I'm a bit stuck on pickup choice and I've been trawling over these forums for ages looking for answers so thought I'd ask for help. I usually play either Les Paul or PRS guitars so generally mahogany with a H-H configuration. Not sure what pickups are in my LP but it does a good John Sykes tone and the PRS has an HFS/Vintage Bass combo. I love the tone of both of these guitars. I love the LP because it seems to have a strongly organic PAF vibe while still having the cut of ceramic. The HFS I like because it's so versatile. My favourite HFS player is Orianthi because she seems to be able to nail Blues, Santana (beautiful tone) and shreddy Vai-type stuff.
My problem is that I wanted to experiment with an HSS configuration with a locking trem but I don't want to drift too far away from the tones I'm used to and the guitar I ended up with is a used Jackson SL3. I like the guitar but it seems somewhat brighter than I'm used to and I believe the maple thru-neck will be affecting this mostly (it also uses Alder with a rosewood board). Searching the website has prompted a number of alternatives but while each seems possible, each also had concerns. I tried also reading through the forum but that just brought up more possibilities! I want the bridge pup to produce a sound similar to those mentioned above. The bridge should be rich, warm, organic, highly articulate and fat with good pinched harmonics. A very fluid sound. The styles I play would be modern Blues, Santana, Heavy Rock and Metal. The most gain I'll use is probably around Metallica levels, though that's just gain levels as I find their tone a bit too sterile. Here's what I've come up with so far:
Abraxas
Perfect for the beautiful sweet tone I'm after in many ways. I love the early Santana tone and I like PAF-type players like Slash. I read on the forum that Tim uses Mules in an Ozzy tribute band so I'd imagine these Alnico IV pickups are versatile yet as I've had no experience of them, my concern is whether the Alnico IV will cut it at the gain levels I can play at, especially as I'm used to ceramics, without getting muddy. I read on the forum that you could get an Alnico V Abraxas so what about that if you don't think the Alnico IV will work? Could I use allen screws to tighten it up a bit instead of the normal screw pole pieces? By all accounts the tone here is sweet but it's not a pickup I would naturally associate with Metallica-like gain levels, though there are certainly some metal players who use low output pickups and unusual magnets (Slash).
Nailbomb
I mention this because everyone seems to say it's very versatile. From the descriptions it seems the most organic and PAF-like of all the modern pickups, even in ceramic form. No idea if Alnico or ceramic would be best. I did find a clip on You Tube for a ceramic Nailbomb that sounded very good but I'm worried that by gaining more of a Rock/Metal pickup I'd sacrifice the tone that the Abraxas would give me. I get the impression that this is the safe choice as it will do all I want. Perhaps a Jack of all trades, master of none or am I being unfair?
At the moment I'm kinda torn between the tone I assume is in the Abraxas and the Metal capability of the Nailbomb or is one or both of them both of these things? So far I haven't come across a BKP that obviously blends these qualities and will work in this sort of guitar but then I'm quite ignorant of these pickups other than their reputation of being the best.
For the neck and middle pickups I'd like something that balances well with the bridge as I often switch between pickups during solos. I went HSS because I want something different but I'd still like pickups that aren't a million miles away from a fat humbucker tone. I thought about a stacked humbucker but I suspect it won't give me a good single coil tone and won't give me a good humbucker tone either. I really am lost with single coils as I've never used them before. Something nice and creamy with a decent clean and good for leads in all the styles I've mentioned. Certainly not a thin sound and not one that will get muddy in the bass.
Sorry that this is a novel but I wanted to give you plenty of information. I have written to BKP but thought it would be useful to get other opinions too.
Many thanks
