Holydiver

[Pale Rider]

I finally was able to try my Holydiver! I bought it one month ago or so but I hadn't the equipment to install it (soldering iron, etc).

Well it hasn't got in an expensive guitar or something. It's just a cheap basswood Ibanez RG but...the difference is so significant.

I initially had a SD Custom 5. Maybe my favourite SD pickup. It is super clear, growly, with nearly the right distortion characteristics. It lacks depth though and the bottom end, while it's strong it's somewhat spongier than what I like. Also as some may know, C5 has a bit scooped mids and when you try to add mids from the amp it only gives high-mids and creates a tone lacking depth.


To Holydiver now. First of all, it gives TONE! LOL I think this says it all. Actually it has blown even my all time favourite away of my mind, the Bill Lawrence L-500XL. The clarity is phenomenal and it's tight. I mean tight! What I liked so much is that its distortion texture has no fuzz in it. You can hear the strings ringing separately! I love that! Also, I don't know guys, but I can hear the difference due to scatterwinding. Not only in clarity, tightness etc but in the tone itself. It has a certain depth in it. Depth man, that's what I like to have in my tone. You can also play rhythm chords with the fingers and still be tight. Actually I love that kind of compression. It fits my style perfectly.

Well, I was so confident about the result that I got another one to put in my next custom built guitar, before I try this one. Now I know I've done the right decision.


Tim and the guys in BK do an amazing job. I wish they'll carry on and never stop.

Now to the neck pickup and I think it will probably be a Cold Sweat.


Cheers to everybody that adviced me to get this pickup (and not only ;)) and BK for making it reality.

[il˙ti]

Excellent! I have a feeling the Divers will be the next set I'm getting. Just need a guitar for them first...

[ericsabbath]

cool, man!
i had a duncan custom 8 (alnico 8 magnet added) and the lawrence too
the custom 8 has the holy diver voicing and sounds better than the stock sh-5, sh-11 and sh-14, but the holy diver sounds like 3x times clearer and a bit tighter too
the lawrence is a wonderful pickup and the clearest passive non-BK pickup i've played (clearer than duncan, gibson and dimarzio pickups) but with the cost of scooping all of its mids and low end
the holy diver has that clarity with a full and thick midrange and bass!
i'm using a miracle man again for 2 weeks in my guitar and i'm already missing the holy diver
the best bridge pickup ever, imo :D
the cold sweat neck works really well with the diver (the miracle man is overpowering it a bit)
you should try it on mahogany!

[Antag]

Hey, cool - another Holy Diver user :D

If it's any help, I just posted a couple of neck comparison clips of the Holy Diver & Cold Sweat necks in the Player's forum.

[Pale Rider]

Hey, that's great I'll check that! Thanks!

The Diver is amazing! It definitely passed my "Bad Penny" test, ha. That's the song I play to test a pickup's crunch. ;)

[badgermark]

I love my Holydiver. Awesome clean tone and it's so deeeeeeeeep. I love it.

[darkbluemurder]

To Holydiver now. First of all, it gives TONE! LOL I think this says it all. Actually it has blown even my all time favourite away of my mind, the Bill Lawrence L-500XL. The clarity is phenomenal and it's tight. I mean tight! What I liked so much is that its distortion texture has no fuzz in it. You can hear the strings ringing separately! I love that! Also, I don't know guys, but I can hear the difference due to scatterwinding. Not only in clarity, tightness etc but in the tone itself. It has a certain depth in it. Depth man, that's what I like to have in my tone. You can also play rhythm chords with the fingers and still be tight. Actually I love that kind of compression. It fits my style perfectly.

Thanks for the description, that sounds very intersting. I just scored a Holy Diver Bridge and a Cold Sweat Neck on ebay. They should be coming in this week.

Just one question: when you mentioned Bill Lawrence L-500XL, did you mean the pickup from Bill and Becky (www.billlawrence.com), Bill Lawrence USA or OBL? From what I read elsewhere, they all sound very different from each other. I have an OBL which has loads of midrange and a Bill'n'Becky one which is very clear but I would not call it scooped.

Cheers Stephan

[Dazza1004]

 I just scored a Holy Diver Bridge and a Cold Sweat Neck on ebay. They should be coming in this week.

Let me know how that works out, the HD bridge is my fav BKP bridge and the CS neck is my Fav BKP neck. It should be awesome  :lol:

[Twinfan]

I'm looking forward to trying my HD set out when it arrives sometime soon  :)

[dheim]

i would describe it as classy and elegant, but it howls with a sinister voice when pushed to high gain levels... another great BKP.

[darkbluemurder]

 I just scored a Holy Diver Bridge and a Cold Sweat Neck on ebay. They should be coming in this week.

Let me know how that works out, the HD bridge is my fav BKP bridge and the CS neck is my Fav BKP neck. It should be awesome  :lol:

Will do. They are going into a PRS Custom. The only disadvantage is that neither pickup has a 4-conductor, just a 1-conductor. But no matter I will try them first to see whether I like the tone. I reckon I can put in 4-conductor wires later.

Cheers Stephan