(Yet another) LP pickup thread! Choice & cosmetics

[edlamb0306]

Hey there, guys!

It's been a long while since I posted here.  I've finally decided to swap the pickups in my LP (Burny Super Grade) to some Bareknuckles.  I emailed Tim with a description of what I wanted and he suggested the Nailbomb.  I said that I needed a pickup which could handle about Thrash Metal level gain with good clarity and string separation, but also be versatile enough to do Blues, Funk, Indie etc due to all of the different styles I play, whilst still retaining the LP characteristics.  A full-bodied good clean tone was also high on the list.  So, unless there's any major reason as to why I shouldn't be getting a Nailbomb as suggested, that's what I'll be having.

What I really came here for was opinions on the cosmetics of the pickup.  The only Pauls I've seen with the same colour Flame Maple top were some 58's (such as http://bit.ly/XFWKrQ) which, as far as I could see, all had chrome covered pickups.  I was unsure whether I should stick with this choice or go with something different like uncovered cream, which I thought might look quite cool.  Any suggestions?  I would prefer to have uncovered so I can use the money saved to get some better pots, but I'm more than happy to spend the extra money for covered if I think it's the best choice.

I've attached some pictures.  Apologies about the quality (it was my smartphone camera) and the messy room.
I know it's not the real deal, but don't write it off because of the name on the headstock.  It's a really great guitar.

Thanks in advance!

[darkbluemurder]

That is a very nice looking guitar, and with the Nailbomb it will surely kill.

Covers or not - it's personal preference. The only technical benefits of covers are that they guard the pickup against external hits and offer improved shielding against noise. The downside is that you may lose some highs but I have a few covered BKPs and can assure you none of them sound dull whatsoever. Uncovered creme does look cool - that's the way my LP is set up.

Cheers Stephan

[TheyCallMeVolume]

I think creme would look awesome in that guitar.

[edlamb0306]

Thanks for the input, guys!

Cream Nailbombs it is.  Does anyone else have anything to chip in, or maybe photos they would like to show off if they think they're relevant?  :D

[BigB]

I don't know much about the 49873+ "whatever tag" metal genres - to me it's metal, metal and (eventually) metal :mrgreen: - but the ABomb works a threat for hi-gain brOOtalz tones, is tight enough for downtuning, and in the right guitar still do the blues / classic rock / indie stuff juste fine when you roll down the volume pot.

Covered or not is really mostly cosmetic (IIRC BKP do adjust the winding), and both covered and cream would look just fine on your LP IMHO.  If you think you need better pots and have to choose between covers and pots, go for the pots.  If you're not _really_ sure you need better pots, go for what you prefer - pots are not _that_ expensive so you can get them later.

[Telerocker]

If you also want to play blues and funk, I would pick the alnico Nailbomb, which is pretty tight, don't worry.

Personally I like the classic looking covers, but uncovered cream or zebra (cream/black) looks classy on your Les Paul too.