Best BKP for Bridge in Caparison Dellinger

[Monchito]

Hi folks. I am new to the forum, so nice to meet you all.

I am currently looking for a perfect fit in the bridge position of my recently acquired Dellinger Trans Rose. It's a Mahagony bolt on with a maple neck and an ebony board. Has a Schaller trem and would need a matching F-Spaced pup.

I currently have a non F-Spaced Painkiller installed that came with the guitar. I have it tuned to C-Standard with a set of Rotosound M11s

I mostly play MEtal, except for some classic guitar from time to time. I love Arch Enemy's Amott brothers tone but I am kinda deceived with the Painkiller since it sounds pretty mellow and dark in a already very Dark Dellinger. I am used to have a cutting tone with my other guitars. I usually play my Seymour Duncan JB  loaded Les Paul Standard or my Horizon, which has Duncan SH pickups. Both are mahagony. The Les Paul is a bit darker while the Horizon really is a trash machine. It is very defined and screams like glory. But I should mention that the Paula is tuned to D and the Horizon is still in E Standard.

I achieve great crunch and crushing sounds pairing these two guitars with Soldano, ENGL and Mesa simulations on my Axe Fx, while the Horizon is the easier to tweak with any of the options.

However, my new Capariosn with the Painkiller seems soft and undefined. It is dark with open bass and I am used to have a lot of attack and chunk. Palm muting directly cuts off the notes instead of making the percussive effect we all love, which otherwise makes my riffing on my other axes so huge.

I am considering an F-Spaced version  of the painkiller, since the highs are really good right now. Maybe the spacing is what is ruining the tone.


But I have recently been attracted to the Aftermath and the Nailbomb. I would like to hear your imput on this, but I hear the Nailbomb is difficult to control and not so well suited for the Dellinger while the Aftermath is a good all around efined pick up specially suited for low tunings.

I wrtoe an email to Tim once and he suggested the Painkiller for Arch Enemy style. But this is a floyd guitar and it doesn't have the same character as my Les paul even though both guitars have formidable sustain. This is still mellower and open than the Paula.

I want something to crush. To play everything from classic metal to the more modern djent stuff. A great tone that comes to my mind is Sybreed or Cloudkicker stuff. But I am a big fan of Soilwork and Arch Enemy type of sounds.

LEt's see what you guys think. I have been thinking of joining the forum for a while. Nice info around here.

Anyway. Cheers and thanks in advance!

[Telerocker]

Sounds not like a Painkiller to me, which is reckoned to be one of the brightest contemporary BKP's. Did you fiddle with the height to find the sweet spot? Maybe pots/capacitor, difficult to guess.

[Madsakre]

it sounds like wrong wiring to me. if you use a dimarzio schematic when you install the pickup, you'll end up with something weak and dark. Alot of people have tried this. Mostly because they get the pickup installed at a guitar tech, who just "weld" like he always does. On another note, my painkillers' are brighter than my x2n equipped axes. So if you find the painkiller dark, then theres something horribly wrong.

The sweet spot for my painkillers are about 4mm away from the strings with the screws turned around one half turn.

[ericsabbath]

cold sweat

the painkiller is not that bright in my experience, but not dark either
it has a lot of center and upper mids, but balanced top

for arch enemy, I'd pick the holy diver or alnico nailbomb over all the other models, but that would make it even 'mellower'

[Kiichi]

it sounds like wrong wiring to me. if you use a dimarzio schematic when you install the pickup, you'll end up with something weak and dark. Alot of people have tried this. Mostly because they get the pickup installed at a guitar tech, who just "weld" like he always does. On another note, my painkillers' are brighter than my x2n equipped axes. So if you find the painkiller dark, then theres something horribly wrong.

The sweet spot for my painkillers are about 4mm away from the strings with the screws turned around one half turn.

+1
Check double check the wiring first.

[Monchito]

it sounds like wrong wiring to me. if you use a dimarzio schematic when you install the pickup, you'll end up with something weak and dark. Alot of people have tried this. Mostly because they get the pickup installed at a guitar tech, who just "weld" like he always does. On another note, my painkillers' are brighter than my x2n equipped axes. So if you find the painkiller dark, then theres something horribly wrong.

The sweet spot for my painkillers are about 4mm away from the strings with the screws turned around one half turn.

Arghhh!!!! I will have to open and restring the entire thing again! It came with extremely heavy strings so I just finished restringing and readjusting everything  :D

Anyway. I am not a pro and not familiar with pick up wiring. But this is a good opportunity to take some time off next weekend and chill on a new hobby. If you guys can maybe give me a hint of where to find a good explanation video, tutorial or whatever for the wiring I'll be set to go and see what's going on. It's weird though that the pick up would be installed wrong since the guy who owned the capa before me is a good engeneer.

I must be doing something wrong myself. Or maybe I am not explaining the tone I want properly.

I mainly have a problem with chunk and agressiveness on this particular guitar. I am used to the Les Paul and the Horizon being really strong and big, with very defined palm muting. Yet the Capa is a different animal in this aspect.

[Madsakre]

I cant solder myself. I dont own a soldering iron. My best buddy does it for me. But alpha omega is that you use the schematics which was delivered with your pub.

[Monchito]

I cant solder myself. I dont own a soldering iron. My best buddy does it for me. But alpha omega is that you use the schematics which was delivered with your pub.

That's a problem. I don't own any schematics whatsoever since the pup was installed by the previous owner. I could find a person to solder this. Maybe my neighbour will help. But I'd need the wiring plan.

Thanks man!

[Madsakre]

mail tim/ben and ask for a schematic

[Monchito]

mail tim/ben and ask for a schematic

Thanks a lot! Will do.

[Aizaku]

I can vouch for the Cold Sweat as a bridge pickup. I'm in the midst of a love affair with it that's been going on for about three years now.:) It's such a great all round pickup that will definitely deliver the cut you require. I also have a Painkiller in the neck position of my guitar and I must say that, even in that position, and with a Swamp Ash body - which is a darker sounding wood that Mahogany - I've never found it to be muddy. Warm, yes, but not muddy. Some tweaking needs to be done.

[darkbluemurder]

Another praise for the Cold Sweat bridge here. Cut without earbleed.

Cheers Stephan

[Monchito]

Thank you all very much! I have been away from here for a while. I was thinking of getting a Cold Sweat or Aftermath and will probably do so for my birthday. I solved the Painkiller issue though. I had a bad adjustment and a lose wire :( At least that's what my repair friend said. I don't know anything about electronics.

[Loomer]

If I recall correctly, you just have to make sure that black wire is connected to the hot output and you're golden!

[Alex]

Thank you all very much! I have been away from here for a while. I was thinking of getting a Cold Sweat or Aftermath and will probably do so for my birthday. I solved the Painkiller issue though. I had a bad adjustment and a lose wire :( At least that's what my repair friend said. I don't know anything about electronics.

So how does it sound now?