Not again...

[mijat]

Hi everyone! Let me begin by apologizing for another 'help me choose' thread :lol:
I own a Dean Dbdt ml guitar- basswood body, maple neck & rosewood fingerboard and I'm looking to upgrade my stock pups.
I have listened to a billion clips by now, read through a lot of threads and still can't decide which one I want, cause they're all good!!

I'm looking for something versatile, with a lot of punch, like Zakk Wylde/Pantera type of sound but I don't want to copy it completely. I mostly play Sludge/Stoner/Southern rock-metal/bluesy stuff, so I'm after massive sound but also want it to be articulate and good for bluesy solos. Pentatonic hardcore!

I've narrowed it down to Nailbomb, Miracle Man and Warpig but I'm not sure which one will do best in basswood.
Yes, I've read through all the threads about basswood, most of you think NB is the best for it, but then again someone says MM is the best, and someone thinks that 'WARPIG F*ING TEARS in basswood'!!! It's a bit confusing.

I play in a C#-D# range 95% of the time. Drop B sometimes.

It's probably important to say that my guitar is veeeery bassy,  plugged in a Marshall JCM2000 which we use at rehearsals. I kind of figure that Warpig would make it even more bassy? I'm looking to balance it all up, add some midrange and highs to the mix..

Please help  :o

[Antag]

Firstly, hello & welcome to the forum.  No apology necessary, "help me choose" is the main purpose of this board :)

This made me think Warpig:

Sludge/Stoner/Southern rock-metal/bluesy stuff, so I'm after massive sound but also want it to be articulate and good for bluesy solos. Pentatonic hardcore!

However, my first thought for Basswood + Maple (presumably it's bolt-on?) would be Nailbomb.  Either would work but I'd go with an Alnico Warpig - it's very powerful/saturated & yes it has a lot of low end, but it doesn't lack highs or definition either.  Have a listen to this old clip...

[mijat]

Yes, it's a bolt on neck. Tim just responded to my pm, he recommended the Miracle Man..
How does MM act in mahogany? Might get a new LP sometime soon, so I plan to install these pups in it, if it happens..

[hunter]

Yes, it's a bolt on neck. Tim just responded to my pm, he recommended the Miracle Man..
How does MM act in mahogany? Might get a new LP sometime soon, so I plan to install these pups in it, if it happens..

I just put my MM in the McCarty (Mahogany/Maple a la LP) => Awesomenessx1000000000!!!!

It's so fat yet crunchy, great combination!

[mijat]

I want bone-crushing distortion, but it should also be able to clean up nicely.. I've read on lots of places that that's a great trait of BKP pups?

[hunter]

I want bone-crushing distortion, but it should also be able to clean up nicely.. I've read on lots of places that that's a great trait of BKP pups?

Clean? Check this out, bridge PU is a MiracleMan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWn58jJrvig

Clean enough? ;O)

[mijat]

Ok, I'm sold!!
Now, what would work good with it in the neck position? I was thinking of Mule..
I want it as versatile as it gets :D

[hunter]

Ok, I'm sold!!
Now, what would work good with it in the neck position? I was thinking of Mule..
I want it as versatile as it gets :D

Well here I paired a RY neck humbucker with the MM, which is a bit hotter than a Mule. I had to bring it closer to the strings to be a good match to the MM as opposed to where it was set with the RY bridge, but now it balances nicely.

I think a BlackDog neck might be a good pairing with a MM bridge. I love the BD neck in my Epi Les Paul and it feels hotter than the 7.6DC might suggest.

[Antag]

The Cold Sweat is a very popular choice - it does clean tones & neck lead work very well, balances nicely with the MM bridge.  A great all-rounder

However, don't overlook the Miracle Man neck - it's very powerful, clear & smooth - arguably the best BKP neck pickup for high gain lead work, but still useable clean - has a lot of warmth & low end without losing clarity.

Another good option is the VHII neck - probably my favourite BKP neck at the moment.  It's about the same power as the Cold Sweat (i.e. a good match for any of the high output BKP bridge models), but has a slightly more vintage/PAF-ish type tone with a lovely "chime" on the clean channel.

If it helps, check out my Neck shootouts here, here & here

[hunter]

CS and MM are indeed obvious choices to pair with a MM bridge.

However I was thinking Alnico for the neck as the author of the OP was asking for maximum versatility.

I think if cleans and spheric crunch picking are main purpose of the neck PU I would go Alnico for a more organic depth, for highgain soloing I would go MM or CS neck.

[Antag]

However I was thinking Alnico for the neck as the author of the OP was asking for maximum versatility.

umm, MM & CS neck pickups are alnico - the only ceramic neck model BKP make is the PK... :)

[hunter]

However I was thinking Alnico for the neck as the author of the OP was asking for maximum versatility.

umm, MM & CS neck pickups are alnico - the only ceramic neck model BKP make is the PK... :)

Ahrgg, you got me there totally man :O)

I didn't know my neck CS was Alnico, it sounded so Ceramic to mee LOL

[mijat]

The Cold Sweat is a very popular choice - it does clean tones & neck lead work very well, balances nicely with the MM bridge.  A great all-rounder

However, don't overlook the Miracle Man neck - it's very powerful, clear & smooth - arguably the best BKP neck pickup for high gain lead work, but still useable clean - has a lot of warmth & low end without losing clarity.

Another good option is the VHII neck - probably my favourite BKP neck at the moment.  It's about the same power as the Cold Sweat (i.e. a good match for any of the high output BKP bridge models), but has a slightly more vintage/PAF-ish type tone with a lovely "chime" on the clean channel.

If it helps, check out my Neck shootouts here, here & here

Thanks, I checked out all the clips!
I think I like VH's clean the most, but MM seemed better with distortion.. Although, they all sound fairly similar to me...

[LP_LOVER]

I didn't know my neck CS was Alnico, it sounded so Ceramic to mee LOL

I don't think you played that CS neck in a Les Paul right? For a Gibson LP (Custom) I'd pick the CS set over the MM set anyday.

The MM is more modern and will sound more Metallica/Ozzy-like.

The CS is great for classic hardrock stuff with more edge/bite in a LPC.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Hi - in an LP my two fave heavy sounding pickups are the MM and Cold Sweat

For early 80s crunch and stuff like Kiss the CS is the winner for me - the MM is great for Ozzy and Dokken etc

The CS neck works well with either bridge pickup and is a bit more vintage for neck tones