Incoming Holydivers

[Steinmetzify]

Ordered yesterday.....now comes the wait. I wish I possessed more patience, but they'll get here eventually.
Excited to join the ranks.....been wanting to try these pups for quite a while. :D

[TheyCallMeVolume]

Give us some details! Why'd you choose them, what rig and guitar, what sound you're going for!

[Slartibartfarst42]

Congratulations on your purchase, I have no doubt you'll love them. I've tried a few BKP between ownership and simply trying them on other guitars and the bridge Holydiver is certainly my favourite. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on them once they're installed.

Welcome to the family  :D

[Steinmetzify]

LOL.....in the interest of getting rid of my 'strawweight' I will. :D

I've had an idea for a guitar for a while now......LP shape, 50s neck, Goldtop with black binding on the body and neck, gold MOP inlays.....but no one I could find makes it. So I contacted a friend of mine who just started building guitars, and he said he could do it. You can see his first effort here:

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/luthiers-corner/167919-shortys-1st-build-les-paul.html

and in action in Drop C here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3SgtVyNkwg&list=UUjqygVMILFxcWmU4bIBcPyQ&index=2&feature=plcp

I usually play metal....Pantera, Anthrax, Slayer, some Rage, and a lot of Tool and APC..... but as I get older, I find myself playing a lot mellower stuff (slower bluesier types of things) when I'm just jamming at home. So I hit up BKP and asked what they had that could hold down Pantera riffs on the bridge and Pink Floyd type leads on the neck (I'm a sensitive metalhead over here), and they recommended the calibrated HD set.....checked out some clips, and it was on.....the guitar actually won't be done for quite some time; we're thinking June/July just because the nitro has to cure and fume off, but I'm getting my ducks in a row.

As for a rig, at home it's just a 6505+ at the moment, but hopefully snagging a Diezel soon.....either a Hagen, or the old standby of a VH4 which would be paired with a Mesa 2x12.....no need for huge volumes anymore as I'm done with the band route and don't play out anymore.
Excited for these pups though......spent a lot of time with one or the other, either metal or blues and have wanted a set that could do both with ease for what seems like forever now.
There's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

[TheyCallMeVolume]

Holy moly that's pretty cool. How much is this custom bad boy costing you before all the aftermarket stuff?

[Steinmetzify]

allstar, if you're asking how much the guitar will cost, it's right around $1800, including a pretty decent SKB case.....would be around $2k, but I'm supplying the pups so it's down a little bit.....one piece African mahogany body(check out that flame!) and a quilted maple top in case I ever get sick of the GT and want to refinish it as a burst.

Wood pics:




And inlays.....mine are on the right in gold:


Dude for $2k, the only other option as far as Gibson goes is a Trad Pro, which wouldn't have a 50s neck because the only TPro they make in a GT is a 60s, wouldn't have black binding, wouldn't have the gold MOP, and doesn't come with BKPs.......so for around the same price, I get the exact guitar I want, instead of buying something else and spending God knows how much modding it to my specs...plus I get to help out a brother doing it...was a no-brainer at the end of the day. :lol:

[ericsabbath]

I had a Pantera cover project when I had the holy diver in one of my jap les paul copies (it was my main guitar for years)
it's not a perfect fit like the cold sweat, but works pretty well
works nice for Anthrax as well and no need to mention Tool and APC
amazing pickup

man... that blue les paul looks good  :D :D :D

[Steinmetzify]

How much better does it look when I tell you that my bro had NO woodworking experience before that guitar? The ONLY thing he ever built out of wood before that guitar was the bench he built the guitar on!

$2k for your choice of options, man. :lol:

There should be a couple more vids up there for it off of that one......it sounds great as well.

[TheyCallMeVolume]

This is VERY enticing lol. Do you have a way to contact shorty you can give me?

[TheyCallMeVolume]

And also, how's the playability and sound? Any guitar I buy I like superb playability and feel.

[Steinmetzify]

allstar, I'll send you a pm with his contact info if that'll suffice.

As far as playability and sound.....the guy in the vid is Shorty's brother, Dennis......Dennis makes enough money to pretty much buy any guitar he wants to......all the guitars on the walls in his vids are his, including a USA Washburn D3 Southern Cross limited to 85 or so models and a Gibson AFD CS, and his next TWO builds will be done by his brother.

I know Dennis, and he doesn't mess around with peoples' feelings......if his brother sucked at building guitars, he'd be the first to say so. The fact that he's going this way instead of buying another Gibson tells me everything I needed to know.

Also, he doesn't just do LPs; that just happened to be the first one he built and what I wanted......he'll do anything you want, and his next one for his brother is an Explorer shape that they're keeping pretty tight to themselves.

Hit him up and tell him I sent you.

[TheyCallMeVolume]

That would be awesome! Thanks a lot! So much for a HD thread....lol

[Steinmetzify]

Right? So, anyone got any experience with Holydivers into high gain amps? What can I expect in comparison to what I've been using? EMGs, DiMarzios, Bill Lawrences, SD Blackouts, etc, etc.

Get me prepared!

[asianaxeman]

Right? So, anyone got any experience with Holydivers into high gain amps? What can I expect in comparison to what I've been using? EMGs, DiMarzios, Bill Lawrences, SD Blackouts, etc, etc.

Get me prepared!

yes i've experienced the diver with engl fireball, marshall jvm and 5150, it's great dude, can handle lots of gain and is particularly good boosted. Compared to EMGs it's more crunchy, has more character, less output and less bass, fatter lead tone and responds much better to player dynamics of course. In terms of dimarzios i can only compare to paf pros and dactivators- HD sounds much more organic than both, the neck pickup is damn sweet and fat. Alnico BKPs all the way for high gain amps!

[Steinmetzify]

Right? So, anyone got any experience with Holydivers into high gain amps? What can I expect in comparison to what I've been using? EMGs, DiMarzios, Bill Lawrences, SD Blackouts, etc, etc.

Get me prepared!

yes i've experienced the diver with engl fireball, marshall jvm and 5150, it's great dude, can handle lots of gain and is particularly good boosted. Compared to EMGs it's more crunchy, has more character, less output and less bass, fatter lead tone and responds much better to player dynamics of course. In terms of dimarzios i can only compare to paf pros and dactivators- HD sounds much more organic than both, the neck pickup is damn sweet and fat. Alnico BKPs all the way for high gain amps!

This is EXACTLY what I was looking for......thanks brother. Sounds to me like I made the best choice for what I need, and all thanks to the knowing minds at BKP and on this forum. Thanks, everybody.