Black Dogs for a swamp ash Mayones Regius 7?

[Dudley]

Apologies for the essay below, but I always think the more information you can provide up-front the better advice you'll get :)

I'm ordering another Mayones Regius 7 string. Fairly standard specs on it (11-ply mostly maple neck-through, swamp ash body, 25.4 inch scale length etc) with the only real difference being a birdseye maple fretboard instead of the standard ebony and a Hipshot bridge.

I already have an ash Regius 7 with BKP Black Hawks, which I find amazingly versatile and have me covered for death metal style riffing and some mellower tones.  My other main guitar is a PRS McCarty 594 with stock pickups for very clean stuff.  I'm looking for a bit of a middle-ground between the two... something that can do cleans and break-up tones really well but also get very heavy.  Big, expansive cleans and light crunch stuff like Solstafir to tighter metal, but ultimate high-gain chunk isn't the end goal.  I'm a fan of thicker, mid-heavy tones and I value versatility and musicality over ultimate tightness.  I owned a guitar with a SD Nazgul/Sentient set recently and although they were beyond tight I didn't find them pleasant or musical at all and I have an ESP with an EMG 81 in it that is honestly still the king for me when it comes to palm-mutes and metal.  I don't want to get too far in to that same tonal ballpark.

I've read a lot of reviews and always been intrigued by the Black Dogs and think they should work here because on paper they're a great middle ground (big mid-focus to balance the ash/maple, not too hot) but I'm concerned they'll either end up not being tight enough/too polite or maybe a bit too aggressive (keep on reading about this 'attitude' they have).

For what it's worth, I'll be in standard B or Bb tuning and using an AxeFX so have access to a lot of different amp sounds and boosts to tighten things up and I'm not really trying to cop a specific tone as such, but would like something that could pull off modern Solstafir, Opeth-styled cleans (not distortion), Cult of Luna and on the heavier side of the spectrum The Haunted and Ihsahn.

With all this in mind, will the Black Dogs do what I want?  Are there any other sets that would be recommended?  I can't get over the thickness and how musical the Black Hawk sounds which makes me want a lower output version of it, which I think may be a Holy Diver, but I can't look past the JB association as I've never liked it in any guitar I've ever tried and feel like the Black Dog may be the better middle-ground between the BH and the PRS 58/15 LT pickups in the McCarty.  It also seems like it'd be more of a 'different flavour' than the HD as I don't want something too similar in a guitar that is already specs-wise the same.  Similarly the Juggernaut sounds interesting on paper but the naturally dialled in djent c--ked-wah sound that a lot of people report on is off-putting too.

Until I bought the McCarty I was set on putting a set of Mules in this guitar for for something very different in a 7 string and having my clean tones covered, so I suppose the Black Dogs are a safer bet in comparison for high gain work.

[Dave Sloven]

Low output version of the Black Hawk would be the Impulse.

They also have a pretty flat EQ.

[Nolly]

The Black Dogs sound like an excellent choice for what you're describing. You could also consider the True Grit too.
As Dave says, the Impulse would be the lower output version of the Blackhawk - the bobbin dimensions of the blade pickups are completely different to the rest of the range so they do stand a bit separate in their sound. Regarding the Holy Diver, don't read too much into the JB comparison, it's only that it has a similar DC resistance and wire, but the Holy Diver's asymmetrical coils and scatterwind and BKP's premium metalwork give it the more open and clear sound voice BKPs are known for.
Something you could consider if you want to be able to get your tones as tight in the low end as your EMG guitar, is converting your tone knob to a bass roll-off, which will act as a tightness control when run into a distorted amp. I'm in the process of converting my guitars over to this, it's a very easy mod and is incredibly useful. If you want more info I can provide that no problem.

[Dudley]

The Black Dogs sound like an excellent choice for what you're describing. You could also consider the True Grit too.

Thanks Nolly, really appreciate the info.  The bass roll-off sounds intriguing but I'm really trying to push myself out of my comfort zone and consciously take a step away from the tight EMG realm of things.  Something between the Black Hawk and my McCarty 594 pickups would be ideal.  Would you say that the Black Dog set is the way to go, or is there a different neck pickup that would pair well with the BD bridge?  The Emerald and VHII necks sound really interesting to me.  I'm not much of a lead player, it's mostly cleans and crunchy tones I'd be looking for, something in the vein of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqqeZc4SbUg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6j7mUxGz20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX0UaXd4Yis  3:45 or so specifically.

Not after these tones specifically, but something in the ball park of them whilst getting a decent low B chug on a high-gain amp setting.  I'm starting to wonder if the Black Dogs might be a bit too raucous in fact.  How would you say they compare to the 58/15 LT's in a PRS McCarty 594 (if you've tried them) or Dimarzio PAF 7s?  These are the only lower output pickups I've had some recent and in-depth experience with to use as a reference point.

[Telerocker]

The BD's are not really agressive, but they have a midrange bark that I don't hear in say Mules. And they are tight for a vintagehot pickup because of the different wire  and therefore suitable for lower tunnings and 7-strings. You should be able to capture the tones of these vids with BD's too. Maybe you have to tweak your amp-eq.

[capac]

I haven't tried black dogs so I can't really say, but I strongly suspect it doesn't share much similarities with EMG 81.

In fact, don't expect any passive to sound like EMG 81 - nothing is as tight, and if it is close, it's kinda fizzy sounding.

I really like EMG 81 (still own it) and my favorite passive is holy diver (not aftermath or a-hawk I used to have).

[Nolly]

Thanks Nolly, really appreciate the info.  The bass roll-off sounds intriguing but I'm really trying to push myself out of my comfort zone and consciously take a step away from the tight EMG realm of things.  Something between the Black Hawk and my McCarty 594 pickups would be ideal.  Would you say that the Black Dog set is the way to go, or is there a different neck pickup that would pair well with the BD bridge?  The Emerald and VHII necks sound really interesting to me.  I'm not much of a lead player, it's mostly cleans and crunchy tones I'd be looking for, something in the vein of this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqqeZc4SbUg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6j7mUxGz20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX0UaXd4Yis  3:45 or so specifically.

Not after these tones specifically, but something in the ball park of them whilst getting a decent low B chug on a high-gain amp setting.  I'm starting to wonder if the Black Dogs might be a bit too raucous in fact.  How would you say they compare to the 58/15 LT's in a PRS McCarty 594 (if you've tried them) or Dimarzio PAF 7s?  These are the only lower output pickups I've had some recent and in-depth experience with to use as a reference point.

I'd definitely double-down on the Black Dog recommendation based on what you're saying! As far as the neck model, the BD neck is awesome, but sure, if you want to get a crisper neck pickup sound with stronger pick attack then the VHII will certainly do the trick. I don't know i'd recommend going to the Emerald, but if you want an AIV neck why not try the Mule for a great original PAF character?

[Dudley]

I'd definitely double-down on the Black Dog recommendation based on what you're saying! As far as the neck model, the BD neck is awesome, but sure, if you want to get a crisper neck pickup sound with stronger pick attack then the VHII will certainly do the trick. I don't know i'd recommend going to the Emerald, but if you want an AIV neck why not try the Mule for a great original PAF character?

Thanks again for the info Nolly!  One last question... I promise...

Would the Black Dogs work equally well in a mahogany-winged version of this guitar?  Same scale length, maple fretboard, mostly maple 11 piece neck etc.  Would it be too middy/muddy?  As much as I know the swamp ash is a safe bet I'm feeling obliged almost to make the guitar a bit different from my existing one by changing the body wood. 

The Mule in the neck is massively tempting... that was originally what I wanted in both positions.  How would you say the Mule neck varies compared to the Black Dog neck?