Two guitars that need new pickups.

[theronaldchase]

I have two guitars that need new pickups:

A) Paul Reed Smith Mike Mushok Signature Baritone
         
          BODY
Body Wood   Bound Mahogany
          NECK
Number of Frets   22
Scale Length   27.7" Baritone
Neck Wood   Maple
Fretboard Wood   Bound Ebony
Neck Shape   Mushok Baritone
Fretboard Inlays   No Inlay
          HARDWARE/ELECTRONICS
Bridge   String Through Body Stoptail
Tuners   PRS Designed Tuners
Truss Rod Cover   "PRS"
Hardware Type   Nickel
Treble Pickup   PRS Designed SE Treble Humbucker
Bass Pickup   PRS Designed SE Bass Humbucker
Pickup Switching   Volume and Tone Control with 3-Way Blade Pickup Selector
           


B) EVH Wolfgang Special HT

          BODY
Body:   Basswood
Body Shape:   Wolfgang®
Body Top:   Maple Veneer
Body Binding:   Single-Ply Ivoroid (Black on White model)
          NECK
Number of Frets:   22
Fret Size:   Vintage Stainless
Position Inlays:   Dot
Fretboard Radius:   12" to 16" Compound Radius (304.8 mm to 406.4 mm)
Fretboard:   AA Birdseye Maple (Ebony Fingerboard on Stealth finish)
Neck Material:   Quartersawn Maple
Neck Finish:   Oiled
Nut Width:   1.6875" (42.8 mm)
Scale Length:   25.5" (64.8 cm)
Headstock:   EVH®-Branded
Truss Rods:   EVH®-Branded with Wheel
          ELECTRONICS
Pickup Configuration:   HH
Bridge Pickup:   EVH® Wolfgang Humbucking
Neck Pickup:   EVH® Wolfgang Humbucking
Pickup Switching:   3-Position Toggle: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
Controls:   Master Volume, Master Tone
          HARDWARE
Bridge:   TonePros® TP6 Adjustable with Stop Tailpiece
String Nut:   Floyd Rose® R2 Locking



Now, my conundrum, is that I am pretty sold on Bare Knuckles as I have a set in one of my seven strings and love them, however, I know that different woods react differently with the pickups, so I am asking everyones opinions on which pickup combinations would be great for Progressive metal and at times djenty, while still being versatile.

[dingleberry]

My friend has aftermaths in a wolfgang special ht, they sound ridiculous, very crunchy, clear and tight, awesome for metal of all kinds. 

Be warned even with the triangular feet for the pickups he still had to get the body routed for the install.  Don't think it makes a difference but fwiw he had 53mm spacing with covers

[theronaldchase]

Awesome! Thanks for the reply. I am strongly considering a set of aftermaths, though I'm going to do some more research before I pull the trigger.

[Telerocker]

Remember Aftermaths are as dry as the desert.
I would suggest Miracle Mans for the EV and a Holy Diver/Cold Sweat-set for the PRS.

[ericsabbath]

black dog is known for sounding great in long scales and also sounds amazing in maple necks

for the EVH, I'd pick miracle man or nailbomb

for the neck positions, you gotta figure out if you want matching tones or versatility

[Alex]

Remember Aftermaths are as dry as the desert.
I would suggest Miracle Mans for the EV and a Holy Diver/Cold Sweat-set for the PRS.

I would not recommend the HD for a baritone - I had one and it just did not work.

[theronaldchase]

Remember Aftermaths are as dry as the desert.
I would suggest Miracle Mans for the EV and a Holy Diver/Cold Sweat-set for the PRS.

So when you say "dry" is that something that I can offset with my axe fx? Or is it just a bad idea on a basswood body?

[theronaldchase]

black dog is known for sounding great in long scales and also sounds amazing in maple necks

for the EVH, I'd pick miracle man or nailbomb

for the neck positions, you gotta figure out if you want matching tones or versatility

The Nailbomb is definitely a close contender.

[Telerocker]

Remember Aftermaths are as dry as the desert.
I would suggest Miracle Mans for the EV and a Holy Diver/Cold Sweat-set for the PRS.

I would not recommend the HD for a baritone - I had one and it just did not work.

Oops, overlooked the scale.

[Sarkasis]

My Holydiver works well in my baritone.

The dryness of the Aftermath isn't just something you can EQ out. You can saturate the tone a lot to compensate, but even with tons of compression, preamp and power amp gain the result will still be a little different. Think of Periphery's tone and you'll have the idea of what the Aftermath can do. The body wood isn't the issue, it's just a question of whether you like that kind of tone. It's dry and abrasive, with a percussive crunch and an angry midrange focus, and it's great at what it does. So it has its niche, but not everyone is into it, and it's not first on the list for 'versatile.'

[fhn_lopes]

I'd Get a Alnico Nailbomb bridge / Cold Sweat neck for the EVH and a Black Dog bridge / Emerald Neck for the baritone PRS...

The Black dog works nicelly in mahog bodies and is very dense sounding, also works fine when detuned..... The emerald is the sweetest yet clear and open neck pup ever made.


The alnico bomb will get you an agressive prog tone with sweetened highs compared to the ceramic, and the cold sweat is very very fluid, great for shredding. (pepople usually recomend Nailbomb/Cold sweat combo for early dream theater tones, so you have an idea)

I'm not sure what are your intentions on having two guitars for the same porpouse (prog metal / djent) but I'd make one more agressive than another. As the PRS is mahogany, I'd make it a more "middy" guitar and let the EVH being more scooped, but both great for those aplications and you can easily tweak your amp's EQ to get where you want...