Pickup Suggestions

[puma_21]

Hi there,

Been researching these pickups for a while now and I have decided to order some. However, I'm not quite sure which ones to buy.
My rig:

Peavey 5150 with bias mod (running very hot). I'm using either JJ 6L6 or E34L tubes, depending on what I feel like at the time.

Schecter C-1 Hellraiser (Mahagony body with rosewood fretboard). Currently has dual EMG 85's or the typical 81/85 combo (bleh!)

I use Maxon OD-9 sometimes.

This all runs through a Marshall 1960BV cab.

Like everyone else, I'm looking for tightness, fluid response, and, of course, a rich, organic, yet powerful tone. I LOVE mids and articulate highs, but warmer highs and definately not too shrill). The miracle man's mids aren't too scooped are they?

I kinda like how tight these guys' pick attack tone is on "The Storm" and "Unwept For"

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=46413029

I was trying to decide between Miracle Man, Nailbomb, and Painkiller at the bridge, and not sure what to do at the neck yet.

Thanks very much in advance guys!

[MDV]

Theeeees











Eeeeeeeeez








THAAAAAA










PAYNEKEEEEEELAAAAHHHH

[ericsabbath]

Like everyone else, I'm looking for tightness, fluid response, and, of course, a rich, organic, yet powerful tone. I LOVE mids and articulate highs, but warmer highs and definately not too shrill).

that sounds like a holy diver or nailbomb

The miracle man's mids aren't too scooped are they?

no
the mids are fine
but it has a ton more top and bottom end than mids

I kinda like how tight these guys' pick attack tone is on "The Storm" and "Unwept For"

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=46413029

i believe a cold sweat would be great for this

[puma_21]

So...I've been doing a lot of reading and listening to sound clips here. Sadly I'm still not sure of exactly what I want.

What I gather out of the pickups I'm interested in is:

MM = tightest, most gain (out of these ones), crystally highs?
PK = most mids, still pretty tight, but less than MM
NB = most versatile (Was thinking maybe the ceramic version?)

I pretty much stick to playing with alot of distortion. Clean (on this guitar) is not important. I keep the post gain on 10 and pre gain between 4-6 depending on what I feel (this is what I currently do with the EMGs)

With the sound clips of that local band that I provided, does anyone think I'll be able to reach enough gain out of these passives? And how about voicing? It seems like they are pretty mid-heavy[/b]

[ericsabbath]

With the sound clips of that local band that I provided, does anyone think I'll be able to reach enough gain out of these passives? And how about voicing? It seems like they are pretty mid-heavy[/b]

whathahell
you have a 5150 :lol:

i played my bandmate's 5150 today with my holy diver loaded les paul copy and tried a lot of different settings
i'm sure you can get that type of tone from a 5150 with any BK over 13k and any good pickup will sound tight enough through that amp

but i still prefer my peavey rockmaster preamp, though
sounds very close the 5150, but tighter, less airy, more focused and controls are much more sensitive

anyway, i think you'll miss the EMG sound for a few weeks (first impact of changing from actives back to passives)
but then you will realize how much your guitar will sound more like a guitar

[hunter]

anyway, i think you'll miss the EMG sound for a few weeks (first impact of changing from actives back to passives)
but then you will realize how much your guitar will sound more like a guitar

Less EMG = More Mature

[Antag]

I kinda like how tight these guys' pick attack tone is on "The Storm" and "Unwept For"

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=46413029

Had a listen.  The MM through a 5150 will give you all the attack, clarity & definition (and more), but the tone will much more dense & intense.  In particular I'd expect more low end - the part of "The Storm" from about 2:20 onwards I'd expect to sound much clearer & heavier with a MM.

[Antag]

MM = tightest, most gain (out of these ones), crystally highs?
PK = most mids, still pretty tight, but less than MM
NB = most versatile (Was thinking maybe the ceramic version?)

Not quite - PK is slightly more powerful than the MM (though not by much - both have plenty of power).  I'd also question whether the MM is tighter - PK is seriously tight too :-)

Considering the guitar you are going to install it into, I'd choose MM very marginally ahead of any other.

NB is the most versatile of the 3 (there are very few "what pickup" questions for rock/metal that Nailbomb doesn't provide a viable answer for :)) but probably not the best BKP for what you want.

[Antag]

I pretty much stick to playing with alot of distortion. Clean (on this guitar) is not important...

...does anyone think I'll be able to reach enough gain out of these passives? And how about voicing? It seems like they are pretty mid-heavy[/b]

As Eric says, you have a 5150.  You should be able to get more than enough gain with anything! :lol: :)

Seriously though, MM is an EMG killer.  There may be a small drop in outright power, but you'll hardly notice it because of the "life" & tone you will get in return.  MM is still very powerful - more than enough to give you really brutal metal sounds.

The MM is probably the least mid-heavy of the high output BKPs.  There's a lot of low end & fairly strong low mids, but it doesn't have an upper-mid hump like the NB & it's "smoother" than the super-aggressive PK.

If cleans aren't important to you, then MM would be my choice (other BKPs have a nicer bridge clean sound than the MM).

[Antag]

Also, IMO there are 2 choices for the neck:

Either a Miracle Man neck (i.e. get a MM calibrated set) or a Cold Sweat neck.

The MM neck will give you really thick, fluid neck lead tones & a powerful, punchy clean sound.  The CS will be "sharper" with a slightly more "vintage" vibe but still enough power to balance with the MM bridge.

EDIT: I'm not saying that either MM or CS are "like" EMGs, but the difference between the two models is kinda similar to the difference between the EMG85 & EMG60 in the neck.

Something you might not know: both the Miracle Man & Cold Sweat neck models have an A5 magnet, it's only the bridge models that are Ceramic.  BKP neck models are totally different pickups from the bridge, wound specifically to compliment the bridge model, not just the same pickup turned around.

Finally, welcome to the forum! :) Hope you find what you want.

[carlaz]

Something you might not know: both the Miracle Man & Cold Sweat neck models have an A5 magnet, it's only the bridge models that are Ceramic.

I believe the mighty Tim is on record as not considering ceramics suitable for the neck pup position.

[ericsabbath]

Something you might not know: both the Miracle Man & Cold Sweat neck models have an A5 magnet, it's only the bridge models that are Ceramic.

I believe the mighty Tim is on record as not considering ceramics suitable for the neck pup position.

the neck painkiller is ceramic

[carlaz]

the neck painkiller is ceramic

Is it!?  Well, shucky darn ....
Clearly, we need those updated product info pages in the long-awaited web-site revamp!

[puma_21]

Thank all of you for your wonderful recommendations. Unfortunately, I'm still torn between the MM and PK bridge. I'm really not sure whether I want more mids or smoother mids. I enjoy them both so much! I was wondering a couple of things, though: Since the Peavey 5150 is more focused on low-mids, and the painkiller is more for high-mids, would this really be a good match? And, does the Cold Sweat have a more "vintage tone" like old school 80's metal leads/solos -- is that what you guys mean? AND, if they aren't almost identical, which of the MM or PK sounds more organic?

I've been listening to a lot of clips in the player forum to try and make the decision of one or the other.

This forum rocks!

[il˙ti]

And, does the Cold Sweat have a more "vintage tone" like old school 80's metal leads/solos -- is that what you guys mean? AND, if they aren't almost identical, which of the MM or PK sounds more organic?

The bridge Cold Sweat is very vintage for a high output bucker, but the neck model seems pretty modern sounding from what I've heard, though still more "vintage" than the MM. Most popular among shredders.

PK would be perceived as more organic because of the extra mid presence. The MM is said to be bright on the highs, darker on the lows whereas the PK has a general "cutting" sound to it but is not shrill on the highs (ask Nolly!)