nailbomb harmonics/sustain problem?

[ElectricTurkey4369]

afwayu and second degree black belt
the afwayu reminds me a lot of the nailbombs punchy and aggressive sound, but it's middy like the holy diver, and a bit more dry sounding than both BKPs
great pickup too, just not as smooth and open
very aggressive for alnico 5 (in a good way)
2nd degree black belt is somewhat close to my cold sweat neck, but less middy and less modern sounding
I don't miss the nailbomb at all, but I do miss the holy diver
maybe Tim could wind me a more aggressive Diver? :idea:
the Diver was the best pup I've ever played for pinch harmonics
the miracle man sounds huge when played loud too

Overall, what did you prefer, the Nailbomb or Afwayu? I started looking at Motor City pickups, then i moved onto BK after i read about them on some forums.

[maccayoung]

Thanks for all your replies guys.  It sounds like something is up with my pickup, or the installation/electronics.  I think I'm going to take it in to the local luthier when I get a chance.

[dheim]

In my experience pinch harmonics depend A LOT on the guitar (if they're there unplugged no pickup should choke them) and pickup height. And yes, NBs squeal like crazy pigs, so it's not a model related problem...

[ericsabbath]

Overall, what did you prefer, the Nailbomb or Afwayu? I started looking at Motor City pickups, then i moved onto BK after i read about them on some forums.

I definitely like the 2nd degree black belt better than the nailbomb neck

the afwayu has a similar output and aggressive character of the nailbomb, but the mids are much stronger and a bit less smooth
the like its huge amount of midrange better than the PAF mids of the nailbombs, but it's not a superior pickup by any means
I really wanted something powerful AND middy
I find the holy diver to be more toneful than both, though

[dheim]

Eric, I discovered that we come very often at completely different conclusions about pickup "voice"! At least to my ears NBs are quite rich in high mids, but I think that midrange is the most complex (well, for sure it's the largest) part of the spectrum - speaking of guitar tonesl, so it's easier to disagree on mids than on highs, that's for sure...

[joeobrien56]

I'm somewhat happy with the sound of the pickup but it isn't exactly what I'd call 'chaos in a pickup' (the description of the nailbomb from the bare knuckle website).  The harmonics seem to be hard to get and when I do get them they die off very quickly.  Hardly any sustain at all.  Yet when I play the guitar when it's not plugged in the sustain is there.  I'm used to seymour duncan JBs which aren't super hot, and I find I can get harmonics from the seymours with ease.

Just saw this thread and had a similar experience.  I ordered a Mule for the neck and a Nailbomb for the bridge a few weeks ago for my LP Studio since while I wanted a classic LP sound from the neck i wanted something hot and aggressive at the bridge.  Unfortunately I didn't get on with the NB at all.  I found it hard to get harmonics and the sustain was inexplicably short.  I played around with pickup height etc. but in the end sent it back to be replaced by another Mule which I'm sure will be perfect (its on its way).  BKP service is second to none and this is not meant to be any kind of complaint (the Mule is probably the best PAF pickup in the world IMO).  It's just that the NB didnt behave the way I thought it would.  It may of course suit other players perfectly.  But the sustain issue is a real one - maybe it suits chugging/djent more than sustained soloing...?

[MDV]

There are only two ways in which sustain can be affected by a pickup

- Its very close to the strings, so its cutting vibration of the string short
- Its a very hot pickup, so it can pick up less vibration from the string, and that can give the illusion that the string is vibrating for a longer time than if you had lower output pickups in (when really its just detecting lower amplitide vibrations).

Beyond that sustain is a matter of the guitars resonance - the pickup cant make the string vibrate more or less (unless its really close to the string in the latter case).

FWIW when I've used or played nailbombs (assuming its A5 youre talking about) I've never had a problem with sustain or pinches, and I have ceramic nailbombs in 2 guitars and the sustain and pinches I expect from the guitars are there.

If youre having a problem then I think youre doing the right thing checking the wiring. Dull, cloudy joins can attenuate the signal from the pickups and high frequencies especially, and the pots might also be cr@p and should probably be changed.