Miracle Men, Nailbombs, and Rebel Yells......OH MY!

[ShotgunInnocence]

Almost decision time.........getting set to BKP an Aria Pro II Leopard (LP copy) I purchased some time back.  I'm fairly comfortable with my decision for the neck (a Crawler).  The bridge is my only uncertainty at this point.  I'm presently leaning towards either an A-bomb or a RY.  However, I also am finding myself a bit curious about the prospect of a MM neck pup in the bridge (I want an alnico bridge pup).  Has anybody done this that can shed a little light on what it might sound like?  The Aria's a  Japanese lawsuit build from 1980, solid 1 piece mahogany back, 2 piece flame maple cap.  It had some old original DiMarzio PAFs (unpotted) in it that sounded eh at best.  The sound is thick, plenty of low end, a nice mid push, not overly bright, but not dull either.  Thoughts, comments, recommendations, and barbs welcome.....

[kmanick]

I've only had 7 string versions of BKs but I have had both a Nailbomb and a REbel yell both in solid mahogany guitars with maple tops.
I find the Rebel yell a bit tighter but the nailbomb  sings a little more for playing lead. I like em both.
I'm really liking the Rebel yell I have right now in my Ibanez RG7CT :D

[Telerocker]

The choiche depends on what kind of music you want to play. The MM is good for severe metal and ultimate rock, but not very versatile and not the first call for nice cleans. RY's are bright and tight, with great crunch, that could be good thing for your guitar. The A-bomb is versatile, quite modern sounding, with strong upper mids. If you're not in metal-territory consider RiffRaffs too. They do well in mahogany and make a bassy/middy guitar alive.

[ShotgunInnocence]

Versatility would probably best describe what I want from the bridge......I'd like the bridge to work well for anything from blues rock (think Wild Frontier-era Gary Moore) to modern power metal and thrash (Firewind, Cradle of Filth, Iced Earth).  BTW, after further consideration, I've dismissed the idea of an alnico Miracle Man.  Is the Rebel Yell aggressive enough for my heavier leanings?  Is the Nailbomb TOO aggressive for my more traditional tastes?  I'm running through a Rivera TBR-2SL.......not exactly in the same league as Engl, Bogner, or Diezel in terms of high gain, but it has a fair amount of gain on tap.

[Kiichi]

What I can say about the RY bridge is that it is great for anything rock. Period. In general quite versatile.
When it comes to metal...that is a matter of taste. I have Tiny Terror Amp and a Fullbore Metal Distortion Pedal. I think it can do nice metal tones, but if I had to describe what I can get out of it with my equipment that is, it has more of middy In Flames kinda feel too it and less of a modern metalcore-esque Heaven Shall Burn or KSE.
It can do metal, yes but not really that very scooped, ultratight hifi sound. It has always more organic dirt and warmness about it, in a way Iīd say charakter or heart. This might be what your looking for.
As said, itīs not a modern metal pub. But if you wanne do blues, rock, power metal, melodic death,...it can do.

Short said: Itīs in the way you like the mids. Yes this is a bright agressive thing and all, but notice that the mids are where the agressiveness, dirt, warmness and overtones mostly are.


Thats how I see the RY at least. Keep in mind that is in my guitar, with my taste and ears and my equipment.
Only a guideline.

[ShredHeadJHJ]

I would wonder how the RY's compare to Rio Grande BBQ/Texas set...

[Telerocker]

The RY is versatile, will do bluesrock, but is suited for metal. It's modern voiced compared to the Crawler. It has quite some uppermids and highs. In a Les Paul it can be quite aggressive. You said your guitar is not overly bright, so the RY's could cover the spectrum you play.

[ShredHeadJHJ]

So... If I want to sound like Doug Aldrich but am trying to sell my Doug Aldrich that are sitting a box in my closet, then the Rebel Yell would be a good choice? I thought the Doug Aldrich pik-ups had a harsh upper mid/high range, but that was in a basswood Suhr Modern...

[Telerocker]

They have somewhat the same characteristics: agressive uppermids, tight bass. The RY's are quite cutting. If you want a bit more mids, alnico Nailbombs could be a good alternative.