Is there a single BKP humbucker that can do everything for metal?

[Transcend]

Well as you know im going to be picking up one of the washburn V's next thursday but upon thinking i realised if i go my usual path of Miracle man im going to be screwed for cleans as its a single hum guitar so i cant just flick over for cleans :S

So is there a humbucker that isnt overkill in the bass frequencies, is very tight, great for thrash metal from the 80s to modern testament type types and most importantly cleans up pretty well.

I know the MM can do everything i need dist wise but its a no no due to the cleans

The Nailbomb is just plainly dont like for myself however ive heard others get great results.

I tried a A-Pig and found it too death metally

so i guess this leaves me with cold sweat & Painkiller both of which i havent tried.

the construction/spec of the guitar is as follows.

•Classic shape Flying V body (no pickguard)
•Body: Mahogany
•Neck: Mahogany/Set
•Fingerboard: Ebony
•Inlays: None
•Tuners: Grover
•Scale: 24.75 inches
•Pickup: EMG 81
•Bridge: Tune-O-Matic
•Tailpiece: Stop Tailpiece
•Buzz Feiten: Yes

I may actually like the EMG as its been a good while since i actually used them and it may work for this guitar but i know it will pose the same problem as the MM the cleans suck so i am already planning on changing it out

[Twinfan]

Cold Sweat should do it, or Rebel Yell if you want to go Alnico?

[Transcend]

Cold Sweat should do it, or Rebel Yell if you want to go Alnico?

Would the Rebel Yell be tight enough? as its always a pickup that ive been interested in from clips but have never gotten around to trying

[Twinfan]

It's quite bright by all accounts, so that should make it fairly tight?

Cold Sweat is probably slightly better for the gain sounds than the cleans, and vice versa for the Rebel Yell I would think.

Yer pays yer money and takes yer choice!

[MDV]

I havent tried it, but from what I've heard (in clips) the RY is surprisingly tight.

I was going to say NB till you said you dont like it

Failing that and given that your guitar is all mahogany, CS is the best bet

[Transcend]

I havent tried it, but from what I've heard (in clips) the RY is surprisingly tight.

I was going to say NB till you said you dont like it

Failing that and given that your guitar is all mahogany, CS is the best bet

Im not even 100% sure why i dont like the nailbomb its just something ive never been able to get to work for myself yet i love the sounds other people get.

thanks for the suggestions

[MDV]

I didnt like it when I first tried it - it didnt blend with the guitar it was in at all; it had too isce-picky a high end and the sound was all crunch, no balls.

[gepetto33]

Rebel yell is tight as blue balls... maybe not ceramic tight, but certainly the tightest alnico (just going by the track record of what others have said).  Mine is as tight as it ever needs to be; plus it's kinda good to have a little less bass in a pickup being used in an all mahogany guitar.

It's definitely a sleeper, considering most people go the ceramic or nailbomb route, but with enough gain it surely melts your mother's butter.

[Transcend]

I didnt like it when I first tried it - it didnt blend with the guitar it was in at all; it had too isce-picky a high end and the sound was all crunch, no balls.

Thats exactly what i found i thought it was the guitar at first so ended up buying another two for different guitars and found the same thing with each one, i guess its just not the pickup for me

[FLgearnut]

I would agree that the RY is surprisingly tight for what it is.  I have a calibrated set of them in my PRS custom 22 and even when i play high gain stuff its got alot of clarity and punch.  I ordered a painkiller for the bridge of my other guitar and I can only expect itll be as good if not better for metal.

[ElectricTurkey4369]

I didnt like it when I first tried it - it didnt blend with the guitar it was in at all; it had too isce-picky a high end and the sound was all crunch, no balls.

Does the Cold Sweat have balls? I may put one in my Les Paul.

[Roobubba]

I didnt like it when I first tried it - it didnt blend with the guitar it was in at all; it had too isce-picky a high end and the sound was all crunch, no balls.

Does the Cold Sweat have balls? I may put one in my Les Paul.

What you seek is the MM for your LP :)

[Antag]

Slightly left-of field suggestion, but the old-spec ceramic Holy Diver might work well here.

You get the warmth & "chunk" of the HD, but with a dose of ceramic tightness, very nice cleans (nicest of the ceramic BKPs IMO) with a decent level of output.  I even did a MM v HD shootout here

EDIT to add: FWIW, I have it in two guitars - a neck-thru V with mahogany body wings/maple neck/ebony board & a bolt-on superstrat with mahogany body/maple neck/rosewood board

[fr33man1]

I had  RY in my esp eclipse and les paul. Was very happy in the eclipse, its tight for A5 indeed but it lacked some body to my taste. I switched on the full thickness les paul custom and it did not really work great in there. Very liquid sounding, dry bass, nice hi mid to cut through but it lacked severe low mid punch and compression.

Can't match all the time eh. I'd go for a nailbomb or a miracle man for an all rounder as I got no idea on how the cold sweat sounds.

[Daniel G]

The RY's are more than tight enough.
They're not as tight as a ceramic warpig, but tight enough for most purposes.