Author Topic: Cold Sweat BRIDGE owners (Read 5106 times)

Antag · « **on:** June 10, 2008, 02:14:09 PM »

...especially those who also own the HD, NB, MM or PK bridges (*cough*gwEm*cough* :))

Could you tell me about the CS bridge, making comparisons where possible to any/all of the above please?

I'm thinking of putting BKPs in my PRS Custom 24 (one of the few BKP-less guitars I still own) & would like to give it something that I don't already have. Seeing as I love the CS neck I figure that a CS set is the prime candidate.

What am I looking for sound-wise? Well, not sure really, just something that I don't already have that will work in the PRS. This guitar is my "something a bit different" guitar - i.e. it doesn't need to do extreme metal (pretty much every other guitar I own can cover that :)). The PRS HFS that's in there now isn't a bad pickup (pre-BKP it was probably my 2nd favourite bridge model), but now it just sounds so-so next to my BKP'd guitars.

Normally I'd just buy the CS set, but the thing which makes me hesitate is that I've read people comparing it to the Duncan Custom. I had a Custom before & HATED it like poison. IMO the DC is an awful pickup - it manages to be thin AND muddy at the same time with a weedy output & no character or dynamics. It doesn't even sound good clean. If there's any truth to these vile rumours (I hate these 'BKP xxx is "like" Duncan yyy' comments) then the CS probably isn't for me.

What say you CS owners? :)

gwEm · « **Reply #1 on:** June 10, 2008, 02:27:32 PM »

have a look at my second post in this thread:

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12861

maybe i would go for a rebel yell in your PRS (or something even more vintage voiced - mule?)... i tried Phil's Rebel Yell loaded PRS and it was marvellous. if you want to wait until tonight, maybe i can offer some comparisions of cold sweat vs rebel yell.

Lord Blakers · « **Reply #2 on:** June 10, 2008, 03:17:32 PM »

I just installed a Cold Sweat in my SG and I love it.
However, it's definitely one of my more METAL pickups - so I'd go with gwEm's suggestion.

Antag · « **Reply #3 on:** June 10, 2008, 03:55:18 PM »

Quote from: Monkey

...it's definitely one of my more METAL pickups

Looking at your sig, that's an interesting comment. More METAL than the Nailbomb? :?:

Lord Blakers · « **Reply #4 on:** June 10, 2008, 05:44:55 PM »

I find that the Nailbomb gives me more of a natural, crunchy sound (in a brutally crushing kind of way :D ) the Cold Sweat sounds dirtier and tighter, it's a totally different sound. In my opinion it is more METAL than the Nailbomb :!:

Never tried a Duncan Custom, but I wouldn't let any comparisons with it put you off the Cold Sweat. It is a very bright pickup, but has an amazing bass response when playing muted chords. Not too good with my pickup superlatives, so big and tight will do here.

Doog · « **Reply #5 on:** June 10, 2008, 07:51:22 PM »

I've come to think of the cold sweat as a kind of tighter, slightly-less-middy companion to the holydiver. it certainly seems closer sonically to the holydiver than to the nailbomb. in my sg the pickup seems pretty dark, but the tightness more than balances it out

ericsabbath · « **Reply #6 on:** June 10, 2008, 10:18:58 PM »

I'm getting one for my first real Gibson (a special faded SG) :D
I really wouldn't mind if it sound like a "Timproved" Duncan Custom, as the SH-5 is my favorite Duncan pickup
it probably has more bite, as the magnet is bigger and BKP's tend to sound fat, even the less middy ones

ericsabbath · « **Reply #7 on:** June 10, 2008, 10:21:26 PM »

can you Sg guys give us more detailed impressions about the cold sweat? :oops:

Catalyst77 · « **Reply #8 on:** June 10, 2008, 10:48:19 PM »

Ive got a cold sweat, nailbomb holy diver bridge, have owned the Miracle man set too.

The nailbomb is def the most expressive and organic for me its just the right amount of output while retaining a little vintage edge. As youve prob read the Holy diver is a real 80's monster a little on the compressed side a very chunky and middy. I never liked the MM - not my cup of tea and i'm still trying to find a use for the Cold Sweat - its got a surprisingly good clean tone for a ceramic - to me its kind of like a Miracle man crossed with a crawler.

I would say from personal experience the nailbomb is probably the most versatile of the lot.

One observation about the cold sweat is that it sounded much much much better in a les paul than it did in my alder super strat.

Philly Q · « **Reply #9 on:** June 10, 2008, 10:57:45 PM »

Quote from: Eric Hellstyle

can you Sg guys give us more detailed impressions about the cold sweat? :oops:

Yeah, I'm also considering the CS bridge for an SG. The more I've heard about it recently the more it's appealing to me.

Frank_H · « **Reply #10 on:** June 11, 2008, 12:23:52 AM »

Quote from: Antag

Quote from: Monkey
...it's definitely one of my more METAL pickups

Looking at your sig, that's an interesting comment. More METAL than the Nailbomb? :?:

I don't have either, but in asking Tim about pickups for one of my guitars he said the CS bridge was more 'modern' sounding than the NB bridge.

Doog · « **Reply #11 on:** June 11, 2008, 12:53:00 AM »

well, like I said. it's pretty damn dark in an sg, but the ceramic magnet helps it to retain its bite and tightness. never gets even remotely muddy, even with the gain piled on through a non-valve amp (I've tried it through a marshall mg30 and avt50h as well as my dsl401). mine has 12 poles so it's got even more low end than a standard one - the bottom end is certainly prominent, but as I said there's still a nice snarl to it. cleans are much the same story - very deep, but with a nice sparkle on top

I actually wouldn't agree that the cs sounds more modern than the nb. I guess if you were looking at the pure stats then the fact that the cs is slightly more scooped in the mids would seem to indicate so, but my impression has always been that the cs has a nice semi-vintage vibe to it, whereas the nailbomb has always been full of raw power and aggression. the nailbomb does clean up better for me, but then again it's in a basswood guitar with a maple top as opposed to the all mahogany sg

actually starting to think I have too many guitars now. 3 out of 5 have bkp pups, and only one of those has been used in the last month. the other two are telecasters though, and I $%&#ing love telecasters. actually, thinking about it, the bkp-fitted one that I have used is a telecaster as well. I $%&#ing love telecasters.

Zaned · « **Reply #12 on:** June 12, 2008, 06:09:44 AM »

I have a calibrated CS set in a PRS McCarty.

For me, it works really great :) It's a combination of the guitar and the pickups; the McCarty puts out a great amount of mids, so I eventually chose a pickup (Rebel Yell was another alternative) that didn't have a spike in the mids. Add an aggressive-but-not-harsh top end and a tight bottom to that equation, and you've got a big, detailed, tight and aggressive tone, while still having a vintage vibe.

On the other hand, if I was choosing a bridge humbucker for an alder bodied strat, I would probably go for the Nailbomb. Another working combination like I've heard 8)

Zaned