary' line?

I also have a Holydiver in an ash-body superstrat and it sounds dark to me even in that guitar so I doubt it will work for the LP.

So what do you think? That I want too much from just one guitar? :)

[darkbluemurder]

Sounds like a Rebel Yell job to me.

Cheers Stephan

[pcarrion]

Or even a Nailbomb. At least for the bridge. I don't know the Nailbomb Neck but seems like it could fit the bill.

[Kiichi]

Yeah, itīs a job for the RY alright. Should be spot on for the bridge to balance out the darker quality and make the guitar come alive. All the qualities you seek are in there thanks to the awesome high end of the RY. Fits the style bill too no problem. For the neck you could go for the set or a bit more vintage alternative, though I am right now not sure what would be best there. Set certainly would work either way.

[LDR]

Thanks guys! RYs were my first choice after reading through the BK range and I'm almost convinced now. They won't sound thin in an LP, won't they?

About Nailbombs, never played them personally, but they're the only BK pickups I didn't like in any of the clips/videos I heard. They sound too flat and neutral to me, maybe that's the point, but this guitar needs something with noticeable character anyway.

[Telerocker]

Nah, Nailbombs are to way hairy/agressive for what you're after.

RY's come closer, although they are prominent in the uppermids. Maybe that's exactly want you want.

Personally I think Mules are fantastic in a LP, especially on amps with serious gain. For me, lower output PAF's into a hotrodded amp work most of the times. (That's why Tim uses Mules in a lot of cases).

I have no experience with Emeralds. On the forum there are mixed feelings about the Emerald-bridge, which turns out  a bit (too) bright in some LP's.

[ericsabbath]

any of the pickups mentioned here should work pretty well with the proper pedal/amp setup

[MetalHeadMike]

Getting ready to yank the RYs out of my Carvin and throw em in my 04 LP studio to see if they bring some life to that guitar. So far I've been unhappy with the stock pups , D-activators, and Dominions in that axe.

[LDR]

How do you like them in your Carvin?

Btw soon I'll know that too - a set of RYs already ordered.

Thanks everyone for the input!

[MetalHeadMike]

How do you like them in your Carvin?

I love them in there! I did a review of them with clips comparing the RY to the PK. Its still up here on the forum if you look for "Rebel Yell review  comparison with clips"