Metal pickups.

[EffigyForgotten]

Hey guys, i'm looking for 2 sets of pickups for metal tones both for PRS SEs.

1) For my current PRS because the emgs sound "boring" I guess and the 81 in the bridge sounds really thin and the 85 just sounds like mud. I use this guitar for prog metal anywhere from dream theater to opeth and I would like it to sound more organic while having a good lead sound and be tight enough to play thrash and more old school death metal like death. I want a neck pickup with a balanced clean sound that doesn't get harsh in the highs or have to much bass as well as have a lead tone that can cut through.

2) Another PRS, this will be my primary heavier guitar which has a longer scale length and I will use this guitar for B standard, Bb and A standard. I like these tunings for slower death metal/doom stuff that I write myself and the stock pickups that come in this guitar IMO are horrible, I don't use huge strings (in fact I still haven't tried anything bigger than a 54) and I like to play stuff like meshuggah as well and their tone is amazing and is something I like to also be able to do with this guitar.

[ericsabbath]

1) nailbomb bridge / cold sweat neck

2) painkiller bridge / nailbomb neck

[darkbluemurder]

Fully agree with Eric's suggestion on 1). For 2) the Painkiller set came to my mind.

Cheers Stephan

[Madsakre]

Eric said it.

[witeter]

I have two PRS SE's set with BKP's-and for my primary one i wanted exactly what you mention. I was recommended a Ceramic Nialbomb bridge and Nailbomb Neck. But as Eric mentioned, the coldsweat neck is fantastic, so yes i would say the same as Eric but changing the nailbomb bridge for a Ceramic Nailbomb bridge.

[metalmaniac93]

I also agree with Eric as far as the Nailbomb/CS combo.  I have these in my ESP Horizon NT and they nail Petrucci's tone especially the CS neck.  The CS neck is fluid without sounding muddy!!!  Perfect through high gain and the cleans are real nice!!!   Played an SG with a PK bridge, but did not really get to crank it up in the store.

[EffigyForgotten]

Well I came across the manhattan P90 on the site and now think that would be a perfect neck pickup for clean playing in my guitar tuned to D.

Why the painkiller over the aftermath? And I tend to dial in almost any amp I play through with bass at least 3/4, mids around half and the treble like in between them.

This is a good example of how I want my prog guitar to sound like
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf8PJvUpjog

This is IMO the ultimate clean tone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEo8IrU5MQk

And for the heavier guitar sorta in between this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G1S-YBtbx4
and this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChzWzkTwxIs

[Dr.Pain]

I use an eq to thicken up my 81.  But then I put an 81x into an old ESP I have and damn it sounds so good.  It's thicker and more natural sounding than an 81.  I'd like to try the Hetfield set at some point too.

[EffigyForgotten]

Hey guys, I listened to each of the modern pickups on the BKP site from :57 to the end each and the painkiller really sounded the best! To me the aftermath clip sounds kinda muddy and doesn't punch through like the painkiller does.

[Madsakre]

I love the painkiller

[DoomBuggi]

I had the Ceramic Nailbomb set in my Les Paul recently, and I exchanged them for the Painkiller.  The NBC is a really cool pickup.  I just realized that I like having a lot more MIDs in the EQ detail. I can't wait until they get here.   

[EffigyForgotten]

I had the Ceramic Nailbomb set in my Les Paul recently, and I exchanged them for the Painkiller.  The NBC is a really cool pickup.  I just realized that I like having a lot more MIDs in the EQ detail. I can't wait until they get here.   

I don't really like sound from their "low mid" pickups, (miracle man, warpig, holy diver, I like the way the aftermath is described and the death metal clip (not really death metal xD) but the modern metal clip sounds muddy.

[ericsabbath]

in my experiece, the aftermath has the same eq voicing as the holy diver
they're both center mid focused, not low mid
the painkiller is pretty close, but it delivers more aggressive upper mids

[EffigyForgotten]

in my experiece, the aftermath has the same eq voicing as the holy diver
they're both center mid focused, not low mid
the painkiller is pretty close, but it delivers more aggressive upper mids

Why do many people here think the aftermath is the tightest BK? At that last part in the modern metal clip out of all of them the aftermath sounds the least tight.

[Zaned]

I don't have anything to add to the recommendations..but while you're waiting for your BKPs to arrive, change the positions of the EMGs. 81 to neck, 85 to bridge. They both work in both positions.

-Zaned