Okay this is the final

[ericsabbath]

well.. for vai, exodus and most 80's stuff, I'd definitely pick the cold sweat
the holy diver can do that too, but it needs boosting for some extra edge and will never sound as raspy and aggressive as a ceramic
maybe this is also related to scooped feel that dheim mentioned
most people confuse amount of frequencies with the percepted distorted frequencies
the cold sweat, for example, does not have a lot of mids, but the mids are very present, cause they crunch a lot through distortion
the holy diver has a ton of mids, but they are totally clean and smooth, so they may not get as evident on distortion

this is exactly how I felt about my Framus Cobra
it had a ton of mids, but the mids didn't distort along of the other frequencies as much as I wanted (like a Soldano, with the open/clear midrange)
so I had it modded to crunch the hell out of the mids (like a Laney or Bogner)
it's as middy as before, but now the mids are way more evident, since they distort along with everything else
the tone got more dense and crunchy, instead of open (hollow) and clean

[Vilches3]

for starters, this is an all Warmoth project Its got a strat body with a heel contour and a maple top and it's routed for a flush mounted floyd. The neck is made of maple and has a pau ferro fingerboard and a Clapton profile (I think that qualifies as a large neck?). I've been stuck looking at the Nailbomb, Coldsweat and Holy Diver pickups and they all seem just incredible. I'm looking for a very clear tone (I imagine all BKP's give that) but I don't want this guitar to sound as massive as my warpigged ibanez. I really like Steve Vai and Eddie Van halens lead tones and I also enjoy playing alot of thrash, late exodus type of toned thrash. So I guess I'm looking for something that has crystal clear leads, retains a good amount of tightness and bottom end, can clean up fairly and can release piercing harmonics with ease. I've also already decided on an Abraxas for the neck position for those warm liquidy Santana type leads. So far I've been leaning most on the Nailbomb and Holy Diver as I imagine the cold sweat might be a little too bright.

this is part of the message I sent him for those who were wondering

[ericsabbath]

did you order de body already?
maybe you could try other wood than alder
something between alder and mahogany
like cedar, or maybe limba (korina)

[Vilches3]

did you order de body already?
maybe you could try other wood than alder
something between alder and mahogany
like cedar, or maybe limba (korina)

yeah its been sitting behind my sofa for a week lol, alder and maple

[Vilches3]

I mean im considering the miracle man for less brightness.....but the cleans! lol.......and the painkiller would be way harsh in this right?

[sebby123]

Well i have a cold sweat i can chime in its very bright but not hard and has amazing smooth tone on leads and aggressive and amazingly clear on chords! clearst pickup ever not be scarred of it being to bright you can allways alter that with your amp but thats just my point of you if you dont want it to be overall bright you can get a C-bomb a ceramic nailbomb its close to the cold sweat but darker

[Vilches3]

Well i have a cold sweat i can chime in its very bright but not hard and has amazing smooth tone on leads and aggressive and amazingly clear on chords! clearst pickup ever not be scarred of it being to bright you can allways alter that with your amp but thats just my point of you if you dont want it to be overall bright you can get a C-bomb a ceramic nailbomb its close to the cold sweat but darker

what type of guitar do you have the sweat in?

[Vilches3]

"maple topped Strat bodies are often alot harder sounding in the mids and not as bright as you'd expect so I'm not sure if either the NB or HD is going to give you the low end tightness and punch you're after."

this makes my decision harder lol

[ericsabbath]

ask Tim about a slightly overwound cold sweat (for a darker response)  :?

[Vilches3]

ask Tim about a slightly overwound cold sweat (for a darker response)  :?

It sounds alright, but wouldn't overwounding it further make it less capable of cleans? WOuldnt i be better off just getting a miracle man if i got it overwound? just asking

thanks
Rob

[Vilches3]

i took notice that vai uses an alder bodied guitar and the evolution have specs which are a tiny bit similar to the sweat........so would the sweats be too bright for my axe? i feel really caught in a corner here lol

[Zaned]

Reading your message to Tim (and reading his response), the Cold Sweat might just be right for you!

It is bright, but in a pleasing way. It won't sound small, as some bright pickups do. The high end doesn't just cut through, it crunches. It will give you that midrange of your guitar and tight low end. The tight low end is nice, you can use the amps low end..if you like it that way. It won't loose definition.

The Miracle Man I have no personal experience with, but it has more low end (but very tight) and less mids. Probably less highs. More output!
Your call :)

-Zaned

[sebby123]

My guiatr was a les paul with a heavey maple cap my guitarist has a alder jazzmaster which has a super distortion it sounds very dark and muddy so to be honest i think the cold sweat would be perfect!

[Vilches3]

alright, I think I'm gonna just pull the trigger and if worst comes worst, I mean amps have EQ and i could always switch the pickup into one of my Bare Knuckle virgins lol.....thanks guys, I'll post picks and report when this whole thing goes through.

Rob

[Dr. Vic]

if you dont want it to be overall bright you can get a C-bomb a ceramic nailbomb its close to the cold sweat but darker

^+1

I think the C-Bomb would be a serious alternative for you. Have you asked Tim about his one ?