Painkiller and ash

[Keven]

so i've just taken order on a brand spanking new BKP set (CS8 bridge and RR8 neck) and i'm looking to replace my bridge pup in my loomis 7 string. tim recommended me a painkiller as my band is kinda djent oriented, we're not flat out djent as i still have my power metal influences in there, but i do like to bang on a low string. what i'm looking for is a nice match between my all mahogany set neck ebony fretboard 8 string and my swamp ash set maple neck and fretboard 7 string. both are fixed bridge and string thru. i currently have a mule neck which i love (and why i went for a Riff Raff neck on my 8 string) i'm looking for a good match.

Tim said painkiller. I'm tempted to agree, but i read alot of comments about them being icepicky, i've used alnico pickups all my life so ceramic is a new thing to me, but if it helps get this aggression without working as hard as alnico, i'm all for it. my amp is fairly dark (it's also plugged on a russian birch loaded V30 4x12 cab) i have the treble and mid maxed out and it still feels fairly dark for me, but it's just right currently with my black dog 7 bridge. if i'm looking for tighter bass and more output without dramatically changing my EQ and tone, is painkiller the way to go for the ash guitar?

thanks for any educated answers :D

[MDV]

I've had PKs in two different ash bodied guitars and they worked very well (fully mahogany neck in one, a coposite neck of mostly mahogany (plus maple and walnut with an ebony board) in the other).

I'm not sure that youre eq balance will change much from the black dog....my EQ data gathered so far rather suggests that it will, but thats incomplete and I havent used one myself.

You will get a strong top end with a tight and balanced low end from the PK in your guitar though, and its an extremely agressive pickup thats not really all that hot in the grand scheme - it keeps it gains its aggression from the preservation of transients from its less compressed sound

I personally find it spikey, a bit clicky in the pick attack, but thats a flipside of the strong high mid attack that gives it its djentyness.

Plus, I've never known tim to be wrong, so get a PK.

[gepetto33]

The $%&#k is Djent anyways, is that the sound chugging makes when you're playing chuggy metal????

[Keven]

it's the sound of that bouncing string that's almost immediatly muted. or something like that. it's a nice way to handle the massive low end of detuning.

that's kind of what i was hoping for MDV. thanks!

[MDV]

it's the sound of that bouncing string that's almost immediatly muted. or something like that. it's a nice way to handle the massive low end of detuning.

that's kind of what i was hoping for MDV. thanks!

Thats a technique thing. It doesnt come from a pickup, its just accentuated or facilitated by it.

But the PK does a good job of those things, and provided you dont think its a magical djent device, you'll do fine with it :)

[Keven]

i like making strings bounce already ;) it'll just make it more fun

[dheim]

it's the sound of that bouncing string that's almost immediatly muted. or something like that. it's a nice way to handle the massive low end of detuning.

that's kind of what i was hoping for MDV. thanks!

it's fun because i think NOBODY knows exactly what djent is but it has become a widely used term to describe tone as well as musical genres... it should have something to do with Messhuggah, but all i can hear is extremely low tuned yet tight as hell guitars.

[Keven]

yeah. everyone has its own description of it.

also, about the PK's high end, i'm going for a covered version so i guess any harshess the open coil would've had with all the maple i have in my guitar will be a bit attenuated.

[dheim]

if you downtune a lot PK's clarity will definitely come handy, but YES, it has got A LOT of hi-mids that in a bright guitar can become overwelming.