Brutal yet versatile? My first which pickups thread

[Lazy_McDoesnothing]

Hello all.  I've been on this forum for far too long without actually owning any BKPs so the time has come.  I've been trying to decide which guitar of mine to swap and which pickups to get.  I've narrowed it down to my '84 Greco John Sykes LP copy for the guitar.  It's mahogany with a maple cap(1/2in I think) and very heavy.

For the pickups I'm down to these:
Calibrated Nailbombs
Ceramic Warpigs
C-Pig Bridge / Cold Sweat Neck

I've decided I want to coil-cut both with one push/pull so I'm looking for a set that does this well.  I'm looking for something versatile that can get tight, crushing palm mutes and clear open heavy chords so I'm leaning towards C-Pig on that.  And for smooth leads I've heard CS is where it's at.  But will the CS match in volume etc. with the C-Pig?  How well does it split?  These are the reasons I'm thinking calibrated C-pig.

I've also heard a few good clips of Nailbombs both heavy and with less gain that sounded great.  The thing that drew me towards them is the description:  Organic and Versatile.  I've alse heard they split well and have great cleans.

I play through a JCM 900, Mesa Nomad 55, and a Peavey Classic 30 for reference(not all at once).
What can I expect from these different setups in this guitar.

[robbo]

you can expect a nailbomb neck clean tone to be beyond awesome  8)
never split one before, but out of pickups played into a clean channel, i've always preferred the humbucker rather than the split.


i don't do tight crushing things, hermz owns C-pigs and also (i think) alnico pigs, and has borrowed my nailbomb bridge, and he's into what you mentioned, so maybe he can chime in.

[ericsabbath]

painkillah!

[MrBump]

I can only comment on the calibrated Nailbombs that I own, but Tim recommended these to me because that are supposed to coil split really well.

Having said that, I haven't got 'round to splitting them yet!!!

Mark.

[Lazy_McDoesnothing]

painkillah!

From clips and the name I get the impression that they're more for 80's mid-heavy stuff correct me if I'm wrong.  I'm not such a huge fan of that sound, I'm looking for something more modern.  Thanks though, keep em comin  :D


This clip is what got me thinking nailbombs as far as versatility.  Great beefy classic tone.  
http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10554&highlight=nailbomb

Does the C-Pig sound good doing stuff like this?

[Stevepage]

painkillah!

From clips and the name I get the impression that they're more for 80's mid-heavy stuff correct me if I'm wrong.  I'm not such a huge fan of that sound, I'm looking for something more modern.  Thanks though, keep em comin  :D


This clip is what got me thinking nailbombs as far as versatility.  Great beefy classic tone.  
http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10554&highlight=nailbomb

Does the C-Pig sound good doing stuff like this?

Painkillers do more than just that. They sound very aggressive when using alot of gain but because of the amount of mids your sound doesn't get muddy. Very tight low end.

[ericsabbath]

painkillah!

From clips and the name I get the impression that they're more for 80's mid-heavy stuff correct me if I'm wrong.  I'm not such a huge fan of that sound, I'm looking for something more modern.  Thanks though, keep em comin  :D


This clip is what got me thinking nailbombs as far as versatility.  Great beefy classic tone.  
http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10554&highlight=nailbomb

Does the C-Pig sound good doing stuff like this?

that's all about amp/guitar/pickup/style combination :D

the most pickups used in modern rock/metal are the same used in the 80's (emg 81, duncan distortion, duncan jb, dimarzio super distortion, duncan custom) and some were replaced by new similar models (gibson dirty fingers by 500t, dimarzio megadrive by drop sonic and x2n, emg 81 by 85 in the bridge position, bill lawrence l500xl by seymour dimebucker, duncan distortion by PRS tremonti and HFS)

i recorded this short video of my friend playing my amp with his custom Ibanez (7-string, brazilian mahogany body, maple neck) with a PK in the bridge and WP in the neck:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ENvB6X3imqg

[Lazy_McDoesnothing]

that's all about amp/guitar/pickup/style combination  

the most pickups used in modern rock/metal are the same used in the 80's (emg 81, duncan distortion, duncan jb, dimarzio super distortion, duncan custom) and some were replaced by new similar models (gibson dirty fingers by 500t, dimarzio megadrive by drop sonic and x2n, emg 81 by 85 in the bridge position, bill lawrence l500xl by seymour dimebucker, duncan distortion by PRS tremonti and HFS)

Very true.  I do have a bridge equipped emg 81 guitar.  I guess I'm looking for something "comparable" but also more versatile.  That's why I was thinking C-pig for output, and I've also heard they're great for other things.  

What would be the best compromise between ceramic tightness/output and the organic sweetness of alnico?  Overwound Nailbomb?  AV Warpig?

[Lazy_McDoesnothing]

you can expect a nailbomb neck clean tone to be beyond awesome  8)
never split one before, but out of pickups played into a clean channel, i've always preferred the humbucker rather than the split.


i don't do tight crushing things, hermz owns C-pigs and also (i think) alnico pigs, and has borrowed my nailbomb bridge, and he's into what you mentioned, so maybe he can chime in.

I came across a few of his posts and a set of those battle-worn black pickups would look very nice in my guitar.



My main question now is this:  Do C-pigs sound good under low gain settings and clean?  I've known the whole time on this forum I'd get a set of them eventually(It'd be like going to the park and NOT going down the biggest slide at least once), I just want to know what else they can do.  

If nobody says anything to dissuade me, I'm leaning heavily towards them.

[Lazy_McDoesnothing]

Ordered a set of Alnico Pigs today.  I figured along with a word from Tim that the C-Pig wouldn't be able to do everything I wanted so I compromised for alnico.  Should I ever get the itch I can always have the magnet swapped.  The wait begins!