replace my Dimarzio's

[AlexHookah]

Hey Chaps, which BKP would be the closest Replacement to a DiMarzio Air Norton in the Neck and a Steve Special in the Bridge??

I love my Air Norton but i would like to distance myself from John Petrucci a little whilst still having an smooth, warm, dark pickup for my Musicman and Les Paul. I really like the Steve special in the bridge but i would probably after something a little more 'metal'. Something very tight but a little more punchy and devastating. Ive been looking at the BKP but my concern is that every pickup is gonna be too devastating and high output. Im worried they are gonna sound like EMG's, great for metal riffing but painful for solo's in any form. Think Lamb of God in the Bridge and John Petrucci meets ballsy Gary Moore in the neck. Obviously both pickups would be well balanced as id use the bridge pickup for low note lead lines and the neck for the higher stuff.

Can BKP help????

For a bit off extra info the Air output is 270 and its alnico 5. The Steves special is about 390 output with ceramic magnet

Any help appreciated

[ailean]

I've only ever heard 1 set of Dimarzio's, I don't cherish the experience, and ANY BK will be better :)

I'm not great at matching pups to tones, but I'm thinking Cold Sweat set. Power and control.

Others will know better for tonal match I'm sure :) but the CS set is awsome.

[Philly Q]

I had a Steve's Special a long time ago, and I still have a MegaDrive and DLX Plus which are meant to sound fairly similar.  They all have plenty of bass and treble, not too much midrange and sound powerful but well defined, even with a lot of distortion.

I agree with Ailean, I don't think the Cold Sweat would be too far off the mark, although it's capable of some more vintagey rock tones too.

Maybe also the Miracle Man bridge?  Never tried one though.  :?

Not sure about a neck pickup to compare with the Air Norton, but the CS neck is a great soundng pickup.

[AlexHookah]

cheers guys. From the looking around i did i had though that the Cold Sweat and Miracle man would probably be the best combination. Im less worried about the bridge pickup, id imagine they would all sound great. I play in a prog metal band through a boogie so im pretty sure i can get the sounds im looking for a little easier. If the miracle man pulls back on the mids and is quite articulate its prob the one for me. As long as it balances well with the neck pu.

Im most concerned about the neck pu though. I think, from what i have read, its between the CS and the Holy Diver. I expect both are amazing. I play quite technical stuff so i need something that cuts through for fast picked runs and sweep arps but is also warm and sustaining for the more feel'y stuff. Nothing tinny. Maybe the CS is the one to go for!

[ailean]

Nothing tinny.

Tinny the CS is NOT.

Don't know about the HD, I've no experience of one.

[badgermark]

The bridge holydiver is big and fat (and i love it), but the neck is designed to be more clear and open. If you want dark and warm how about something from the vintage hot series?

[ericsabbath]

cold sweat set for the les paul, nailbomb or holy diver set for the music man

[HTH AMPS]

I'm diggin my Cold Sweat (bridge) in a Les Paul std and by all accounts the CS neck is just as tasty.

The CS will handle Lamb Of God stuff with ease and also do more classic 70s rock stuff too - the Miracle Man won't do vintage and has a more scooped tone.

[AlexHookah]

Is it common to buy the BKP as sets rather than use different pickups for the neck and bridge??

[Will]

Is it common to buy the BKP as sets rather than use different pickups for the neck and bridge??

Well some do. The sets are a good option really, as you know they will be a good match, if you pick and choose two different pickups the middle position may not match too well.
The most overlooked aspect is that the neck is a completely different pickup with different specs to the bridge - most notably with the contemporary range.

I can't help too much as I am not a Dimarzio user, but don't worry about BKP's quality, each pickup is very versatile. I can imagine the CS set would be ideal though

[ailean]

Is it common to buy the BKP as sets rather than use different pickups for the neck and bridge??

The sets are sets for a reason, they have been designed to complement each other, that said a lot of people mix and match and that works fine too, but as Will said, you don't know for sure how well it will work until you try it. Also you can drive yourself crazy trying to pick the right pup, and mixing sets just adds another complication :)

[AlexHookah]

Well im edging ever closer to my first purchase. Tim replied to me yesterday and recommended the CS/Painkiller for my Les Paul. So im slightly torn between a CS set or CS/PK. My worry about the painkiller is this 'British voicing', my favourite metal bands have a more US vibe (DT,L.O.G, SYL etc) and being a truly metal pickup and perhaps nothing else.  However, L.O.G/Testament was what i asked Tim for in a bridge pickups and he knows his product better than anyone and i like the idea of the PK having some mids!!

I think i will opt to change my dimarzio's on my musicman if i like what i get with my Les Paul. Tim recommended either HD, Pk or NB sets. I think im gonna rule out the Painkillers. What would you say is the most versatile out of the HD and NB. Think Organic and focused.

Cheers guys 

[MrBump]

Well im edging ever closer to my first purchase. Tim replied to me yesterday and recommended the CS/Painkiller for my Les Paul. So im slightly torn between a CS set or CS/PK. My worry about the painkiller is this 'British voicing', my favourite metal bands have a more US vibe (DT,L.O.G, SYL etc) and being a truly metal pickup and perhaps nothing else.  However, L.O.G/Testament was what i asked Tim for in a bridge pickups and he knows his product better than anyone and i like the idea of the PK having some mids!!

I think i will opt to change my dimarzio's on my musicman if i like what i get with my Les Paul. Tim recommended either HD, Pk or NB sets. I think im gonna rule out the Painkillers. What would you say is the most versatile out of the HD and NB. Think Organic and focused.

Cheers guys 

Can't speak for the HD, but I have a calibrated Nailbomb set - wonderfully versatile, heavy and smooth.

Mark.

[ailean]

I like my NB set, and just to add to your choices, the bridge comes in a ceramic version too :)

[northlane.josh]

i love my painkiller bridge 7, the british reference to me is relating to the high-biased midrange like what you get from an EL34 amp, nothing soft about it at all, very growly, unbelievably articulate but not the best for lo-gain crunch. in the neck i have a CS and they complement each other perfectly