Complement to Rebel Yell's

[TheyCallMeVolume]

Hey guys! I love my RY's so much that I've decided to get another pair in a different LP. Plain and simple, I want a pickup that will complement the Rebel Yell perfect. I want a pretty vintage-y tone, that's about it lol. I'm leaning towards the Riff Raffs, any thoughts or rec's?

[Telerocker]

Any pickup in the vintage and vintagehot-range will do, but if you want something like a vintage RY then RR;s, perhaps even Emeralds.

[TheyCallMeVolume]

Will Riff Raffs take up too much of the same ground tone-wise as RY's?

[Telerocker]

They're lower output-PAF's, but they are agressive/punchy, tight and bright, so in the direction of RY's. If you want something different you might want to consider VHII's.

[monkey8911]

I´ve used both the RR, VHII and RY. The RY and RR are quite close in sound, except the output of course.
The VHII is very different, with more bass and a more scooped, cutting tone.
It gets really Slash-like in the neck if you want it, you kinda have to work for the tone if you know what I mean.
The RR and RY are really punchy, and easier to play.

Hope this helps!!

[TheyCallMeVolume]

Alright, cool. I love the RRs, but like I said I just don't want them to battle for the same ground as the RYs. So does that mean you think I should go for something different?

[monkey8911]

Well, you said, you wanted something that compliments the RY, I would say the RR would do that. Its still a bit more vintage-like because of the different wire, the RR uses 42 gauge, and lower output, which is more typical for PAFs.
If you want to have something different, consider the VHII which has a more brown vintage tone to my ears.
To my ears the VHII is closest to an overwound PAF, since the mids arent so smooth and it has more lows.
I think the RR and RY would actually work with the same amp settings as well, if you use the two guitars on one gig.
The VHII again is quite different.
 

[TheyCallMeVolume]

Thank you! That's perfect, couldn't have done better! I guess that's pretty much what I wanted to know? So I lean back to the RR I gues....?

[monkey8911]

:-)) Yeah, I guess :-)
Still your choice! If you like your RY, than you´ll like the RR IMO.

[TheyCallMeVolume]

Alright, so I guess now what I want to know is an example: The RR can't quite nail the really heavy tones a la Metallica while the RY can, and the RY can't nail that low gain vintage-y tone a la ACDC, but they can both get that middle gound well, a la GNR something in between ACDC and Metallica. Is this about right?

[monkey8911]

Thats a good one...
I´ve been using the RY for quite a while now, and with the right amp, right settings, it can nail the ACDC tone. In fact, I´m playing Green Day and blues sessions with it as well as some metal madness. You can always turn the vol pot down y´know, and if you have BKP 550 pots, you can get everything out of your RY. Thats my experience.
The RR will need more gain from your amp, pedal or whatever to go heavy, it has a really tight and punchy tone, just check out the description and the sound demos on the homepage. It actually says that the RR is popular among heavy players.
GNR is no problem with both, I think your example is quite accurate if with the same amp and settings.
When RY+your amp=metallica straight away, then you would need a lil booster or a tubescreamer to get the same result with the RR.
Also, the RR will alway have more top end cut because of the lower wind and different wire.
Experience with the height and the pole screws to get your tone right, the RY does everything I want. Also, try the 50´s wiring, that will allow you to turn the volume down without loosing top-end, that should get you into the ACDC territory with the RY.
The RR is there straight away.
So middle ground is quite right i guess.

[TheyCallMeVolume]

Awesome, very helpful! During a set, I'll definitely be playing the RY's on the heavy stuff and vice versa for the RRs. One of my favorite things about the RYs is its versatility with the volume knob. Before I installed them, my pickups pretty much had on, half power, and off. Now a little twist of the knob takes you so many places!

[richard]

I don't think your audience are going to notice a great deal of difference between the RYs and the RRs particularly if you use a boost with the RRs. If I was you I'd be sorely tempted to buy another set of RYs or go for a completely different sounding pickup. I would imagine also that the RYs aren't going to sound EXACTLY the same from one LP to another.

[monkey8911]

Richard is right, the guitar makes such a big difference.

[TheyCallMeVolume]

Cool, I'll keep that in mind. Believe me, I don't need to be convinced to get another set of RY's, but I feel as though it's a bit repetitive, and I don't exacty need this guitar to get into RY range and RY into the new pickup's range. I'm also looking at mules, or a RR/Mule combo. Thoughts?