Mule Bridge VS Riff Raff Bridge

[kingneptune117]

Hey guys. I have en ESP E-II Eclipse that I am getting some Bare Knuckle pickups for. I have already decided on a Mule neck, but I am having so much trouble deciding between a riff raff bridge and a mule bridge.

For reference, I play hard rock and post hardcore. Occasionally some blues. Occasionally some metalcore. Check out the bands Acceptance and Armor For Sleep.

I had my heart set on the mule but I’m wondering if the riff raff is the better choice. The issue is I can’t find any comments on how it performs with anything besides classic rock.

Can I get your opinions? Thank you!

[Telerocker]

I believe Nolly (the Great) did some Mule-metalclips in the past.

Check out this thread:

https://forum.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/index.php?topic=26028.0

[ericsabbath]

The bridge riff raff is definitely my favorite all rounder
My 73 Les Paul Custom had A LOT of BKPs and it always comes back to the riff raff
It does anything with the proper amps and pedals

[Dave Sloven]

The Riff Raff / Mule combo has a good rep.

For the styles of music you are playing I think the RR bridge will be the better choice

[Telerocker]

Choice depends also on the particular guitar. Is it a natural bright sounding guitar the RR could be a bit on the bright side. If dark, the RR is definitely to look at too.

[darkandrew]

Choice depends also on the particular guitar. Is it a natural bright sounding guitar the RR could be a bit on the bright side. If dark, the RR is definitely to look at too.

I'd second that. I have a Riff Raff in another guitar but I've never been tempted to put it in one of my Eclipses because they are naturally bright guitars. The RR is a great pickup with an upper mid spike that really suits darker guitars but that's not the Eclipse. The Mule on the other hand is a lot more balanced and sits really well in a mix, it also has a lovely 3 dimensional quality due to its asymmetric wind, compared to the more 2 dimensional and focused tone of the Riff Raff's symmetric coils. The RR is a great rock pickup which I have been using a lot recently but it is not an A5 Mule as is sometimes suggested - the texture is very different.

[ericsabbath]

I sold a riff raff to a guy that installed it in a maple fretboard fender strat and it sounds great

[Telerocker]

Well, I have a Crawler and a VHII in my strats. For all purposes the Crawler is hands down my favourite. Maybe the RR works in some strats, but it's not the first pickup I think about when it comes to alder-ash/maple neck bolt on guitars.

[Sothoth]

I played around with several of the low/medium output HBs and have these thoughts for you:
The Riff Raff is my favorite HB.  In that family, I like the Rebel Yell and Nailbomb as well, which to my ear are higher output versions of the RR. 
I liked the Mule at first, but upon spending more time with it, found it boring compared to the RR.  I think the difference is the A5 magnets on the RR giving it a punchier response.  The Mule is for sure more true to the vintage PAF tone, but I think it's more balanced in the treble (compared to a Seth Lover I had) so it's not overly bright.  IMHO, the Mule sounds less dynamic than the RR, though.  If you like a super well balanced PAF sound, the Mule is for you.  If you like more of a hot rodded PAF, get the RR.  There are certainly cases where the Mule will do better for you depending on what you play but for me the RR is super cool.

Regarding the Youtube video showing the RR/Mule combo and saying it's the best combo of pickups on the planet, I have to disagree a little bit.  I find the Mule in the neck doesn't work for me.  It sounds thick and muddy.  I did a lot better with a RR in the neck, which sounds slightly glassy (almost like a thicker, souped up Strat neck pickup) or a HSP90 in the neck (Nantucket), paired with the RR bridge.

[Telerocker]

I think the particular guitar ask for either of them, Mule or RR. I have Mules in all mahogany Saint Blues and they work brilliant in that guitar. But the RR might rule in guitars with a darker voice. The RR-neckpickup is indeed way brighter than the Mule-neck, so if you want crisp chimey necktones for cleans, the RR is the one to get. I get crisp and dynamic clean tones from my Mule-set in the middleposition. You can even funk with them!

[darkandrew]

Having lived with my Riff Raff set now for a little while longer, I'd like to give an updated comparison of them and the Mule set:

The Riff Raff bridge has become my most used pickup over the last few weeks - it's certainly more cutting than the Mule and stands out more in a busy mix. It's great at all gain levels and has just enough aggression while maintaining a nice vintage vibe to it. It's not the hottest pickup, but if you "give it some" it can still push into the red. It's probably become my "rock" pickup of choice (the A-Bomb is still my "go to" for industrial and contemporary metal styles). However, I never really fell in love with the RR neck, so that was replaced with a Mule. The RR neck was, as has already been described, very bright and almost single-coil like but lacked the fullness of the Mule. The Mule neck is a great pickup, it does most things really well due to its combination of A4 magnets which give it a very balanced frequency response and asymmetric wind which gives it a little extra kick in the high frequencies and gives it it's distinctive clarity. This is a trait that is shared with the Mule bridge - balanced with a little extra kick right at the top end for clarity. I wouldn't like to say whether the Mule or Riff Raff bridge is better - they are quite different, the Riff Raff can cut through a mix and get you heard while the Mule sits perfectly inside the mix, adding depth to it without drawing attention to itself. The Mule has more "chunk" to it but the Rif Raff has more bite, I suppose it depends which of these two characteristics you value more, the same as whether you want to sit in the mix or cut through it. I suppose the ideal solution would be to buy yourself another guitar so that you can have one of each, in fact while your doing that, you might as well buy yourself a third guitar and put an A-Bomb set in it - a great pickup set that I like for all the same reasons that I like about the Mules.