Stormy Mondays more than they say on the tin?... (ok... box)

[sambo]

GALLOWS!  :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:  :twisted:

Nice work Tom  :D  For a non-hardcore person that was rather good I must say.

They actually use a Laney VH100R live actually so you're in a good position to do that. :)

Cheers. What output are Rebel Yells?

Mark hadn't even considered the Holy Diver at all. It's meant to be quite dark right? Dark is good. And cleans are very important so that's a good sign as well.

As for pushing a pickup harder, I've been playing a lot with amp settings and stuff today... I have VH-1 Burny pickups (PAF replicas), and I don't think I would have to go much higher than that to be at comfortable levels in terms of output.

Mules vs. VHII I think Mules would definitely suit me better if they had more lower mids and fatter bass.

But how do Black Dogs compare directly to Mules? They are supposed to "muscular growl and bite" so more snarly lower-mids+bass than Mules or what?

Cheers guys, this is helping.

[badgermark]

Actually Sam I'm in the same boat as you. I'm looking to upgrade the pickups in my Epi Les Paul and can't decide between pickups. The Black Dog's are tempting, but I know the Mules would most likely be perfect. BUT! I want something with a bit more output, already got low powered pups, and as much as I love the tone I want something a bit meatier for my LP. So much choice.

Also, check out the Emerald clips in the Players section, Machinehead posted some and they are sexy. Sexy.

As for the 'dark' HD, I can't comment, it seems to be pretty bright and punchy in my Strat, I'm blaming the Strat on that count though. Gives a good sound so I'm not complaining.

[_tom_]

The Rebel Yell bridge is 14.45k according to the BK site. It seems quite a bit hotter/gainier than the Mules, though in terms of fatness etc its not a huge difference. It just seems to have more mids and crunch.

[Philly Q]

But, for the amount of gain required, and the amount of physical push (and I play pretty hard), the pickup doesn't shine in that setting.

When I played a gig recently using my Riff Raff bridge (also in a LP clone), I loved the tone, but the basic reaction was that it sounded more compressed than my Cold Sweat. Sounds impossible, right? But it's true ... I was pushing the Riff Raff outside of its performance parameters.

Good description!  I get a similar feeling with low/vintage-output pickups sometimes - that they're struggling to keep up and just sort of collapse.

It's a very non-scientific analogy, but if distortion was a sea (the Sea of Distortion) medium-output pickups would be bobbing around comfortably on the surface whilst low-output pickups would be treading water and desperately trying not to go down like Leo di Caprio in Titanic.  And high-output pickups would be a big feck-off motor boat cutting through the waves like they didn't exist.

Sorry, I had a few beers at lunchtime.  :oops:  It is Christmas.

[sambo]

I actually laughed out loud when I read "...distortion was a sea... (the Sea of Distortion)..."

 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

I get what you mean Phil. (that's probably a bad thing :oops:).

See your description is what worries me- I don't want to be the motor boat, because that's extreme metal and all flamboyant and extravagant and o.t.t.

Don't want to be the poor fella struggling to survive, because... well.... for obvious reasons.

However I don't want to be floating atop the crest of a wave of mediocrity... :lol:. I don't want to be sitting in the middle with a sound that isn't particular great either way.


Anyway!

Mark your first paragraph summed up my position nicely. Yeah the Emerald clips are nice (I'm trying to allow the inclusion of Emeralds into this choice :oops:).

And yeah I guess an HB in a strat is of course a very different kettle of fish.

Sooo many damn options...

 

[badgermark]

Well my idea was to go for the Mules, but ask Tim nicely about winding them a tad hotter, just to give an extra little kick, especially in the bridge. Then again this will end up affecting the tone. Can't win really. Just gotta pick something at the end of the day.

[sambo]

Good idea.

But exactly. That's just another option you have, and therefore another decision to make.  

In many ways it's just easier to leave the stock pickups and pretend you have KILLER TONE!!!!!  :twisted:  :twisted:

[_tom_]

The easiest thing to do would be....








buy my Rebel Yell :P I dont think I make a very good salesman..

[sambo]

hahahaha. Maybe if you had some kind of hypnotic powers to go with your instructions... other than that.... no, you don't.

 :lol:

How much are you asking anyway? (That does NOT mean I'm buying it! :lol:)

[_tom_]

Only £80 as I've had to file down the corner of one of the feet and trim down the screws/springs so it'd fit in my strat.

[sambo]

£80? Might as well buy a new one...    :lol:

[_tom_]

That sounds like haggling talk to me! :lol:

[Philly Q]

I get what you mean Phil. (that's probably a bad thing :oops:).

It is a bad thing at your age.  It took me a lot of years to degenerate to this point.

However I don't want to be floating atop the crest of a wave of mediocrity... :lol:. I don't want to be sitting in the middle with a sound that isn't particular great either way.

 :D  Ah!  Aha!  But it's not a wave of mediocrity - it's going with the flow, adapting to the surroundings.  Having a degree of control, but not riding roughshod over anything.  The best of all worlds.  God, I'm turning into Donovan or Steve Hillage or somebody.  :roll:

So to get back to pickups, that, in a nutshell (or a c--kleshell), is why I like vintage-hot best.

[sambo]

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:  Cracked up several times through that one.

Ok so now that we (I say we... I mean you...), have established that Vintage-Hot is the best... which vintage-hot?

I'm leaning towards Black Dogs... so much so in fact that I'm in danger of falling over...

[_tom_]

Well Carlaz just posted an awesome Crawler clip, and now I want another LP to put a set in now :lol: I can actually get that Yamaha LP for about £225 now apparently as I live close so it wont need to be posted, but I want to buy a half decent camera as well so I dont know which to get :\