Pickups Enquiry

[willo]

(sorry to be asking the same things that everyone else does, i just want to be sure before i buy)

basically, good folk of the forum, i have succeeded in selling some of my pointless shitee on ebay, and in doing so, have now raised enough to get some BK's! however, im not too sure which to go for...all ive heard is the Mule and the Geoff Whitehorn models.

Guitar: Les Paul Studio Platinum

My big lead guitar influences are:

John McLaughlin (Mahavishnu Orchestra period)

and Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction).

For chordal parts, i tend to play in a similar way to John Frusciante, Hendrix and Jeff Buckley (particularly on 'Live At Sin-E)...if you catch my drift. I know they all mostly played singlecoils, but id like some sort of equatable sound through a h/b if at all possible-i almost exclusively use the neck pickup for chords as well, if that is any help. Maybe coil-splitting would help?

So, basically, is there any pickup set or combination which could provide me with the gain and bite for fast widdly leads, but also with the full, sparkly clean tones i like for chords?

(and to everyone, im sorry for this lengthy post which is more of a sales question)

[Tim]

For LPs I nearly always suggest Mules for what you're after. The neck is crystal clear and the bridge has just enough power to really rock if needed.

I'm not too familiar with the Platinum Studio-I assume it's a platinum coloured LP -does it have a maple cap or is it just solid mahogany?

Before I suggest anything else what did you think of the Mule tone? Is this the ballpark?

[willo]

hi tim, thanks for the reply. here is a pic of the guitar if you interested:



yeah, it has a maple top on a mahogany body.

ive listened to the Mule clip over and over again, i do like it quite a lot. im just wondering how much power you can get from it....like you said, it

has just enough power to really rock if needed.

when you say that-the 'rock' bit-how do you mean? can the mule play beyond 'classic rock', towards metal, or is it only really for those Guns n Roses/Led Zep moments? (if you see what i mean)

[HJM]

parallel the neck coils on a DPDT switch to get those clean tones.

[willo]

parallel the neck coils on a DPDT switch to get those clean tones.

i've asked before about paralleling-you were all really helpful but im still a little confused. :oops:  to get parallel tones, would i need to do each pick up seperately (i.e. two switches etc), and i would be able to get the parallel tone and then turn it off and revert back to the normal tone, yeah?
and the push-pull pots, do they work through your volume knobs?

[HJM]

You've got it, for parallel on both pickups you would need two push pull or push push  pots. You can then switch from series (normal) to parallel (thinner more strat like).

Alternative would be to use a push pull to do coil splits on both pickups with one knob. But it won't cancel hum so noise will come back.

You could also do the John Petrucci thing with a Dimarzio 4PDT switch (#EP1111), and get your two humbucker sounds in the neck and bridge, but an auto coil tap of both pickups in the middle position.

[willo]

ok thanks for your help, thats really cleared a lot up!

i do like the mule, but im always a bit wary of something that is the standard ( no offence meant). what i mean is that if that is what most people use then i'm never too keen...primarily because i dont want to end up in some blues-cover band or something. i like to do my own idiosyncratic thing.
so i was wondering-does anyone here own a HolyDiver? i was just wondering what the clean tones sound like (they are listed as 'sweet' on the site, which could be what im after...)i like the idea of getting a lead tone that it a little less trebly and more smooth than other pickups.

[HJM]

Have you listened to Tim melting teh frets on his Mule loaded Les Paul??

Trust me they can rock..... :twisted:

[willo]

Have you listened to Tim melting teh frets on his Mule loaded Les Paul??

Trust me they can rock..... :twisted:

fair point, they did sound good  :)

[jt]

(sorry to be asking the same things that everyone else does, i just want to be sure before i buy)

basically, good folk of the forum, i have succeeded in selling some of my pointless shitee on ebay, and in doing so, have now raised enough to get some BK's! however, im not too sure which to go for...all ive heard is the Mule and the Geoff Whitehorn models.

Guitar: Les Paul Studio Platinum

My big lead guitar influences are:

John McLaughlin (Mahavishnu Orchestra period)

and Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction).

For chordal parts, i tend to play in a similar way to John Frusciante, Hendrix and Jeff Buckley (particularly on 'Live At Sin-E)...if you catch my drift. I know they all mostly played singlecoils, but id like some sort of equatable sound through a h/b if at all possible-i almost exclusively use the neck pickup for chords as well, if that is any help. Maybe coil-splitting would help?

So, basically, is there any pickup set or combination which could provide me with the gain and bite for fast widdly leads, but also with the full, sparkly clean tones i like for chords?

(and to everyone, im sorry for this lengthy post which is more of a sales question)

8) Hi Willo i don`t no if this helps but i`m using a set of the VH2`s and i can hole heartedly recommend them. i play lots of cover stuff 50`s 60`s 70`s etc [for money] but my own bag is metal satch/vai johnson etc and i`ve found these P/u`s to be perfect. The cover stuff i use alot of clean sounds and i`ve also had a coil tap fitted and i`ve found the VH2`s To be great and absolutley capable of handling the sounds cleanly roll a bit of gain on and they come to life nicely i don`t play thrash type stuff so i can`t comment on how good they can sound for that type of stuff but when i kick in my preset sound for Mettalica [PodXt] they sound brilliant  the harder you work these things the better they sound rich and warm with plenty of bite

[willo]

 8) Hi Willo i don`t no if this helps but i`m using a set of the VH2`s and i can hole heartedly recommend them. i play lots of cover stuff 50`s 60`s 70`s etc [for money] but my own bag is metal satch/vai johnson etc and i`ve found these P/u`s to be perfect. The cover stuff i use alot of clean sounds and i`ve also had a coil tap fitted and i`ve found the VH2`s To be great and absolutley capable of handling the sounds cleanly roll a bit of gain on and they come to life nicely i don`t play thrash type stuff so i can`t comment on how good they can sound for that type of stuff but when i kick in my preset sound for Mettalica [PodXt] they sound brilliant  the harder you work these things the better they sound rich and warm with plenty of bite

hi, thanks for that!i checked out the vhIIs a while back and they seemed like they might be right, although it is hard to tell sometimes without actually playing them. just for reference, what kind of clean songs do you play with your covers, so i can get a bearing on what kinds of sounds they can do?
thanks!  :D

[jt]

(sorry to be asking the same things that everyone else does, i just want to be sure before i buy)

basically, good folk of the forum, i have succeeded in selling some of my pointless shitee on ebay, and in doing so, have now raised enough to get some BK's! however, im not too sure which to go for...all ive heard is the Mule and the Geoff Whitehorn models.

Guitar: Les Paul Studio Platinum

My big lead guitar influences are:

John McLaughlin (Mahavishnu Orchestra period)

and Dave Navarro (Jane's Addiction).

For chordal parts, i tend to play in a similar way to John Frusciante, Hendrix and Jeff Buckley (particularly on 'Live At Sin-E)...if you catch my drift. I know they all mostly played singlecoils, but id like some sort of equatable sound through a h/b if at all possible-i almost exclusively use the neck pickup for chords as well, if that is any help. Maybe coil-splitting would help?

So, basically, is there any pickup set or combination which could provide me with the gain and bite for fast widdly leads, but also with the full, sparkly clean tones i like for chords?

(and to everyone, im sorry for this lengthy post which is more of a sales question)

8) Hi Willo i tend to use the clean sounds on most of the 60`s stuff, but also R.E.M Loosing my Religion,Stereophonics Dakota. i tend to find i have to back the gain down a touch [PodXt] but i`ve also had a coil tap fitted and this is a must for me it means i can up the volume but still get great tone and you don`t have to back the gain down any i now tend to use this setup everytime i have to use a clean sound it`s mainly a convenience thing i will be putting a track down in the near future on the players listing and i promise that  i`ll use a clean sound on it o.k

[willo]

cool, thanks man!

[willo]

well, ive just ordered my first set of Bare Knuckle Pickups!

i've gone for a calibrated open, black, set of VHII's with the correct 3/4" push/pull pots for coil tapping...very excited!

 :D

[jt]

well, ive just ordered my first set of Bare Knuckle Pickups!

i've gone for a calibrated open, black, set of VHII's with the correct 3/4" push/pull pots for coil tapping...very excited!

 :D

8) Hey Great Man i`m pleased you jumped and plunged in ! The coil tap is also a really good move it won`t change the basic sound of the P/U`s much but it will take of some of the gain it means that you can really crank the volume up and anoy the neighbours !!! i personally found that my favourite setting for clean sounds is the middle position on my selecter switch[both P/U`s on with coil taps ] remember you might want to take down the treble setting a touch as the Hand wiring process helps to create a rich sounding treble anyway i`ve taken mine down about 1 to 2 notch`s for my personnal taste but remember to experiment with them and take your time play with each sound you`ve created for a while it will help you get closer to that sound thats in your head. Then when you`ve done it record somthing and post it on the forum so i can hear what you`ve been up to !!! and if it`s a really good sound i can nick and use it !!!