Pickup Choice help...stumped

[francis978]

So I have been wanting a BKP for a long time, and now I can finally get one. Problem is, they all look so awesome that I have no idea which to get

I play a Carvin Allan Holdsworth Signature Headless guitar, the specs:
Mahogany Body, neckthru, mahogany neck,  quilted maple top, and a birdseye maple fretboard.

I play through an EVH 5150III 100 watt amp through a Mesa Boogie Rectifier cab.

The style of music I play is in the style of Periphery, Veil of Maya, TesseracT, etc.  HOWEVER, While these bands are known for Djent, I am not limited to that, I want versatility, but I want it to "djent" as well (I am aware it is picking technique too)

I just need more tightness in the low end, more mids, and more of a metallic sound when I do the 4 note powerchord muted (what djent is as a whole) and it needs to be more expressive, and respond well to pick attack. However, I need great cleans too. I like a lead tone similar to Allan Holdsworth and Mike Stern, so fusion stuff as well, with warm cleans.

I have been looking at the Aftermath, Cold sweat, and the Painkiller. But I may need to mix and match...

Thanks guys!

[peefrimgar]

Tough choice...hmmmm

[ericsabbath]

aftermath

[Telerocker]

Nailbombs would be a good starting point. The alnico version is warmer, the ceramic tighter.

[francis978]

So nailbombs come into play now....

Curious, I thought aftermaths liked basswood, maple, and swamp ash and alder or woods related to them, would they sound fine in the all mahogany holdsworth headless?

I know nothing about the nailbombs....Although ceramic seems cool

P.S. I play in Drop C and D standard.

[JCN1218]

I just got a Miracle Man for the bridge in my B.C. Rich 7-string, and I think it nails the tone you mentioned pretty well. The guitar was always pretty dark sounding, it's made of a mahogany substitue that I forget the name of, but it sounds pretty much like mahogany for the most part, also a neck-thru. I play in B standard, and MM is incredibly tight and clear whenever I'm riffing on the low strings. There's also a bit of that metallic bite on the notes that really helps them jump out. I would definitely consider a MM for the bridge, because it seems right up your alley.

[francis978]

Thanks dude! So is the Miracle Man like...a toned down Aftermath?

I'm glad you described it to me with a similar guitar :)

I wish I could test them -___-

[JCN1218]

I'm going to be honest, I haven't played an aftermath to compare it to the miracle man, but when I was asking around the forums for advice I got a few recommendations for the aftermath and cold sweat as well. I was also looking at the Painkiller initially and everyone was steering me away from it saying it would be too middy for what I wanted (I guess because of the darker wood having a lot of natural mids). I also have a Cold Sweat neck paired up with the MM bridge and it works pretty well. It's very, very smooth and articulate, but it fudges out a little when you get far into the low note territory. However, I'm still adjusting it, so I'm sure I can tweak it to where it sounds better  :D Something to consider anyway. I think you'd be really well off with either a MM, CS, or Aftermath bridge (the neck is another story), I'm sure there are plenty of guys on this forum that can get into the details of the differences between those three.

[francis978]

I heard great things about the Cold sweat neck, saying you cannot beat it when it comes to shred, so I'll take your word on that.

Yeah I heard the Painkiller has an insane mid spike.

Definitely looking into the miracle man though, it sounds badass...:)

[Toe-Knee]

Thanks dude! So is the Miracle Man like...a toned down Aftermath?

I'm glad you described it to me with a similar guitar :)

I wish I could test them -___-

In my opinion the aftermath is a lot more polite sounding in comparison to the MM. The AM is all focus & tightness where the miracle man has this all out aggression and roar going on whilst still being plenty focused and tight.

[francis978]

I will take that into consideration too, the aftermath seems pretty focused.

Does anyone have any opinions on the painkillers? At least the bridge

also for neck pickups, what do people think of the VHII or the Coldsweat for what I am looking for (mentioned earlier)

[Shemham]

This is funny because I faced similar dilemma when I went to look for new pickup. I also wanted to have Holdsworth type lead tone, but still have enough output to push my amp for chunky rhythms. The problem is that Holdsworth uses very cold pickups (practically neck pickup's output level) with quite balanced tone with rounded top end while the "djenty" rhythm needs loads of output with mid emphasis and tight low end.

My point is you might have to make some sort of compromise here between leads and rhythm. On the other end you've got the Mule which would be quite close to Holdsworth pickup style, but too cold for djent and on the other side is Nailbomb which would definately give you that djent without effort, but perhaps too hot for Holdsworth kinda leads.

Aftermath seems good option. I definately has enough ouput for djent and seems pretty balanced for Holdsworth type tone. If you need more mids, Holy Diver also seems to fit into your needs I guess. I think Cold Sweat or Miracle Man wouldn't be good choices for Holdsworth type tone. Too much treble.

I would also go for Alnico options for a bit warmer tone.

I went for Black Dog and have been happy with it. It has a bit lower output, much mids and smooth top end so for my guitar and amp it was perfect for Holdsworth kinda tone. On the other hand, I had to turn up gain a bit for my rhythm and give my guitar more spanking to get good "djent". Still I consider it as a good compromise for me.

[francis978]

You present a good point, and that is something I have to think about, is there any way to have like, aftermath bridge and the black dog neck for that compromise? or are they too different..

[Shemham]

I really have no expertise on neck pups. On the contrary, I tore my neck pup away due to lack of use.

Anyway, I believe Aftermath neck pup is logically most optimized to Aftermath bridge pup so they would get along well together. It all comes down to how you use your neck pup - for solos, for cleans, or something rather radical. Naturally you could go for different type pup on neck and play with the height until the pups are balanced.

[braintheory]

In my opinion the aftermath is a lot more polite sounding in comparison to the MM. The AM is all focus & tightness where the miracle man has this all out aggression and roar going on whilst still being plenty focused and tight.

I think the MM and AM are equally aggressive, but in different ways.  Like you said the MM has this dark roar, sharper highs than the AM, huge low mids, and punchier (but less tight) bass, while the AM has very aggressive mids and upper mids (the MM is scooped in these areas), and to me the dryness (although it's not as dry as some might think) of the AM makes it sound more aggressive.