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Author Topic: Mahogany metal bridge pickup  (Read 2958 times)

ark

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Mahogany metal bridge pickup
« on: March 23, 2010, 07:20:37 PM »
Hello, I'll soon change my guitar (for example for the chapman ML1 : http://www.chapmanguitars.co.uk/guitars/ml1 ) and would like to change the humbucker, or the all set.

I like versatility, so I want to be able to play clean bluesy sound (warm with basses). But more importantly I want to play some metal (warm with basses too), I love the sound of soulfly / sepultura or devildriver or metallica for example (I know they are different sounds). So basically : massive, warm, lot's of basses, no noise, precise.

Currently I'm playing on a laney lionheart, on the clean channel (again warm with basses :p, but I do care about mid and treble) and through a metal muff for distortion.

I'm thinking about the nailbomb, is it a good guess ?

If I decide to buy the all set (HSS), what single coil do you think fits best ?

By the way, anyone knows wich picker mike sptreitzer from DevilDriver is using ? he is on the artist page of bareknuckle.
« Last Edit: March 23, 2010, 07:24:31 PM by ark »

MDV

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Re: Mahogany metal bridge pickup
« Reply #1 on: March 24, 2010, 05:49:42 AM »
Yeah, nailbomb

DimeZakk

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Re: Mahogany metal bridge pickup
« Reply #2 on: March 24, 2010, 12:09:08 PM »
The DevilDriver guitarist uses a Painkiller humbucker (which will also suit you needs but isn't as good for blues as the nailbomb)

ark

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Re: Mahogany metal bridge pickup
« Reply #3 on: March 24, 2010, 12:20:22 PM »
Thank both of you :)

Know I don't know if I go for the nailbomb or painkiller. Gotta do some research. If anyone still has some advice I'd be grateful :)

ark

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Re: Mahogany metal bridge pickup
« Reply #4 on: March 24, 2010, 01:36:52 PM »
Sorry for double posting, can someone highlight me on the differences between these two pickups ? For what I've heard from youtube sample (but that not really decisive), the nailbomb are more "massive / warm" and the painkiller more "metal / precise", and the clean tone is more cold for the painkillers, less organic.

If that's right I think the nailbomb is best suited for me, anyone has tested them both ?

MDV

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Re: Mahogany metal bridge pickup
« Reply #5 on: March 24, 2010, 05:09:40 PM »
Youre in the right ballpark.

I've had a few of each in several guitars through these doors - the PK is brighter, middier, sharper and higher gain but 'cleaner' if that makes any sense - its not a congested distortion, its hot as hell but its uncompressed and lets the sound of a string chime ring though. Its also tighter.

The nailbomb is thicker, but not as hot (they are similar in that regard though), meatier, more level in response, a little tailed off in the highs, so its smoother, more organic, not as tight (but perfectly capable of being 'tight', just not surgically so). Its smoother top end lends itself well to smoother, cleaner leads on the bridge, where the PK positively screams at you. The PKs high mid attack gives outstanding note definition, while the NBs blunter top end gives more percussive thunk to palm mutes.

Both clean up and roll back very well, but the NB moreso.

On the downsides the PKs high mid attack can be a little abrasive and its low end can be a bit tubby in very bassy or very acoustically energetic/resonant guitars, and the NB can be a bit brash and/or thin in bright guitars. Both work really well in an acoustically balanced instrument.

The closest you can get to a variable controlled comparison is probably one of my tracks on here in players - it uses a ceramic nailbomb on the left (smoother, tighter) and a custom pickup made for me called The Aftermath - the AM is the tightest of the 3, but its got a cleaner, chimier distortion and top end attack thats more like the PK than the NB, but not quite to the extreme of the PK; loosely speaking, to get from aftermath to PK, add mids, loosen the bass a bit, add high mid attack and crunch and un-thicken it slightly, they're quite different, but the PK is the aftermaths closest relation.

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=19791.0

ark

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Re: Mahogany metal bridge pickup
« Reply #6 on: March 24, 2010, 05:17:31 PM »
Thanks MDV great sound. I think the nailbomb is just what I need :)

Know got to know what single coils i'll get, but that will probably be a later purchase. Again thanks all of you :)