Pickup advice

[Chris89]

Hi all, I own an Epiphone Les Paul Standard and have just bought a Jackson RR3 (Randy Rhoads Concorde / V style with Floyd-style bridge) and I'm not sure what to do with the general pickup situation, sorry if I ramble on a bit.

I've had an EMG 85 in the bridge of my LP for a while now which has been great - the stock Epiphone pickups are quite muddy and the guitar is sounding much better and is easier to play by comparison.

I'm planning on buying a Nailbomb some time soon, I've been listening to the clips and have been quite awed by the tone, didn't know passives could be like this.

Anyway, one guitar is going to be active I think (unless I fall in love with BKP and sell the EMG lol) and the other passive, most likely with two BKPs.

In one guitar I'd quite like a hard-hitting, snarling tone for rhythm work,
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1743
The chord that's struck 5 seconds in by the 2nd guitar is pretty much how I want to sound here - also the main riff in Sonne by Rammstein is another good example. The lead parts on the sticky Nailbomb sample sound great as well. It'd be great then to get some rich, deep, smooth cleans from the neck pickup. So yeah, looks like a Nailbomb at the bridge listening to the clips unless you have any other suggestions, then what at the neck? Another Nailbomb? lol

Then in the other guitar I'd have the EMG 85 probably at the bridge and another active pickup and the neck. Any suggestions for what I could get for the neck (could be a passive with one of the EMG pre-amps that can be bought for passive pickups?) - something thick, warm, bassy and powerful would be good here.

Anyway to summarise -
Which neck pickups do you think would be best with the Nailbomb at the bridge for what I've described and which active pickups could go with the EMG 85 in the other guitar? Which set of pickups do you think would work best in which guitar for the tones I've described?

A lot here to answer but any help would be greatly appreciated :D

[Don]

Why not use a calibrated set of Nailbombs? For the active solution, I would move your 85 to the neck and set an 81 at bridge, kind of standart if you are into metal and want to use EMGs....

[Ratrod]

A Miracle Man set. It's based on the sound of a EMG81 and 85 set in a Les Paul. It's also good for earlier Rammstein. For the sound of the latest two albums the Warpig is best.

But if you've made up your mind about Nailbombs, again I recommend a calibrated set.

[Chris89]

Thanks for the suggestions - in what way is a calibrated set different? I'm a bit short on cash right now so can only really afford one pickup, is it possible to send one back later to be calibrated if I then go and buy the 2nd pickup or do both need to be done from the start?

The Miracle Man pickups did tempt me but I much preferred the cleans of other pickups and the tone was a bit *too* metal (the stuff I play with the band is a bit more sedate so I can't go too far here).

For the actives, I much prefer the sound of the 85 in the bridge to in the neck so I'll probably keep it there and I can't find a good clip of an EMG 60 in clean with the kind of stuff I'd be playing with it, any suggestions for pickups from DiMarzio? Has anyone tried these pre-amp things to make passives balanced with actives?

Thanks for your help

[Don]

Combine actives with passives in one guitar... at least it's possible somehow, but it's difficult. I dont know much about it, but I wouldn't recommend it. If you got to guitars, stay active in the one passive in the other. Actives don't sound as well as an alnico V as far as cleans are concerned. The 18 Volt modulation on EMGs makes them sound better what belongs cleans, lot of bass-players use that. It's pretty simple but you need room for another battery... anyway 60/85 combo is not bad for your stuff, don't worry to much about sound samples, you gotta try on your own.... the nailbombs will bring better cleans for sure...

[HTH AMPS]

with EMGs I also think the 85 is best in the bridge - the 81 doesn't have enough bass imo.  for the neck position, the 60 is great too (I like the ceramic version best in the neck for the extra clarity).

fwiw, the WP I'm now using in my LP is closest to the 85 but FAR superior tone.  I'm wanting something like the EMG60 in the neck but passive & of course the output needs to match :?

 :twisted:

[Chris89]

Ooh that reminds me, when playing the EMG in the bridge on the les paul, it just seems so easy to sound notes, absolutely everything is picked with such a profound difference to other pickups i've used. Could anyone tell me who has played EMGs and knows the feeling I mean whether the Nailbombs (or MMs / WPs, something vaguely in the area) feel the same way, being passive etc? It isnt something that i need, i'm just intrigued :)

[HJM]

If you want to buy a neck pickup later, just specify it in your order. Calibrated set is a pair of pickups that will work well together, but one Nailbomb neck is similar to another!

As for the EMG thing....the MM is the closest but does so without being too sterile - you still get some of the guitars natural tone coming through. The harmonics seam more natural too, I find the harmonics from EMGs a bit harsh. :twisted:

[Chris89]

Ok cool - I think I'm going to buy a Nailbomb for the bridge of the Jackson then one for the neck if I decide Nailbomb is the way forward. What are Cold Sweats like compared to Nailbombs? For the Les Paul I'll leave the EMG 85 in the bridge then experiment with either an EMG 60 or a DiMarzio (Evo Neck or something, anyone tried any?) and see what that's like and maybe try MMs or Pigs eventually in the Les Paul (or I might want to make the LP a bit less hot and go for VHIIs or Mules, I'll see how things pan out, that's a long way off)

[HJM]

The Cold Sweats are ceramic and have a tighter bass response, the midrange is slightly softer and the treble is harder than the Nailbomb.