Classic Rock conversion

[kevinr]

I think that you need a Holydiver set!

[ztikmaen]

I think that you need a Holydiver set!

Reasons? Personally I want a vintage Hotrod sound that can go well with overdrive/fuzz (for the bridge pickup) and a nice clean sound for the neck that can handle a little overdrive with clarity and no excessive mud. So I think the mule is going to be good for the neck pickup. But the bridge pickups I'm interested in are: Black Dog and maybe Abraxas. I think I'm getting close to a decision :D
But as for the neck pickup, I really don't know. I'm not very good at hearing the differences between them, but I think a Mule, Abraxas, Black dog, Emerald, Stormy Monday... There's so many and I can't chose without help when it comes to the neck pickup

[HTH AMPS]

I've had the Mule neck and currently use the Abraxas neck - the Mule neck is warm, but can be a little muddy on the low strings (as AIV PAFs tend to be in this position).

The Abraxas neck is AV and is a little brighter which helps it 'cut' and is nice and clear in the neck - no mud.

The great thing about the Abraxas neck is that if you WANT it to sound like the Mule neck (a bit warmer), just roll the tone back a little - job done.

imo, the Abraxas set is the most underrated and complete set BKP make - can cover LOTS of tonal ground with these.

[ztikmaen]

I've had the Mule neck and currently use the Abraxas neck - the Mule neck is warm, but can be a little muddy on the low strings (as AIV PAFs tend to be in this position).

The Abraxas neck is AV and is a little brighter which helps it 'cut' and is nice and clear in the neck - no mud.

The great thing about the Abraxas neck is that if you WANT it to sound like the Mule neck (a bit warmer), just roll the tone back a little - job done.

imo, the Abraxas set is the most underrated and complete set BKP make - can cover LOTS of tonal ground with these.

Hmm so would you say that the Abraxas in the neck sounds like a Mule but clearer and hotter? That sounds good. I've always wanted a neck humbucker without the "Waffles" and a bridge humbucker without the sharp and loud icepick. Does anybody know what pickup of end up with if I got the bridge Black Dog and rolled off some of the Mids a tad? Because it sounds a little piercing sometimes from what I can hear in the sound samples. And the only thing I have with the Bridge Abraxas bridge is that it sounds a little too "opaque". I know this adds to the thickness of tone when driven but is there anything a bit more "pliable" and "spongey" without losing the attack? A mix between the two pickups for the bridge would be awesome!
 And still need neck pickup advice, I want a warm but clear tone, even single coil-y, but with enough power to cut through the mix and provide nice bell sounds up at the 12th fret

[kevinr]

I have never found mids to be piercing! I still think that the Holydiver set would suit you, the neck pickup is superb, and no piercing from the bridge pup.

[ericsabbath]

I just replaced a holy diver with a black dog a couple days ago
the black dog is a lot warmer and less in-your-face sounding
the holy diver was definitely tighter, more aggressive, crunchier, middier, louder and had more high end
the black dog is covered, though, the diver has open coils

boosted, they can sound similar with a small adjust (I use an equalizer), but without the boost they sound very different
if the diver sounded like Cantrell, like I always mention, the dog sounds like Thayil

wasn't impressed at first, but it's growing on me every time I play it
let's see if it will handle the band as well as the others did (this guitar had half a dozen higher output sets)

[ztikmaen]

I just replaced a holy diver with a black dog a couple days ago
the black dog is a lot warmer and less in-your-face sounding
the holy diver was definitely tighter, more aggressive, crunchier, middier, louder and had more high end
the black dog is covered, though, the diver has open coils

boosted, they can sound similar with a small adjust (I use an equalizer), but without the boost they sound very different
if the diver sounded like Cantrell, like I always mention, the dog sounds like Thayil

wasn't impressed at first, but it's growing on me every time I play it
let's see if it will handle the band as well as the others did (this guitar had half a dozen higher output sets)

Did you replace a neck or a bridge? What was the difference in high end? Was the black  dog smoother in the high end? Does the Holy Diver sound vintage? Because the description says that it's a modern sort of sound but "Celebrating the 80's"? To be honest I'm starting to get a feel for the Abraxas set now. The bridge sounds nice and powerful but the neck sounds tame enough

[ztikmaen]

Please share your opinions on what I'm about to say.
My opinions so far:

Black Dog- My original choice; Rather chimey, but possibly a little too middy. Does deliver nice vintage sound and enough power. Sounds great clean too. Sounds biting, possibly too bright? Would be nice with the upper mids to be shifted into lower mids I think.
Abraxas- Strong bridge pickup means a lot of possibilities in terms of gain, nice smooth mids and nice neck pickup too. Does what a bridge humbucker should.
Emerald- Fantastic sounding bridge pickup, great vintage tone but not quite enough mids. Sounds like no icepick would occur ever
Neck pickups- Don't really have a clue... Need a clear, cutting, non-muddy, but no icepick. Can still retain shape with drive.
Oh and for the middle single coils lm considering the Sinner. Sounds thick and warm to keep up with the Humbuckers but still single coil-y. Not too bright.

[ericsabbath]

Did you replace a neck or a bridge? What was the difference in high end? Was the black  dog smoother in the high end? Does the Holy Diver sound vintage? Because the description says that it's a modern sort of sound but "Celebrating the 80's"?

bridge
yes, the black dog is smoother
the diver is hotter and more modern sounding, but with some 80's feel (well, most of the "modern" famous humbuckers were released in the 80's)
think Doug Aldrich

Black Dog- My original choice; Rather chimey, but possibly a little too middy. Does deliver nice vintage sound and enough power. Sounds great clean too. Sounds biting, possibly too bright? Would be nice with the upper mids to be shifted into lower mids I think.

the dog sounds considerably darker than the holy diver in my guitar
less treble, equivalent amount of midrange, I think, smoother picking attack
compared to the riff raff (that I can't make an accurate comparison, since I had it in different guitars), feels a lot more middy and compressed, but still open sounding
sounds biting with a boost, but it's quite tamed without it, even though it has a decent sustain

[Telerocker]

I have the idea this is going to a calibated Abraxas-set, maybe with an AV neck.

[ztikmaen]

Ok cool thanks Eric, that helps. Good to know it's tame enough and not really that bright. And @Telerocker, well I am interested in the Abraxas and Black Dog... For bridge anyway. Those are really the ONLY two I'm considering for bridge now. But I think from here I can sort that out for myself. But what about the Neck? I need help in that area as my ear for neck pickups isn't as good... And if I decide to get a sinner for my middle single coil, should I stick to a middle position sinner? And I'm trying to play dress up a little and decide what the pickup scheme should look like. My guitar is n RG370DXBK (Black with sharp horns) and I'm trying to decide what would suit it. I guess that part is pretty fun though although it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on that too :D
Thanks a lot guys, would be clueless without you :)

[ztikmaen]

These are the notes I've been taking concerning my pickup choices (The "captions" refer to the neck pickup versions).

Bare Knuckle Pickups
The Mule - Neck (Single coil-y sound, but warm and transparent)
Emerald - Neck (Neck has Clear, bright definition like an acoustic guitar)
Abraxas - Bridge* & Neck (Neck has good but thick/opaque note definition. Most powerful)
Black Dog - Bridge* & Neck (Neck is warm but has good note definition in upper range. Slightly mellower than Riff Raff)
Riff Raff - Neck (Good clean note definition but with more warmth than the Emerald)
Do you agree with these observations? Would you like to add anything? Eg "The order of neck pickups out of the list in order of warmness/note definition goes as follows:"

[Slartibartfarst42]

Every time I read this thread I can't help thinking of a Calibrated Abraxas set.

[kevinr]

Or calibrated Black Dog!!

[Alex]

Black Dog would be my choice. The Holy Diver I feel excels more at higher gain.