Pickup combo to play deathcore/djent-type metal AND reggae on Ibanez RG8

[gnarmageddon]

Howdy everybody,

Noob here from Sacramento, California (home of the Deftones, for those of you that listen to the greatest band in the world). I'm primarily a bassist but I came into quite a bit of money very recently and always wanted to be in the position to get literally whatever gear was right for the music I want to play, and now I can and it feels amazing.

Anyway, I want this 8 string to have fun on my own and see where it goes... being very into reggae as a bass player, I'm getting a Roland Space Echo and Boss Loop Station so I can stack bass lines and percussive sounds or rhythm guitar with the RG8, then I want to play spaced-out, mangled guitar sounds over it and essentially create dub reggae live on a single guitar. But being the metalhead that I am, I also need to destroy when necessary; not shred, as that's not my thing, but play really heavy groove-laden stuff like Acacia Strain, older Whitechapel, some Meshuggah, etc.

So would I need two completely different pickups, then? Perhaps a Painkiller in the bridge and one of the Vintage pups in the neck for the reggae stuff?

Thanks so much guys, I really appreciate it.

[Dave Sloven]

I guess you've seen this on Youtube?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OT4uVweJ8k

Reggae played using what might be called the djent BKP (although the Painkiller could also lay some claim to that).

Personally I hate djent so I've avoided the Aftermath and the Painkiller, but this reggae sounds okay.

You should keep in mind that the Rebel Yell and Cold Sweat are also used in the heavy applications - including djent.

Cold Sweat (7 string):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vln7HWJ8tJo

Aftermath vs Rebel Yell (8 string):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-ppjENE6J8

[EffigyForgotten]

The Painkiller and Aftermath are both just as good for death metal as "djent" its all about how you use it. The Aftermath is suppose to be a balanced pickup with super tight low end response, which would make it great for any type of extreme metal.

[gnarmageddon]

So are you guys saying a full set of either pup (painkiller nailbomb or aftermath) will suffice, and i don't need a dedicated reggae pickup?

[Dave Sloven]

I think those should be okay with reggae now and then.  Like any compromise it won't be the ultimate reggae pickup, but it should still be pretty good.

Out of the high output pickups maybe avoid the more bassy ones, like the Miracle Man and Warpig.  The ones you list have more mids relative to bass, and their output is a bit lower, and I suspect that's a reason why the work okay for reggae.  It's pretty difficult to get a great clean out of a Warpig, in my experience, and I've heard the same thing about the Miracle Man.

I would contact BKP and tell them what you plan to use it for, as they are very good with advice and have more experience with 8 strings and these pickups than pretty much anyone