Rebel Yell vs. Nailbomb

[GuitarIv]

So, basically the title says it all. Since a new month is arriving, meaning it's payday, I'm getting myself a bridge pickup for my Strat. I wanted initially to order the Nailbomb, but also heard very good things about the Rebel Yell. I need opinions on the difference between those two, overall sound, clarity, dynamics, harmonics and so on. Going straight into a poplar body, maple neck and maple fretboard Strat. I play mostly metal, Melodeath, Thrash, Metalcore and Death. I need a clear and transparent sound (ringing chords with every string balanced), defined palm muted notes, rich pinch harmonics and clear tone for sweeping and legato runs. I'm also the ocasional Blues, Rock and Hard Rock player. I already started a thread and for all this the Nailbomb was suggested, and don't get me wrong, I love the sound and the pickup, just with the Rebel Yell I see an alternative that might suit me better so I need to know where the main differences are. :)

Thanks and cheers!

[itamar101]

Rebel Yells are much to bright for strats.
The Nailbomb also suits your style much better.
If you want to compromise between metal and hard rock/blues then you should take a look at the Holy Diver. It does blues and rock just as well as the RY and better than the NB and will be pretty good for metal but the nailbomb would be better for metal. If you have a suffiecient amp then will easily do metal just as well worth the use of a tubescreamer though.

Out of the RY or the NB I would Definately take the nailbomb though (the alnico nailbomb).

[GuitarIv]

Thanks for the opinion :)
Wanted to got with the Alnico Nailbomb anyway and I guess it will stay the way it is, with me mostly playing metal. I've got a Peavey Valveking which really does the trick for me, used some simple mods and a tubescreamer to get a decent tone, but you're right, the Strat does sound really bright already

cheers

[ericsabbath]

rebel yell: tight bass, tons of upper mids and treble, very bright, medium output
nailbomb: tight but thick low end, lots of low mids, quite flat center and upper mids, cutting top, high output

they're not that similar as the charts and specs might imply
I'd probably pick a holy diver over both for your guitar and styles
it's flawless for stuff like arch enemy, KsE, trivium and some of metallica, megadeth, testament and anthrax phases

[GuitarIv]

The Holydiver has been suggested to me pretty often. What would the main differences compared to the nailbomb be?

cheers

[ericsabbath]

The Holydiver has been suggested to me pretty often. What would the main differences compared to the nailbomb be?

cheers

nailbomb is louder and a bit punchier on the low end... it's a more grunty pickup
it has more top end cut, but the diver sounds somewhat brighter, as it has a lot more center and upper mids
the diver delivers easier and thicker sounding pinch harmonics and leads get quite fluid
I personally liked it much better for most rock/metal styles in the same guitar than the nailbomb
I always had had the impression that the nailbomb made everything sound like 90's crossover/post-grunge/NY hardcore bands (helmet, biohazard, porcupine tree, silverchair, madball, early tool, offspring, smashing pumpkins........)
of course it does much more, but it had that toneprint, at least in my guitar and amps
the diver also has a quite strong character, but fitted better the stuff I played and my personal tastes

[GuitarIv]

Hmm... I see. Well I will just compare more soundclips and decide then. Thanks, you've been a great help :)

Cheers

[TheyCallMeVolume]

I actually think HD would be a better choice for you as well

[llJasonll]

What do you tune to?  It would make a difference.

I had a Rebel Yell in an Alder/Maple soloist style body, with a Maple neck.  Granted I do like brighter tones, but my guitar was tuned to B (baritone) standard and I thought it sounded awesome.  I did, however; swap the Rebel Yell, and VHII out with two aftermaths that I found and I am seriously digging that sound, now!

I haven't tried a Holydiver yet, but if I would have done it over I probably would have taken the Alnico Nailbomb instead of the RY.

[GuitarIv]

The two tunings I use are Drop C and Standard E (yes, on the same guitar), so Drop C is the lowest I will go. How much does that affect the sound?

[itamar101]

The two tunings I use are Drop C and Standard E (yes, on the same guitar), so Drop C is the lowest I will go. How much does that affect the sound?

Go for the Holy Diver.
I use it in all sort of tunings distorted all the time in my Mahogany Body/Mahogany Neck/Rosewood fingerboard Les Paul all the time and it stays really clear. It'll only be clearer in a Strat.

Remember that lots of factors contribute to the sound in clips and they should not be relied on because they are usually misleading in many ways because of the number of factors that contribute to an individuals tone.

It's best to rely on the people who know which pickups will compliment the woods/guitars and amps that you have best for the sound that you want.

[ericsabbath]

here's a drop C cr@ppy clip with a les paul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1RafxMYU5w

[llJasonll]

One thing that I have noticed is that a lot of people on this board recommend the HolyDiver a lot, and I have been considering one for quite some time now because of all of the recommendations.  It might be worth a shot to try one out.

Also keep in mind that if you end up not liking it as much as another pickup the re-sale value on bareknuckles are great, and you will have no problem unloading it.

[Slava]

Maybe Painkiller would suit your guitar, here from 3:05 -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cECru2W24w4 - This guitar has Alder body (which is similar to poplar) and ebony fretboard (similar to maple).

[GuitarIv]

Ok, so you guys are all recommending the Holydiver. Is the pickup really going to stay balanced and clear on every string? Because that's what's most important to me. Just like Misha shows here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izVxaVVZrd0

Starting with 1:30 where he plays the chords. I know those are Aftermaths, but in the end if you can guarantee that the Holydiver has at least the same or even better clarity than the Nailbomb, then I'm sold. (Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking for the "Djent" tone, I just love crystal clear chords)