Holy Diver Questions

[braintheory]

So a lot of people on this forum rave about how amazing the holy diver bridge is, mainly for its lead tone.  The way it's described it almost sounds like it would have a neck pu type tone for leads even though it's a bridge.  I used to have a Crawler bridge pu (which I heard is similar to a holy diver) in one of my guitars and it also had a smooth, sweet almost neck like tone.  I didn't care for it though because I was looking for the typical biting bridge tone, and even though its lead tone was very sweet and neck like I preferred to just use the neck pickup instead.  So I guess my question is whether the same is true with the holy diver bridge pickup.  If its lead tone in the bridge is so smooth and great do you think it would sound good if used in the neck position? 
My other question is about the holy diver neck.  No one seems to talk about it and I wanted to get a sense of what kind of tone it has.  Does it sound similar to any other bk neck pus?     

[The Hitman]

I just installed a pair of HDs in my PRS McCarty and I can chime in a bit here.  The bridge sounds great for lead playing, it is never harsh no matter how much high end you apply.  I have a set of Cold Sweats in my Le Paul and they are heavier in both the high and low end and are better for thrash type riffing,but I would say the HDs are more versatile for clean playing.  Both of the neck pickups sound great clean and have a great liquid like tone very suited to legato style playing when overdrive is applied.  The HDs sound great split and are quite thick for single coil like tones.  I can't comment on the CSs for this.  I think they both work, but getting a sense of your style and the axe they would be put in would allow me to chime in a bit more.

[Kiichi]

I actually donīt think that the HD neck is not mentioned often. I feel it is said to be one of the great 3 necks actually (CS, HD and VHII).

If there is any pickup you never hear about I feel it is the Crawler.

[darkbluemurder]

I have both the Holydiver and the Crawler bridge models but they are/were in different guitars. They are definitely warm sounding pickups but I would not describe them as "neck-like". As regards bite, the Holydiver has more of it than the Crawler, and its low end seems to be tighter. Both are well at home with guitars that have a bright primary tone.

The Cold Sweat bridge is the perfect pickup to open up a guitar that has a strong midrange focus - at least that's what it did in my guitar.

The reason I cannot comment on the Holydiver neck is because I don't have one - I use a Cold Sweat neck with the Holydiver bridge. Great combination, as is the Cold Sweat bridge with the Abraxas neck.

Cheers Stephan

[braintheory]

How did the lead tones of the holy diver and crawler compare overall?  Also, do any of you guys think either the crawler of holy diver bridge would work well in the neck position?

[Philly Q]

Also, do any of you guys think either the crawler of holy diver bridge would work well in the neck position?

I think both would be far too hot, bassy and boomy in the neck position.  It's not what they're designed for.

[braintheory]

Also, do any of you guys think either the crawler of holy diver bridge would work well in the neck position?

I think both would be far too hot, bassy and boomy in the neck position.  It's not what they're designed for.

Wouldn't they be no hotter than something like a warpig or miracle man neck.  My warpig neck is not boomy or too bassy.

[darkbluemurder]

First of all the Warpig neck is designed to work with the even hotter Warpig bridge. And in addition, Tim may have compensated the winding in the Warpig neck for the designated position as opposed to the Crawler and HD bridge models. But in the end only Tim can give you more details about that.

Cheers Stephan

[darkbluemurder]

PS: if you have a Crawler or HD bridge there is no harm in trying it in the neck position but I would definitely advise against ordering one of these bridge pickups for the neck position.

Cheers Stephan

[Philly Q]

Neither the Crawler nor, as a I understand it, the HD bridge is particularly "tight" sounding, and both have healthy amounts of bass/low mids.  I just can't see them suiting the neck position at all.  But that's just an opinion.   

As Stephan says, if you want to try it, give it a go.  There are no rules!

[braintheory]

First of all the Warpig neck is designed to work with the even hotter Warpig bridge. And in addition, Tim may have compensated the winding in the Warpig neck for the designated position as opposed to the Crawler and HD bridge models. But in the end only Tim can give you more details about that.

Cheers Stephan

The thing is if I do use either the holy or the crawler bridge (which I still have) in the neck I would use it in either my guitar that currently has a set of warpigs or my other guitar which has a miracle man in the bridge and a cold sweat in the neck.  I should have mentioned that earlier.  I am definitely replacing the cold sweat neck, but am not sure yet if I wanna swap out the warping neck.  I find myself only playing the warpig neck split in single coil mode.

[braintheory]

Neither the Crawler nor, as a I understand it, the HD bridge is particularly "tight" sounding, and both have healthy amounts of bass/low mids.  I just can't see them suiting the neck position at all.  But that's just an opinion.   

As Stephan says, if you want to try it, give it a go.  There are no rules!

I don't know about the holy diver, but the crawler can be pretty tight, but you are right about the bass and low mids.  I definitely don't want a boomy or tubby sound in the neck position.  My cold sweat neck in my 68 reissue les paul often sounds too boomy, so i guess it could be worse with the holy diver and crawler.

[Isa]

The Holy Diver neck pickup is probably my favorite pickup (EVER). It totally changed the way I play and gave me an appreciation for neck pickups that I did not have in my youth. I have a Gibson Flying V with a CPig in the Bridge and Holy Diver neck. Obviously the bridge is for crushing shite plus most of the riffing Big, scary, lots of power chords. I use the HD neck for cleans and for big cushy harmonic solos. I roll the volume back (to around 1.5 or 2) and I can get a really nice articulate and harmonic clean even on the lead channel of my 5150, which always surprises me (plus whoever isnt ready for the switch when were playing). I describe it to people as a medieval clean, just switch to the neck and play the best representation of Greensleeves ever heard. Because its coming out of the 5150 it has a lot of headroom and the overtones just fill the place up. A really nice example of a great Alnico pickup, frickin unbelievably beautiful.

I got to play my neighbor's Caparison with a Nailbomb in the bridge and a Cold Sweat in the neck and the CS definitely has more of an aggressive lead sound to it than the HD. On full blast I'd say the HD is a little bassy for leads. I also got to play his AxeFx and I ended up using the HD to record on it because the WP got alittle messy and didnt allow for the same capitalization of the guitar's harmonics.

[ericsabbath]

I definitely don't want a boomy or tubby sound in the neck position.  My cold sweat neck in my 68 reissue les paul often sounds too boomy, so i guess it could be worse with the holy diver and crawler.

it definitely didn't sound boomy in the les pauls I had it
it was the first neck pickup I ever could play even high gain rhythms
maybe you're using it too close to the strings
and by too close, in a les paul neck position, I mean anything above the pickup mounting ring
a chambered '68 would probably need an even lower setting

[darkbluemurder]

maybe you're using it too close to the strings
and by too close, in a les paul neck position, I mean anything above the pickup mounting ring

That may have been the problem with the CS neck in my guitar which has now the Abraxas neck in it. The CS was a long leg model and could not be set low enough because the cavity was not deep enough. But I keep the Abraxas quite close to the strings and don't have a boominess problem with it at all.

In the PRS Custom there is enough room to set the CS neck where I want it, and it is not boomy there.

Maybe I should just have changed the base plate to a short leg one.

Cheers Stephan