Pickups for an ash sevenstring

[Fzau]

Hi everyone! This is my first post here.  :mrgreen:

I'm very tempted to switch out the EMG 707's in my Loomis for some nice Bareknuckles and wondered if you could give me some advice.

The guitar is a Schecter Jeff Loomis sig with an ash body and maple neck and fretboard, amp is a VHT/Fryette Pittbull 100 (and I play D'Addario flatwound chromes if that matters at all).

I mainly play progressive/math metal with ambient and jazz fusion elements, but some trash metal as well.
If I should describe the sound I'm going for it would be very clear, tight and aggressive when distorted, but smooth and tender clean - with hopefully enough dynamics. Think of Meshuggah's and Monuments' distorted tones and Tesseract's and Guthrie Govan's cleans perhaps. With a nice and fluid neck pickup.

Could you fill me in on what Bareknuckle pickups would be most appropriate for the tones I'm describing, considering my gear?

Thanks a lot!

[Madsakre]

When you switch, be sure to use anything than flatwounds. Believe me, it will sound too dull.

Check these out:
Cold Sweat
Painkiller

[Fzau]

Thanks, mate!
I was considering a Painkiller/Coldsweat combo, but I'm worried it might sound a bit harsh. The Loomis itself already has emphasis on the brightness.

[Keven]

I have the same guitar as you. currently have a black dog 7 and mule 7. but i wanted a bit more aggression and output for the bridge so i'm swapping it for a painkiller bridge. keeping the mule in the neck however, the cleans are astounding and the solos are fluid with plenty of push in the neck position.

tim also assured me that painkiller bridge and mule neck balance each other very well. he uses that same combo. i'm also getting a cold sweat bridge and riff raff neck for my schecter 8 string.

he recommended the PK because i wanted a djentier sound with maybe more output so i don't boost my amp with my ITS8 so much. makes the whole thing kinda noisy

[Fzau]

Thanks Keven! That's pretty much the exact thing I'm going for!
And if it works in your Loomis, it shoud work in mine too.  :D

[Keven]

i recorded some clips with mine they're not pristine just guitar only but it shows was the BD7 can do for low stuff:

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=20065.0
it sounds nice, but could be meaner. hence painkiller. this is what tim recommended me when i said ''i like my black dog but want more djent''

[Fzau]

That's quite mean already!

Do you happen to have any sound clips of The Mule in the neck position?

[Keven]

Well. it's mean enough already, but i boost heavily and this raises my noise level which i'd like to keep down so i'm upping output at the quietest source: the guitar ;)

for the mule neck, the closest thing i can point at is another song of my band which i've edited just now

first part is all mule neck for a clean jazzy bossa nova thing. the other is the solo, first is a black dog (the one that's in C. the second part is in F,) which i think sounds awfully clean and precise for so much distortion. the other is a mule, that part being tapped in the first half and swept at the second half. it sounds great with legato too and picking sounds very smooth and rolled off, not too agressive. i love my mule. it has every paf tone you love.

http://sbe.andrewingram.net/hexod/BKP/muleandlead.mp3

[Fzau]

Woah, that's some badass playing and tone!

EDIT: Sorry, I had to post quickly cause my laptop was smelling burned.

That's pretty much the tone I'm going for. Thanks a lot, you've been really helpful!
My Loomis will be equipped with the Painkiller/Mule combo then!  :D

I wonder, did you have to do some extra routing to fit in the Bareknuckles?
And do you use EMG housing covers or pickuprings?

[Keven]

like mentionned in another thread (pickups don't fit) i bent the legs of mine and ordered seymour duncan 7 string pickup rings.  do this carefully.

if i had to do it again (which i will on my 8 string) i'd probably route out the space required for the legs. but with careful bending it works quite well. screwed right into the body

glad i could be of help. others were quite helpful when it was my turn to ask :D

[Fzau]

I can't seem to find SD 7-string PU rings  :(
Where did you order them?

[Keven]

through SD but my store is a SD dealer also.

i also ordered them from allparts once. same thing. cheaper: http://www.allparts.com/7-String-Humbucking-Rings-p/pc-5433-023.htm

[Madsakre]

not to overtake the thread or anything.
But my other guitarist & I are seriously considering to get ourself a pair of loomis sig's. We play "technical" grindcore mixed with Immolation/dead congregation. Since im not that familiar with ash - which pickups would suit the style. We tune to G#. And im Anti Djent! - So keep out all that "nice chords & other faggotry" this is about adrenaline

[Fzau]

I wonder if there's any place that carries red sevenstring pickup rings.
Red pickup rings + red BKPs + Loomis = Badassery²

[Keven]

not to overtake the thread or anything.
But my other guitarist & I are seriously considering to get ourself a pair of loomis sig's. We play "technical" grindcore mixed with Immolation/dead congregation. Since im not that familiar with ash - which pickups would suit the style. We tune to G#. And im Anti Djent! - So keep out all that "nice chords & other faggotry" this is about adrenaline

that would be a good question to tim for the pups. as far as woods go, my loomis is very resonant and bright, but pretty heavy too. i would say maybe something like a C-Pig? maybe even a warpig as the ash makes dark pickups sound pretty good. and there's a maple fretboard to boot!