VHII or Nailbomb or HolyDiver

[kahawe]

I am looking for new pickups for my powerstrat with alder body, maple top, maple neck with ebony fingerboard. I have AMs in there right now but in standard tuning it just seems like a waste and now I don't need the crazy tight bass.
Basically I really like the tone of AlnV Nailbombs and I have them in other guitars but this time I want something with a little less crazy output maybe... for more "bloom", harmonics and "pretty" gain. And not as very-dark as AMs. I don't think I need to hammer my Diezel THAT much, it has PLENTY of gain available. Something like a "Vintage Hot" Nailbomb maybe! It should also split well and generally offer some versatility.


From the audio clips, of course the Nailbomb sounded good to me but actually also the Holydiver (but high output as well) and the not-so-hot VHII although it is comparatively "thinner". What's your own take on those pickups, in which direction would each one push the guitar?

Or maybe a nice, fat BlackDog in the bridge and ??? for the neck? I think I am a little stuck for choices because I don't have one very specific itch to scratch, so to speak!!  :?

[ericsabbath]

the vhii fits the vintage hot nailbomb thing (they actually have pretty close specs)
the nailbomb has a little more low mids and compression, but the vhii is also plenty of low end punch and edge
I'm not sure it will deliver the bloomy sound you're looking for, though, as it's a drier and more articulate pickup than the nailbomb

my first though was the abraxas, but black dog could work as well

the dog has a somewhat similar midrange push to the holy diver and aftermath in a low output form, but you might find it a little darker
I usually prefer medium high DC for superstrats and low dc pups for mahogany set neck guitars, so I'll vote for the abraxas

[Telerocker]

VHII performs well in alder and ash strats, but is as Eric says quite dry and articulate. I like this for (hard)rock in my ash Fender strat.
Abraxas and Crawler perform very well in strats. They keep them beefy, have enough output to push the amp, but still with a vintagevibe. Both split great too. I have a Crawler in a swampashstrat and it can do nearly everything as long it isn't trash or something like that.

[kahawe]

Thanks you for the input, guys! The VH2s are beginning to look better and better, to be honest. The only thing that had me second-guessing there for a moment was that neither "progressive" nor "metal" showed up under "Application" but this probably depends a lot on the amp as well and I think that shouldn't be an issue with my vh4. (two vh2s = one vh4, get it? har-har...)
And they are much drier hmmm maybe time to work on the sloppy technique!

The abraxas didn't really grab my attention at first, I honestly don't know why... I think the two demos somehow don't live up to the vibe of the others or my hearing has gotten worse!  :lol:

[Telerocker]

How wellrecordered the clips may be, I still find it difficult to base a good opinion on them, at least, to make a choice. You get an impression of a pickup in one guitar. As I remember well - otherwise correct me if I'm wrong - the Abraxas-clip was recorded with a Les Paul. A strat is bolt-on and usually non-mahogany. That's why I mentioned the Crawler too, bec imho it excels in strats. It really growls when pushed and tones above the 12th fret keep weight.

[darkbluemurder]

I can give you a direct comparison between the VHII bridge and the Alnico Nailbomb bridge because I had them in the same Les Paul. They are completely different IMHO. A-Bomb to me sounds warmer with more output and midrange.

Cheers Stephan

[ericsabbath]

I wouldn't say they are completely different, but I agree the nailbomb is warmer and more midrangy (specially on the low mids)
they do have a similar amount of low end thump and top end edge, but vhII is dry and articulate, while the nailbomb is compressed and loud as $%#@

[kahawe]

I agree, the clips can make the decision almost as hard as not having them... despite it being pretty hot in the bridge (at least judging from ohm) I have to say that Crawler set sounds really good and not as beefy-brutal-loud as the Al5Bomb but not as dry as the vh2 and brighter than the otherwise GREAT Dogs and abraxas. Maybe I should go "contemporary" on this one after all, vhii could be a bit too dry when played clean.

Or I need a few more powerstrats!  :lol:

[Telerocker]

The Crawler is not that much louder then the VHII in my ashstrat. I think the Nailbomb has more output.

[kahawe]

Just to make sure, I measure about 53mm on my AMs from pole screw to pole screw in the bridge position, so I definitely need an f-spaced pup, aye?

[itamar101]

Just to make sure, I measure about 53mm on my AMs from pole screw to pole screw in the bridge position, so I definitely need an f-spaced pup, aye?

Yup.

[kahawe]

Thank you (not so) evil monkey!  :D

[kahawe]

RebelYell was thrown in the ring now, so turns out this is going to be Crawlers vs. RY...  :mrgreen:

[darkbluemurder]

The Rebel Yell sits between the VHII and the A-Bomb output and tone-wise. The output is a bit closer to the A-Bomb whereas the tone seems to be a bit closer to the VHII, at least in terms of brightness but to me it does not sound as midscooped as the VHII. Certainly a viable option. I love mine in the LP Custom.

I actually had the Crawler and the Rebel Yell in a swamp ash bodied guitar. I liked the Crawler but it was a bit too dark and had too much output in that guitar (it has now the Cold Sweat neck in the bridge position). Surprisingly the RY appeared to be even darker in that guitar than the Crawler as regards the midrange color but the top end was brighter. In a brighter guitar the Crawler sounded just right.

When I recently spoke to Ben about a pickup that sits between the A-Bomb and VHII he recommended the Crawler, especially for classic rock. Since you want to go more modern I believe the Rebel Yell would be the better option for you compared to the Crawler. Don't let you worry by the fact that it's in the contemporary range, it cleans up well with the volume pot.

Cheers Stephan

[TheyCallMeVolume]

Definitely think a RY would serve well here.