Les Paul Traditional

[JCN1218]

I have a Les Paul traditional gold top form 2012. It's a fantastic player, but the pickups leave a lot to be desired. They have no bottom end tightness whatsoever, and the bridge pickup has no bite to it. Overall, they just sound kind of sterile and not exciting. So, I'm looking to put BKPs in it to breath so life into it. It's a pretty balanced sounding guitar, a little bit on the darker side, but not by much. I'm looking for something as versatile as possible (though I'll be playing mostly metal), think Ozzy and Iron Maiden for the kind of sound I'm after. I don't think I'd want anything more than vintage hot.

I've been on the BKP site a lot lately, and the ones that stood out to me are the Mules, Emeralds, and Abraxas.

How well do you think these would work? Any other suggestions?

[nkay]

I have a couple of Les Paul Traditionals. I think they are the best value Les Pauls out there, at least until the new 2013's came out, now they've jumped in price. It's true, I really hate the stock 57 classics in those. A lot of people like them, but I think they are only good for blues or very light rock. Once you start adding gain they sound terrible.

Anyway, I haven't tried the lower output BKPs, but I do have the Cold Sweat bridge in one of my Traditionals and it sits absolutely perfect in that guitar. In my other Traditional, it was on the bright side, but in this one, it was a darker guitar and it sounded perfect. It's a good mixture of old school hard rock/metal, and newer metal. I think the tone it really nails is early 80's Scorpions, like Blackout, but it's pretty versatile in that realm when you lower or higher the gain.

My other Traditional now has the Dimarzio Super Distortion/PAF Pro combo, and I think it will stay there, it just sounds right (and looks right in double creams) on my desert burst! I had been thinking about trying the Black Dogs, but I've learned from experience I don't really like too low output/saturation for what I do. For me I like around 13-14k range of DC resistance, it sits in the right place of not being too cold or hot and stays very versatile.

[BigB]

You might want to have a look at this other topic.

[ericsabbath]

For me I like around 13-14k range of DC resistance, it sits in the right place of not being too cold or hot and stays very versatile.

you can't choose a BKP based on that
a 13k-15k ceramic duncan, gibson, prs or dimarzio has more saturation/compression than a 18k miracle man, for example

[Mr. Air]

I think it's a choice between Emerald or Abraxas. The Emerald is a bright pickup that's pretty tight for being alnico so it'll suit your metal needs well. The Abraxas has a flatter eq than the Emerald and is often described as a Mule on steroids. I think it'll be a bit more versatile than the Emerald, but probably less tight.

[Telerocker]

Besides all the fine recommendations, I would inspect also the Rebel Yells. Tight and bright enough for metal.

[Slartibartfarst42]

My first thought when reading your post was Cold Sweat as it isn't OTT with power but does Metal really well and can certainly hit the tones you're after. As you're Les Paul isn't particularly dark sounding, I'd be wary of an Emerald as it's even brighter than the Cold Sweat and my fear with the Abraxas would be that it may be a little soft in the bass for what you're using it for. In the Vintage Hot range, the Black Dog may work well and is used by a lot of Metal players. Other than that, I'd look at the Holydiver. It's VERY versatile and it's natural home is right in the musical styles you're after. It's a bit thicker and smoother than Maiden's tone and for Ozzy, it's more Jake E. Lee than Zakk Wylde but if you have a Holydiver and an overdrive, there's not much you can't do. I use mine for everything from Classic Rock and Santana to Metallica and Children of Bodom! Its DC resistance may make it look a lot hotter than you're thinking of but it's honestly not that bad. I find it's just 'perfect'  :D

[JCN1218]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I think I'm a bit further from an answer than when I started, but that's never a bad thing in my opinion, I like to get as much input as possible. So now I think I'm definitely leaning more toward vintage-hot/contemporary. Holy Diver is getting a LOT of love on the forum lately, so I'll have to add it to the list, and well as Rebel Yell, Cold Sweat, and Black Dog. So, let me throw a few more details into the pot to see if I can start to narrow it down a bit further.

- I'm looking for something organic that can stay clear and smooth under a lot of gain.
- Favorite (well known) players, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Jimmy Page.
- Needs to have some bite, but I don't I want it to be 'crispy' if that makes any sense, more of a warm, fat, round sound.

[ericsabbath]

the black dog has a lot in common with the diver, but in a vintage form, and a better suit for page, randy and probably early van halen

[Slartibartfarst42]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I think I'm a bit further from an answer than when I started, but that's never a bad thing in my opinion, I like to get as much input as possible. So now I think I'm definitely leaning more toward vintage-hot/contemporary. Holy Diver is getting a LOT of love on the forum lately, so I'll have to add it to the list, and well as Rebel Yell, Cold Sweat, and Black Dog. So, let me throw a few more details into the pot to see if I can start to narrow it down a bit further.

- I'm looking for something organic that can stay clear and smooth under a lot of gain.
- Favorite (well known) players, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Jimmy Page.
- Needs to have some bite, but I don't I want it to be 'crispy' if that makes any sense, more of a warm, fat, round sound.

To me, you're describing the Black Dog and the Holydiver more than any other pickups, though I still think the Cold Sweat would work. Certainly Jimmy Page and Randy Rhoads are more 'vintage' in their choice of pickup and as Eric says, early EVH will also fall into this range. However, everything else you say points towards a Holydiver for me. 'Something organic that can stay clear and smooth under a lot of gain' certainly applies to a Holydiver and your description of 'a warm, fat, round sound' is absolutely nailed on as a Holydiver. As for artists you might associate with a Holydiver, classic Dio tracks obviously leap to mind, I've already mentioned Jake E. Lee and Doug Aldrich would be another one you might refer to. I would point out that I've never tried a Black Dog myself so my opinion here is based only on what I've learnt over the years on this forum and what I've heard. Like a lot of vintage area pickups, it's a bit too 'open' for my tastes but having said that, please don't think the Holydiver is really compressed because it's not. Certainly more compressed than the Black Dog but this, to me, is just enough to give it the smooth characteristics I love. I also use a Miracle Man and I wouldn't even say that's overly compressed, though it's certainly another step along the way. I think that with most pickup manufacturers, 'compression' inevitably leads to 'mud' but BKP are so incredibly well articulated that you don't notice the compression as much because they never really turn to mud.

I like the Holydiver best (and this is purely personal) because there's not really anything it can't do. Use the Holydiver by itself with a bootfull of overdrive and you're into some really heavy Metal that retains the thick and smooth characteristics I love. Back down on the gain and you have some good Classic Rock sounds albeit with a bit of a modern flavour to it. Last night I found that with a few minor tweaks to my settings and by using it with an Emerald in the neck at the same time, I could get a really beautiful tone for Santana's 'Europa'.

[JCN1218]

Awesome! Once again, thanks for all the great feedback everyone. It looks like it's down to two: Holydiver and Blackdog. Sounds great to me! Now I just have to find out how to choose between the two. I have a MM+CS combo in my seven string, and I love it to death. Definitely sounds less compressed than even lower output duncans I've tried, which is one of the reasons I'm going for BKPs again in my LP. I also just ordered a Holydiver bridge for my Jackson, can't wait to get it. I might have to try it out in the Les Paul to see how it feels  :D

[Slartibartfarst42]

Ahh, now that's interesting! Knowing you like the Miracle Man makes me more convinced you'll like the Holydiver. I use a Miracle Man with Sinners in my Jackson (used to have the Holydiver in there) and a Holydiver/Emerald combo in my PRS. The reason I like the Miracle Man is that it gives me everything that the Holydiver does but with a bit more aggression, a bit more tightness, a bit more screaming in the highs and a slightly more scooped feel. However, it retains the thick, warm, organic and smooth characteristics of the Holydiver. I often describe it was a 'Holydiver with atitude' or a 'Holydiver +' but if you like the Miracle Man, I'd be amazed if you didn't like the Holydiver! The Cold Sweat is also a great neck pickup (I've had one of those too) and is a fantastic match with a Miracle Man bridge. The Emerald neck is smooth and fluid like the Cold Sweat but the AIV magnet gives it a sweeter lead tone and I find it more versatile. I've loved every Bareknuckle pickup I've ever tried, even if they didn't all suit my guitars but a Holydiver bridge paired with an Emerald neck is easily my favourite pairing and it's my 'go to' guitar for most things.

[JCN1218]

I'm going with the Holy Diver + Trilogy Suites for my Jackson. I actually read a lot of your posts talking about the Trilogy Suites compared to the Sinners, and they were really helpful. I went with the Trilogies though because I was looking for something more distinctly single coil-y. And I also have a CS neck paired with the MM in my 7 string  :) I really can't wait! I also ordered a PK neck with a C-Pig for my Jackson RR3 (based on advice from Ben), so I'm looking forward to quite a lot of fun once they all get here. Just shipped a few days ago, now I just have to wait for them to get to America.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Don't get me wrong, the Trilogy Suites are great pickups and in some respects, better than the Sinners, it's just that I'm not really a single coil kinda guy and unlike a lot of people on here it seems, I don't like the bridge to be noticeably louder than the neck. I'm sure you'll love it. I'd also be very interested in your thoughts on a Warpig in your Jackson.

[JCN1218]

I'll be sure to post a review as soo as possible!