Nailbomb first impression!

[Opienor]

Hi guys and greetings from Norway!

Just installed my brand new set of Nailbombs in my Les Paul this morning. My first impression is that I´ve never played a pickup with such a fat and warm sound. The bass and mids are just amazing. I think it lacks a bit of crisp and higs compared to the Burstbucker Pros they´re replacing, but I guess you just can´t have it all in this world :)
So far I think the neck pickup has impressed me the most. It sounds very organic and alive compared to the Gibson one. Sounds like it brings out the "woody" character of the guitar a lot more.

[lulusg]

Welcome! Opienor!  Great to hear you are liking your BKPs!

[ericsabbath]

nice!
what pots are you using? (potentiometers, not weed :lol:)
300k or 500k?

[MrBump]

Nailbombs are the best thing I've ever done to my Charvel...  Welcome aboard.

Mark.

[Opienor]

Thanks all!

what pots are you using? (potentiometers, not weed Laughing)
300k or 500k?

It´s loaded with the standard Gibson 500K pots. Since the subject was brought up: what will the 300Ks do to the sound? Round it off a little maybe?

Glad to be part of this forum by the way. It appears very active and informative :D

[badgermark]

I've been thinking about the Nailbombs recently, looking for something meaty but with a bit more bite than the Holydiver. Time to hit up the Players forum for a little listen...

[Opienor]

The Nailbombs are meaty all the way. As I wrote further up they lack that crispy PAF-bite. Guess this is due to the high output. It´s a fair trade off I guess.

[ericsabbath]

what pots are you using? (potentiometers, not weed Laughing)
300k or 500k?

It´s loaded with the standard Gibson 500K pots. Since the subject was brought up: what will the 300Ks do to the sound? Round it off a little maybe?

are you sure? did you check it?
some gibsons have 300k pots
higher value, brighter tone
so 300k loaded guitars will have less treble
if you're sure it is 500k and you still think it lacks a bit of treble, maybe you can try 1M

[ilÿti]

It's kind of strange with the Nailbomb, probably the one pickup I've heard the most contrasting statements about. Some say it's got a high-mid cut that could be perceived as bright, some say it peaks in the low mids. Some say it's compressed, some say it's open. I know it responds differently to different guitars, amps, and players so some differing experiences are to be expected. We really need those EQ charts it seems.   Or I'll just have to get a set for myself and try them out in both my Les Paul aswell as my girlfriend's basswood+maple+floyd guitar.

[Opienor]

are you sure? did you check it?
some gibsons have 300k pots
higher value, brighter tone
so 300k loaded guitars will have less treble
if you're sure it is 500k and you still think it lacks a bit of treble, maybe you can try 1M

Hmmm now I´m a bit uncertain actually. Maybe you´re right about them being 300Ks. Need to check again (next week when I return from work). It states on many other forums that 300K usually is the standard pots.
Thanks for tipping me off :)

[Opienor]

I´m finally back home and have checked the part numbers on my Gibson pots. Looks like mr. Hellstyle was right. The volume pots seem to be 300K and the tone pots actually 100K (could this be right? Find it a bit strange). The capacitors read 223, so I guess they are .022.

Since I still find the sound to be a bit too dark (especially in the bridge) and lacking that trebly bite, I think I´m going to replace the pots.
So what do you experts suggest? Should I replace all the pots with 500K´s?
I play a lot of modern/progressive rock, mostly Muse at the moment.

I´m quite confident with soldering but this job seems to be a bit tricky. Is it best to just remove the pots, or is it easier to remove the whole metal plate they´re mounted on before changing them?

I really appreciate your time if you´re willing to help me out here :)

[badgermark]

I´m finally back home and have checked the part numbers on my Gibson pots. Looks like mr. Hellstyle was right. The volume pots seem to be 300K and the tone pots actually 100K (could this be right? Find it a bit strange). The capacitors read 223, so I guess they are .022.

Since I still find the sound to be a bit too dark (especially in the bridge) and lacking that trebly bite, I think I´m going to replace the pots.
So what do you experts suggest? Should I replace all the pots with 500K´s?
I play a lot of modern/progressive rock, mostly Muse at the moment.

I´m quite confident with soldering but this job seems to be a bit tricky. Is it best to just remove the pots, or is it easier to remove the whole metal plate they´re mounted on before changing them?

I really appreciate your time if you´re willing to help me out here :)

Not a hard job if you're patient and can solder (which you say you are). The hardest thing will be remembering where each piece of wire goes- so not hard at all.

Upping the value of the pot lets more high end through, so 500k should be perfect for the Nailbombs. Should definately give back some bite!

[Philly Q]

I´m quite confident with soldering but this job seems to be a bit tricky. Is it best to just remove the pots, or is it easier to remove the whole metal plate they´re mounted on before changing them?

You'll probably find you need to remove the metal grounding plate in order to remove the individual pots.  

The pots are usually bolted to the plate so you'll need to unsolder the pickups and switch connections, then take the whole assembly out.  You should be able to leave the jack connected, just unscrew the nut holding it in the jack socket.

Then you can do most of the work safely away from the guitar!

[Opienor]

Thanks!

Guess I need to order some pots then. CTS should do the job I guess. And yeah, some patience :)