Mules vs. Mule/Riff Raff

[Paulocaster]

I'm looking for a set of BKP versatile enough to cover decently everything from Clapton's Bluesbreakers tone, Slash's Appetite tone, and Page's tone. The pickups are for a Gibson Les Paul. Would a calibrated set of Mules or a Mule neck/Riff Raff bridge do a better job of this?

Thanks.

[Telerocker]

Mules will get you there, but check out the PG Blues, I think that set comes close to what you're after.

[Nolly]

Personally I feel that in a Les Paul, the most versatile set you can choose would be the Riff Raff/Mule combination. With the A5 magnet the Riff Raff is that much punchier and has a more percussive attack that works well to counter the Les Paul's inherently large lower midrange and bass. However, the Mules are no slouches either.. really I think you could choose either and be happy as can be.

I wouldn't personally go to the PG Blues for the mentioned styles.

[Paulocaster]

Thanks, Nolly. How would a Riff Raff bridge compare to a A5 Mule? I want something that has nice, thick rhythm but can still cut through. Nothing too piercing or shrill, though, on solos.

As for PG Blues, I have been thinking about putting them or Stormy Mondays into a ES-335, so I'm definitely focused on the Mule set or the Mule/Riff Raff combination for my LP.

[Nolly]

They would be very similar. I wouldn't even really think about an A5 Mule to be honest - if you want an A5 PAF flavour, the Riff Raff is your guy :)

[Paulocaster]

Sounds like a Riff Raff bridge is the way to go. Thanks, Nolly. Tim seems to think so, too. As for the neck, which I'll use mostly for cleans and soloing with medium to medium-high gain, do you think the AIV Mule (potted or unpotted?) is the way to go or should I be considering a Riff Raff there, too?

[Nolly]

I would go for the Mule myself (and actually have chosen the RR/Mule combination for a custom LP I have on the way later this year!) - the AIV mag lends it a wonderful airiness while being smoother and more tubular than the extremely defined Riff Raff neck.
You could also consider the Stormy Monday neck for an even more open and delicate tone courtesy of the AII magnet. I believe Slash's signature pickups have AIIs in though I haven't tried them myself.


Unpotted gives you the purest PAF experience - more open with astonishing top end detail. Of course, feedback is a concern at high volume levels, but if you can control it, the tone is incredible. Note the unpotted BKPs won't give you microphonic feedback, just easily bloom into harmonic feedback.
With that said, the fully potted pickups are still absolutely "legitimate", and might even be a better option in a bright guitar.
If you want a halfway-house option, BKP can lacquer-pot your pickup (instead of wax), which only partially permeates the wind, giving you a pickup tonally not that far removed from an unpotted pickup but less prone to feedback.

[Paulocaster]

Thanks for all your help, Nolly. I'm going with the Mule/Riff Raff combo unpotted.

[Nolly]

No problem Paul, are you leaving the Riff Raff unpotted too or just the neck?

[Paulocaster]

Planning to leave the Riff Raff unpotted. Do you advise otherwise?

[Nolly]

Entirely up to you, Tim himself uses unpotted RR/Mule sets in his no.1 axes and he plays in an Ozzy tribute band with boosted Marshall stacks blaring... it works for him, but he has learned to control them - he rolls off the neck pickup volume to zero when playing rhythm so he can use the pickup selector as a killswitch to keep the guitar from feeding back. It takes some practise though, he flips it even in the pauses in staccato riffs... I tried doing the same through his setup and it sounded a complete mess until I (barely) got the hang of it.

However, that's a fairly extreme example, if you reckon feedback won't be an issue for you then go ahead. Personally I would opt for a potted bridge position, though maybe just lacquer potted if you really want to retain some of the sparkle of an unpotted pickup.

[Paulocaster]

I think you're right about the Riff Raff--it might be too bright unpotted. Having read some more in the forum, I think potting the Mule is good idea, too. I play through a Marshall JVM410C, which has a lot of treble and presence, plus several gain settings. I shot Tim an email just now to ask him to change my order from an unpotted set to a lacquer potted Mule and a wax potted Riff Raff. I put the order in yesterday, so hopefully there's time to make the change.

I'll save the serious vintage tone for a future ES-335 and some unpotted Stormy Mondays. Thanks again for your help.

[Nolly]

No worries mate, I think that is probably a good choice. :)

[atj]

Hello,

Just wanted to know how the Riff Raff/Mule combo was working out?

I'm in the middle of deciding to either go with a matched Mule set or a RR Bridge/Mule Neck combo for my Les Paul.  I'm just worried that the Riff Raff will be too "Rock".  By this i mean that I have my one Les Paul and it needs to be able to play Blues/Clean/Rock/Jazz/Modern Rock.  I've read a lot of people commenting on how AC/DC-Led Zep it sounds, but not too much about other styles.  I'm just wondering whether the matched Mules would be more balanced set at doing styles from jazz to modern(think Every Time I Die/Thrice)?

Thanks

[Telerocker]

You can play nearly anything with Mules. I recently bought a St. Blues with Mules in it and I love them. From the clips I heard the RiffRaff sounds edgier and punchier, due to the AV-magnet.