Recommendation - Coming over from Rebel Yells

[quitty]

Hey guys.

I had my RY 7-string bridge in my 3 last guitars -
basswood, rosewood on maple bolt-on (pretty good),
mahogany and maple top, maple on maple bolt-on (amazing),
and alder, ebony on maple neck through (good, but a little brittle).

Now, i've got a brand new Kiesel Vader and with stock pickups it is 'bigger' sounding than the RY-equipped guitar, and has a better note-to-note separation which is crucial to me.
It does, however, smear a little when moving horizontally on the fretboard and has something 'torn-speaker' sounding when it sustains, kinda like the Juggernauts. Mostly, though, the stock Kiesel pups are too compressed.

It's a chambered swamp-ash body, 5-piece maple/limba neck and an ebony board, 27" scale.
I'm a fan of modern British sounds (modded JCMs, Splawns, Blackstar etc.)

Any advice before i start re-soldering my RY just for testing's sake?

[Yellowjacket]

What sort of amp / cab combination are you running?  Or Axe FX?  It's crazy to think that something stock will have better note separation than a Rebel Yell; the pickup that de mudified my hunk of mahogany monster. 
What sort of tones do you want? What style do you play?  When I hear someone liking Rebel Yells who wants to try new BKP ground, I automatically think Painkiller.  But, you noted that out of your three guitars, the mahogany guitar with the maple top works best with the Rebel Yell. 

I am not surprised that a Basswood body instrument with a maple bolt on neck with a rosewood board doesn't yield an epic result with a Rebel Yell.  Knee Jerk, I would pick a Juggernaut, Warpig, or Holy Diver for such an instrument.
An alder body, with a maple neck through with an ebony board I would also put something warmer and phatter sounding into. 
So, here we are.  Chambered Swamp Ash with Maple / limba neck & an ebony board?  How does the instrument sound unplugged?  Bright?  Balanced?  Dark?  Not surprised that it sounds bigger than a Rebel Yell equipped super strat!!  =-p  My Rebel Yell bridge sounded thin in a Les Paul Standard, and it was only when it went into a mahogany bolt on instrument with a rosewood board & a mahogany neck that it phattened up and now sounds enormous. 

I want the other guys to chime in around here.  But, my knee jerk reaction would be Juggernaut, Holy Diver, Warpig, or Aftermath, if you want a brighter tone.  But, I have no idea what amp you are playing or what sort of a tone you want so I really have no clue how to advise. 

[Slartibartfarst42]

I'm with Yellowjacket on this one as my perception is that Rebel Yells work much better on a heavy Les Paul slab of mahogany so on the guitars you mention, I'd have gone a different route.

basswood, rosewood on maple bolt-on - I'd have been inclined to go with a Holydiver on this one
mahogany and maple top, maple on maple bolt-on - Plenty BKP could work here.
alder, ebony on maple neck through - No brainer for me this one as it screams out Miracle Man

As for this new swamp-ash guitar you have, again, I think you have a few options. A Warpig will certainly make it sound huge. I'd go with an A-Pig myself but then I'm not that keen on ceramic pickups. The Holydiver should also work very well and although I'm not a fan myself, I suspect you might also like the Juggernaut.
I'm a fan of modern British sounds (modded JCMs, Splawns, Blackstar etc.)

[Yellowjacket]

Someone needs to do a non-djent demo of Juggernauts.  Those poor, maligned pickups =-(  I was 'supposed to' but I've been too busy. 

I still wonder about the aftermath, especially with OP's penchant for brighter tones.  It sounds like he needs something just a few notches fatter and darker than a RY. 

[Slartibartfarst42]

I agree that my dislike of the Juggernaut is entirely driven by the clips I've heard, none of which I've found impressive. It's always been a shame because on paper I was intrigued from the moment it was announced. I was so interested in the idea I did actually buy a pickup elsewhere that was similar, only mine is A8 flanked by A5 magnets instead of using ceramic but the result is really impressive and I love it. If the clips had been a bit more varied I may well have gone the BKP route, though of course, the possibility remains that it was simply the ceramic that was putting me off.

[Yellowjacket]

Yup, the clips are pretty terrible. 

This guy has an Axe FX / Ibanez Prestige with Juggernauts and he gets a more progressive / John Petrucci sort of a tone with them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=593Rf4XpgQ0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGFeGtEwcsI
 
I'll vouch that they sound particularly great with a Mark V.

And, of course, Rick Graham's demo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tq3a2K5J6s

I ordered the pickups when Ben French recommended them to me and I was very surprised when I actually tried them in my axe.  They're really wonderful and versatile.  Still, you get a bit of this very modern voice which may be a turnoff for some people. 

[quitty]

Sorry for the long delay, guys - i somehow assumed there's an email notification for replies

I'm not sure i'm a fan of bright pickups anymore. It was always my first choice for clarity with big, distorted chord voicings,  but seeing as i'm playing a Kemper nowadays, it's always easier to have a balanced-sounding instrument.
Live, i usually hang about the Friedman BE, Splawn Quick-Rod and modded JCM800. In the studio, i'll use whatever. Don't use the bridge pup for cleans that often.

The Aftermath, even on paper, sounds more 'tight' than 'clear' - i'm afraid it might be too stiff.
The Juggernauts, on all three videos, still have that wooly-sustain thing going on, which i'm not a fan of. On paper, they sound lovely - but the mids are just too fuzzy for me.

Unplugged, the guitar is very vowel-y, pretty warm and almost as loud as a bad 3/4 acoustic. Definitely nothing like my alder-bodied stiff and bright Carvin.
Admittedly, something as bright as a RY isn't a common fit for something as bright, but it happened to be around and i was looking for something lower-output and classic while retaining a proggy-edge.

Maybe putting the RY in is a good idea after all?
I'm not sure an acoustically warm guitar is warm-sounding guitar plugged in, but i'll not be opening that can o' worms.

Thanks for all the help!

[Yellowjacket]

You say 'warm and vowel-y'?  How is the low end on the guitar?  If the tone has a lot of weight in the low end, the instrument will sound huge with a Rebel Yell. 

If it has some top end, what about a Holy Diver? 

[Slartibartfarst42]

The A-Pig or the Holydiver are still the obvious choices for me or a Miracle Man if you want something that's a bit tighter but still has an organic warmth to it.

[gwEm]

The Holy Diver can be seen as a kind of Rebel Yell+... if you like that sweet Alnico tone with friendly harmonics.

[gwEm]

Funny there are many posts about the Rebel Yell lately. I've been playing my Agile Les Paul the last month or so and love the tone from mine. The bridge is an absolute monster, sweet tone, rich upper mids, tight bass, just the right amount gain for massive sustain but keeping all the dynamics. And it records amazingly well.