Gibson '84 Explorer EMG 81/60 replacement

[Denis]

Hey guys! My name is Denis, I'm new to the forum and this is my first post :)

I've searched the forum for quite a while and I've come across a couple of EMG replacement threads but none of them seemed to help me choosing a replacement for my 81/60 combo...
I'm the lucky owner of a '84 Gibson Explorer re-issue which came with the 81/60 combo and I really like that set it but my musical taste has changed quite a bit since I bought it... I really like the EMG's clarity, especially the 60's in the neck but I find them to sound a bit too compressed, they're not organic at all and I think they sound really, really "sterile" and cold...
Thats actually the reason I bought the guitar a couple of years ago but as I said, my musical taste has changed since then and I think they just don't fit my style of playing anymore...
I used to listen to a lot, I mean A LOT of Metallica (yeah, you wouldn't guess... white Explorer, Hetfield PU-set...  :D ) and I still do but then I've stumbled upon Tool and everything changed since then.... Now I'm really more into Progressive-Rock / Alternative / Experimental genres and more recentely into bands such as Red Seas Fire (which brought me here..)
Now my question is:

Which BKP set should replace my 81/60 set?
I'm looking for something versatile. I really dig Nolly's sound on the new RSF release, tight and aggressive, yet organic... So I'd appreciate anything that could get me into that direction. Another tone I like is Adam Jones' (Tool) on Lateralus & 10.000 Days.
Do you guys think a ceramic Nailbomb in the bridge could do that job? (I'm a fan of ceramic magnets..) I've listened to a couple of soundclips and I really liked what I was hearing but I'm not sure how it will sound in the Explorer..?
When it comes the the neck PU I'm completely lost... As I said, I like the 60's clarity, so I'm besically looking for a passive version of the EMG 60... Any suggestions..? I recently heard an Aftermath (neck) played clean and it sounded AMAZING....
I hope you guys can help me! And sorry for writing so much, I thought that would help finding me a new BKP-set :)
Oh, one more thing: the Explorer's body and neck are made of mahagony, fretboard is ebony! That might be an important information too...

So, thank you in advance :)
Best regards

(and sorry for any grammatical mistakes, I'm Croatian, so English is not my first language)

[Madsakre]

Rebel yell i believe

[Nephilim]

If the only reason you don;t want your EMG set is because they sound sterile and one dimensional. I'd recommend getting the Miracle Man set. It's basically an EMG combo, but more Organic, and a tad bit more versatile. Regarding the Aftermath, I think it may be a bit on the dry side for what you're looking for But the Miracle Man is such a good EMG replacement. It has them smooth silky leads, and a very tight bottom end. With the neck pickup, it has the EMG qualities of being excellent for shred. I took a chance when replacing my EMGs because, although when I'd asked many people what I should replace them with, I couldn't find any good clips (still can't). All of them seemed to have that Zakk Wylde tone and edge to them. It's kind of like looking at EMGs, and only finding Zakk Wylde type clips, when to be honest EMGs are capable of so many different sub-genres of metal. But the Miracle Man definitely is capable of sounding very different to the clips, and I'm glad I went for them.

[Nephilim]

Oh and the C-Bomb/Cold Sweat set would be a great versatile set. But nothing like EMGs. So if you really just want an Organic EMG, get Miracle Mans

[Nolly]

Hi Denis, welcome to the forum :)

Glad you enjoyed the tones on our album! We used a Rebel Yell bridge and VHII neck for the vast majority of the guitar tracks, so perhaps that would be a good place for you to start. I think the Rebel Yell would also be suitable for your Tool-type sounds, especially in a Gibson-scale guitar like yours.

Cheers!

[Denis]

Wow, Nolly himself replying to my post :)
Hmm, never considered the Rebel Yell.. How does it compare to the Nailbomb? I listened to a couple of Nailbomb soundclips and I really liked them. Yet I'm afraid it might sound a bit too "boomy" in the Explorer because of its huge mahagony body  :| that's why I was thinking about getting the C-Bomb, I hoped the ceramic magnet could help compensating that "boomyness".. But since Nolly recomended the Rebel Yell I guess I'll take a closer look at it now ;)
The VHII for the neck sounds interesting too! How does it handle mid/high-gain riffing? Does it still sound articulated and clear or does it tend to get muddy..?
The MM was an option too but I think they won't get me "far enough" away from the EMG sound, I want to try something a bit different.
Thanks for your answers so far guys!

Oh and Nolly, congrats to your ViK Duality! It's one of the most beautiful looking and sounding guitars I have seen till now.. I have to admit I'm quite jealous  :D my next guitar was supposed to be a LP Custom but now..... I guess I better start grinding up some money for a ViK!

[gwEm]

the rebel yell doesn't have much low-end, so won't be boomy... i'd be worried about it sounding too bright - some of those 80s Vs and explorers were made of alder and maple. i have a V with this combo, and actually i really like the guitar, but it will affect the tone.

[Denis]

One more thing! Forgot to mention that I mostly play in drop-tunings, mainly dropped Db or C.. Might be important to know :)

[Nolly]

Funnily enough the Rebel Yell fits your description to a tee - it is quite closely related to the Nailbomb but not wound as hot. What you end up with a tighter low end and stronger pick attack, quite similar to what you'd expect from a ceramic pickup, but without the glassiness in the extreme top end a ceramic magnet normally imparts. The midrange is much more organic and the dynamic is a lot more open than you would get with the ceramic Nailbomb.
The VHII is not a muddy pickup at all - it's got a snap to the front end that keeps things well defined at all times (almost similar to a single-coil), but the body of the note is rich, clear and fluid. It's my favourite neck pickup of all time, and matches up very nicely with the Rebel Yell in terms of output and voicing.

We used the Rebel Yell/VHII combo in drop C# and drop A (7-string) on the RSF release and it worked great.

The ViK is a beauty indeed, I'm very much in love with it. I have a 6-string ViK on the way now, but it's not a metal guitar at all - it's a hollowbody Caprice T.

[ericsabbath]

I'm in love with the riff raff in my '73 les paul custom, particularly for both metal (metallica, iced earth, sabbath, down) and modern proggy stuff (tool, karnivool, mastodon, coheed and cambria)
it gets along really with most boosters (overdrives, clean boosters and equalizers) and amps really well

what impresses me the most is that its lack of compression doesn't affect the sustain at all

it's a great alternative to the usual medium/high output pickups way

[darkbluemurder]

Hi Denis,

The VHII for the neck sounds interesting too! How does it handle mid/high-gain riffing?

It does it well.

Does it still sound articulated and clear

Yes it does.

or does it tend to get muddy..?

My experience is that no neck humbuckers will be as clear on the lower strings as a single coil or even a P90. The VHII, along with the Cold Sweat and Abraxas neck pickups come closest. BTW I have the A-Bomb and a VHII neck in one guitar, and I can imagine that the Rebel Yell bridge and VHII neck would make a great pair.

Cheers Stephan

[Denis]

Thanks guys!
I think I'll go with a RY / VHII set then :) from what you're saying this must be the set for me! Now I just have to make up my mind about some nice covers... (snow-white explorer, chrome hardware.. any suggestions? I think the Tyger-covers would look really sexy :mrgreen: )
Oh and.. Does any of you have experience with poplar bodies? I happen to have yet another Explorer (Studio '06 I think..) which is made of poplar and I don't really like it's sound anymore. It's so unbalanced... The bridge PU (500T) is really harsh sounding.. It's aggressive, yes, but the tone is somewhat thin... It's hard to explain. Played clean, it's pretty much unusable.. WAY too harsh.. Reminds me of breaking glass.. The neck PU (496R) is the other way round. It's boomy beyond belief and it tends to get muddy.. The low frequencies are jumping all over the place..
My only explanation for that imbalance in tone would be the body wood since I'm not experiencing this with other "standard" Explorers...
Is there any PU-set you could recommend that would give me a more even and balanced sound?
Thanks! :)

Nolly: Can't wait to see it! Hope you will upload some clips on YT when you get it!

[darkbluemurder]

I think I'll go with a RY / VHII set then :) from what you're saying this must be the set for me! Now I just have to make up my mind about some nice covers... (snow-white explorer, chrome hardware.. any suggestions? I think the Tyger-covers would look really sexy :mrgreen: )

Good pickup and cover choice!

Oh and.. Does any of you have experience with poplar bodies? I happen to have yet another Explorer (Studio '06 I think..) which is made of poplar and I don't really like it's sound anymore. It's so unbalanced... The bridge PU (500T) is really harsh sounding.. It's aggressive, yes, but the tone is somewhat thin... It's hard to explain. Played clean, it's pretty much unusable.. WAY too harsh.. Reminds me of breaking glass.. The neck PU (496R) is the other way round. It's boomy beyond belief and it tends to get muddy.. The low frequencies are jumping all over the place..
My only explanation for that imbalance in tone would be the body wood since I'm not experiencing this with other "standard" Explorers...
Is there any PU-set you could recommend that would give me a more even and balanced sound?

I have no experience with poplar as tone wood but I have seen your description of the 500T/496R more often than just a few times. If it is a rather bright guitar I believe you would be happy with the Holydiver set or a Holydiver bridge/Cold Sweat neck combo. That would definitely get rid of the bridge harshness and the overy bassiness of the neck.

Cheers Stephan

[Nolly]

I'd be wary of the tyger covers against chrome and white - the Tyger cover is raw nickel, which takes on a golden/yellowish patina fairly quickly. It looks great, but will not match with the chrome!
An interesting look might be chrome covers with black allen bolt polepieces

[Denis]

Thank you Nolly! I didn't knew they would change their colour over time!
I absolutely love the look of bolt polepieces but you can't select them in the shop for neither the RB nor the VHII  :|
Is there any way I could contact Tim and kindly ask for making an exception?? Chrome covers with black bolt polepieces would look sooo good! Thanks again Nolly :)
I also love the black battleworn covers, that might be an option too.