The best pick up for hardcore punk / metal

[itsonlyausername]

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You seem to like the JB, but dont want it because its not an original idea.


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No quite if i were to use the JB i would just play my chemical romances old stuff and rise against with anything else in my music collection that has in some way related to the JB

I have a strat once and all i played on it was Jimi hendrix muse

and when i got a Les paul i started playing gun and roses and anything les paul related

This is a strange problem where if i start getting equipment similar to another guitarist i know il just do what they making doing something new tough because i feel like im standing on the solders of giants really i strange things

so to get a unique pick up that can get me what i want would elimenate that to some degree so i can start working on my own tone

I may go for a holy diver bridge with a phat cat in the neck only because the holydiver neck is 7-8 ohms and so is the phat cat neck

[Daniel G]

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest a Rebel Yell.
I use it mainly for punk/oi covers (Sex Pistols, c--ksparrer, 4skins, that sorta stuff), but they do really nicely for regular metal as well.
Wouldn't go for downtuned stuff or deathmetal with these though.
Hell, if you go for a RY set and get a coil split on the neck you won't need the phat cat.
My RY's when switched to single do a pretty mean P90'ish sound.

[Roobubba]

Well, your argument about the NB is absolutely ridiculous. Nolly is one of the most experienced BKP users on the planet, and has a wealth of talent, experience and versatility that puts the likes of me to shame - I would very much trust his recommendations, regardless of what you 'think' you'll end up playing.

But, as you seem to have the delectable combination of both stubbornness and ignorance, how about looking at a Black Dog? The lower output suits punk very well because you can still use it with a clean booster to push the front end of an amp to access all manner of brutal tones (I used to use one for hardcore/metal), or just peg it back a touch and get to great crunch tones as well. I found the BD very versatile. I have also used a Miracle Man extensively, and for me I actually found this remarkably grindy and brutal, though the top end is very smooth and some people seem to think it lacks mids, though in my rig and guitar it was plenty middy enough for me, and I'm a mid addict. I now use an aftermath, but for what you mention in the top post, I don't think the higher output modern range pickups are for you, however grindy and aggressive we tell you they really are...

FWIW I've never played any Ozzy, Origin or Zep with these pickups, nor did I feel the need, or even for most of my time know what the pickups were named after. If your 'problem' of not being able to play differently to what you imagine the person who inspired the pickup played, you're going to have problems with all BKPs given their naming scheme. Utterly ridiculous. If you put a NB in your guitar, play it through your rig, and are in any way reminded of Matt Bellamy, I would be very very VERY READ IT AGAIN YOU IDIOT VERY VERY surprised. :)

[Madsakre]

and you would end up playing this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAMXSpgheJk&feature=related 

[Roobubba]

and you would end up playing this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAMXSpgheJk&feature=related 

Could be worse :)

[gwEm]

i would pick a nailbomb for hardcore, unquestionably.

its not a pickup i like particularly, but it has the right tone for sure.

a number of people on this forum say its just the ticket for their type of metal too.

[wolfenstein]

Itīs hard to define hard core these days but if you mean some old school stuff i would go with alnico pup especialy when you want to feed JCM 800...Think Refused organic sound...HD,RY?

[darkbluemurder]

so to get a unique pick up that can get me what i want would elimenate that to some degree so i can start working on my own tone

Sorry to say but you got something backwards there. You have to work on your tone first and get to know what you want, then you will be able to select dedicated gear, not the other way around.

To let oneself influence by gear is OK to a degree as most instruments lend themselves to certain styles better than others but there are no hard and fast rules in that regard. John 5 plays telecasters but he does not play country on them simply because he doesn't have to. Les Paul, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Duane Allman, Dickey Betts, Slash and Zakk Wylde play Les Pauls but do they play the same stuff or sound alike? No way.

Good information and recommendations have already been given. It's now up to you.

Good luck
Stephan

[darkbluemurder]

BTW: even the guitar with the Miracle Man in it will not stop me from playing blues on it if I feel like it.

[itsonlyausername]

Itīs hard to define hard core these days but if you mean some old school stuff i would go with alnico pup especialy when you want to feed JCM 800...Think Refused organic sound...HD,RY?

thanks i have made a descision but i may change the amp to complement them better

As for some people raging about the fact i can't go nailbomb on them i just can't get it.

Matt bellamy is my guitar hero and was the first thing to influence me to pick up the guitar if i where to get equipment he used like the Nailbomb which i think he has a signature version of now it would just play his stuff it would be the same if i got his guitar or his Fuzz factory.

The les paul i got isnt even a proper les paul it's flat bodies and has a bolt on neck because if i bought  les paul i will play like it's predessesors i am an easily influenced person and generally differentiate my tone from my hero's is simply get something different that does what i want.

I want to pursue a hardcore punk style and the JB is the overall companion as i appear to see if i where to get that then i would then think randy roads zach blair ray toro over in my head everytime i see the Jb in my bridge now i can't connect someone with the holy diver and it appears to match my criteria.

also yes i would be stubborn i am spending 100 pounds of my money that i have saved up during my work in the summer i can not just do as you say just because you know better it was a no no on the nailbomb from the beginning if i dont like it then i won't buy it and you wouldn't too if you do something because someone told you too then your just gaulable really.

Ignorant No iv heard the name bomb and have seen 2 guitarist use one is matt bellamy and they other is from a metal band i never remember and metal or any of matt bellamy music i am not following here maybe i would like some metal riffage from time to time but there are the pick ups that will shape my tone in my band and i would like to have a focus to what i want if i havent seen a pick up that has once been used in what im looking for then trusting an opinion as good as it maybe just wont reassure me afterall you are faceless and voicless people with strange names talking to me through a system of wires.

I wanted a broad idea of what i should look into and the painkillers and holydiver where the two that i like and i thank the two people who suggested that.

I didnt want to be barked at by rabid dogs just because i simply didnt think one pick up would be suited despite it being bare knuckles most famouse of all well its the one im aware of

[mongey]

your entilted to any opinions of gear you have but I have a NB set and I'll tell you its anything but "glammy"

I also  have an old ,battery power only  fuzz factory like he has and I wouldnt say it sounds anything like  "glammy" either .

To me A sound or genre  is in the playing style and note choice more than what gear you use. but its cool,  like you said its your cash and if thats how you see it go with your gut man


Best way to choose a pick up is to play the one you are repalcing and ask yourself "what do i want to change in the tone ?" tighter or looser bass, low mid focus or high, smooth top or cutting bite ? then you'll get more good advice on what might work

And I would add if your are upgrading your amp to the JCM I would do that 1st. Your tone ,and what your tone to be, from  the little practise amp to standing in front or a roaring head is going to be completly different .

[wolfenstein]

.Matt bellamy is my guitar hero and was the first thing to influence me to pick up the guitar if i where to get equipment he used like the Nailbomb which i think he has a signature version of now it would just play his stuff it would be the same if i got his guitar or his Fuzz factory.

When I heard Chris George plaing Nailbomb in his LP I just dedided thatīs my pickup....When I played it in my guitar I wasnīt so excited...Perhaps I forgot that he plays Marshalls....But with my setup /amp+cab/ it sounded bad....

[darkbluemurder]

To me A sound or genre  is in the playing style and note choice more than what gear you use. but its cool,  like you said its your cash and if thats how you see it go with your gut man

I fully agree. You need to make up your mind as to what musical statement you want to make and then choose the tools for that. If it is a problem that someone else uses the same tool this can be solved as long as there's another suítable tool.

Best way to choose a pick up is to play the one you are repalcing and ask yourself "what do i want to change in the tone ?" tighter or looser bass, low mid focus or high, smooth top or cutting bite ? then you'll get more good advice on what might work

I agree that this is the best approach. Unfortunately that will not work for the OP since his bridge pickup appears to be broken.
To the OP: have you checked the wiring of the bridge pickup and the pots - just to make sure? I am asking this because pickups rarely fail even though it does happen.

And I would add if your are upgrading your amp to the JCM I would do that 1st. Your tone ,and what your tone to be, from  the little practise amp to standing in front or a roaring head is going to be completly different .

Agreed again but he will need a new pickup anyway because his old one is broken.

To the OP: I have played both the Nailbomb and the Holydiver in the same guitar and would say they are suited for the same kinds of music - if that is of any help.

Cheers Stephan

[mongey]

Ah I missed that broken pick up start and picked it up halfway when it got firery

But a broken pu is pretty rare unless you tried to pull it apart and a wire snapped.

op have you checked the solders like darkblue said ? Most likely one has just broken off somewhere

[Roobubba]

I don't get how you don't get it...

If you buy a NB you'll only play stuff by/like Matt Bellamy? Really?

We may be a bunch of faceless, voiceless names on an internet forum, but you came here for advice because a few of those faceless, voiceless names do know a heck of a lot about BKPs in particular, and can advise you, who haven't yet got one, about what is likely or unlikely to work for you, with your gear and your styles. To rule out a pickup up front based on the name of the pickup or 1 or 2 anecdotes is just ridiculous, especially when it's very likely your ideal pickup for punk!
It's like me saying: I want an Android phone that's got 2 cores and rear and front facing cameras, but the Samsung Galaxy S2 won't do for me because it's got the letter S in it. It's that ridiculous! If you don't understand how your statement relates to that, I don't think anyone can help you.

For what it's worth, I really don't think the painkiller would suit you. You should be looking at the slightly lower output (and probably AlNiCo) humbuckers or P90s based on what you asked for.
The Holy Diver would likely work a treat (being broadly similar to the Nailbomb in some ways). Amusingly, that's probably the best BKP at delivering Glam, though. Hahah :D Still, you know best about the Nailbomb, eh!

Oh yeah, and by the way, if you don't like the pickup, you just send it back to Tim to exchange it for something more appropriate. If you follow Tim's advice (have you asked him yet? The man knows his pickups better than any of us here!), you'll VERY VERY likely get the perfect pickup for you. His suggestions are without question the most accurate of any you'll get anywhere. If you've not done so already, phone or e-mail BKP with your requirements (but just for giggles, how about not ruling out the NB without trying it, eh?).

Good luck with the choice.