Recommend a pickup for progressive bm

[Acatalepsy]

Hey guys,

I'm new here, so I'd just like to say I'm exited to be here- seems like this is a really great community :) I'm looking to change the bridge pickup in my Schecter c-7 blackjack (mahogany body, set neck, rosewood fretboard, Seymour Duncan JB in bridge) basically, with my current rig, I go straight in to an ENGL Savage 120 or Thunder 50 and I find that the tone is a bit dull and muddy. I find that my other guitar, a ltd sc607b with emg 707s at 18V sounds much better, even though it has the same woods. Basically, the qualities I am looking for are clarity when I play complex chords and a fairly high output since I don't like too much dynamics for the style of music I play (progressive black metal, a bit like this- Surreale | Haeiresis ) I rarely palm mute, so I'm not terribly interested in how 'djenty' a pickup is.

thanks for your help!

Additional info- I use lots of mids in my tone, so anything that has a scooped voicing is out.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Until you mentioned all the mids I was thinking Miracle Man but instead I'd guess at either a Painkiller or Aftermath. I've only tried a Painkiller once and it wasn't for me but I think you might like it. I've never tried an aftermath myself but from what I've read I think it may suit you. Hopefully somebody with more experience of both will comment.

[Telerocker]

Sounds like Aftermath.

[Acatalepsy]

Cheers guys! Any more thoughts?

[darkbluemurder]

Until you mentioned all the mids I was thinking Miracle Man

My thoughts exactly! But I would not call the MM scooped. To me it is clear in the mids, i.e. it does not have a mid spike.

To the OP: I believe you have a critical combination in the mids with the Engl amps and the Seymour Duncan SH-4, so even if you use a lot of mids on your amp I would not necessarily add a pickup with a mid overload.

but instead I'd guess at either a Painkiller or Aftermath. I've only tried a Painkiller once and it wasn't for me but I think you might like it. I've never tried an aftermath myself but from what I've read I think it may suit you. Hopefully somebody with more experience of both will comment.

I have not tried either but out of those two I would rather suggest the Aftermath. I would also look at the Nailbomb.

Cheers Stephan

[llJasonll]

Finally, I can add input to a tone question!  :D

Well I play through a Savage 120, and I have Painkillers in my custom Mahogany body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard; and I absolutely adore my tone from my guitar.  I would highly recommend the Painkiller.

It looks like we go after the same kind of sound.  I like a lot of cut, and clarity, but I need some sizzle, at times.  If you play technical, with any amount of harmony and lead work; I think you will love this pickup.  Open chords have that perfect clarity and cut; and you get endless, shimmering sustain.

This pickup isn’t for everyone, but I think you might like it a lot.  When you push the tubes on the Savage, and combine this pickup into the mix, it is a beautiful thing!

The painkiller is the only BK that I own, but I have a Ceramic Warpig on the way (for another guitar); and I will be ordering a Ceramic Nailbomb HSS set with Sinners (for yet, another guitar); so if should have something to compare to in a couple weeks.

If you have any questions about the Painkiller, or how I set my tone on the Savage let me know and I will be more than happy to offer my input.  8)

Cheers!

[Acatalepsy]

Finally, I can add input to a tone question!  :D

Well I play through a Savage 120, and I have Painkillers in my custom Mahogany body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard; and I absolutely adore my tone from my guitar.  I would highly recommend the Painkiller.

It looks like we go after the same kind of sound.  I like a lot of cut, and clarity, but I need some sizzle, at times.  If you play technical, with any amount of harmony and lead work; I think you will love this pickup.  Open chords have that perfect clarity and cut; and you get endless, shimmering sustain.

This pickup isn’t for everyone, but I think you might like it a lot.  When you push the tubes on the Savage, and combine this pickup into the mix, it is a beautiful thing!

The painkiller is the only BK that I own, but I have a Ceramic Warpig on the way (for another guitar); and I will be ordering a Ceramic Nailbomb HSS set with Sinners (for yet, another guitar); so if should have something to compare to in a couple weeks.

If you have any questions about the Painkiller, or how I set my tone on the Savage let me know and I will be more than happy to offer my input.  8)

Cheers!

Thanks for your input! I'd be curious to hear how you set it for sure, I use:

high gain channel
lead boost in
gain slightly less than 4/10 gain
bass 5/10
mid 6/10
treble 6/10
presence slightly under 5/10
voicing: rough
bass boost: off

as I said in my initial post, I like the way my other guitar pairs with it, but I can't use that  since I keep it in another tuning for another band. What kind of music do you play?

[ericsabbath]

nailbomb

[llJasonll]

For rhythm:
High gain channel
Lead boost off (will definitely change the tone for more cut)
Gain: about 12 – 1 o clock
Lead Gain about 2-3 o clock
Bass: about 12 – 1 o clock
Mid: about 11 o clock, sometimes 2-3 o clock (depending on mood)
Treble: about 1 o clock
Red Master
Red Presence: 12 o clock with the depth boost pressed in.
Voicing: Smooth
Countour: Not pressed in (to give the mid spike)

Lead:
I turn off bypass on my Maxon OD-808 for lead stuff
High gain channel
Lead boost on
Gain: about 12 – 1 o clock
Lead Gain about 2-3 o clock
Bass: about 12 – 1 o clock
Mid: about 11 o clock, sometimes 2-3 o clock (depending on mood)
Treble: about 1 o clock
Green Master
Green Presence 2-3 o clock with the depth boost pressed in.
Voicing: rough, sometimes smooth depending on mood
Countour: Not pressed in (to give the mid spike)

I play mainly metal.  My bands songs are pretty all over the place.  These pickups and amp seem to do the trick for me; I feel that I can get quite a versitile tone with these pickups.

[Madsakre]

i tried the Cold sweat in a friends custom guitar(librium) and i fell totally in love. The sound of that pickup is close to perfection. It covers black metal terribly well(dissection style) and does death metal quite well too. it has that percussive edge to it if you tweak it.

well.. next step is to have a Cold sweat equipped guitar for me. DAMN I LOVE THAT PICKUP!

[ratspeak]

I had the same problem with the JB7. Don't know what the SD guys were on when they said it sounds best in mahogany guitars with rosewood boards, but I want some.

I replaced my JB7 in the same guitar with an Aftermath, but I think it might not be hot enough for what you want. I'd say Nailbomb (ceramic or alnico) or a Ceramic Warpig. I don't think the neck-warpig would sound good in that guitar though.

[Excruciator]

I'm only fleetingly acquainted with your amp, so I can't give any really solid input, but I know the rest of your gear pretty much inside out through personal experience, and I also play a lot of bm/progressive bm, from earlier Ulver and Emperor through to Blut Aus Nord and Deathspell Omega.

My current favourite guitar for playing this kinda stuff is an ESP/LTD M307, which is pretty much the same as your guitar, although neck through rather than set neck and 25.5".  I have that loaded with a Painkiller in the bridge; don't let the "djent" descriptions put you off, it's perfect for raw and savage bm tones as well. It's got enough output for any application you could possibly need, and clarity is not an issue, even on the low B. I'm not sure I'd call Haeiresis' tone particularly raw or savage though, so it's your call. The Paikiller can certainly cope with the more refined bm tones, but I can't help but think you'd be better off with one of the contemporary AlNiCo's if you wanted to nail that tone exactly - I've heard some very convincing, more refined bm tones played through a Rebel Yell, fwiw, and the Nailbomb is an obvious contender too.

Edit: Don't let the JB7 put you off BKP Alnico's; the Duncan 7 string pickups are bad even compared to their own 6 string namesakes, especially the JB7.

[dheim]

uhm... for that kind of tones i'd reccomend cold sweats, but what you need, in the end, is an articulate and not so hot pickup, possibly tight and more or less bright. so ceramic (but also alnico) nailbomb, painkiller, aftermath (never tried one - this is pure second hand knowledge!), rebel yell could work quite well. anyway when i think about "new" black metal cold sweats are my weapon of choice! ;)

[ratspeak]

Edit: Don't let the JB7 put you off BKP Alnico's; the Duncan 7 string pickups are bad even compared to their own 6 string namesakes, especially the JB7.

QFT, I had a JB6 in my ESP for quite a while and there was nothing wrong with the pickup. The JB7 is nothing like the JB6, and Tim really knows how to get the best out of Alnico.

[Acatalepsy]

Thanks for your thoughts guys, I emailed Tim about this and he said the Aftermath would probably be the best pickup for me. I think I'm going to go for that  8)