Does this exist?

[Slartibartfarst42]

As you may well know, at the moment I have a Holydiver and Trilogy Suites in my Jackson SL3 and I really like it and I'm also going to be putting a Holydiver and Emerald set in my PRS CU24. The pickups for the PRS are nailed on so that's not the question (had the money saved up twice only for some other emergency to come up  :() and it's quite possible I will keep the Holydiver in my Jackson too but I was reading a thread the other day that got me thinking.

It would be nice if there was a pickup that kept the things I liked about the Holydiver (thick, fluid etc.) but was a bit more aggressive, a bit tighter in the bass and a bit more screaming in the highs. Something that was great for tight Metal rhythms but also a fluid pickup for screaming solos as I'm the lead guitarist in the band. I love the Holydiver but as I'm going to have one of those in the PRS I wondered if there was something for the Jackson that would keep me vaguely in that 80s Metal ballpark but with a bit more aggression than the Holydiver has. The thread I was reading the other day made it sound like the Miracle Man might be just as I describe and although this pickup has come up before in relation to this guitar, I'd always dismissed it as I'd assumed it would be too tight, cold etc. etc. I think a lot of my dismissive attitude was due to the association with active EMG pups but the way I was reading it described made me think that perhaps I'd been a bit too hasty and it is in fact a lot more suitable than I'd anticipated.

Any thoughts? Is the Miracle Man broadly as I've described or a very different beast?

[Twinfan]

What about a Cold Sweat?

[Slartibartfarst42]

Yeah, I can see what you mean with the Cold Sweat and I've had one of those before and liked it but that was in a guitar with more mahogany so I was thinking it would probably be a bit too bright in a maple neck-thru with alder wings and a Floyd Rose. The Miracle man seems to be similar but with those highs tamed a bit. It's been quite a few years since I had the Cold Sweat so my memory may be a little unreliable but based on what I was reading the other day, I got the impression that the Miracle Man would have a slightly thicker tone due to the low mids whereas my aging memory of the Cold Sweat makes me think of it as quite different. I liked the Cold Sweat but 'thick' wouldn't be a word I'd use to describe it. I realise that the Miracle Man may not be as thick and fluid as the Holydiver but I wondered if it was maybe situated somewhere between that and the Cold Sweat.

[James_B_K_P]

Now I don't actually have a lot with the Miracle Man so don't take my word for it but from the couple of house I played one (On a friends guitar) it felt a lot like an EMG 81 with most of the aggressiveness but it behaved more like a passive pickup. I'd say it was warmer sounding because there was none of the harsh / tinny sounding breakup you often hear with an EMG. It was very fluid on solos. I usually use a neck pickup for sweeps etc but I actually preferred the Miracle Man in the Jackson I was playing.

[Slartibartfarst42]

That being the case, it sounds very promising. I find EMG pups aggressive but nothing like as hairy and aggressive as a Nailbomb, which I've already tried in this guitar and found it too OTT so in this respect the MM sounds good. The aggression on the Nailbomb was brutal so I'm hoping that the MM is a touch more civilised. That's probably not the right word.....maybe 'smooth' might be better as the NB was really edgy and hairy. I also like the description of it being 'warm' and 'fluid' as they're two of the things I most like about the Holydiver.

[FELINEGUITARS]

I am a fan of both the Miracle Man and Cold sweat pickups
In a maple through neck the Miracle Man excels IMO

The MM has a nice amount of low mids and a tight bottom end that seems to make it sound firm
The Cold Sweat is a touch more hollow with a bit more upper mid focus.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Well, so far nobody has turned around and said 'Slarty, you're an idiot, a MM isn't even remotely like you're describing' so this seems like it would be a good move. I'd retain the qualities of the HD I like but put a bit of distance between the Jackson and PRS. Both guitars would be firmly 'Rock' guitars with their roots in 80s Metal but the Jackson would have that bit more aggression for more modern styles. I was going to have to buy two new pickups anyway so the only extra expense I'd have is sending the Holydiver back to Tim to get it turned into a zebra (not literally of course!) as that's the look I want on the PRS. Assuming there isn't a sudden surge of people telling me not to do it, that's what I'll do: a new Miracle Man in my Jackson to go with the Trilogy Suites; a new Emerald in the neck of the PRS and the Holydiver removed from the Jackson, changed into a zebra and then installed in the bridge of the PRS  :D

[TheyCallMeVolume]

Well, so far nobody has turned around and said 'Slarty, you're an idiot, a MM isn't even remotely like you're describing' so this seems like it would be a good move. I'd retain the qualities of the HD I like but put a bit of distance between the Jackson and PRS. Both guitars would be firmly 'Rock' guitars with their roots in 80s Metal but the Jackson would have that bit more aggression for more modern styles. I was going to have to buy two new pickups anyway so the only extra expense I'd have is sending the Holydiver back to Tim to get it turned into a zebra (not literally of course!) as that's the look I want on the PRS. Assuming there isn't a sudden surge of people telling me not to do it, that's what I'll do: a new Miracle Man in my Jackson to go with the Trilogy Suites; a new Emerald in the neck of the PRS and the Holydiver removed from the Jackson, changed into a zebra and then installed in the bridge of the PRS  :D

Cuz you're not  8)

[gwEm]

At first, what you're described is (for me) more like the Painkiller (screaming highs etc etc) - which Tim says is a ceramic Holydiver.

Then you go onto say you want to stay in the 80s ball park. Now for me the Painkiller is modern synthetic type tone, where as the Miracle Man is more gutsy - it does the 80s thing very well. So I would indeed agree on the miracle man :)

[Slartibartfarst42]

Certainly, looking at the EQ I can see how that might be said of the Painkiller. It's not one I've ever really thought about because the djenty description has put me off and I've read a few threads that describe it as ice-picky, which also puts me off. I don't associate either of those things with 'thick, fluid and smooth'.

BKP tell me they can turn my Holydiver into a zebra for £40 so unless somebody out there wants to offer me £65 for a bridge Holydiver with a black cover, I'll just do that. Either way it will cost me the same to get a zebra HD for my PRS.

[ericsabbath]

I was going to say painkiller as well
I remember Antag had some nice PK clips in jackson guitars and it was one of his favorites along with the holy diver
I only tried it in mahogany guitars, though

if you don't mind losing warranty, you can put a ceramic magnet in the diver, which would make it a pk lite

[Slartibartfarst42]

Mmmmm, I'm kinda torn now between Miracle Man and Painkiller.

Which one is thicker and more fluid?

Which one is more smooth?

In short, which one is closer to the Holydiver but a bit tighter and a bit more aggressive? Whichever is closest to the characteristics of the Holydiver is probably the one I want.

[Alex]

When I think of 80s sounds and the MM it conjures up George Lynch a lot, when he used the Seymour Duncan Distortion.
I think the MM would do exactly what you're looking for.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Yep, BKP just got back to me and Ben reckons Miracle Man too. Order going in now  :D

EDIT: Sometimes you just can't win. My son's been at me to buy either a Miracle Man or Warpig for ages and now I've told him I'm going to order a Miracle Man, he's decided he much prefers the Black Hawk! Being a dad means you just can't win.

[case report]

Well, so far nobody has turned around and said 'Slarty, you're an idiot, a MM isn't even remotely like you're describing' so this seems like it would be a good move. I'd retain the qualities of the HD I like but put a bit of distance between the Jackson and PRS. Both guitars would be firmly 'Rock' guitars with their roots in 80s Metal but the Jackson would have that bit more aggression for more modern styles. I was going to have to buy two new pickups anyway so the only extra expense I'd have is sending the Holydiver back to Tim to get it turned into a zebra (not literally of course!) as that's the look I want on the PRS. Assuming there isn't a sudden surge of people telling me not to do it, that's what I'll do: a new Miracle Man in my Jackson to go with the Trilogy Suites; a new Emerald in the neck of the PRS and the Holydiver removed from the Jackson, changed into a zebra and then installed in the bridge of the PRS  :D

and what about the couple Emerald (neck)/Miracle Man (bridge)?