Help? C-Bomb for no-djenty rock/hardrock/metal sound (alder/maple)

[Cboysen]

Hmm - I found your lead tone to be really smooth, maybe a bit too smooth I dunno - Very nice indeed!

But I'm doing a lot of legato and sweeping stuff too - How does the Coldsweat compare to the HD and others?

[Toe-Knee]

Hmm - I found your lead tone to be really smooth, maybe a bit too smooth I dunno - Very nice indeed!

But I'm doing a lot of legato and sweeping stuff too - How does the Coldsweat compare to the HD and others?

Haha you are the only person ever to describe  a marshall TSL as "smooth" :D

I personaly didnt like the CS i found it to be too polite sounding in the mids and other than that a wimpy miracle man.

I have only used the MM, AM, MQ, NB

I also didnt like the nailbomb in any of my guitars but i love it in a friends which sucks

[ericsabbath]

the a-bomb isn't that mid heavy as the chart shows
it has a lot of low mids, but center and upper mids are quite even voiced and not bumpy at all
miracle man has a bit more bass and top end and less upper mids

[Cboysen]

Hmm well - Maybe smooth is the wrong word, but it's very rounded, no Ice-pierce stuff, no scratchy or fizz going on, just liquid-sh.. ?

Either way - I did like the tone of the CS equally much to the Holy Diver, just different tones.. (listening to the BKP clips)

But maybe the holy diver will do a better job in a metalcore-ish leadtone?

Then again, I suppose it all comes down to versatility and wood-type..  
when using a maple neckthrough, I suppose it's the maple that counts the most, and the alder just adding it's touch..
Tim said that the Ceramic Nailbomb works particular well in an alder/maple guitar, and together with a coldsweat with splitting capabilities, you can cover nearly everything .. which Is really nice..

The MM, being a bit warmer and more low-mid heavy, as what I heard on the BKP clips, I'm still quite unsure.. I really like low-mid heavy stuff, and since the 6505+ tends to be a tad less low-middy than it's sibling (the 6505), it might suite the amp better..

Then again, I read in a previous post, that someone really enjoyed their nailbomb with the peavey valveking amp..
(Oh the horror of options)...

[Cboysen]

the a-bomb isn't that mid heavy as the chart shows
it has a lot of low mids, but center and upper mids are quite even voiced and not bumpy at all
miracle man has a bit more bass and top end and less upper mids

Hmm Alright, but the C-bomb on the other hand seems quite scooped like the MM?

Is the lack of mids making the low's and highs more pronounced?

I believe the MM's top end would make the 6505+ seem more fizzy than the C-bomb, or is it all about EQ'ing on the DAW now?

[Cboysen]

Hmm - Yeah we're out-editing each other .. bad;)

But I don't know.. I have a hard time deciding whether it should be the MM or the C-bomb/A-bomb.. How's the MM on Crunch/Clean and how well does it respond gain-wise to the volume control, compared to the nailbomb?

Well I find the Nailbomb has more versatility as I use it from Death Metal, to Progressive, to Power, to Instrumental. And it cleans up very well too. The Miracle Man, whilst being versatilish within the Metal Genres, I find to suit the music where you want a really big bottom end for them huge breakdowns; as well as them liquid lead, mega fast solos.

What genres you going to be playing mostly?

 To answer your question about what I was going to play.. Well it really depends - I like a lot of fast metal stuff with melodic rhythmic riffs, but also a lot of those heavy, chunky chords that rumbles your stomach as you said.. I do like to play a lot of 80'ish style metal, but with a more 90'ies kinda tone - or well, the tone I described in the list of bands/albums..  But I kinda feel that I'm only playing metal and the sorts, since that's all the EMGs are good for, so moving into other genres is odd at times.. 

If anything, I guess I'd play some fuse between Hardrock and Death Metal, with a bit of Breaking Benjamin to it.. mixed with some In flames and Hammerfall riffs.. I know.. sounds really strange.. Or maybe some more crunchy Coheed and Cambria or Rise Against stuff.. I like a lot of music.. Thus wanting to cover a lot of ground.. Going from clean passages to very heavy break-downs, is also one of my favourites.. So Tbh.. I really have no clue what I want to play ;) A bit of everyting.. on occasions I really enjoy some Tech Death too, but I'm having a hard time grasping those time signatures.. Guess it's why I stay with my hardrock ;) .. 


You said you ran an MM loaded RR jacksion guitar (same wood as mine right?) into a 6505... yet you preferred the EMGs...  why is that?

[Attica!]

I just found the EMGs provided the Ooomph factor for metalcore regarding tightness, speed and clarity. I just hate EMGs for slower stuff.

What your describing is like a C-Bomb/Miracle Man hybrid haha. I'm really at lost as what to recommend as both play everything you play perfectly. The C-Bomb edges the MM in versatility and the MM edges the C-Bomb in terms of sheer bottom end. I think you should try the C-Bomb/Cold Sweat combo as it will give you more of an organic tone, with plenty of weight in your leads. I find the Miracle Man less organic and better suited to fast pace stuff, and crushing breakdowns. But the Nailbomb is also very well suited to this

[Attica!]

Have you thought about the Warpig too? In your guitar woods, it would sound great. Very Synyster Gates smoothness. Check out this comparison vid of the Warpig/Aftermath/Invader/Duncan Distortion. I love the Duncan Distortion and Warpig in this clip.

[Cboysen]

Have you thought about the Warpig too? In your guitar woods, it would sound great. Very Synyster Gates smoothness. Check out this comparison vid of the Warpig/Aftermath/Invader/Duncan Distortion. I love the Duncan Distortion and Warpig in this clip.

Hmm.. Well no I haven't thought about the warpig - could you post that clip? Or is it just on youtube? ..

I really think bottom-end is subjective though, recording-wise.. it depends if its 150-300hz-buttom end or 50-150hz bottom-end.. if it's peaking at 60-150hz, it might not matter anyway, because most of it is going to be dialed out anyway, to avoid freq. bleed of the bass, kick drum and guitars.

In a merely live-situation, I guess that the MM would be a definite winner, due to the oopmh-factor it provides with a suiting floor-mounted cabinet, like the Orange PPC412 - But for recording, much of that goes away and is provided by the bass and kick obviously..

I do play live at times, but it's no where near enough to choose the MM over the C-Bomb, in that regard..
So well hmm..

[Attica!]

Whoops. Sorry thought I'd posted it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFjMGHuNpOg

[Slartibartfarst42]

Personally (and I may be biased) I don't think the Nailbomb is for you at all. I tried an A-Bomb in my Jackson (maple neck-thru with alder wings) and it had all the qualities you said you don't want. I didn't find it that versatile at all, whereas the Holydiver I changed it for is very versatile. I'd say you'be be better off with a Miracle Man for what you're looking for, though I don't have the same level of experience with that pickup. The Holydiver could also do what you want with a boost. The review I wrote of the A-Bomb is here:

https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=24270.0

[Cboysen]

Personally (and I may be biased) I don't think the Nailbomb is for you at all. I tried an A-Bomb in my Jackson (maple neck-thru with alder wings) and it had all the qualities you said you don't want. I didn't find it that versatile at all, whereas the Holydiver I changed it for is very versatile. I'd say you'be be better off with a Miracle Man for what you're looking for, though I don't have the same level of experience with that pickup. The Holydiver could also do what you want with a boost. The review I wrote of the A-Bomb is here:

https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=24270.0

I haven't read your review yet - Ill do that later when I got the time. But you said A-bomb? - Tim specifically said the C-bomb.. I guess there is quite the difference.. or am I wrong?

How would you go on about boosting the Holy Diver, and how does it compare to the MM?

I really liked steve steevens clip of the Rebel Yell - It was just outstanding, but then again, I guess it's to expect:)
I'd love to have those qualities for a hardrock-scenario.. But don't know how the RY would perform on a regular Death metal / metalcore-basis with those chunky breakdowns and fast riffs?

[Attica!]

Personally (and I may be biased) I don't think the Nailbomb is for you at all. I tried an A-Bomb in my Jackson (maple neck-thru with alder wings) and it had all the qualities you said you don't want. I didn't find it that versatile at all, whereas the Holydiver I changed it for is very versatile. I'd say you'be be better off with a Miracle Man for what you're looking for, though I don't have the same level of experience with that pickup. The Holydiver could also do what you want with a boost. The review I wrote of the A-Bomb is here:

https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=24270.0

I haven't read your review yet - Ill do that later when I got the time. But you said A-bomb? - Tim specifically said the C-bomb.. I guess there is quite the difference.. or am I wrong?

How would you go on about boosting the Holy Diver, and how does it compare to the MM?

I really liked steve steevens clip of the Rebel Yell - It was just outstanding, but then again, I guess it's to expect:)
I'd love to have those qualities for a hardrock-scenario.. But don't know how the RY would perform on a regular Death metal / metalcore-basis with those chunky breakdowns and fast riffs?

The Rebel Yell is more focussed in the High-Mids as to the Low-Mids, and it would be quite bright in your guitar. So I don't think it's really an option for you when there's other pickups that suit your needs much better.

[Slartibartfarst42]

I haven't read your review yet - Ill do that later when I got the time. But you said A-bomb? - Tim specifically said the C-bomb.. I guess there is quite the difference.. or am I wrong?

How would you go on about boosting the Holy Diver, and how does it compare to the MM?

I really liked steve steevens clip of the Rebel Yell - It was just outstanding, but then again, I guess it's to expect:)
I'd love to have those qualities for a hardrock-scenario.. But don't know how the RY would perform on a regular Death metal / metalcore-basis with those chunky breakdowns and fast riffs?

Yes, I did say A-Bomb and yes, it is different. The reason I mentioned it was because alnico powered pickups generally have a smoother and rounder tone to them while ceramics give a tighter response, hence alnico pickups are generally seen as having greater versatility and a sweeter lead tone while ceramics are far more modern sounding. Just look at how many bridge pickups in the Vintage and Vintage Hot ranges use ceramic magnets. You'll find that none of them do and that's one of the reasons why alnico pickups in the contemporary range tend to be more versatile.. Make no mistake, an A-Bomb is still tighter than any non-BKP ceramic pickup I've ever tried so it occured to me that a C-Bomb might be even more in that direction and that didn't sound like the tone you're looking for. The Nailbomb, to me, has a very 90s Metal feel to it and it was a characteristic I just couldn't dial out. I understand the Nailbomb can be quite picky about which guitar it works in so I assumed that it just wasn't a good match to a maple neck-thru with alder wings. My own impression was that it needed a darker sounding wood to tame it so I'd happily get one again if I had an all-mahogany guitar for it to go in. Perhaps the C-Bomb is very different but that's my experience with the A-Bomb and the reason why I chose to mention it.

As for the Rebel Yell, I agree that clip demonstrates incredible tone but it's equally true to say that it's quite a bright pickup so is more designed to go in a mahogany guitar like a Les Paul.

[Cboysen]

Hmm - Yeah I figured that much about the RY.
I didn't really like any of the tones Kieth Merrow pulled out of his Axe FX and Agile guitars (that's what he uses right?) with neither the BKPs or the SDs.. Either way - For his style, the Aftermaths surely suited him the most, as it presented his very technical skill level the most. The way he plays requires extreme tightness, and I found the Warpig, Distortion and Invader to be a but mushy in the low-mid area, where this oomph-factor was actually to his disadvantage.. but...

I don't play that kind of music, at all - I find it fascinating, but not something I'd do seriously in a million years.. or well.. never say never.. but you know.. 

I found the review on the A-Bomb very rewarding, and I can see why it's not for you .. and I think you're right, it might not be for me either.. now the question is just whether or not the C-bomb will have similar characeristics, or as you mentioned, would be even colder, even more ice-picky, and even more low-tight / Djenty sounding..

I Guess I need to do a bit more lurking to figure it out.. But I really liked the sound from the safety fire.. and they use a holy diver.. it was the only 7-stringed 'djenty'-ish tone that I found pleasing.. the genre not so much..  So maybe the holy diver IS for me? .. question is, will it be too cold in output? and if so, what kind of trouble would I run into then?