Two new SLSMGs on the way, need pickup reccomendations.

[rogueleader]

I'm getting two new slsmgs (preactives) and I would like to put some BKPs in them. For those of you unfamiliar with the slsmg it is an all mahogany thru neck guitar with an ebony fretboard. Its also a "reduced" body shape from the standard soloist, not quite as extreme as an ibanez s series but still signifigantly thinner than a regular soloist. My #1 player is a heavily upgraded slsmg with a calibrated set of painillers. I'm open to trying something different if the opinion here is that another pickup would work better for the sounds below, but I'm surely not opposed to ordering two more sets of calibrated painkillers. 

For the neck I'd like a sound as close to Arsis's lead sound as possible.

For the bridge I'd like a sound as close to Decapitated's sound on the negation as possible.

I tune to C# Standard and my rig is
Engl e530
Mesa 50/50
Mesa Recto Cab

I'll also probably be getting one of riveras high gain heads in the next half year, so I'd like pickups that work well with those as well.

Thanks,
Garrett

[MDV]

For the decapitated, probably the c-bomb.

For the arsis, well, I listened to 'the face of my innocence' and the lead (edit: 3 min ish in) in that is a bridge or I'm a three eyed purple donkey.

Dontcha love saying stuff like that, next there'll be a vid of the guy from arsis saying that its actually a neck :lol:

Anyway, if you want that sharp aggression from a neck then you need the painkiller.

Edit 2 - I'd say the same for the little solo at the end, though its a bit smoother and fuller, the difference could just be that he's playing it less aggressively or further from the bridge. But that might be a neck. But I dont think so. But I'd still say PK.

[MDV]

P.S.

SLSMGs rock. Or at least the one I just got does. Good choice.

[rogueleader]

For the decapitated, probably the c-bomb.

For the arsis, well, I listened to 'the face of my innocence' and the lead (edit: 3 min ish in) in that is a bridge or I'm a three eyed purple donkey.

Dontcha love saying stuff like that, next there'll be a vid of the guy from arsis saying that its actually a neck :lol:

Anyway, if you want that sharp aggression from a neck then you need the painkiller.

Edit 2 - I'd say the same for the little solo at the end, though its a bit smoother and fuller, the difference could just be that he's playing it less aggressively or further from the bridge. But that might be a neck. But I dont think so. But I'd still say PK.

Hm, I would have c pig would have been a shoe in if I asked here. I don't here alot about the c-bomb (more the alinco version) what are the hallmarks of its sound? Would you say that painkiller is the second most close, or is there something else I should consider?

As for arsis, its highly probable that I'm wrong. I wasn't really reffering to their old sound, more their new sound on We are the Nightmare and Starve for the devil (Though the old stuff is great and their lead sound has remained similar throughout their career, unlike their rhythm tones). And yeah, there are a lot of bridge leads on every arsis album, but I think the painkiller pretty much nails that tone already, do you think theres something better?

Unless if my ears are totally off, here's an example of what I think is a lead on the neck.
Servants to the Night (Around the 2-18 mark)
 
Another album that really explemifies the kind of high gain neck lead I want to get is heartwork. Any reccomendations to achieve that kind of sound in a BKP?

 +1 on SLSMGs rocking. To my eyes it looks like your custom guitar you posted here has a little SLSMG influence!

And thanks for answering my question MDV, it seems like you're the encyclopedia of contemporary pickups on this forum. Once tim emails me back I'll take both opinions into consideration and place an order.

[MDV]

I thought about the C-Pig, but decided against it as my recommendation because that sound, while in aggressive music, just isnt that aggressive. The C-Pig is very aggressive. You could get a sound near that out of it with suitable amp settings, but it seems to me that the voicing is a bit more restrained and presice. Plus, either decapitated or the AEs they use (similar enough sound on a couple of albums to be the same guy?) really know what they're doing to create their precise sound - there isnt that much gain going on, and every note is crystal clear. Thats much harder to achieve with more gain and hotter pickups, and you really get that ultra-precise metal tone by backing off the output a bit so the length of the wind doesnt start to overcompress or mud things out and easing off the gain on your amp.

The other way of course is actives (I believe that decapitated use EMGs?)

The C-Bomb is quite even eq wise save maybe the top end, tight, powerfull but not nuts, intermediate compression and has a certain smoothness in the top end (that I'd forgive you for calling 'tailed off' or similar, but I dont think it is, its just a little less sharp in its attack) that fits the negation tone well and is capable of relaying anything humanly playable clearly and comprehensibly (which doesnt mean to say that the Cpig will mud out, but its *better* than the c-pig for hyper-precision).

The PK has a huge mid and especially high mid. If you'd said Organic Hallucinosis I'd have said painkiller. Grindier and more open, with more high mid.

I'll check out the other arsis stuff. Rather enjoyed the riffing in the track I heard. I seem to recall dismissing them pretty quickly last I heard them as a generic 'tech' (used too much!!!) death metal that there are a million bands like and most better, but maybe I was hasty...back in a bit.

[MDV]

Alrighty

From what I heard there (Servants to the Night) it *could* still be a bridge, but I dont think so, and give the smoother sound, fluidity in the legato and chime in the mids and high mids but still being pretty sharp and toppy I'd get.....a painkiller!

So, I'd recommend a C-Bomb/PK set. Runners up in each position for my money were miracle man and cold sweat, so maybe get one with each. Niether set is going to nail the tones (nothing ever will, album tones are notoriously unreproducible, even with the same people and gear), and you can get two different close sounds, or pick one and tell us what you think, then we have a baseline of us knowing the pickups and you telling use what you liked and didnt, which makes it much, much easier.

[MDV]

Oh, and youre quite welcome mate.

[rogueleader]

Alrighty

From what I heard there (Servants to the Night) it *could* still be a bridge, but I dont think so, and give the smoother sound, fluidity in the legato and chime in the mids and high mids but still being pretty sharp and toppy I'd get.....a painkiller!

So, I'd recommend a C-Bomb/PK set. Runners up in each position for my money were miracle man and cold sweat, so maybe get one with each. Niether set is going to nail the tones (nothing ever will, album tones are notoriously unreproducible, even with the same people and gear), and you can get two different close sounds, or pick one and tell us what you think, then we have a baseline of us knowing the pickups and you telling use what you liked and didnt, which makes it much, much easier.

Given that I already have a calibrated set of Painkillers that I like alot I'll probably get another one and put that in one of the SLSMGS. The other one I might do a little experimentation on (C-Bomb and either MM or CS in the neck). I actually like the PKs very much, but I'm always willing to try something new. I'm actually planning on doing a comparison of the painkillers I have in my 06 SLSMG to the stock HZs in the incoming 04 SLSMG (before they're switched out for BK) and posting some clips.

+1 on never getting the exact sound as a record. But given that so few people on online gear forums are qualified or experienced enough (i.e. any pickup reccomendations from the average user on HCAF or ss.org, who often have not even used the pickup and are judging off of youtube clips) I find its better to ask "What does X sound best" rather than "I want an agressive tone that is woody in the upper mids, steely lower mids, and refined highs that sounds like x,y, and z (where x,y,and z are three completely different sounding bands)". Obvious both James Malone and Vogg are extremely unique and talented players as well, and most of there sound is their technique (I'd still be curious to know how arsis get their lead sound).

I actually also love the tone on Organic Hallucinosis (and alot of the sneap forumites hold it in extremely high regard), but stylistically I prefer the negation.

Thanks,
Garrett