Advice needed. should i up the output?

[Keven]

Hey guys.

I'm currently considering raising the output of my BKP's in my guitar. currently i have a black dog bridge and mule neck. over the year my style has definitely focused metal with big riffs. nevermore, periphery, some hints of meshuggah and to-mera.  my current pickup set does the job quite well. i boost my amp with a TS808 type OD and i'm pretty happy with my tone.

I do feel like i'm working too hard, i love banging the shite out of my guitar, but i think i need to let the pickups do the work as well, just a bit. I pointed the question to tim. he recommended the painkiller for my 7 string a the cold sweat for my 8 string. my questions are: how much of a difference will i feel with the painkiller compared to a black dog? more aggressive without working as hard? tighter low end? how's the clean for the bridge pickup? 
will i need to boost as much as with my black dog?

also, forgot to ask tim but what kind of neck pickup matches up with the painkiller? VH2? painkiller neck itself? this is for soaring leads and clean parts.

for the 8 string i'm pretty much going vanilla cold sweat set however.

thanks!

[Roobubba]

I recently switched my black dog bridge for the MM bridge that was in my ibby backup guitar, for very similar reasons to those that you've stated (and also just because I fancied a change!).

I don't boost quite so much, but I've also found that I've now settled on a somewhat more compressed and driven sound, rather than the more open sound I had cultivated before.

The black dog's bass end is quite tight - it never got flabby - but being a more compressed pickup with a  ceramic magnet, the MM is quite a different beast. I'm very tempted to try a painkiller in this axe. The MM to my ears has a huge bass response which needs some care and attention when using a bottom A string at 0.070" on a 27.5" scale length, especially so when downtuning to bottom E, but it actually remains surprisingly tight and responsive - if brutal :)

I'd say give it a go!

Roo

[Antag]

also, forgot to ask tim but what kind of neck pickup matches up with the painkiller? VH2? painkiller neck itself? this is for soaring leads and clean parts.

Cold Sweat neck is a great match for a PK bridge, but if you want to have something other than CS (because you'll have a CS set in the 8str), then VH2 would be a great choice - similar ballpark in power terms to the CS but with a more vintage PAF-y "chime".  Painkiller neck to make a calibrated set would of course work - the PK is the only ceramic neck BKP make & is great for leads.

My clean shootout clips might help...

[Keven]

I recently switched my black dog bridge for the MM bridge that was in my ibby backup guitar, for very similar reasons to those that you've stated (and also just because I fancied a change!).

I also fancy a change, and am looking for an excuse to get a covered set for my 7 string ;) when i ordered my set last year my band was still doing covers of power and heavy metal, but now we're doing originals and there's some serious galloping riffing ala iced earth on the low strings even with the  string, so i need something that will attack nicely. (i use a .068 for the Bb in my 26.5 7 string and a .095 tuned to F at also 26.5 ( :( ) on the 8 string)

that's what you get for not having funds and thinking thinking thinking. the entire setup you thought worked turns around 180 :p

[Roobubba]

Don't get me wrong, though - the black dog ruled in there :)

I'm now just going through a more beefcake period with the MM and loving it :)

[Keven]

that's quite my opinion too, which is why i'm keeping the set for an eventual new 7 string :P

[asianaxeman]

painkiller = djent

Full of aggression perfect for periphery/ meshuggah etc

painkiller bridge and neck lead clips (through boosted engl screamer ) if you're interested - http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=21327.msg286418#msg286418