I just discovered BKP!!! ****Advice Please****

[llJasonll]

Hi all!

I just discovered these pickups yesterday, as I have been spending the past week obsessing over new pickups for my custom guitar.  I would like to know what you all think might sound good, so I will give as detailed of a description as possible.  Let me start out by explaining my custom guitar that these will go in, my gear that I play through, and then I will discuss the sound I am looking for and the music that I play.

My guitar is a bolt-on soloist style body.  I have a Mahogany body, with a thin Koa top.  The neck is a bolt-on AAA Birdseye Maple neck; and a Brazilian Rosewood, scalloped fretboard (22 Frets).  I have a Floating Trem (Kahler Steeler).  It is a pretty dark sounding guitar with KILLER sustain.  The pickup layout is 2 Humbuckers, bridge and neck.

I am currently playing through Engl amps, and I play mainly Heavy Metal.  I do dabble in blues and other styles, but I love Metal and the guitar greats like Paul Gilbert, George Lynch, EVH, Satriani, etc.  My Favorite bands are Soilwork, Arch Enemy, Killswitch Engage, Lamb of God, etc.


*********Going to post a follow up since I am running out of room**********

[llJasonll]

Okay...

I want something Gainey, but not too gainey (clarity is more important I think), crunchy, soaring lead sounds, and can clean up nicely too.  I want a lead sound with great harmonics, and that just has that beautiful texture to it that can send shivers down my spine.   I suppose since my guitar is already dark sounding I want a brighter pickup that can compliment the guitar nicely.  I still want to be able to get that awesome metal rythm sound, like Lamb of God. 

When I was looking (before I discovered these pickups), I was seriously considering purchasing a Seymour Duncan TB-6, Distortion.  I found somewhere that the Painkiller is a higher quality version of this pickup?  I do want a brighter sounding pickup that can cut through the mix, and I think the Duncan distortion is what I WAS looking for.  Does the Painkiller sound similar?  I want a pickup that has a resonant peak of at least 6 KHz, or something pretty darn close.

I also want a nice neck pickup to compliment the bridge pup.  Any advice for a newb???  :D

[syr2012]

Sounds like you want a painkiller set.

P.S., BKs are what duncans dream they could be one day.

[llJasonll]

I was thinking that I have narrowed it down to the Painkiller, or Nailbomb. 

Would someone who knows be able to describe the difference between the 2, or is there a stat chart that I can view to see how the pickups are voiced, comparitively?

[Twinfan]

If you want brighter, I'd avoid the Warpig.  It's as thick as a whale omelette.

There's no stat chart I'm afraid, just the opinions of people on here who've tried them  :)

[Roobubba]

Before I got to you talking about Painkiller, the only pickup I was thinking about for you was... painkiller.

Just one correction: the Painkiller isn't a 'better version' of any other manufacturer's pickup (the same is true of all BKPs).

For the bands you describe, the woods of your guitar and your specific tonal requirements (in particular, clarity, crunchy (by which I take it you mean slightly open rather than over-compressed), cleans up nicely... all of these point straight at the Painkiller.

The nailbomb is an AlNiCo magent-containing pickup, rather than the ceramic PK, and doesn't quite tick the boxes you've outlined.

Go for a calibrated set of painkillers, and you will be in tonal heaven :)

Roo

[Keven]

if you're looking for a neck pickup, either go calibrated set or pick a neck from the vintage hot range (abraxas - VHII methinks for brighter tones)

[ericsabbath]

sounds like a nailbomb to me, not a painkiller

[dheim]

syr and roo's replies cut my legs as i was quite sure the unanimous answer would have been nailbombs... i'm joking, in this forum you'll NEVER get the same answer from different people... get yourself used to this! :)

anyway my answer is nailbombs, without any reasonable doubt.
NBs have got the best lead tone on earth, IMO, more dynamic than the PKs and much less "in your face". PKs are great too for the melodic death stuff you citated, but my personal choice would be nailbombs. with PKs close seconds...

[dheim]

sounds like a nailbomb to me, not a painkiller

indeed...

[llJasonll]

Hmmm... ok so nailbombs or painkillers, for sure. 

I didn't mention it before but I currently have a Duncan Parallel Axis 3 Blues Sarceno model in the bridge and a Duncan 59 in the neck.  I do think that they have a good sound, but I want to change to something with a bit more gain (not as much as an EMG) and a little more of an open sound.  I'm thinking more of a frequency range focused with upper mids and treble for a bit more bite.  I like a lot of attack for rhythm, then I like to swell the volume on my solos for more of a "soaring" lead sound.

Hopefully this might help narrow down between the 2.

and btw, thanks for the quick and educated responses.  I'm glad I found a new home with other tone connoisseurs!!!   :drink:  Cheers!!!

[syr2012]

syr and roo's replies cut my legs as i was quite sure the unanimous answer would have been nailbombs... i'm joking, in this forum you'll NEVER get the same answer from different people... get yourself used to this! :)

anyway my answer is nailbombs, without any reasonable doubt.
NBs have got the best lead tone on earth, IMO, more dynamic than the PKs and much less "in your face". PKs are great too for the melodic death stuff you citated, but my personal choice would be nailbombs. with PKs close seconds...

Nailbombs would be safe in a dark guitar? Because, I have to admit, I thought Nailbomb at first, but didn't want to say so, since they would be going in a rather dark guitar, and I've always thought that Hot AV + dark instrument = mud.

[bareknucklehead]

Oh, and don't forget to post some pics of your guitar ;)

[Zaned]

True to the forum fashion, I'm gonna make an alternative suggestion  8)

You listed players like Gilbert, EVH and Lynch. They all play (or have played) with pickups that are on the lower end of the output scale.

So my suggestion..VHII.  You said your guitar is on the darker side, and the VHII is not dark. I don't own it but based on the clips, it's on the bright side and has a very nice VINTAGE edge. Which all those players you listed have. It can get quite aggressive, but is very dynamic.

-Zaned

[Zaned]

Come to think of it, Nailbomb might work very well too..but I'm gonna suggest the ceramic version. You said you like a lot of attack for rhythm, and the ceramic Nailbomb would bring that easily. It's basically an overwound cold sweat, which works magnificently for me in a warm-but-clear PRS McCarty (I have the normal CS there I mean). You have a maple neck which should brighten things already, so the increased mids from overwounding warm things a little. And if you feel the floating trem robs you a little of you attack and output, this would fight it.

However, I would still choose the VHII.

-Zaned