How's the neck pickup compared to the Cold Sweat or VHII?
I love how the bridge pup sounds so imposing out of the box, almost like it came out of a really good demo
I can't recall my experience with the CS neck with much detail - it was some time ago for sure.
I recall the VHII neck as always being a nice choice - it sounded "proper" in almost all aspects.
The RY neck is exceptionally robust - powerful - full - offers up that woody warmth that a neck pup ought to - but it does it without losing control. The way I've set my heights up, it's pretty hot - pole pieces included - so I get a big bassy whoomp with the low E string and it stays powerful all the way up the neck when working the higher register as the string(s) get closer to the pups/poles. In short, for clarity and output, it's
unmatched. For tone? It's sounds as though it's been EQ'd for the better - extend the lows but don't let them get flubby; extend the highs but keep them from being piercing or shrill. The neck is
exquisite. I play a lot of aggressive style music, since installing these pups, I find over half my time is playing in the neck position and some middle position just for the clarity, the tone, the inspiration - bluesy licks and Slashy solos. Different guitars and woods and all that jazz make up a huge portion of how these react, I know this. The closest thing I could compare these to would be the BD neck with the extended highs of the Emerald - but added EQ to fill it out to its highest and best sonic spectrum. I've never installed a set up of BKPs and immediately turned around only to buy another identical set just like that - boom - ever before. I am SO impressed with these pickups man. And that clean, to clean-breaking up zone in all positions is downright inspirational. It just makes me wanna play - and I'm using NO effects most of the time - just direct in (bypassing my FX to be more accurate). And no EQ at all - they sound 100% like they're at maximum sonic capacity, and that capacity is glorious
Last thing - the call/response on these is phenomenal - I mean the string to hand player feedback?? It'd be impossible to capture this on any vid or clip, you have to be the one playing to feel it and notice it. But it's off the charts - so responsive and sensitive to the playing hands inputs. Ya, I am SO impressed - to each their own - but these are totally next level for me.
I'll be able to have an equal pup-to-pup A/B when the next set get installed in the R9, I can only hope they take what's already near perfection in that guitar and push it over the edge.
Phenomenal.
