Best BKP for 80's rock/hair metal

[Serratus]

So I want to play just 80's rock with this guitar (mainly late 80's hair metal like Kiss, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, VH, Poison, Ozzy, Aerosmith, but also some AC/DC and Queen, etc). The guitar is an Ibanez RG1527, basswood body, maple neck, rosewood board, locking trem, modded to only have a bridge pickup.
At the moment it has a Crawler in it (because I had one spare!), which doesn't sound bad but I wonder if another pickup would be more suited to the genre. Mainly I really want harmonics and split harmonics to fly off it really easily (for all those dive-bombs!).

What does everyone think??? For those who have tried loads of BKPs, which pickup was best for harmonics?

[Kiichi]

I am gonna have to go with the Rebell Yell I think. Quite different from the Crawler though.

The RY is vintage wire on modern magnet making for a modern take on a classic sound. Best of modern qualitys plus vintage goodness. Much less lower mids than the Crawler though, the bottom end is there, punchy, fast and just gives body and keeps things balanced.
The main character is in the upper mids, where you find a nice spike that just screams rock. Cuts like a hot knife through butter and is just there, in your face, like a hairmetal singer on stage.
The high end is bright and cutting but not harsh.
It just in its entire voice very, very rocky. Sits extremly well in a band context.
Also a great amount of harmonic overtones. When I got mine I asked the BKP guys for a PU with a lot of harmonic overtones which was very versatile and rocked socks of. Got just that.
Also love to play leads on it cause I can do the Skid Row style harmonics all over the place =)

To me this is THE best PU I have played to date and is perfect for what you want, as long as you donŽt need cleans.

YouŽll find my, and other, full review(s) in the sticky thread I made.

Another contender which I have not tried personally is the VHII.

[littleredguitars2]

I was looking for a similar sound and just purchased a rebel yell set.  Search for them on YouTube. There are some great clips.  I can't wait to Get them in and put them in my les Paul

[Telerocker]

I recommend a VHII, which I have an ash Fender strat. Very good and quite tight bassresponse, focussed midrange and present topend, which is bright but not shrill at all. It a noncompressed pickup that reacts very well to your pickattack. I also have the Crawler, in another strat, and it's way easier to get pinched harmonics from the VHII.
It also has quite some output, nearly as much as the Crawler.

[Kiichi]

I recommend a VHII, which I have an ash Fender strat. Very good and quite tight bassresponse, focussed midrange and present topend, which is bright but not shrill at all. It a noncompressed pickup that reacts very well to your pickattack. I also have the Crawler, in another strat, and it's way easier to get pinched harmonics from the VHII.
It also has quite some output, nearly as much as the Crawler.

Ah, Telerocker chimed in on the VHII.

From what I know it certainly would not be as big a jump difference wise as the RY would be, which is pretty much oposite of the Crawler in many regards, allthough their basic sound idea modern / vintage wise is not that far apart actually.
One band, two guitars, one RY and one Crawler...my god that would work well I feel.

[Telerocker]

I recommend a VHII, which I have an ash Fender strat. Very good and quite tight bassresponse, focussed midrange and present topend, which is bright but not shrill at all. It a noncompressed pickup that reacts very well to your pickattack. I also have the Crawler, in another strat, and it's way easier to get pinched harmonics from the VHII.
It also has quite some output, nearly as much as the Crawler.

Ah, Telerocker chimed in on the VHII.

From what I know it certainly would not be as big a jump difference wise as the RY would be, which is pretty much oposite of the Crawler in many regards, allthough their basic sound idea modern / vintage wise is not that far apart actually.
One band, two guitars, one RY and one Crawler...my god that would work well I feel.

Or a Les Paul and a telecaster...   :)

[Slartibartfarst42]

For me, this is screaming out for a Holydiver. It has the thick smoothness you probably like about the Crawler but it's a bit more aggressive and a good bit tighter. It's the perfect pickup for Doug Aldrich and Jake E Lee tones, which is typical of that 80's Rock/Metal sound you're after.

[FELINEGUITARS]

I'dgo Cold sweat or Rebel yell , however VH2 or Abraxas will also sound good.

Holy Diver is another option but I feel the more open sound of a Cold Sweat is a good choice.

[Serratus]

Hmmm, not sure what to go for.
Tim recommended the Holy Diver, which is obviously the primary 80s metal voiced pickup!! The only reason I didn't suggest that is because I have two of them already in other guitars! So I do really like the HD but I wanted to try something different, I guess.
I'm still tempted by the RY. I did have a VHII a while ago (in a different guitar) and harmonics were very easy to get with that - anyone compare the split harmonics with the RY and VHII?? And Cold sweat?
I also have the concern that the amp I have is a Diezel Herbert which is very bass- and low mid-heavy, and I was thinking that the RY might have the upper mid/treble peak to help the sound cut through a bit more (especially as in this band we're gonna have a keyboard player for me to share frequencies with, whereas I'm used to more space, being only in bass/drums/guitar/vocals bands before).

PS Tim also suggested I try the Juggernaut - he says its very versatile - might have to go for that!!!  8)

[FELINEGUITARS]

With the Herbert with it's low mid bias I would definitely consider a pickup with an upper midrange emphasis as the whole 80s pop metal / hair metal sound was like that.

So I would go for Cold Sweat or Rebel Yell

Haven't tried the Juggernaught obviously as it's only just come out, but will be interesting to see.

[Alex]

With the Herbert with it's low mid bias I would definitely consider a pickup with an upper midrange emphasis as the whole 80s pop metal / hair metal sound was like that.

So I would go for Cold Sweat or Rebel Yell

Haven't tried the Juggernaught obviously as it's only just come out, but will be interesting to see.

But in a Ibanez RG with its thin and quite trebly acoustic sound? Shouldn't he go for something with more substance and body, like the Holy Diver?

[darthphineas]

I'm into that same type of music and I really dig the HD and the VHII.  I have the VHII in basswood and I like it there a lot.  it was a little sharper in the highs to my ears in the alder, but not in a bad way.  also tried the HD in mahogany and I like it better is alder.  got a RY in the mail today and will know more about that soon.

[fps_dean]

I would say Holy Driver, or the Rebel Yell.  Now the guitar is basswood, and certain kinds of basswood can actually be quite low heavy, but most  of the basswood out there lacks lows and lacks highs, and while it's been a while since I played a RG1527, I do believe that it falls under the latter category.  So I'm with Alex when I say I believe the Holy Diver should compliment the guitar nicely.

Seeing as you already have Holy Divers in other guitars, you could try the Rebel Yell.  I have the Rebel Yells louder brother, the Nailbomb in alder and that certainly has enough low end for a thick modern metal sound, and alder is voiced somewhat like basswood, so I imagine you'd be fine.  I was really amazed at the harmonics on both the Nailbomb and Rebel Yells.

Do you have any Holy Divers in a Les Paul (or mahogany bodied guitar with a maple top)? Take those out of the Les Paul and put them in the RG, and put the Rebel Yells in the Les Paul -- that's a great combo!

[Serratus]

I think I will try the Rebel Yell, then if I'm not keen on it I could swap it with one of the Divers I've got and try that instead. The thing is that my Herbert can be so bass/low-mid heavy that nothing sounds thin through it!! What I want is lots of high mids to cut through nicely, which I think the RY will do.
Jonathan, Tim thought that the Cold Sweat might be too mid scooped to cut through like I want, but that the RY should be ok. fps_dean, one of the HD's I have is in a mahogany guitar so maybe I'll swap the RY with that if I don't like it in the Ibanez :)
Tim also suggested again the Juggernaut so I'm quite tempted to try that too, although I think it might be too bass heavy for what I want from this guitar.
I also should say that up until now, the Holy Diver has been my favourite BKP, followed closely by the Black dog, and they sound lovely - smooth, warm and fat, but I just think they might not cut through well enough with a keys player or another guitarist. Its a lovely sound when I'm the only guitarist though!!!

[Telerocker]

I think the RY will do fine, certainly in combination with a Diezel.