Basswood 25.5" 6 stringer..Death Metal Recommendations

[Mr. Bob]

Hi,

I am looking for a set of pickups to suit a Basswood 25.5" 6 string guitar tuned down to B. I will be playing Death metal on this guitar.

I contacted BKP and they recommended the Painkiller,  I am however, not looking to Djent, so I would like some other suggestions also.

When I think of DM tones I hear: Gojira, Morbid Angel, At The Gates. A bridge and neck suitable for rhythm and lead are my requirements.

Thanks in advance.

[Dave Sloven]

Miracle Man would be my pick, at least in the bridge.

Neck might be a different matter, depends on your taste, but you could consider the following neck options:

Miracle Man
Cold Sweat
Rebel Yell
Painkiller

[Kiichi]

Let us note though that while the PK is a great djent pickup it is at its core designed to do the Judas Priest sound from that album. It often seems to be viewed in a limited way. It should have the immense modern chugs of Gojira and the agression of At the Gates (though a mean amp/pedal setup is needed for that too).

It is not the only option, but I would not discount it on the merrit of it being used for djent too. Heck, the freaking Emerald can djent too! ;)

I wonder actually if the MM would not have too little midrange and higher mids especially (not that they lack but the emphasis is elsewhere) for At the Gates type tones. The Coldsweat would in my mind be a better alternative there.

[Sarkasis]

The Painkiller pickup predates djent by several years. It was meant for modern technical thrash metal iirc.

For At the Gates, those Swedish tones are mainly about the overdrive boost. There's a lot you could get away with if you want that sort of sound, but upper mids help. PK makes sense here, but that's not the only option.

Morbid Angel is almost the opposite, the Florida sound was always more organic. I certainly wouldn't pick anything super bright and ceramic for Formulas Fatal to the Flesh-type sounds. For that and Gojira I personally would want something in alnico.

It would help if you specified your rig and what you were looking to emphasize in your tone, like if you need more highs or low-mids or how you want the lows frequencies treated.

[Mr. Bob]

Thanks for the replies.

I am not trying to sound like those bands per se, I should have been clearer.

I am recording an album tuned down to B, and Im trying to keep the bass under control as best I can so tight bass will be a requirement. Tight Bass, good for solos. My music has lots of tremolo picked parts, single note lines..not much power chord chugging going on.

The pickups I have in this guitar are Dimarzio/Ibz so any BKP will be a huge upgrade.

Just spent the last hour searching through 11 pages of threads related to a search for "basswood and death metal" and it seems that everybody is recommending something different. ..haha

[Dave Sloven]

Well I said MM because a lot of people like them for old school death metal and they apparently work really well in basswood body guitars with a bolt-on maple neck (e.g., Charvels).

[Kiichi]

Well I said MM because a lot of people like them for old school death metal and they apparently work really well in basswood body guitars with a bolt-on maple neck (e.g., Charvels).

Absolutely true, my only point of contention with them was the At the Gates type sound. Other than that they would do very well indeed imho.

[Sarkasis]

BKPs known for a leaner, controlled low end and good solo bridge tones that work in a metal context range from the Holydiver, Rebel Yell and some lower-output guys like the Black Dog or Emerald, to some more modern models like the Juggernaut. Personally I like old-school death metal tones so I lean more towards the Holydiver myself.

I would say you should focus on how you want the highs and high-mids treated - if you want more prominent, aggressive highs, or smoother highs; the sense of string definition, or how separated the strings sound, and also how much output you're looking from the bridge overall. Other than that you'll have to use your own ear to get a sense of what you'll be comfortable with.