More HB choice advice please

[paulmapp8306]

I know its all subjective, and dependant on the guitar etc, however a little guidance would be useful.

i have had 2 PRSs for years, one CE with HFS/VB and one CU with Dragon 2s.  There fairly close tonally, with the HFS being hotter and tighter, and the Dragons having a little more mid focus.  ive been happy for years, until:

I got a Tele 2 years ago, which is fitted with Kinman Broadcaster PUs - quite nice and great for round clean tones and twangy stuff.

i got a Strat, and took out the CS69 PUs and fitted Irish Tours.

now, when I go back to the PRss its like - yuk, FAR too mid focused and narrow sounding - on teh bridge PUs mainly.

So - ive re-invented what I want the guitars for.

the CE will be for higher gain 80s Rock, modern high gain, and Instrumental Rock tones.  im leaving it stock for now (as i cant afford to upgrade both guitars at once), but ultimately want a set that is roughly the same power (15k bridge 8.5k bass) with maybe a little more open sounding.  What would fit the bill?  im guessing its between Rebel yells, Crawlers or HolyDivers.  A little help here would be appreciated.

more urgent though is a replacement set for the CU.  The Dragons 2s actually get better the more gain i use, but on mild OD and classic rock sound - not good.  im looking for a set with less power (the dragons are 12k bridge and 8k neck),but Im after a much more open sound.  a fuller bass, more biting top end, and less congested midrange.  The 3 Im thinking of (after differing advice) are Stormy Mondays - which would be the most open BUT may not be strong enough, the Mules which were my initial though BUT may still be too mid-rangy, or the VH11s that were recommended by a guitar maker as they have a wide frequency spread (almost like Hot stormy Mondays were his description). 

Ultimately i want the guitars to "graduate" so:

Tele - Twang, open cleans, light OD
Strat - Funky tones, SC based Blues
CU - Classic Rock, HB Blues up to early 80s stuff
CE - Modern Instrumental rock stuff, Modern Metal and high Gain Rock.

So - i know its not easy but anyone using any of these PUs ?- particularly in PRSs.  Any other thoughts?

[Telerocker]

For your Tele: I love the Blackguards. Best Tele-pu ever played.
For the CU: Riffraffs,  or if the guitar itself is on the bright side: Mules.
For the CE: Holy Diver is a great pu for 80's metal. One of the best BKP-leadpickups, several users stated. Massive fluid leadtones. RY's are way brighter, with emphasis on the uppermids. If you like Steve Stevens tone, this could be your pu. Crawlers sound more classic. Warm, fat, round topend. Could be to much if the CE has a dark tone from itself. I would go for a Holy Diver and Cold Sweat in the neckpos. Great combo for metal.

[Nolly]

Hi Paul, welcome to the forum!

For the CE, I think you'd be very happy with the Rebel Yells - they're an extremely versatile set at right around the output mark you're aiming for. You should find them punchy and tight enough for any heavy tones you could want from them, while retaining an open and clear voicing that sounds wonderful for lead and rhythm work alike.

I'd highly recommend the Mules for your CU - I don't think you'll find them "too much" in any department, they really are wonderfully balanced sounding pickups. They deliver an awesomely rich and open tone that should bring your guitar to life.
I think you would find the Stormy Mondays to be a tad soft in the low end, though they are extremely open and articulate. The VHIIs wouldn't be a bad choice, but I would be more inclined to consider those for your CE instead.

[paulmapp8306]

Thanks for the advice todate.  I think Im settled on the Mules for the CU.  Lower OP and more open than the Dragons or the VH11s.  I think that gives the best versatility as i can always add some gain via the amp - and Ill be using the CE for non vintage stuff anyway.

I think I need to refine what Im looking for from the CE though.  My definition of modern (as Im 44) wont be everybodies lol.

For Rhythm tones i want to cover from 80s Bon Jovi through to Nickleback I suppose (not specifically thoses tones but there the extremes of bands we cover in our sets).  For lead work think instrumental Rock stuff a la Satriani, Morse etc (thats what I play most on my own - along with Floydy stuff, which I have the Strat/Irish Tours for).

I suppose Im looking at the Rebel Yells, Crawlers, Holydivers and maybe even the Alnico Nailbombs to cover this?  For some reason I get very cold at the thought of ceramic PUs - even though the stock HFS is ceramic.  am I wrong to dismiss them for this style? 

PUs has GOT to be the hardest chocie when modding guitars - everything else is so simple by comparrison lol.

 

[darkbluemurder]

I think Im settled on the Mules for the CU. 

I think that is a good choice. These pickups came to my mind first after reading your first post.

For Rhythm tones i want to cover from 80s Bon Jovi through to Nickleback I suppose (not specifically thoses tones but there the extremes of bands we cover in our sets).  For lead work think instrumental Rock stuff a la Satriani, Morse etc (thats what I play most on my own - along with Floydy stuff, which I have the Strat/Irish Tours for).

I suppose Im looking at the Rebel Yells, Crawlers, Holydivers and maybe even the Alnico Nailbombs to cover this?  For some reason I get very cold at the thought of ceramic PUs - even though the stock HFS is ceramic.  am I wrong to dismiss them for this style? 

Of the pickups listed I have only played (and still do!) the Holydiver bridge. That would do Bon Jovi and Satriani well. For the Nickelback stuff it may not be brutal enough - a Cold Sweat could be more appropriate. I would not exclude Ceramics per se. For the Steve Morse stuff the Holydiver could lack a bit in the high midrange department - the Rebel Yells may be better suited for that.

I was talking bridge pickups only so far. For the neck spot I recommend the Cold Sweat neck. Great overdriven tones possible.

Cheers Stephan

[PhilKing]

I've got Mules in an Artist II.  I had VHII's in it at first but thought they were a bit too bassy in this particular guitar.  The Mules are great in it and I think they are the right choice for the CU.   I have Rebel Yells in my Std24, and love them.  I have an EG4 with a Crawler at the bridge (& 2 BKP 91's), but I think that for your CE the Miracle Man set would be great.  I have a Warmoth PRS (they were asked to stop making the body!), with a rosewood/ebony neck that has them in and they are great for anything that you would think of EMG's for, but they can also get down to bluesy classic rock too.

[Alex]

I agree with PhilKing, go for Miracle Mans in the CE. They will pump a lot of clarity into that guitar's tone. I don't think you'd be happy with Holy Diver in that guitar. From my experience the HD can get dark, middy and muddy rather quickly.

[Telerocker]

I don't think MM's are as versatile as HD's or RY's.

[paulmapp8306]

Still undecided on the CE.  Im kind of stuck between Rebel Yells, or going for a Ceramic bridge with Cold Sweats.  I think everything else is a little hot.  The stock HFSs are Ceramic and seem to be tighter than the Dragons with more gain - and at 15k are the hottest id want to go. my Teles are around 6k, the strat up to 7.3k and the Mules going in the CU are 8.4k.  i really dont want anything nearly twice that or my settings will be way off.

the RYs at 14.4k are a touch lower OP than the HFS, and the Cold Sweats 13.kk even more. 

[ericsabbath]

holy diver bridge / cold sweat neck for the CE

riff raff bridge / mule neck for the custom

[Telerocker]

holy diver bridge / cold sweat neck for the CE

riff raff bridge / mule neck for the custom

+1. These are exactly my first suggestions and I still votes for these combo's. That would make two very different, but versatile PRS's.

[Nolly]

I recommended the Rebel Yells for the CE earlier on, but after further thinking I believe the Nailbombs would be a great choice too. Ignore the aggressive name, the Nailbombs are very "mature" voiced pickups - open and rich in the midrange with excellent clarity and dynamics that belies their output.
I also think that they would be an excellent companion set to the Mules in your CU. If I had to two twin humbucker guitars and wanted to cover as much ground as possible between them, I would almost certainly choose Mules and Nailbombs.

In my opinion the Miracle Man or Holy Diver would both be much too focussed for what you seem to be after.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Mules are easily the best pickups I've ever tried and I've heard nothing but positive things about the Nailbomb so it sounds like winning advice from Nolly to me.