Pickup suggestions for Les Paul type Schecter

[kon.kokkinos]

Hi everybody!

Decided to change the pickups on my guitar (Schecter Custom Solo II) and thinking about getting myself some BKP 

Mahogany - body/neck
Maple - top
Ebony - Fingerboard
Les Paul style guitar, construction similar to ESP/Ltd Eclipse
Tuning - Standard D / Drop C

At the moment I have the stock USA Schecter Pasadena set which I do not particularly like as they have kind of  upper-mid sound, they are more rock-oriented and I feel they are lacking a tiny bit bottom-end/punch.

The styles this guitar will be used for are: hardcore, death metal, extreme/progressive metal, thrash, grind -  modern and aggressive tones in general

What I am looking for in the new set is as follows,
Bridge: punch, attack, sustain & clarity/articulation
Neck: probably more sustain, kind of smooth/creamy, able to clean up nicely with volume knob
Ideally, a set of pickups that match together and not 2 completely different sounds  between bridge and neck.

In the past I had EMG 81/85 but sounded too sterile and not organic enough.

From the various online demos (youtube etc) I was thinking for Nailbomb Ceramic in the bridge position and Warping/Cold Sweat for the neck position. However, I 've never had any real life experience with BKP and is difficult to understand how these would possibly fit in my guitar specifically, as there are many many factors that are affecting what I am hearing online.

Does anynody have any experience with a similar guitar and these pickup combinations?
Any help and suggestions would be highly appreciated.

-Thanks!

[Dave Sloven]

I have a few Schecters

Stiletto 6-FR with alnico Black Hawk set (C standard)
C-1 Blackjack SLS FR-S with ceramic Black Hawk bridge (C standard)
C-1 Blackjack ATX with Impulse set (Ab standard, also had it in C standard, and in C standard with an alnico Black Hawk set)
C-6 Pro with alnico Black Hawk set (E standard)

I would recommend any of the Black Hawk or Impulse sets but for a Solo II I would probably get an Impulse set

I have mine with a Gotoh 510FB bridge and it sounds perfect with that.

Doom metal, death metal, black metal, thrash metal all good.

[kon.kokkinos]

Hi Dave,

Thank you so much for your answer.

but for a Solo II I would probably get an Impulse set

Just out of curiosity, what makes you prefer the Impulse set for the Solo II specifically?

-Thanks

[Nolly]

Given that the Pasadena bridge pickup you have in the guitar currently is too upper-midrangey for your liking, I think you'll need to move out of that 15-16k output range to get the kind of tonal response you're after. I'd recommend stepping up to the Ceramic Warpig or the Ragnarok - either will give you a deeper mid voicing with tons of drive and sustain.
The Ragnarok bridge crunches and chugs extremely well, it's super-tight in the low end and has a more defined attack that isn't harsh. The c-Pig will be more of a "huge" sound with a bit more of an organic feel. In both cases I'd recommend sticking to the matching neck pickups, they're designed to match well in voicing so you don't get that "2 different sound" effect you say you want to avoid.
Similar to the bridge pickups, the Ragnarok neck is more of a precision instrument where the Warpig is more of a dark and organic pickup that will clean up more easily off the volume pot.

If I were you I would make the decision based on the string gauges you're using, especially given that you're on a Gibson scale guitar. Heavier strings will drive the pickup output harder, giving you more low end and less brilliance. If you're not going above 11-52 I think the Warpigs could be totally fine, but if you are going heavier (or want more of a surgically precise feel) then I'd suggest the Ragnaroks.

[Dave Sloven]

Hi Dave,

Thank you so much for your answer.

but for a Solo II I would probably get an Impulse set

Just out of curiosity, what makes you prefer the Impulse set for the Solo II specifically?

-Thanks

Well I've had good results with it in the Blackjack ATX.  I am using lower tunings than you but C standard is pretty close to Drop C.  I found it sounded really tight and aggressive in that tuning but still quite flat in the mids with a slight top end roll off.  What the Impulse does lack a bit of though is bottom end, which you specifically mention.  Now I did change from alnico Black Hawks to Impulses after adding a Gotoh 510FB bridge that warmed and darkened the sound slightly (although it added massive sustain brass saddles can warm the tone and emphasise lows), before then I was quite happy with the alnico Black Hawk when I had the stock TonePros TOM.  The ATX is all mahogany set neck, probably a similar thickness to a Solo-II or just a slightly thinner.

It really depends on the tone you want.  I was able to get anything from Asphyx to Paradise Lost out of either pickup.

If you click on the link in my sig below you can hear the ATX with the alnico Black Hawks and stock bridge on the right speaker rhythm guitar and the lead guitar (neck and middle on some leads).  The left speaker rhythm guitar is my Stiletto 6-FR with alnico Black Hawk (all of that was bridge only).

Strings on the ATX were 11-56 in C standard, since tuning down to Ab standard I am using 16-64 with no problems with the Impulse set.  I can get Sunn O))) tones out of the neck pickup, not shortage of bass in this guitar at Ab with fat strings.  I wouldn't like to use anything more bassy in that tuning.

I changed the bridge and pickups on the ATX after the album was finished.

The Black Hawks went into my C-6 Pro after I modified the mounting tabs to fit.  That's in E standard.

[kon.kokkinos]

Hi Dave and Nolly,

All suggestions are very interesting and make my choice more difficult than what I was expecting. All 4 sets seem to sound different from what I could hear online, although I understand these samples do not represent the reality 100%

I feel like what Nolly describes as the Ragnarok characteristics, comes very close to what I am looking for. The gauge I have been using for a long while now is 11-54, anything below this didn't really work well for me, so if I am changing I am only going up to 11-56 or 12-56.

I guess in this case I will be going for the Ragnarok set then.

Thank you both so much for your input and help!

[Nolly]

Great, I am confident that you'll be very happy with your decision!

[Dave Sloven]

I've never used the Ragnarok so I really can't comment on it, but to me it sounds like the Miracle Man with more mids

[Telerocker]

I've never used the Ragnarok so I really can't comment on it, but to me it sounds like the Miracle Man with more mids

I think that is quite accurate. They sound quite throaty.

[Nolly]

I’d say that’s correct but definitely a simplification. The Miracle Man will have more high end and substantially more low mid, and won’t drive as hard. The Ragnarok by comparison has a more solid and aggressive midrange focussed pretty much right in the middle of the spectrum, a leaner and tighter low end and a huge drive from the double-height ceramic magnet.