Which pickups for my Les Paul Custom?

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Hey guys,

please help me find the right BKPs for my new LPC

I mistakenly created the thread in the "Players" section, so here is the link: http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=19594.0

Thanks

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[shaman]

I have Nailbombs in my Custom-helps tame the brightness....I also like Crawlers(sweeter top end-NBombs more modern to my ear) and many here will swear by Cold Sweats in a Paul-both the Nb's and Crawlers easily get me into the sonic territory you speak of ..nb's would be tighter for those dropped tuned moments-both have awesome cleans when needed

[syr2012]

I keep hearing good things about Cold Sweats in LPs, they might be a bit tighter for lower tunings (as the CS bridge is ceramic) than the Nailbomb. I would say Holy Diver, but you say you don't want too much when it comes to mids, but they are thick, warm, and clean up quite beautifully. I've heard the Nailbomb is similar, except a bit brighter and sweeter (nothing near shrill though). I have pretty much no experience with neck pickups though, I'm all bridge for now  8)

...And then I listened to your clips (they're great). If tightness is an absolute must, CS. Otherwise, consider the Nailbomb.

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Thank you for your suggestions guys.

Just wanted to let you know what Tim suggested:
Cold Sweat in the Bridge for the heavy rythm stuff and
Mule in the Neck for lovely clean sounds and maximum versatility.

Of course I will follow board rule number 1 and order what he recommended...

Looking very much forward to the result!...

[LP_LOVER]

Very good choice.

The Cold Sweat bridge is amazing. It's tight in standard tuning but at the same time it has more bass response compared to the Rebel Yells (which are also brighter voiced pickups). This means they'd be perfect for lower tunings as well (having the right amount of bass response in a LPC).

[ericsabbath]

cold sweat is quite sizzly
nailbomb is quite similar with cleaner mids, slightly smoother top, but still a bit sizzly, at least in my '73 custom
I miss some extra midrange

the holy diver is not tighter, but definitely middier, thicker, clearer and cleans up better than both
and it matches the cold sweat neck even better than the cold sweat bridge

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I didn't want another nailbomb as I already have a pair in my ESP Eclipse and I wanted something else for a change.

First I wanted to go with a HD Bridge. To quote Tim about the HD in this guitar: "...too fat and rounded in the highs in a LP for the tones you want and bass too warm."

For the bridge pickup it was actually a close race between the MM and the CS. These were the 2 Tim suggested but finally he said I'd be best of with the CS bridge.

I can't wait to try them out...

[ericsabbath]

unless you're playing a recto or something, the holy diver sounds fairly tight, just like every BKP I've tried
I used to play a MIJ lawsuit les paul through a peavey rockmaster preamp, a Soldano-based leadvox preamp, a single rectifier and a framus cobra
it only mushed with the recto
the highs are round in a good way, but not muffled or dark sounding
the cold sweat worked just as awesome in that same guitar too, but the sweat is like a brighter, slightly thinner and more sizzly nailbomb

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I love the NB in my Eclipse but i often thought that it could be a bit brighter. And as the LPC it also does have maple top on mahogany with ebony fretboard - therefore it is compareable, even if it's lighter and thinner.

So it seems the CS will meet my taste. Anywhey I'll let you guys know

[LP_LOVER]

unless you're playing a recto or something, the holy diver sounds fairly tight, just like every BKP I've tried. The highs are round in a good way, but not muffled or dark sounding. The cold sweat worked just as awesome in that same guitar too, but the sweat is like a brighter, slightly thinner and more sizzly nailbomb

The Holydiver bridge is awesome too, but it IS darker voiced. Sometimes it's just better to choose for a balanced pickup (not too bright, not too dark) if the guitar sounds fairly bright naturally...you know what I mean? It's like some guitars are meant to sound bright and cutting and for these (if they're Les Paul Customs) I'd go for the CS set personally. Very balanced set and I like the range of tones you get from the neck pickup to the bridge pickup and vice versa. It's just awesome. The HD bridge is definately less 'cutting'/'sharp' and therefore it will sound closer to the CS neck pickup...if that's what you like.

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Thanks LP_LOVER. 
I'm just curious how heavy your '08 LPC is?
And how does the CS Bridge compare to the 498T in your '08 LPC mid wise?

[LP_LOVER]

Good question about the CS bridge. The CS has more character compared to the 498T. It's like a full grown 498T, if you know what I mean. The mids are a tad more present and the overall tone is much 'cleaner' (BKP character). The mids definately 'bite' in my LPC, but they aren't overwhelming (which is great). When it 'bites' it's enough for me to know that the mids are there.

My '89 Custom sounds 'dirty' and 'gainy' compared to my 08' Custom, which sounds much cleaner but still 'fluid' and it rocks.

[pop]

The weight differences on the new LPCs are weird. My '09 model weights 10.6. I played another new LPC in the store which was also a lot lighter.

My only concern about the CS was, that they might be lacking of mids a bit compared to the 498T. It's a real relief for me to read that this is not the case in your LPC!

[IntenseJim]

cold sweat is quite sizzly
nailbomb is quite similar with cleaner mids, slightly smoother top, but still a bit sizzly, at least in my '73 custom
I miss some extra midrange

the holy diver is not tighter, but definitely middier, thicker, clearer and cleans up better than both
and it matches the cold sweat neck even better than the cold sweat bridge

With that in mind, can you compare the HD bridge to a Crawler bridge?

[LP_LOVER]

The weight differences on the new LPCs are weird. My '09 model weights 10.6. I played another new LPC in the store which was also a lot lighter.

My only concern about the CS was, that they might be lacking of mids a bit compared to the 498T. It's a real relief for me to read that this is not the case in your LPC!

You're right about the weight differences on the new LPC's. It's strange indeed. However, I bought the guitar because of the tone/playability. Unplugged it had more 'ring' compared to the other LPC's I tested that day and plugged-in it ringed as well.

The 498T is mushy, thin, harsh and characterless compared to the CS.