Warmoth Super Strat; w/one single humbucker. Which pickup?

[DoomBuggi]

Hey folks,

 I'm putting together a custom super strat.

The body is Alder, the neck is all maple, including fingerboard.  I'm trying to narrow down the pickup selection now.  One volume no tone.

 I use the PK in my Les Paul, and I really love it!  But I think that its going to be to bright to put into an alder body.  So, these are the few pickups that I am dwelling on.

A5 Nailbomb, Holydiver, and Rebel Yell.  I'm tuning to C# standard on this guitar.  I want a pickup that is A5, because I have been doing allot with Ceramics, and I really want a different tone from that.  I may also consider the Black Dog or A5 Warpig.

My amp is the Marshall 2203KK, mod-ed by Mike Fortin. With this being stated, I'm not worried about tightness on the bass response.

Please offer your insights gents.

[Philly Q]

I don't know anything about downtuning, my musical taste is undoubtedly totally different from yours, and I'm probably 20+ years older than you, but just because it's an interesting thread:

Rebel Yell, IMO, is way too bright for a Strat.  I don't know about the Nailbomb.

Personally I would, without a shadow of a doubt, go for a VHII for a one-pickup Strat.  But from your shortlist, the Holydiver is supposed to be very good in alder guitars.

[DoomBuggi]

I don't know anything about downtuning, my musical taste is undoubtedly totally different from yours, and I'm probably 20+ years older than you, but just because it's an interesting thread:

Rebel Yell, IMO, is way too bright for a Strat.  I don't know about the Nailbomb.

Personally I would, without a shadow of a doubt, go for a VHII for a one-pickup Strat.  But from your shortlist, the Holydiver is supposed to be very good in alder guitars.

Thanks Philly Q.  I'm thinking that the HD is probably going to do well, too.  I'm 33 years old.  I prefer to play really heavy, and intense music, but my taste is vast, and abundant.  I listen to very obscure music, most of which people do not know exist.

 I'm eager to know what others may suggest.

[Toe-Knee]

im currently using a nailbomb in my alder strat that has a maple neck and it is pretty much a perfect match I keep swapping it around with various pickups but the nailbomb always seems to end up back in there

[Toe-Knee]

Oddly enough in every other guitar that ive used the nailbomb in ive hated it. Its been a flabby muddy and overly harsh mess at the same time which is an achievement itself.

But in the strat it really shines its tight very clear and defined and has some really nice top end bite.

[DoomBuggi]

Thanks again PhillyQ.  Toe-knee, seems like we keep running into each other on forums,  :bash:.  I'm starting to think we have common interest.  It looks like it might be a toe-to-toe with the Nailbomb & Holydiver.  Don't know, I have had a Ceramic Nailbomb, and a Holydiver before.  The C-bomb wasn't quite my cup of tea, although it was cool. Haven't tried the A5 Nailbomb.  The Holydiver was cool, but a friend needed a solution to his live set up, so he tried the HD that I had, and he wanted to keep it in there.  I had it laying around, with no guitar to put it into.

[Mr. Air]

The holy diver seems like a good choice as it generally sits well in guitars with alder bodies, like Philly pointed out. The a-bomb is a really versatile pickup in my experience (I have it in a LP clone), but I would be affraid that it might be too bright in an alder/maple strat. Toe-knee found a happy match though so it's hard to say...

[Toe-Knee]

The holy diver seems like a good choice as it generally sits well in guitars with alder bodies, like Philly pointed out. The a-bomb is a really versatile pickup in my experience (I have it in a LP clone), but I would be affraid that it might be too bright in an alder/maple strat. Toe-knee found a happy match though so it's hard to say...

its a bit of an awkward one. Ive put loads of pickups into this guitar and none of them were quite right. I do feel that has something to do with the cheapo temporary neck that's on it though.

The NB is bright in the guitar but I wouldn't say its any brighter than my mahogany/maple RGA that has the miracle man in and that's a fairly toppy pickup.

[BenJHayes]

I don't know anything about downtuning, my musical taste is undoubtedly totally different from yours, and I'm probably 20+ years older than you, but just because it's an interesting thread:

Rebel Yell, IMO, is way too bright for a Strat.  I don't know about the Nailbomb.

Personally I would, without a shadow of a doubt, go for a VHII for a one-pickup Strat.  But from your shortlist, the Holydiver is supposed to be very good in alder guitars.

I have an alder body Charvel with a Rebel Yell in the bridge and it works very well for me!
I can point to a recording with this guitar if anyone ones a sound clip.

[Philly Q]

I have an alder body Charvel with a Rebel Yell in the bridge and it works very well for me!

Fair enough, horses for courses!  :D

I found the RY a bit too bright even in an all-mahogany LP, and I find a lot of humbuckers too bright/harsh in Strat-types.  Doesn't mean they won't work for others' tastes, of course.

[darrenw5094]

I found the RY a bit too bright even in an all-mahogany LP, and I find a lot of humbuckers too bright/harsh in Strat-types.  Doesn't mean they won't work for others' tastes, of course.

If the RY is too bright in an LP, surely it's too bright in alder and other guitars. RY in my '93 Gibson Les Paul Standard, is the next project, replacing the Seymour SH-4 and SH-2.

[Philly Q]

I found the RY a bit too bright even in an all-mahogany LP, and I find a lot of humbuckers too bright/harsh in Strat-types.  Doesn't mean they won't work for others' tastes, of course.

If the RY is too bright in an LP, surely it's too bright in alder and other guitars.

Yeah, that's what I started out by saying, that it would be way too bright for a Strat.  But it's only an opinion!  :)

Just to expand on what I said, I was initially very impressed with the RY (my first BKP) in my LP - there was a big difference from the Gibson 498T it replaced, a significant jump in tightness and clarity.  But the RY has an aggressive upper midrange and not a great deal of bass; after a while I found myself wanting a slightly more vintage tone.

So, it wasn't for me and I'm absolutely sure I wouldn't like it in a Strat.  But someone else might - and maybe that lean bass response would work well with lower tunings.

[blackie]

In my alder bodied charvel star I use the VHII...
I let my amp do the gain thing...(soldano avenger)
The pickup is perfectly clear...
It is bright...my entire setup is bright...(maple neck-floyd rose-greenbacks)
But after all the years in the seeking tone business I found out that it's better to have a bright tone and dial the brightness out instead of having a %$$# dark setup that won't cut and if you cranck the treble the sound will blow your ears...
I don't use the C# tuning but with the D# the sound is nice and tight...
My gas always comes in when I am in front of my PC screen and leaves when I get into the sound room...

[TheyCallMeVolume]

I like the VHII or HD, but I'd lean towards the VHII. Also, let's not forget that every slab of every type of wood is different. Yeah, it's fine to make general assumptions and pigeon-hole certain pickups toward certain guitars and woods, but one piece of mahogany can be insanely dark while another insanely bright.

[DoomBuggi]

Interesting responses.  Out of the A5 Nailbomb, and the Holydiver, which one is a tighter sounding pickup?