Most defined and articulate pickup

[Hybrid_Child]

Hmm I'm worried that the Cold Sweat will have too much output for what I want it to do in the neck.

The Stormy Monday sounds more like what I'm after. Anyone having experience with this pickup?

[CJ]

you're going to have too much trouble balancing a stormy monday neck with one of the higher output modern bridge pickups. i'm sure you could do it, but i think the cold sweat will match whatever your bridge pickup choice will be much better.

[ericsabbath]

the cold sweat neck is a hot paf, not a high gain model
something like a duncan jazz with dimarzio midrange, but it's one of the most extreme demonstrations of the main BK character quality over the other brands: SUPREME CLARITY
it's the only pickup that I never read anything bad about it and seems to be the most accepted neck pickup for every style

[Doadman]

The Cold Sweat neck pickup is surprisingly versatile, which is probably why it's so popular.

[Hybrid_Child]

How is the Cold Sweat neck compared to Seymour Duncan '59?

[octavio_amzer]

well I don't want to sound rude or anything but... in my opinion all of your opinions are wrong for what he is looking for.  :lol:

So far the best pickup suggested for a convincing "Opeth" tone is the cold sweat set.

A ceramic warpig or miracle man won't get you there... They are very over the top for this. ( I owned a Miracle Man and it didn't worked for this)

Opeth uses articulate and organic sounding tones with hi gain, shreddy smooth warm lead tones, and nice cleans...

Painkiller or the regular warpig are nice for this but still have too much output for Opeth.

I personally own the nailbomb + cold sweat neck combo and it is a very good choice for Opeth.

The cold sweat can handle very nice cleans (you can split it for even better cleans) and shred like no other (watershed has incorporated very shreddy lines with the new lead player). While Nailbomb will get you incredible full chords with lots of hi gain... so you get a very organic aggressive sounding pickup too! (it can even handle thrash incredibly well).

I think the trick is looking for alnico pickups so you gan get that vintage organic articulate tone but with enough output for aggressive riffs.

So I'll name the pickups that Tim and others have recommended for this particular tone (in no particular order):

1) alnico warpig (although I wouldn't recommend it because it has too much output and bass)
2) nailbomb
3) cold sweat
4) holy diver
5) the mule
6) any vintage hot alnico pickup

you can combine these with "sets" or with a nice super clean neck pickup for that "clean tone".

I'm sure other BKPs combinations would give you a convincing Opeth sound if EQed properly with your amp... BUT your best bet is to use the search engine and type "Opeth". You'll see that Tim and other members have already talked about this tone before.

hope this helps you out 

[Hybrid_Child]

What can you tell me about the Nailbomb? How is it compared to the Cold Sweat and Painkiller? Concerning voicing, output, clairity and what not.

[ericsabbath]

How is the Cold Sweat neck compared to Seymour Duncan '59?

I had the '59 before in the same guitar (a japanese les paul copy) I had the cold sweat neck and other models
the '59 was the shitetiest neck tone I ever had, imo

the '59 was totally mid scooped, lifeless, dull, hollow sounding, not enough volume to match any good bridge pickup
it was like using nylon strings in a $70 acoustic guitar

the cold sweat has a lot more volume and sustain, but still in low/medium output, thick lead tone, more mids than the '59 or gibson '57, but still very slightly mid scooped (it's not like a JB or something) with smooth highs and a very defined bass, without sounding hard
the smooth top gives the impression of it being a middy pickup, but it's not
it's definitely middier than gibson burstbuckers, duncan jazz and other similar output pickups, very even voiced, but still having a bit less mids than bass or highs
like a dimarzio paf pro or something(?)

I wouldn't pair it with a mid heavy ultra hot pickup like a c-pig or the painkiller, but it matches really well almost anything below that level

Opeth guys use several guitars, mostly PRS Custom 24 with duncan SH-10 or SH-12 or stock pickups (HFS/vintage bass)
the cold sweat bridge is a great substitute for the PRS HFS, that has close specs (big ceramic magnet, similar output and dc resistance)

but those duncans are medium hot alnico pups, paf voiced mids, but with a ton of high end bite and weak low end
very articulated pickups fore sure, alnico magnet, but they have almost the opposite voicing of a holy diver or nailbomb and aren't really punchy pups
the screamin demon sounds a lot like a smoother bill lawrence (bright, very defined, scooped, a bit thin)
I'm not too familar with the full shred, but it has a similar voicing, apparently with less top end

if you liked the painkiller, than the cold sweat is a great option for you
it's like a warmer version of it, like I said
you can ask for an overwound version of it if you want more chunk
something around 17.5k for more girth

[octavio_amzer]

What can you tell me about the Nailbomb? How is it compared to the Cold Sweat and Painkiller? Concerning voicing, output, clairity and what not.

well my personal experience with the nailbomb is a very positive one. It is by far my favorite pickup... maybe my opinion is biased but the nailbomb gives me a very original pickup voicing and it is very versatil.

the thing is... every BKP is great! But there is always "one" particular pickup that will interest you more than other. I could live with a miracle man or a piankiller all of my life... but when I played the nailbomb it gave me an instant personal satisfaction.

I re-read your posts and I'm sure that you are mistaking "output" with other tonal qualities of the pickups. I can't believe that a Piankiller is "low output" for Opeth playing... thats a very wrong statement. Actually the painkiller, as the guys have said, is one of the highest output BKPs... just behind miracle men and warpigs! But... if it helps in any way... a Nailbomb has a very close output to a Painkiller.

You'll have to experiment and be much more specific... because every BKP has excellent note clarity.... they are also very articulate and "breath".

For a more convincing opeth tone... get their PRS and laney amp... that will get you closer to Opeth than any pickup will.

but if you want a very solid choice... ask Tim. Go with what he recommends.... even if it sounds like a wierd choice. He rarely misses!

be very specific with what you want and he will guide you  :)

[Hybrid_Child]

Eric: Thanks for your reply. The Cold Sweat neck is probably what I'll go for then. Now I have the '59 in the neck of the Horizon, and I'm not entirely happy with it. What you wrote about the Cold Sweat neck sounds like it could really be an improvement.

Octavio: Thanks to you as well. Like I said earlier, I'm not trying to copy Opeths sound. Just want something that works well for playing Opeth.

I'm slightly confused over what would be best for the bridge position now.

I tried the Painkiller and it sounds good in the Les Paul. But the Horizon has maple neck-thru and thinner body, so the Piankiller might be too bright in it.

The Cold Sweat should be a warmer version of the Painkiller, so it will probably not be too bright. It has super clairity wich is a big plus. But it's not as hot as the Painkiller wich is the only thing that worries me about it.

And now the Nailbomb is sugested as well. It has about the same amount of output as the Painkiller wich is good. But how is it voiced, and how is the clairity compared to the other two?
                                     

[DimeZakk]

You said you wanted extreme clarity and the Nailbomb is a Alnico V pickup so it's not as clear as a cold sweat or the even tighter painkiller. You said you liked the Painkiller but you want more output and a brighter sound, now you fear that it'll be too bright in your guitar... I would suggest to try the Painkiller in your guitar, it might just be right OR you can get a overwound painkiller with more output and a darker sound!

[Nolly]

Eric: Thanks for your reply. The Cold Sweat neck is probably what I'll go for then. Now I have the '59 in the neck of the Horizon, and I'm not entirely happy with it. What you wrote about the Cold Sweat neck sounds like it could really be an improvement.

Octavio: Thanks to you as well. Like I said earlier, I'm not trying to copy Opeths sound. Just want something that works well for playing Opeth.

I'm slightly confused over what would be best for the bridge position now.

I tried the Painkiller and it sounds good in the Les Paul. But the Horizon has maple neck-thru and thinner body, so the Piankiller might be too bright in it.

The Cold Sweat should be a warmer version of the Painkiller, so it will probably not be too bright. It has super clairity wich is a big plus. But it's not as hot as the Painkiller wich is the only thing that worries me about it.

And now the Nailbomb is sugested as well. It has about the same amount of output as the Painkiller wich is good. But how is it voiced, and how is the clairity compared to the other two?
                                     

If anything, the Cold Sweat is brighter than the Painkiller. Either would be a good choice for you, and I doubt you'd find them too bright in your guitar.

The Nailbomb is grindier and more old-school. It's quite throaty and gruff sounding, with the rounder high end than you get with the CS or PK. The clarity is a tad less than that of the other two, but if we're talking in relative terms here - it's still a heck of a lot clearer than you'll have experienced with other brands' pickups. It's a great pickup, though I find I prefer the Nailbomb neck over the Cold Sweat as a match with the NB bridge.

In summary, if you said you wanted an Opeth tone, I'd recommend a Nailbomb set, but since you said you want the most defined and cutting tone possible, I'm going to recommend Cold Sweats or Painkillers.

[Adam.M]

What can you tell me about the Nailbomb? How is it compared to the Cold Sweat and Painkiller? Concerning voicing, output, clairity and what not.

For a more convincing opeth tone... get their PRS and laney amp... that will get you closer to Opeth than any pickup will.

I just want to dismay this before anyone else goes out buying a Laney to get opeth tone's, i use the same amp they use and it does not get their tones. They use the VH100R as a clean channel and get all their distortion from a Boss GT8 multi-effects unit.

Many people have bought Laneys looking for the Opeth tone and, whilst it's a part of it, you'd be better off with a GT-8 or 10.

[Hybrid_Child]

Actually that is partly incorrect. They haven't used the Boss unit in the studio since Blackwater Park. Now a days they only use it live.

But sure it would be the right thing to get if you want to sound like them.