Gibson R0 VOS pickup choise

[ericsabbath]

well, in my experience, the nailbomb is about as high output as the warpig, just less compressed and grainy
it's one loud and aggressive motherbucker

neck pickup has some duncan '59 like scooped midrange voicing, but it's quite high output as well, and VERY bright

you'll definitely perceive a radical tone change, but not really a big output drop

[Telerocker]

Nailbombs are quite agressive and the voicing is not everybody's cup of tea. Just ask Tim at BKP for advice and listen some clips. I don't think they are the first choiche for bluesy stuff.

[ventura]

OK guys.. my first post here :)

So I have just gotten an R0 VOS, and I really wanna put in som BKP's.

I need something a bit hotter than the BB's.

What do you recommend?

I play mostly slower heavy stuff.. rock, metal.. but also blues when i'm in that mood.

I find the Warpigs TOO hot and

I dont wanna sacrifice tone for output.

Would a Les paul benefit from a pickup with a mid boost?

I would like a sweet tight tone that goes well with my Mesa Mark series.

First and foremost, that's a beautiful Lester in the picture!!  Nicely done.  FWIW, I just purchased a calibrated set of BD's for my '68 Les Paul 'Firemist' as I wanted something with more grunt and ooomph yet maintaining all the overtone and liquid characteristics of a purebred Les Paul tone.  They're not too hot, which means they'll allow a lot of the natural character of the Les to come out, and they've definitely got more bite than stock.  Like I said, just my 2 cents, but the BDs are going into one of my finest Les Pauls I own.

Clips to follow once they arrive.

V.

[Jofipe]

Ventura cheers.

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, even tho I play pretty gained up music, I get the idea that choosing a pickup with too much output will destroy the tone from the guitar a bit. I want that deep growl, with a nice open sound a liquid top end.
I noticed when i put Warpigs "a bit extreme maybe" in a LP std I had, that the growl changed into muddyness and the sound got pretty undynamic and chaotic.

So I guess i need the perfect balance between hot and vintage.

I have owned a Burny LP with Mules in it, and that seriously sounded GREAT.. however, they were maybe a but too dark and vintage for me.

Maybe the key to the tone I look for is "low lower output pup, and then crank the booster a bit more going into the amp instead"

definition and melody in the distorted sound.

By all means, my Mark V couldnt sing more...   so defined with a sea of harmonics.

[Madsakre]

I havent got it yet, but i just ordered a riff raff for my flying v. This may be the right choice for you :)

[ventura]

I love my RRs, and they're a bit more vintagey than the rest.  Brilliant pups.  As for what I'm doing with my Lester and the Black Dogs, I wanted GROWL whilst maintaining the natural wood characteristics and sustain and tone of the guitar itself.  Knowing amps WAY better than pups, I do know that quality amps often sound so much better when they're not force-fed the guitars' signal.  Making an amp WORK for the tone is key.  Compression to me, isn't a great characteristic.  But again, all of this is personal preference.

Keep us informed as to what you decide on doing.  I'll let you know how the BDs sound once they arrive.

V.

[Jofipe]

Thanks man :)

Actually Tim write me to get the Nailbombs..   seriously, im still not convincet. To me they sound rather compressed with overdrive/distortion compared to some og the others.

hmmmmmm  maybe I should just do what the man says and try the nailbombs.  Im afraid they with be too focused.

[Madsakre]

My experience with nailbombs are not too good either. For me it sounded like there was a blanket over the amp. or the cab was moved into the other room :/

[BigB]

Thanks man :)

Actually Tim write me to get the Nailbombs..   seriously, im still not convincet. To me they sound rather compressed with overdrive/distortion compared to some og the others.

????

From direct experience, the ABomb bridge is much more dynamic and open sounding than you would expect from a pup that hot, and retains an surprising clarity and definition under hi gain. The way it cleans up when rolling off the volume pot is also something interesting.

hmmmmmm  maybe I should just do what the man says and try the nailbombs.  Im afraid they with be too focused.

Now that's another question. It's indeed very tight and focused, so if you're looking for a looser, sweeter vintage tone it's possibly not be your best bet.

[Slartibartfarst42]

I think Tim suggests Nailbombs to a lot of people but it's very 90s Metal in my experience and I think there are other options better suited to what you want.

Holydiver - my personal favourite and could work really well unless your guitar is very dark sounding.

Cold Sweat - Great pickup and a calibrated set would suit your guitar well.

Black Dogs - No personal experience of these but their reputation is rock solid.

Abraxas - A friend of mine on the JVM forum tried some in a Les Paul. He liked them a lot in a PRS but found them too dark in a Les Paul.

Emerald - Nobody ever seems to suggest these yet the clips always sound incredible to me. I'd love it if someone with experience of these could tell us more about them.

[Jofipe]

Yeah, you seriously seem to be on to something the the Emeralds. They have nice amount of output, seems really open and defined!
Hmmmmm, I would have loved to hear a "hair metal" clip with it hehe.
The neck is alnico IV Like the mules.

[kevinr]

I have an Emerald bridge with a Mule AV neck (not AIV)great pickups

[ventura]

Yeah, you seriously seem to be on to something the the Emeralds. They have nice amount of output, seems really open and defined!
Hmmmmm, I would have loved to hear a "hair metal" clip with it hehe.
The neck is alnico IV Like the mules.

I was contemplating the Emeralds, as well as the Abraxas, but something steered me toward the BDs.  I think the fact the magnets are sweet, and it's simply a different composite wire (polysol) winding makes me think it's a "mule" on steroids.  Back to my thoughts above, many a high-gain amp still benefit from a pup with lower to moderate outputs.  The amps character comes out when it gets pushed.  Second to this, the characteristics of a good Les Paul need to shine - that's why you have one  :D   Going for an uber-phat high output pup almost negates the tonal characteristics of a fine guitar, IMHO.  AND AGAIN, this is all personal opinion, which holds next to no water compared to someone else's opine.

I have the PKs and they're very high output pups compared to the rest of my guitars' pups.  The guitar they're in only sounds "great" with certain amps, with certain preamp stages.  The midrange growl they afford me is what keeps them happening in my sonic arsenal.  I don't want my '68 to be pigeonholed like this.  I simply wish for pups that have a throatier bite and presence to them, more cut in the mix, and a unique tone without too much horsepower.  Yada yada, I hope my selection was accurate.

Eargerly waiting,
V.

[Jofipe]

Yes, I'm seriously thinking the same.
I want the pup to breathe out the sound, with all its details and dynamics. Not shite it out in a bursting string. I noticed that the Warpigs kinda transforms the high-end shimmer into.... hmmm distortion/mud ofcourse.  Thats not what i want.

I'm really thinking the emeralds could be it. They have a good amount of output aswell. All the samples are played with a LP, so I guess it's all about using the ears now.

Too bad that not all of the samples has the same song selections.

[Slartibartfarst42]

A quick look through the players section brought up these possibilities:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUZ5g92CXlQ

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=20188.0

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=19610.0

My next guitar purchase will be a mahogany guitar to fill that gap and I originally envisaged using it as a home for a set of Mules but the more I think about it and listen to clips, the more I think I'd like Emeralds. If you do get them, I'd love to see you post a review.