Another beginner wants advice :)

[Metalartin]

Hi, Ive just been checking out the demos for a better idea of what the fuss is about with bare knuckle pickups, Im quite impressed but then Im a beginner and my Ibanez s320 has infiniti pickups.

So I want to add better tone, Id like to play metal (80s to present day), but Id like some versatility for other cleaner/smoother Rock styles too and perhaps some Blues. My amp is a Vox AD15VT-XL which doesnt have many clean states so Id need to make the best of those.

From other advice Ive had Ive took a guess on some likely candidates for the job:

Neck: Cold Sweat

Bridge: between Painkiller and Warpig

Any advice and how much would this set me back if I got a good price on them?

[indysmith]

I think you should wait until you have an all-valve amp before going for BKPs to be honest mate, you'll probably not notice much difference atm.

[ericsabbath]

don't go ceramic
try a rebel yell, crawler, holy diver or nailbomb

[Jonny]

Amp first, sex later. I mean BKPs later.. Yeah..

[Metalartin]

Indysmith well I dunno about that, the valvetronix is one of the highest regarded practice amps thats the only reason I picked it along with the price too(it's brand new ,cant get better value from what I could see, not been out long either), from the few demos Ive seen on youtube with the same series I could notice a huge difference to mine perhaps an all valve would be even better but Id like to stick with what I have for now(I dont have the kind of money some people spend on their setups) and the pickups could be better.

I'll keep that in mind though.

[Metalartin]

don't go ceramic
try a rebel yell, crawler, holy diver or nailbomb

Why's that then? Cold Sweat still ok for the neck in your opinion?

[ericsabbath]

cold sweat neck is alnico V
and works great with mahogany

[Metalartin]

Oh ok so ceramic dont fit mahogany tone well?

Well I'll check some of those again, but based on what I want (metal but a little versatility for blues and softer rock) which do you think is best choice for the bridge personally, Im thinking Nailbomb 1st or Holydiver heard them breifly.

[ericsabbath]

Oh ok so ceramic dont fit mahogany tone well?

Well I'll check some of those again, but based on what I want (metal but a little versatility for blues and softer rock) which do you think is best choice for the bridge personally, Im thinking Nailbomb 1st or Holydiver heard them breifly.

yes, it does
but you said you want versatility
what kind of tones are you really after? (be more specific)

[Metalartin]

Oh ok I got the impression painkiller and warpig were versatile.

The kinds of tones? Well for now 80s metal early Metallica, Pantera ect to more modern styles metal, Rock: ACDC, perhaps some Led Zep if poss softer rock: Foos, Chili Peppers, Blues: Gary Moore and whatever else I fancy those were just a few quick examples.

So Nailbomb bridge and Cold Sweat neck?


ps: They make specific neck pickups right? The few online shops Ive looked at just list them as Cold Sweat humbuckers or am I missing something?

[Lord Blakers]

Yes, you can buy specific neck pickups. For an S320 make sure you get 4 conductor wiring for both pickups and 53mm spacing for the bridge.

Word of warning, the INF1 and INF2 pickups do not have the same colour coding for the wires, so if you are going to install them yourself, get a wiring diagram from http://ibanez.com/support/wiringdiagrams.aspx

Personally, I'd go with the Nailbomb set. Great versatile pickup, although I mainly use 'em for the brutal metal sound and singing lead tone. Warpig also sounded good in my S320, but I found it had a little too much bass. Can't comment on any of the others, I'm afraid.

[Twinfan]

I've said it before that in my opinion pickups are like flavourings to your tone - do you like salt and pepper on your chips, or just vinegar?  They're something to tweak your basic tone that final few percent.

I've got to agree with Indysmith here.  At the risk of sounding like a BKP basher or a serious snob (of which I'm neither!) it doesn't really seem worth the expense to spend £200 on a set of pickups for your current rig, especially as you say you've not got plenty of cash burning a hole in your pocket.  I'd upgrade to a valve amp first.

[Metalartin]

Well I see what your saying but since the pickups could be better and Id be replacing them anyway, why not spend a little extra for some quality?

From the few posters Ive found that own one of the same amps one peice of advice was to get the most out of the amp a good set of pickups is needed anyway and judging by this clip I can beleive that:

Iván Ruiz - Longing (Thomas Blug cover)

I can always get a new amp later down the line but for now that amp was a good decision IMO.

Unless I find a bargain on some Dimarzios or Seymour Duncans I think it might be worth getting some Nailbombs(either the set or mixed with a Cold Sweat at the neck).

Thanks for the replies guys.

PS: Whats this "Calibrated" next to some pick ups I see? If means for the birdge and neck positions, arent all sets sold ready like that?

[ailean]

Calibrated sets are a neck and bridge set that have been designed to complement each other.

[Metalartin]

Ok Ive just fitted some Nailbombs... need to know if Ive wired it up right first:



On the bridge Ive wired the ground and the red wire to the volume pot, and the black where the red is on the INF2 on diagram.

On the kneck Ive wired the black and ground to the volume and the red where the green is on INF1 on the diagram.

The other wires that are sloldered together and insulated Ive left as it says in the Bareknuckle instructions.

Please could someone tell me if Ive done it right asap.