cold sweat... dark or bright?

[dheim]

this is the classic, completely useless thread... i ALREADY bought a cold sweat set, ALREADY received it and waiting just a couple of days to get my gibson SG 61 fitted with them.

and for this very reason my curiosity is getting almost unbearable...  :)

i was reading some post about CS tone and found maybe the most unpredictable and misleading mix of opinions after the Total Guitar review claiming that the warpig is the equivalent of the EMG81 for Zakk style tones (well, my very short-lived EMG81 had major wiring problems, if that's true...) (and Zakk's EMGs too  :o)...

the "official" description of CS made me imagine some sort of HOT PAF oriented sound.
some posts i was just looking at describe the cold sweats as bright, even the brightest pickups in the contemporary section - exactly what i thought it should be said for MM and not a good thing at all (i'm not a lover of overly bright bridge pickups, even if i prefer clear neck units).
other posts say that they should be avoided in a Les Paul because they're too dark.
samples gave me a mixed impression.

SO WHAT????  :?

anyway i repeat, this is completely useless, i'll be able to judge myself wednesday evening... but feedback is appreciated at this point!  :)

[Nolly]

They're definitely bright-voiced, but being BKPs they're not harsh in the way that you might expect from a bright SD or DiMarzio. The brightness does make them very, very clear.
Not sure I'd describe them as PAF-y, the ceramic magnet prevents that, to my ears anyway.
Wait and try them before coming to any conclusions, though I think you know that anyway.  :)

[Philly Q]

I basically agree with Nolly.  Definitely closer to "bright" than "dark", but not super-bright or piercing.  The bridge pickup is tight and well balanced, the neck sounds much warmer (which I like a lot) but it still has clarity, it doesn't get at all muddy.

I'd be surprised if they sound dark in a Les Paul.  They work really well with mahogany and they sound great in an SG, I don't think you'll be disappointed!  :)  I tried a set (borrowed from Hunter) in my Tokai SG - I don't have them anymore but I'm planning on getting a set for my Mira in due course.

[yellowv]

More on the bright side, but take our word you will love them. One of the best if not the best pickup I have ever played.

[ericsabbath]

the warpig sounds nothing like EMGs  :?

the miracle man is bright on higher strings/bright guitars, dark on lower strings/dark guitars
it just boosts the strongest frequencies
it sounded very dark in a very dark sounding les paul copy I had
I ordered it thinking it would brighten up that guitar, but both the holy diver and painkiller sounded brighter on that les paul

the cold sweat is definitely brighter than the miracle man, but the high end is much warmer
but it's not overly bright, unless you put it in a bright guitar
by bright, I mean something between duncan sh-5 and sh-6, not beam blaster like a bill lawrence :lol:
the lawrence sounded like a single coil in the les paul I mentioned
my bandmate (that has my ex-miracle man set) installed the lawrence on the LP and thought he wired it wrong, cause it sounded like a strat (which is unbelievable for that guitar, cause it was the thickest and darkest sounding guitar I ever had)
the cold sweat won't sound that bright in a Gibson SG or Explorer, for example
but it's not really a thick sounding pickup, if that's what you're looking for your SG
maybe you  you can ask for a slightly overwound version (around 17k-18k) to lose some treble and thicken up the bass and mids

[dheim]

uhm... to be honest i love thick sounding bridge pickups and clear and definite neck pickups... so judging from what mr hellstyle just said CS are quite on the opposite side...
but i am not inclined on prejudice and i want to have all my guitars sound very different (i've got plenty of them so i can choose!  :)), so i'm very VERY curious to hear how my SG sounds after the CS treatment!

[Twinfan]

I don't think you'll be disappointed.  The CS bridge has good power, which gives thickness, and the neck is a lighter wound Alnico V which is quite clear.

I'm really impressed with the set in my McCarty Korina.

[dheim]

korina is quite bright, isn't it?

[Twinfan]

Not really.  I wouldn't say it was bright, just balanced with a nice midrange.  Certainly in my McCarty anyway, which has a thick body.

[Philly Q]

korina is quite bright, isn't it?

I'd say it has a bit more "presence" than mahogany, but underneath that it has a lovely sweet, warm tone.



And underlying that is just a hint of orchard fruits and lemon grass....

Sorry, I've just been watching that James May/Oz Clarke programme.  :oops:

[Doog]

I have a pair of cold sweats in my epi sg, and you have nothing to worry about - the last thing they are is overly bright.  in fact, your description that you "love thick sounding bridge pickups and clear and definite neck pickups" is basically spot on for the sound they'll get from your sg

[ailean]

Cold sweats are lovely in an SG, stop worrying :)

[dheim]

7 hours left... :) you'll be the first to know.
well, the third (this evening i've got a rehearsal - but my bandmates are not so subtle on guitar sound... it took some time for them to understand that the previous guitarist hadn't got a more powerful tone just because he scooped mids on a solid state amp and boosted highs on a distortion pedal...  :P)

[dheim]

first impressions... tested with PODxt.

bridge pickup is what i call very trebly, and maybe quite a bit thin for my tastes, BUT it doesn't seem bad at all. i've still got to fully understand it's tone and response. the instant WOW factor of nailbomb and warpig isn't achieved, anyway.

neck pickup has got very nice cleans, but made me literally smile like an idiot (with closed eyes, to worsen the already incredibly stupid expression i realized to have) once i tried it with my lead tone... i have still to figure out how the hell it can be so clear and smooth at the same time!  :D this is a very VERY early impression, but maybe it will become my favourite neck pickup, even better than the nailbomb!!!

i'm going to play with my band, so i'll try it with my tube amp and let you know...

[yellowv]

I'm betting you will like the bridge pickup much more through the tube amp. I am surprised you think it sounds thin.