If Sh-4 is too harsh on Jackson...

[thrower321]

Very similar to previous thread. My main guitar is mayones regius custom (almost all mahogany) with BKP Coldsweat + VH2 neck. Since i got it every other guitar sounds shitety including my USA 1-piece maple neck-thru Jackson. For some reasons i can't sell it but i'd love to BKP'up it.
Before BKP i liked not very high output pu's. But now i'm thinking about Warpigs. First i'd like to compensate less responsive (only compared to mayones) wood. Second - i hate its (guitar + sh-4) harshness (on riffing) and poor and not tight low  end (d tuning)

But I’m really afraid that warpigs won't give that singing sound that i'm afraid to loose. And who knows - won't it be too dark?
Also i'm bit confused about neck pair - i never played on high output neck pu's. i'd love to achieve powerful but still clear, bright and distinct timbre (sh-2 is good but too neutral, I liked it on Les paul more). But from other hand i don't want it to bee to different from bridge.
Main genres for this guitar - Death, trash, progressive. Cleans doesn't matter.
Please advice. Really need help of some local masterminds. Maybe you know some clips. Thanks.

[darkbluemurder]

Nailbomb set. They should blow away the existing pickups in that guitar. If you fear harshness go with the Alnico model for the bridge position, even though I would have thought the ceramic might be better for the really heavy things.

Cheers Stephan

[Slartibartfarst42]

I know what you mean about poor stock pickups. I have a Jackson SL3 so very similar to yours and I found the JB to be nothing better than 'decent' and the Hotrails were cr@p! In fairness to the JB, it did sound a lot better in a Yamaha Pacifica I had at the time.

I tried an alnico Nailbomb in mine at first and really didn't like the results. If you're looking for something that is aggressive and edgy, with a very 90's Metal feel to it then you may well like it but it certainly wasn't for me.. Instead I put a Holydiver in there, which reminds me a little of a JB but is so much better in every conceivable way. Like the JB it has a kinda 80's Metal feel to it but it's very versatile and can go from Blues Rock to rather more modern high gain applications. In the next month or so I'll be moving into my PRS and like you, I was looking at a Warpig as a replacement but was a little concerned that it would be too dark and wouldn't sing enough. Tim put my mind at rest when he told me 'I wouldn't worry about the WP being a one trick pony, the Alnico version is extremely versatile and in a bright, light timbered body will still reproduce a very percussive and rich tone - this can also be tailored by pot value too, ie 550K -1meg pots for extra cut if required.' The alnico magnet will give you the singing leads you want and if you get it open poled it should have ample cut and articulation. Clearly the 1 meg pots will also help and Ben at BKP told me that if you select screws instead of allen bolts, that will help to bring out the high frequencies. I wouldn't worry about it. I don't play the kind of DEath Metal you do and I'm still getting one  :D

[jjcharvel]

i hate its (guitar + sh-4) harshness (on riffing) and poor and not tight low  end (d tuning)

I agree on that !
Maybe it´s because of the maple neck through construction and the ebony fingerboard.
In my bolt on Jackson (rosewood fingerboard) the SH-4 sounds right (not harsh as on the neck through model)

[FELINEGUITARS]

For tight low end and defined high end  with saturation in the mids I like the Miracle Man

[Telerocker]

Alnico Nailbomb for these styles.

[BigB]

Alnico Nailbomb for these styles.

Well... I'm quite fond of my Abomb bridge, but I don't think it would work that well on a going-thru maple neck - might indeed be too edgy here. But well, never tried that combo and I'm not into metal...

[thrower321]

Wow, guys, thanks!

Slartibartfarst42, you actually did mention my problem. Appreciate your input.
Regarding nailboms - from the beginning i thought that is my way, but when i tried them i simply didn't like it's "voicing" (Cbomb on mahogany Esp). As for me it's too "artificial" in high mids... i don't think it will change on alder, just the feel isn't right. Then i've tried on mayones setius (mahogany) -  same. Like something is between you and amp, especially comparing to super-mega-responsive and open cold sweat.

Also i believe MM is not for singing leads, i belive Alnico will do this job better, but i'll have a chance to try it in recent...

I think that i'll put holydiver in my future ash Regius pro, and this time i'll go to a open coil warpig.
But, i don't know nothing about high output neck pup's. What will make a good pair to Apig in bright axe?.  Goal - decent output balance (i always played with bit less powerful neck pu's), more character than Sh-1 or 2 for example, but not too wooooody and muddy (neck nailbomb in mahogany for example)

Thank you.

[Slartibartfarst42]

I'm using Trilogy Suites in the neck and middle but may add a baseplate to match them with the Warpig. They're a great pickup for some singing leads. The other alternative would be Sinners.

[thrower321]

Slartibartfarst42, thanks for suggestions, i would definately go for sinners, but i need a humbucker... I'm thinking maybe holydiver will do good?

[Slartibartfarst42]

Ah, sorry, I thought your Soloist was H-S-S like mine. I have less experience of neck humbuckers but I imagine you'd need something quite hot to go with a Warpig and the neck Holydiver is quite PAF in character so I'm not sure it would be powerful enough, though by all accounts it's a beautiful sounding pickup. Warpig and Miracle Man neck versions are the obvious choices but you could also look at a Painkiller. I'm afraid I haven't tried any of these neck versions myself so someone else might want to chip in with more experience of them. I'm basing the suggestions on the fact that the neck Warpig must logically match the bridge version and I believe gives a really good lead tone, the neck Miracle Man is a very hot neck pickup so should logically also work and the Painkiller seems to have a similar EQ curve to the Holydiver, though the neck version is ceramic. DC Resistance doesn't always equate to power but the Emerald may also be worth a look as it has the same PAF-style feel to it as the Holydiver but from memory is a bit hotter.

I'm afraid that's not helping much. You need to hear from someone with a Warpig in an H-H guitar I think or just ask Tim  :D

[thrower321]

Slartibartfarst42, thanks  bro
Share with your experience when you’ll get your pig.
You helped me a lot anyway; I’m going to terrorize Tim))

[Slartibartfarst42]

It will be a month or so before I get it but when I do there will certainly be a review posted as I invariably post long and detailed reviews of things I've tried. If it helps, I got to the A-Pig because I was looking for something that was thick, smooth and fluid like my Holydiver but produced a bigger sound and more saturation. In a way, I was after something that could do stuff like 80's Metal, albeit with more power, and would take me on to more saturated high gain tones with just a touch more aggression. I figured that between a Holydiver and a Warpig I could run from Blues Rock to really saturated high gain and one pickup would kinda take up where the other left off with a degree of overlap in the middle. I also cited the Seymour Duncan Invader as a reference tone but without the mushiness as that is thicker, darker and a bit more aggressive than the Holydiver. I have no doubt the A-Pig will meet these criteria, though I'm looking forward to CanadianMetalhead posting a comparison as he has an A-Pig and will soon take delivery of a Holydiver.

[dark order flying V]

Very similar to previous thread. My main guitar is mayones regius custom (almost all mahogany) with BKP Coldsweat + VH2 neck. Since i got it every other guitar sounds shiteety including my USA 1-piece maple neck-thru Jackson. For some reasons i can't sell it but i'd love to BKP'up it.
Before BKP i liked not very high output pu's. But now i'm thinking about Warpigs. First i'd like to compensate less responsive (only compared to mayones) wood. Second - i hate its (guitar + sh-4) harshness (on riffing) and poor and not tight low  end (d tuning)

But I’m really afraid that warpigs won't give that singing sound that i'm afraid to loose. And who knows - won't it be too dark?
Also i'm bit confused about neck pair - i never played on high output neck pu's. i'd love to achieve powerful but still clear, bright and distinct timbre (sh-2 is good but too neutral, I liked it on Les paul more). But from other hand i don't want it to bee to different from bridge.
Main genres for this guitar - Death, trash, progressive. Cleans doesn't matter.
Please advice. Really need help of some local masterminds. Maybe you know some clips. Thanks.

Thats funny that you find the SH-4 JB harsh, Scott Ian uses it from Anthrax and I never found his tone harsh. I have used it twice on my all mahogany flying V's and found the SH4 too nice sounding for Thrash Metal, so I switched to the Sh6 Distortion  back in 1995 and never looked back. Now, having experianced the Aftermath (which lacks palm muted chunk, BUT is very clear) and the PainKiller (which has this gutless low mids I hate), I'say that what everyone has been refering you to try, being the Nailbomb, sound like the right choice for you. Tim now has a cool new video comapring the Alnico Nailbomb to the Ceramic, and I peronally like the ceramic Nailbomb, so It's definately one that I will look to buying soon, but I saw a cool youtube video too that show the Ceramic Warpig vs the Invader....I bought the invader, but I will also look intro the Warpig as well!!!

[Alex]

Scott Ian also used to use an SH-12 on some Jacksons.