BKP Mule / Gibson 57 Classic comparisons? Now leaning toward getting Rebel Yells

[darkandrew]

Hi, I have a couple of ESP Eclipse 1 guitars, one with a EMG 57/66 set the other with a BKP Crawler set.  The EMG 57/66 set has been likened to an active version of Gibson's 57 Classics and I am, on the whole, very pleased with these.  My problem is with the Crawlers, the guitar is very similar to a Les Paul (solid mahogany body with a maple cap, mahogany set-neck with a rosewood fret-board and Gotoh TOM bridge, tailpiece, etc) and these pickups just don't have the bite to cut it in this guitar. The Crawler bridge is very smooth, in fact too smooth with very little highs and not a lot of deep lows, ie. lots of low mids, middle mids and high mids but rolled off either side. The neck is also very smooth but this time with the high mids traded for extra lows.  What I'm looking for is to change my Crawlers for something with less mids, more highs and possibly even more deep lows in the bridge. Style wise, I only really ever play rhythm but I tend to play across quite a range of genres from 80's rock/pop (think Duran Duran) to 90's alternative rock (think Placebo) and onto more aggressive industrial/goth type music.

Following advice that I received a little while ago on here, I'm nearly decided on a set of Mules and am almost ready to push the button on an order but I still have a nagging concern that they won't be much brighter than the Crawlers and, like the EMG 57/66 set, the Mules have also been likened to Gibson 57 Classics and I am worried that I'm going to end up with two guitars that sound very similar.

Any advice regarding the Mule / 57 Classic comparisons would be greatly appreciated as would comments on the Riff-Raff, VHii or Rebel Yell sets as alternatives.

Cheers

Andy.

*** Update, having listened to loads more sound clips, the VHii and Riff-Raff are no longer in consideration, so it's come down to a straight fight between the Mules and the Yebel Yells ***

[keith]

Hello mate here's a link one of our songs when I had a set of Mules in my Les Paul. They sound pretty bright on this don't know if that will help. Orange Dual Terror amp, boost pedal only and through PA.
cheers
Keith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGs-3NqOxH4&feature=share

[Telerocker]

Imho the Crawler rules in bolt-on alder and ash guitars, but can smother a mahogany based guitar.
I have Mules in an all mahogany bolt-on Saint Blues and they excel in this guitar. You should not worry about the highs. The Mule-bridge cuts very well. In fact Mules have a delightful crispiness, but don't sound harsh. They sound, as a PAF should do, way more open and dynamic then Crawlers.

[darkandrew]

Thanks for the advice and the clip guys. To be honest I feel really torn between the Mules and the Rebel Yells, the more I listen to the Rebel Yell clips the more I find myself wanting them, maybe I need to buy another guitar then I can have both!

[darkandrew]

This clip here pretty much seems to exemplify the versatility of the Rebel Yells:
https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=29786.0
and in its way covers a lot of the sounds that I'm after.  They really seem to be an exceptionally versatile pickup, much more than just another "metal" pickup. Has anyone got anything bad to say about them?

[Telerocker]

Ultimate rockpickup that will do some metalstyles. Not very much bass, but that could be a good thing in a mahogany guitar. Strong center- and uppermids, quite some topend. The RY needs a bit of tweaking to set it to the right height. A bit up or down changes the result quite dramatically. 

[Dave Sloven]

This clip here pretty much seems to exemplify the versatility of the Rebel Yells:
https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=29786.0
and in its way covers a lot of the sounds that I'm after.  They really seem to be an exceptionally versatile pickup, much more than just another "metal" pickup. Has anyone got anything bad to say about them?

I'd say if that clip really appeals to you then get the RY set as your guitar would have similar tonal characteristics to the one in the clip.  Also it should have the balls to handle the industrial rock stuff you play now and then.

[darkandrew]

Thanks one and all. I think it's going to be a Rebel Yell set then.

Cheers.

[Dave Sloven]

Did you pay the extra for the ray gun graphics on the covers?

I've been tempted to get some special covers on a BKP but haven't done so as yet (one of my sets has chrome covers, the other is uncovered with black allen bolts).  The ray guns are only for the RYs

[ericsabbath]

The Crawler bridge is very smooth, in fact too smooth with very little highs and not a lot of deep lows, ie. lots of low mids, middle mids and high mids but rolled off either side. The neck is also very smooth but this time with the high mids traded for extra lows.  What I'm looking for is to change my Crawlers for something with less mids, more highs and possibly even more deep lows in the bridge.

you're describing nailbombs
rebel yell wil be brighter, but should have even more upper mids and less bass than the crawler

[richard]

Hello mate here's a link one of our songs when I had a set of Mules in my Les Paul. They sound pretty bright on this don't know if that will help. Orange Dual Terror amp, boost pedal only and through PA.
cheers
Keith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGs-3NqOxH4&feature=share

Loved the sound of your LP - very Kossoff. I take it you don't have the Mules in that guitar any more. What did you change to and why ?

[darkandrew]

you're describing nailbombs
rebel yell wil be brighter, but should have even more upper mids and less bass than the crawler

Thanks, I had also considered the Alnico Nailbomb but I have already got a Duncan Custom 5 in another guitar and that is also an A5 pickup that's been at the steroids and I was worried that it would be too similar?  Would you say the Alnico Nailbombs are as versatile as the Rebel Yells or Mules?

[Dave Sloven]

My A-Bomb is a pretty aggressive pickup.  It is in an SG though, not a LP. You might find yourself rolling off the volume and playing with the tone knobs to get the sounds you want most of the time.  The RY is apparently based on the A-Bomb but 'calmed down' somewhat and the emphasis moved up out of the low mids into the higher mids.  If your other option was the Mule I'd say that if you think of it as a journey from one point to another the Nailbomb is a few stations further down the track past the RY in terms of frequency range etc.  The A-Bomb is sometimes described as 'hairy', and in an SG can even be a 'chainsaw' in character. In a LP it is mellower, but not the sort of thing I can imagine playing Duran Duran with quite frankly!  I'm not saying you couldn't, because a lot of people here go on about how versatile the Nailbombs are, but I honestly wouldn't call it a safe bet. The genre I find the Nailbomb most at home in is hardcore punk and the various forms of metal influenced by hardcore punk. It can also play a whole lot of dirty, growly hard rock and even blues sounds. The clip on the following page is a pretty good representation of it playing heavy rock:

https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=26748.0

There are lots of clips of it playing metal around. I think what it might be missing compared to the A-Bomb is that low thump and some of the hairiness. That can be good or bad, I wanted something that sounded very aggressive so I went for the A-Bomb over the Rebel Yell.

The other thing to consider is the neck pickup.  The Rebel Yell and Nailbomb necks are quite different.  The Rebel Yell neck is very close to the Cold Sweat neck, which I also have.  Both the RY and CS are geared towards '80s metal, although both are very versatile.  The CS has a smooth, rounded sound. The RY is apparently very similar. The Nailbomb is less smooth but has an edge that I like.  You can find clips of them on the BKP pages for each clip.  There are 'hair metal' clips for the NB, CS, and RY, and also 'neoclassical shred' for the CS.  You  might find these give some idea of the differences.  I like all the clips, it's just a matter of what you think will work for what you play and what you want as your sound.

You can of course get different neck/bridge combos.  I got a CS/NB combo for my guitar, which is very common. The RY set is close to that, but perhaps they are better matched to one another.

[darkandrew]

I've always fancied a set of Nailbombs but I'm not sure this is the right guitar for them. The way things are going I'm going to have to keep an eye out for a half decent guitar on ebay that has rubbish pickups that I can buy solely for the purpose of playing host to a set of Nailbombs

[Alex]

I've always fancied a set of Nailbombs but I'm not sure this is the right guitar for them. The way things are going I'm going to have to keep an eye out for a half decent guitar on ebay that has rubbish pickups that I can buy solely for the purpose of playing host to a set of Nailbombs

Yes, I wouldn't put the Nailbomb in my Eclipse either. From my experience with past pickup swaps I can recommend you to go with something bright for Eclipses.