the GREAT pickup shootout! :)

[dheim]

updated on 7/3/2009: added BKP Painkiller bridge/neck

updated on 1/3/2009: added BKP Holy Diver bridge/neck, BKP PiG90 neck

updated on 29/1/2009: added BKP Cold Sweat bridge/neck, BKP Mississippi Queen bridge/neck, BKP Sultan middle, SD Alternative 8 bridge
scroll posts for more clips

this is a comparison clip of almost every neck pickup i have (i've not included the ones i plan to change next month with a huge load of BKPs!), and as a bonus i've recorded the same clip with some bridge pickup too. this "test" covers lead sound in a mix.

i made things so that you can put the files in your winamp playlist and arrange them in block for direct comparisons... i added an intro and a quick outro to give everything a sense (i suggest you download at least the intro track, it's the same backing riff but it has synths into it and it's quite nice... :)). ah, of course, the riff itself it's taken from a paradise lost song, "ash and debris". and i love it.  :)
rhythm guitar is played  with my SA2020 with a SD JB in bridge pos.

neck pickups:

BKP nailbomb (ibz S320 - mahoganey)
BKP warpig (ibz RGR321 - basswood)

[dheim]

neck pickups:

EMG 60 (LTD EC1000 - mahoganey)
Gibson '57 (gibson Les Paul Classic Antique - mahoganey)
SD Pearly Gates (ibz SA2020 - mahoganey)
SD Jazz (epi Les Paul Gothic - mahoganey)

[dheim]

neck pickups:

DiMarzio PAFpro (ibz S470 - mahoganey)

bridge pickups:

BKP nailbomb
BKP warpig
EMG 85

[dheim]

bridge pickups:

Gibson '57 plus
SD Alternative 8 (Ibanez S470 - mahoganey)
BKP Mississippi Queen (Dean Cadillac - mahoganey)
BKP Cold Sweat (Gibson SG61 - mahoganey)

[roland_rat]

Hi lovely playing and a intresting comparision. The Nailbombs are the winner for me.  I always forget how smooth sounding and harmonically rich they can be.   I really should not have viewed this post I have a guitar with pearly gates bridge and alco II neck.  I though the pearly gates sounded one of the better non bare knuckle but the bare knuckles sound harmonics are in another league and im so thinking thta I should upgrade. 

Thanks for doing the comparision.

Gareth

[dheim]

pearly gates are very PAF oriented, while nailbombs have got the widest midrange i've ever heard in a pickup... they're too different for a direct comparison, i think... but of course you're right, they've got an extremely rich and articulated sound... in a couple of weeks i'll order cold sweats, holy divers and mississippi queens, but i plan to buy another set of nailbombs in the future, i love them!

[reguv760]

Thanks for doing a Paf Pro neck comparison as most of my other neck pups on my Ibby's are "Paf Pro" based...
Definitely dig the Nailbomb neck though!

Reg

[dheim]

neck pickups:

BKP Cold Sweat
BKP Mississippi Queen

middle pickup:

BKP Sultan (Ibanez S470)

[dheim]

a couple of words about the update

of course this is not the kind of tones i bought Mississippi Queens and Sultan pickups for, and i doubt that anyone would... i added them to this shootout just if anyone is curious...
I swapped the SD A8 i had in another guitar with the SD JB once set in the ibz S470, and i suspect there's still a lot to do with pickup height, it used to sound a bit better before.

modeling tends to flatten differencies between pickups, and THIS lead tone in particular is quite obtrusive in tonal terms... anyway i still can hear a lot of harmonic diversity...

[WITH FULL DISTORTION]

Hails Man
thats a completely awesome post
iwas really looking forward to hear an EMG 60 neck.
how do you describe its tone?
did you ever play an emg 60 A neck?
hAILS AND THANKS
Going to listen to all clips and post my thoughts.
JP

[WITH FULL DISTORTION]

My favorite clips, in  particular order.

NECK
emg 60
Paf Pro
nailbomb
Warpig
CS
jazz neck(i didnt like its bass, but the middles and highs are excelent and sing a lot)
gibson 57(ounds like the 500t )



Bridge
Nailbomb
warpig
emg 85
gibsn57 (didnt like it at all)
CS neck
SDC8 is too dirty. Q: (

PS - do you have a emg 81 neck clip ? i would love to compare it with the 60 and all the others
JP

[dheim]

PS - do you have a emg 81 neck clip ? i would love to compare it with the 60 and all the others
JP

no... i had an 81 bridge, but i swapped it with the 85. i heard some clip of the 81 neck but i didn't like it at all, too thin and distorted. after all i didn't like it in bridge, that's where it's supposed to shine...

[Infliktor]

Thanks dheim, great post!!!!

[dheim]

new pickups!

neck and bridge Holy Diver, guitar is a U.S.Masters Hornet Performer

neck and bridge Painkiller, guitar is an Ibanez S470

[dheim]

neck BKP PiG90, mahoganey Epiphone LesPaul Goth