Help me get rid of the PRS HFS!

[andrewone86]

Hey guys,
So I've decided that i don't like the PRS HFS pup in the bridge in my Custom 24. It's got pretty good clarity but it sounds kinda thin to me.

I'm playing through a 5150 II.
I tried the Seymour Duncan Custom 5 but i found it too shrill and harsh, even for my death metal tastes.

The music I'm trying to play is metal/blues, but I'm not too crazy about ear piercing highs but highs are important for lead work. I want MEAT without the mud. The warpigs sounded a little too dark for me, especially in a mahogany guitar.

It should be able to do leads and good chugga-chug rhythm work too.
I'm also not really a fan of ceramic pickups.

I'm loving the clip of the rebel yells by steve stevens....that is some sick tone!! I love that rich raw and organic tone. Nailbombs?
Suggestions?


Thanks so much for your help!  \m/

[HTH AMPS]

I'm not typically a fan of ceramic pickups either, but I've tried the Painkiller in my mate's LP custom and it was awesome - future purchase.

My fave alnico BKP in the hotter end of the spectrum is the Crawler.

[andrewone86]

oh yeah, i forgot

HARMONICS should jump out and punch me in the face

[carlaz]

I like Crawlers .. but maybe consider the Holy Diver, too?  A little higher gain, I think, so those harmonics should fly out a little easier ....

[Johnny Mac]

Miracle man or a painkiller for those punchy mids. There's even a ceramic warpig for total brutality!

[Chris Rowberry]

oh yeah, i forgot

HARMONICS should jump out and punch me in the face

I actually have a Holy Diver ( Alnico 5 magnets) in my Ibanez and i find the harmonics fantastic and for that chug sound also ace! But if you are looking for something louder and with more power then maybe look further afield to something like the Pain Killer or Miracle Man.

[il˙ti]

Hmm I don't think Miracle Man or Painkiller would be ideal, they have a whole lot of "cut" around the highs, and you mentioned you want to avoid ear-piercing highs. I don't think any in the BKP range are as shrill as the Duncan, but it seems your best bet to go for the warmer, Alnico, pickups. Warpigs being only a "little" too dark would lead you towards the Holy Diver or Crawler. These are both high output pickups with a lot of bass and mids and less treble so you avoid ear piercing highs. The Holy Diver is quite modern with huge harmonics and singing leads, the Crawler is a vintage flavour of the same thing with a little less chunk and a bit more mid-bite. Better for blues, I'd say.
Rebel Yell and Nailbomb are also to consider, but they may have more bite than you're looking for.

[carlaz]

I actually have a Holy Diver ( Alnico 5 magnets) in my Ibanez and i find the harmonics fantastic and for that chug sound also ace! But if you are looking for something louder and with more power then maybe look further afield to something like the Pain Killer or Miracle Man.

Both the PK an MM are ceramic though, unlike the (current) HDs ....

[ericsabbath]

if he wants MEAT and loved the rebel yell, then the obvious choice is the Holy Diver

[HairyChris]

I haven't had a chance to get them fitted yet (they arrived yesterday and my soldering is cr@ppy so I need to go see a tech) but I've got a set of Cold Sweats for my CuRo 24.

I found the HFS a bit sloppy and the VB just rubbish on it's own.

As I mainly play metal (trem picking, fast rhythm, palm muting, etc, amp's a Diezel) but also wanted to be able to play more old school cooked power tubes ROCK in the future. I mailed Tim & he suggested the Cold Sweat. The bridge one is ceramic like the HFS, neck Alnico. I certainly wouldn't rule out ceramics btw, but I will agree that the MM will probably be too harsh for blues (great for tight-assed metal though!!).

It's a pity that I can't give you a tone report, mainly because I really want to hear it!

I got zebras.... and I need to take a cold shower & lie down now...!

[sufjanav]

Hey HairyChris good to see you here as well! haha. I just posted asking a question about the HFS and similar BKPs. I like the HFS - great crunch and definition I thought - but Im really interested in hearing what you think about the BKPs in your CuRo. If you remember my CuRo (same year as yours I think) I have Dragon IIs and I'm thinking about swapping them out eventually - they sound great but like you I need something with more umph.

[HairyChris]

Haha, hi there. Yours a CuRo 22 then? I had a Cu22 but it had RPs in it so I can't really comment on the Dragon IIs at all.

The Cold Sweat bridge should sound like a tighter HFS. The one Tim sent me was 14+k so has a reasonable output.

I really don't know about the neck. RP in Cu22 neck sounded great (unless tapped  :? ) and I don't like the VB. I really don't know what to expect from the Cold Sweat...

Not got it booked in with a tech yet so it'll be a bit of a wait unfortunately!

[gwEm]

if he wants MEAT and loved the rebel yell, then the obvious choice is the Holy Diver

+1