new pickup for strat. blackdog?

[Caleb]

Hello!

I have alder body, rosewood fretboard strat and currently I have the Mule in the bridge. I think the Mule is too bright, harsh, thin and weak for my guitar and amp(Marshall jubilee jcm 2554). Before the Mule I had the duncan JB humbucker in the bridge and I liked its solo sound a lot. JB just lacked clarity when I played distorted rhythm, especially when I played power chords.

I`m looking for a new pickup that would sit between the Mule and the JB. I'd like to get more JB sounding pickup than Mule. I want more clarity than JB, but with less output (jb is very hot about 15k).

I have listened almost every sample in bkp site and narrowed my search for vh2 and blackdogs. I think blackdog would be perfect, but Im afraid that it's muddy with distorted rhythm playing like Jb. I also think that vh2 would be too bright and harsh like the Mule. Which one is more versatile? I'm playing in cover band and we play lots of stuff from funk to blues and pop to hard rock with modern sound. I dont need the heaviest metal sound. I'd like to hear your opinions and experiences with these pickups :)

[Kiichi]

Dunno too much about the VHII, but the BD should work here for sure. It can do metal without much issue far as I know (at the very least when in a baritone), so you should be save on that side. God Sized use them to great effect. Certainly fatter than the mule, with a very full midrange. Donīt think I have heard it said to be muddy.

You might also wanne consider the Crawler too, that one works really well in starts for a full, roary sound. While perhaps the loosest of the BKP family it does hard rock and classic metal no problem. Lot of weight, very characteristic roar, great splits. Can deffo see this one work here.

[Slartibartfarst42]

The Crawler would be a great choice and I'd be surprised if you didn't like it. It's incredible. Your other option to me would be the Holydiver. It's very like a JB but so much better in every way and regardless of what the DC resistance suggests, it's not as hot as a JB.

[Caleb]

How close is the "Crawler-dirty-bridge" -clip to a real thing? If it sounds something like that in a stratocaster, I think the Blackdog is more for me. Crawler sounds too tame, a bit too muddy in distorted rhythm and maybe too "airy" for what I'm looking for in those clips. I liked Crawler's modern voicing though. Blackdog's roaring mids might be what I'm looking for and I think they would work great in my strat. Blackdog have vintage voicing, but I think it would do modern styles too.

[JimmyMoorby]

Im curious to as to what would work well in a strat too but im definitely going to stick with single coils personally as any more guitars I get in the future with humbuckers im just going to stick alnico nailbombs in the bridge as I think theyre phenomenal and easily the best bridge pickup ive ever played....high/medium output any way i have little experience with low output pickups.

Any way in relaion to what youre saying I cant comment too much on the black dog and the tone youre after BUT from what ive heard it isnt a sloppy or loose by any means as John Schaffer from Iced Earth used one and hes arguably the tightest metal rythm guitarist ever and his sound has been as faraway from muddy as you could get.  He also uses les pauls which arent necessarily tight guitars but he tends to have a very overdriven sound which doesnt sound like your bag but I just thought it would be worth mentioning the tightness of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75zQ5Mlad-g

In this clip he uses emg's but he did make the switch to the black dogs at one point and that should give you an idea of how tight the pickup can be.  Listen to the riff at 6:12 for an idea of how tight he needs to be!

[Slartibartfarst42]

All down to personal taste and the individual guitar really. I sent my A-Bomb bridge back in exchange for a Holydiver, which I found to be much better. Ironically, despite what it said on the website, I found the Nailbomb to be one of the least versatile pickups I've tried from BKP but as I say, it's horses for courses.

The Crawler should sound both tighter and brighter in a Strat as the BKP clips were recorded using a Les Paul but there's no denying, it's not as tight as either a Holydiver or Black Dog but then if it was, it would destroy the mojo it has. It's not a Metal pickup, even though it will do Metal. It tends to span a range from Blues Rock to 80's Metal. If you want something that's a bit more 'Metal' focused, you want a Holydiver because that's exactly what you're describing.

[JimmyMoorby]

All down to personal taste and the individual guitar really. I sent my A-Bomb bridge back in exchange for a Holydiver, which I found to be much better. Ironically, despite what it said on the website, I found the Nailbomb to be one of the least versatile pickups I've tried from BKP but as I say, it's horses for courses.

The Crawler should sound both tighter and brighter in a Strat as the BKP clips were recorded using a Les Paul but there's no denying, it's not as tight as either a Holydiver or Black Dog but then if it was, it would destroy the mojo it has. It's not a Metal pickup, even though it will do Metal. It tends to span a range from Blues Rock to 80's Metal. If you want something that's a bit more 'Metal' focused, you want a Holydiver because that's exactly what you're describing.

Exactly one mans cheese is another mans meat everyones idea of versatility is different and obviously some pickups will just suit some peoples playing styles better.  The holy diver is the only high output I havent tried that I want to (Other than the aftermath neck) but in terms of my influences and playing in general I know the nailbomb suits me better.  If I could afford it id love to have a super strat with a holy diver bridge but I cant justify buying another guitar or other pickups I just need guitars I can use to play lots of things as good as they can be.

[Telerocker]

Imo the Crawler excels in bolt-on alder/ash guitars, but can smoother a mahogany based guitar. Slarti gave you already two options: the PAF-on-steroids Crawler and the modern voiced Holy Diver. Those two do the job in strats. The Abraxas would a contender too: sits between the Mule and The Crawler. More chime then the Crawler, more mids and roundness then the Mule.
The Black Dog could be an option as a fatter, middier but open sounding PAF. In output it can't compete with the others. On the forum the BD is somehow not the first choice for strats. I wonder why.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Perhaps because for Metal the Holydiver is just seen as a better option and for more Classic/Blues Rock, the Crawler is usually seen as a better option. I've considered the Black Dog a few times but there just always seemed to be slightly better options for me. Having said that, I'm sure the Black Dog would also work ok in this application but personally I'd take the others ahead of it.

[Caleb]

Thank you all for the answers!

I'm looking for tones like Joe Perry, Angus Young and Gary Moore. And from the modern/heavier side I really like Dann Huff, especially his solo sound, which is quite middy I think. I play some TOTO too. I liked the Nailbomb for hevier stuff, but I have to make compromise, because I need versatility. I think the Blackdog would do both classic rock and some modern hard rock/heavy too.

Blackdog's Classic rock clip makes me always smile, so I think I'll take it and let those mids roar :)

[Telerocker]

Considering those styles/sounds I would not rule out The Crawler.

[Caleb]

Considering those styles/sounds I would not rule out The Crawler.

This is getting really difficult, because I just listened to this in youtube: Dream Theater - Wither Solo | Toto - Rosanna Solo | Cover by Andreas Midtlyng I really like that airy and clear solo sound. I just didn't like the Crawler's classic rock rhythm -clip sound here in BKP's site. It was tame and lifeless compared to Blackdog. Maybe it will sound different in my strat....

Please tell me that I'll like Crawler's rhythm sound in my strat! :) Crawler seems even more versatile than Blackdog to me. It's just the distorted rhythm sound which makes me wonder if it's right for me.

[Slartibartfarst42]

The Crawler will certainly give you Gary Moore as that was my main target tone when Tim suggested a Crawler to me.

The Crawler is very versatile and beautifully rich in its tone. I play with my amp's gain on just under 50% and an overdrive with gain at about 40% for 90% of what I do in the band. At home I play a bit more Bluesy and clean and I love the Crawler for everything. It works great in my PRS and it will be awesome in a Strat. Remember the clip you're referring to is done on a Les Paul so very different to a Strat. I play lead and rhythm on it and our rhythm guitarist now also wants one.

[Telerocker]

The Crawler will certainly give you Gary Moore as that was my main target tone when Tim suggested a Crawler to me.

The Crawler is very versatile and beautifully rich in its tone. I play with my amp's gain on just under 50% and an overdrive with gain at about 40% for 90% of what I do in the band. At home I play a bit more Bluesy and clean and I love the Crawler for everything. It works great in my PRS and it will be awesome in a Strat. Remember the clip you're referring to is done on a Les Paul so very different to a Strat. I play lead and rhythm on it and our rhythm guitarist now also wants one.

This, plus that the Crawler reacts very well on the volumeknob. In my strat the Crawler can provide LP-esque tones and what I like are the full tones above the 12th fret, which can be a bit thin in a stock strat. This pickup really growls when pushed. My mate has one a Squier HSS. He tried a Mule, but immediately went back to his Crawler. Imo the Mule needs mahogany to get a balanced spectrum.

[Caleb]

One last question and then I can be sure about my decision :)
In which order would you put these three pickups, if you would like to get the guitar sound of this song`s chorus and solo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9VKywzff84  And the pickups to compare are: Crawler, Blackdog and Holydiver.

I really appreciate it if you could listen to that track and give your opinion! That`s exactly the sound I love and what I need for my heaviest stuff. Thank you!