Pickups to replace EMG81/85 set - Hard Rock / Modern Metal tone

[Cboysen]

Hi, sorry if this has been answered before, quite a lot of similar threads out there but nothing exact I think.

Summery (if you don't care to read it all): Looking for something similar to EMG81/85 just better and more organic.

....

Which pickups should I replace my EMG81 and EMG85 with? - I do like the tone of my EMG 81 for anything metal and the 85 for smooth lead stuff, but everything regarding cleans are very hard to dial in through my 6505+. I know, 6505+, not the best cleans and EMG 81 are just overly hot, and if i finally get clean without grid, it's just not cutting through and also very dry. Anyway, I don't use the 6505+ for cleans anymore since I got a Digitech RP1000 which replaces my preamp section when using cleans in a 4 cable method kinda thing, works really well, it's like having a third seperate channel on the amp. Also, I really got a 'dream' crunch tone from the rhythm channel with the crunch engaged.

I play mostly metal or hard rock.. well mostly modern pop-ish metal. My tone, or at least the one I'm trying to achieve is some deviation of Carcass / Unearth kinda thing, just with a slightly difference harmonic feel, actually something along the lines of a boosted JCM800 for powermetal, think Hammerfall or Manowar harmonics, and then some Hard Rock stuff for rhythm. I really enjoyed Tims test of the Miracle Mans and the artificial harmonic sound produced. Well Sorry for being so vague and imprecise, but basically I'm looking for a warm raw non-buzzing humbucker set, which allows me to easily get good cleans and crushing crunch/hi-gain, all (nearly) depending on the preamp. It don't need to turn down the volume knob on the EMG to get a fairly clean tone and still maintain the rawness of the 6505 as it is now, so the no worries there, it should be possible. Also, I'm not in anyway looking for something that will sound djent, but i suppose that's mostly about the amp and not the pickup.

Anyway, I hope you could decipher my bad English. Thanks.

kind regards. Christian

[Transcend]

I think the Miracle man set would work wonders for you

definitely the miracle man bridge anyway maybe a cold sweat in the neck.

I personally have a miracle man in the bridge and a mississippi queen in the neck as i use it exclusively for cleans and smooth leads and this combo is fantastic.

i actually have a hammerfall clip done with this setup

http://soundcloud.com/wartime-novelty/in-memoriam

The rhythm is all the miracle man and the leads are the MQ

[Kiichi]

If you want Hard rock / metal with more organic qualitys than the EMGs, consider Alcino Nailbomb set, perhaps Cold Sweat neck. Many will say this, cause it´s supposed to be very versatile, heavy, agressive, raw, organic...just what you want basecally.  Can go from Hammerfall to Pantera and all.

[Cboysen]

jesus.. Insane reply speed..   :lol:

I'll definitely look into it, but just now, what's the difference between the Nailbomb and the MM? I hear the MM is for trash mostly, and well.. in my head i've always associated trash with Metallica, and thus a bit of smiley-face eq-ing / scooping.. and well, I really cant stand those scooped sounds, also are extremely hard get a cut in the mix.. But I suppose it'd juts mean that I'd have to turn up the mid-knob a bit :)  - Anyway, for all it's worth, if you got some killer combo of "these pups just slays for any kind of metal"-sorta pup, I'm always looking for ideas. As far as sound goes, I'll probably never get completely satisfied, but I take that as a good thing.

[Cboysen]

Btw, Toe-Knee .. very nice audio sample. I like the core tone a lot in that lead stuff, and the crunchy rhythm is nice, very non-buzzing, I like that. Thanks for sharing

[Cboysen]

Okay, so far I'm totally hyped for the clean sound of this sample of the Bridge position nailbomb, it's just the right amount of resonance I'd want. Awesome axe-fx effects too, but Im trying not to focus too much on that;)
 http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17121.0

[HTH AMPS]

Painkiller set, oh yeah  8)

[ericsabbath]

what is the guitar?  :?

[juansolo]

I think the Miracle man set would work wonders for you

definitely the miracle man bridge anyway maybe a cold sweat in the neck.

I have a MM set in my Viper and find the neck pickup to be a bit flat (the bridge is just awesome though). Funilly enough I've just ordered a CS neck for it.

[Cboysen]

what is the guitar?  :?

My guitar is a Korean ESP LTD JH-600 (Jeff Hanneman Sig. guitar)

Spec:

Construction: Neck-thru-body

Scale: 25.5 in.

Body: Alder

Neck: 3-piece Maple

Fingerboard: Ebony

Pickups: EMG 81 (B) / 85 (N) active

Controls: Volume & tone w/3-way toggle

Hardware: Black

Bridge: Kahler Hybrid Bridge

Binding: White on neck & headstock

Frets: 24 XJ

(taking from their website)

.....

My Cabinet is an Orange PPC412 w/ v30.  .. just amazing stuff.

kind regards

[Cboysen]

Hmm.... Read through a couple of reviews on the nailbomb, and it seems it's quite affected by wood-quality compared to EMGs, which are basically non-provocative whatsoever.  Of course modern metal is my prime idea of the sound I seek, and the nailbomb IS modern, or so they say, but they talk about a certain edge or grittiness that associates with what I'd call buzz, but of course I can be wrong about that.  As mentioned, my guitar is alder, which makes it fairly bright, but on the other hand, the tonal range of alder is quite big, and it leaves it open for quite some pronounced mid/low-mid. Given that my 6505+ is voiced slighty dark, I'm a little uncertain how it will respond to my ESP guitar if I equipped it with, say, Nailbomb and coldsweat.  I'm aware that a pickup can't change the world in sound, but still adjust the characteristics. I don't have the possibility to return the pickups once i buy them, at least not without a major loss, since I cannot install the pickups myself, at least I don't dare to try.
Although my biggest hope for new pickups was the ability to actually play some decent clean sounds, but I'm nervous about ending up with my main hi-gain sound being gritty/buzzing/hairy year 1985-1995-ish metal sound - Sigh, Sound is extremely hard to describe :)

Anyway. thanks

[Telerocker]

MM/Coldsweat.

[Cboysen]

MM/Coldsweat.

The MM/Coldsweat seems to be similarly popular to the nailbomb/Coldsweat combo. How does the MM/CS compare to EMG81/85? The mids of the 81 is more pronounced than the MM they say, but still usually it's the characters of the pickup as a whole that makes you like it or not. Also i heard the cold sweat got amazing cleans in the neck position - Which of course would be really good. How's the organic feel of the MM? and does it 'beat' the 81 in the hi-gain modern metal league? So if you can put a total description of the MM and CS, what would that be, and what kind of 'time'/'genre' is the MM associated with?

Sorry for all the questions, did try to seach for it myself, but a lot of people have reviewed this pups, and most people say the MM is similar to the 81, but that doesnt necessarily mean it 'feels' the same?

Thanks (in advance) for the responses:)
kind regads

[ericsabbath]

the ceramic nailbomb has a more balanced voicing than the miracle man (bit more mids, less bass)

[Slartibartfarst42]

Your guitar body may be Alder but as it's a neck-thru construction, it's the maple of the neck that will give it most of its tonal qualities. It will probably be a bit more middy that a conventional alder guitar like a Strat. My own guitar is maple neck-thru and it's noticeably more middy than my Yamaha Pacifica which is alder body and bolt on maple neck. The Miracle Man works particularly well in maple neck-thrus so is well worth consideration. It was a maple neck-thru with mahogany wings on the guitar I tried and that was Miracle Man bridge with a Cold Sweat neck and it was a killer combination.