Got to get rid of these emgs

[forkface1]

SO many moons ago I was a hardcore metalhead, and anything that wasn't metal didn't cut it for me.
Now I'm more mature and I like to play many different genres, and EMG just doesn't cut it anymore.
In a nutshell, I have a band that plays pop rock (with punk touches here and there) very light rock sounding, but I still enjoy progressive rock and metal and djent and all that stuff, so im looking for a pair of pickups that can handle both no questions asked.

I was looking at the vintage hot section, but I'm not sure if those can handle metal really well, so i was thinking maybe getting a contemporary humbucker and putting it in the neck and a vintage hot on the bridge (or vise versa) but that doesnt sound like a very good idea lol, i dunno.

what do you guys think? any contemporaries that can handle pop rock very good? or any vintages that can give me metal?
any help is greatly apreciated :D

And if it matters, I have a schecter hellraiser (which i absolutely love, perfect neck, action and overall feel)

[ericsabbath]

riff raff is a winner in thick mahogany guitars
if you have a proper amp and/or booster, it will do anything
it's very sensitive to picking dynamics and can go from true clean to medium gain without messing with knobs, channels or pedals in the right amp... if you have a booster, you'll go high gain easily and never losing the open clarity

[Telerocker]

RiffRaffs and if you want it hotter Emeralds.

[TheyCallMeVolume]

+3 RR

[BigB]

Don't know much about the schecter hellraiser, err, wait... ok, done. Well, I'm afraid it will be yet another vote for the RR here :mrgreen:

Very clear, bright and punchy, has all the jangle for pop stuff AND quite enough nerve, bite and tightness for heavier stuff. Not as powerful and abrasive as the ABomb I have on my main axe, but does handle our rather loud/heavy material (kind of  a punk / grunge / metal mix) without a pain with very minor gain/EQ adjustment on the amp. 

FWIW, coming from EMGs, I think even the ABomb could do it for you - it cleans up very nicely - but it's a bit on the other end of the spectrum, I mean the RR is a vintage/classic pup that can do brOOtalz in a vintage way where the ABomb is a brOOtalz pup that can do vintage/classic in a modern way. Both are very clear, articulate and defined with excellent note separation even on hi gain, both are very sensitive to pick attack and volume pot, the RR is IMHO better for clean/about to breakup jangly tones. Ok, 'nuff said, I think you understand how much I love both :mrgreen:

 

[PhilKing]

I upgraded a Hellraiser a couple of years ago for a friend who had a similar set of requirements to you.  We went with a cold sweat bridge and an abraxas neck.  he uses it to cover everything from power ballads to metal.

[forkface1]

Thank you for all your replies, this is one efficient forum :D

on another note...
How is the mule at handling metal? I watched this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsTNxN88rxs&feature=plcp
and man, that's some good tone, I would love to have it, but if the mule cant handle heavy stuff, I would prefer to sacrifice a bit of it to have good metal shred tones...

[Telerocker]

Thank you for all your replies, this is one efficient forum :D

on another note...
How is the mule at handling metal? I watched this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsTNxN88rxs&feature=plcp
and man, that's some good tone, I would love to have it, but if the mule cant handle heavy stuff, I would prefer to sacrifice a bit of it to have good metal shred tones...

Here is a clip from our dedicated forummember Nolly playing highhain with Mules in a Blackmachine-guitar.

http://soundcloud.com/nolly/blackmachine-b2-burl-high-gain

[darkbluemurder]

I upgraded a Hellraiser a couple of years ago for a friend who had a similar set of requirements to you.  We went with a cold sweat bridge and an abraxas neck.  he uses it to cover everything from power ballads to metal.

CS bridge and AB neck is a combination that I definitely support.

Cheers Stephan

[dgaroz]

Hi!

I have a Schecter Hellraiser Solo 6 with A-Bomb bridge and Emerald neck. Amazing sounding guitar, maybe a little dark but one of my best sounding guitars (have Gibson Les Paul custom, Supreme,etc).

From my point of view this set is perfect for versatility (if your are in the blues-rock-hard rock-metal thing). Nice dynamics, really organics and tons o clarity. You won't get the HUGE lows of EMG (if you want that go for Miracle man) neither the ultra-organic vintage sound of mules for instance, but you can still play metal without problems (both riffs and soloing) while doing bluesy stuff nicely.

I can't imagine a better set for this particular guitar, unless you really need extreme metal sound or absolutely pure vintage sound.

[Slartibartfarst42]

To my mind, the Mules will handle Metal OK. Tim used to use Mules in an Ozzy Osbourne tribute band  so they will go quite heavy. The Mule was certainly one of the first options that crossed my mind for you.

Second on my list would be a Black Dog. It's still very much in the PAF family but with a distinctly modern feel to it and may represent the ideal middle ground between vintage and modern. I know a few Metal bands use them so they will be tight enough. Here's a great clip of a Black Dog bridge:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaqEET376-I

My final suggestion would be an alnico Nailbomb, which has a bit of a vintage feel but is very definitely modern.

[Dave Sloven]

Hellraisers can be a bit dark.  EMGs are brighter than a lot of passives, so you might find that the guitar becomes a lot darker if you switch pickups, so maybe go for one of the brighter BKPs.

Riff Raff, Emerald, or Rebel Yell should all work.

I tend to think that RYs are what you will be happiest with.

Also, there has been a similar thread on Hellraisers in the past: https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=30535.0

[Yellowjacket]

Rebel Yell bridge for sure.  I just strung up my mahogany short scale axe with some 11  - 54s in drop B and the Rebel Yell bridge pup just SCREAMS!  Painkiller would be better for metal but wouldn't do those lighter tones the same way.

[darkandrew]

I too can vouch for Rebel Yells. (PM sent with alternative suggestion).