Need some Les Paul pick up advice

[Rudo79]

I'm researching the Bare Knuckle site for some new pick ups.
The vintage hot pick ups are the ones the at interest me, from reading and listening to the sound files.
My guitar is a standard Les Paul from 1980 ( not bright sounding ) and the amp i play is a Marshall Super Lead.
The sound I am after is from 77 punk to Rocks sounds. Think: Sex Pistols - Ac/Dc - Thin Lizzy.
Was looking at the Black Dog, would that be a good choice?
Does anyone of you knowledgeable people here have any advice on what's a good BKP for tones in that range with my set up?

[Telerocker]

RiffRaffs if your LP is not a bright one.

[Rudo79]

Thank you Telerocker. Listening to the Riff Raffs i am kind of scared they would sound to harsh in the bridge? Definitely considering them in the neck position.

[Mr. Air]

The Emerald would fit the Thin Lizzy bill well and its biting tone will propably be good for AC/DC tones as well as Sex Pistols. Be aware that the Emrald is a bright pickup. If you want something with a more even EQ have a look at the Abraxas.

[Dave Sloven]

Riff Raffs would probably not sound as bright in a Les Paul as they do in an SG, so you could expect a slightly darker sound than the Angus Young sound they give in SGs.

You could also consider a P90, for example Mississippi Queen neck with Riff Raff bridge.

[Rudo79]

So two tip the Riff Raff..
I am interested in the Abraxass seeing the EQ graph it looks kinda flat?

[Dave Sloven]

We had a thread on 'best punk pickups' a little while back.

https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=30442.0

If you go into the contemporary range the Rebel Yell seems like the safest bet, while the alnico Nailbomb will take you more into hardcore territory. I had one in my SG and I found it was great for getting The Exploited, Poison Idea, and even AC/DC tones but I couldn't get a good Thin Lizzy tone out of it.  In the contemporary range Rebel Yell or Cold Sweat sets will get you into Thin Lizzy territory (or at least the Robbo and Sykes eras of Thin Lizzy), otherwise you are looking at the Vintage Hot and Vintage ranges.

[Rudo79]

We had a thread on 'best punk pickups' a little while back.

https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=30442.0

If you go into the contemporary range the Rebel Yell seems like the safest bet, while the alnico Nailbomb will take you more into hardcore territory. I had one in my SG and I found it was great for getting The Exploited, Poison Idea, and even AC/DC tones but I couldn't get a good Thin Lizzy tone out of it.  In the contemporary range Rebel Yell or Cold Sweat sets will get you into Thin Lizzy territory (or at least the Robbo and Sykes eras of Thin Lizzy), otherwise you are looking at the Vintage Hot and Vintage ranges.

I see thanks for the link! INteresting. yes my punk reference isn't exploited uk 82 and hardcore at all.. I am really talking about the classic 77 sound sex pistols ramones etc.
The Pickup i always used in my les paul was a stock T-Top ( wich was slightly hot compared to others i heard ) wich sounded great, but it's defect now.
So is the Rebel Yell comparable to a T-Top or any other BKP?

[Dave Sloven]

Well, have a listen to the following clip posted recently by darthphineas, comparing the Rebel Yell and Holy Diver.  The RY is in a mahogany Hamer Centaura (close in character to a Les Paul) while the Holy Diver is in an  alder ESP M-II Deluxe.

00:00 - 00:31 Rebel Yell
00:31 - 01:02 Holy Diver
01:02 - 01:12 Rebel Yell
01:12 - 01:24 Holy Diver
01:24 - end    Rebel Yell

https://soundcloud.com/darthphineas/dream-warriors-pickup

If you are not into the whole UK '82 and subsequent hardcore stuff avoid the A-Bomb.  The RY will have enough of that character.  I'm not sure about a neck pickup.  If you are playing punk most of the time then you will probably only be using it for the Thin Lizzy etc.

[ericsabbath]

definitely emeralds or riff raffs
the riff raffs are in the t-tops ballpark, but they sound punchier and clearer

[fps_dean]

Well, have a listen to the following clip posted recently by darthphineas, comparing the Rebel Yell and Holy Diver.  The RY is in a mahogany Hamer Centaura (close in character to a Les Paul) while the Holy Diver is in an  alder ESP M-II Deluxe.

00:00 - 00:31 Rebel Yell
00:31 - 01:02 Holy Diver
01:02 - 01:12 Rebel Yell
01:12 - 01:24 Holy Diver
01:24 - end    Rebel Yell

https://soundcloud.com/darthphineas/dream-warriors-pickup

If you are not into the whole UK '82 and subsequent hardcore stuff avoid the A-Bomb.  The RY will have enough of that character.  I'm not sure about a neck pickup.  If you are playing punk most of the time then you will probably only be using it for the Thin Lizzy etc.

I wouldn't think either pickup is exactly what he's after, although I can definitely use my Rebel Yell equipped Les Paul to play stuff like AC/DC or Thin Lizzy.

Since he's looking for punk sounds too, I would definitely go for something rawer in sound than either as well.

[Kiichi]

Well, have a listen to the following clip posted recently by darthphineas, comparing the Rebel Yell and Holy Diver.  The RY is in a mahogany Hamer Centaura (close in character to a Les Paul) while the Holy Diver is in an  alder ESP M-II Deluxe.

00:00 - 00:31 Rebel Yell
00:31 - 01:02 Holy Diver
01:02 - 01:12 Rebel Yell
01:12 - 01:24 Holy Diver
01:24 - end    Rebel Yell

https://soundcloud.com/darthphineas/dream-warriors-pickup

If you are not into the whole UK '82 and subsequent hardcore stuff avoid the A-Bomb.  The RY will have enough of that character.  I'm not sure about a neck pickup.  If you are playing punk most of the time then you will probably only be using it for the Thin Lizzy etc.

I wouldn't think either pickup is exactly what he's after, although I can definitely use my Rebel Yell equipped Les Paul to play stuff like AC/DC or Thin Lizzy.

Since he's looking for punk sounds too, I would definitely go for something rawer in sound than either as well.

Thing with the RY is that it is extremly versatile in its sound and even more so if you figure in height adjustments, which do a hell of a lot for that PU.

Put it lower and your chances of getting those more old school sounds rise a hole of a lot. Raise it and you get that more modern sound.

[Dave Sloven]

... I can definitely use my Rebel Yell equipped Les Paul to play stuff like AC/DC or Thin Lizzy.

Since he's looking for punk sounds too, I would definitely go for something rawer in sound than either ...

The thing is here that in terms of punk he's really not wanting to go into the aggressive and raw sounds associated with early '80s punk bands like The Exploited or Discharge, but rather the '77 punk sounds, which I'm sure you could squeeze out of a PAF with the right amp set-up.  The next step would be the A-Bomb, which I think would be a step too far for this application. To me the Rebel Yell seems like the best choice here, the Riff Raff being the number two choice.  I tend to think that the RY could cover everything (set up properly as Kiichi suggests), and give a hint of that edge that the A-Bomb has.  I'm not sure how the RR would go with Thin Lizzy but I'm pretty sure it would nail the rest.  It might be better for the early Thin Lizzy sound than the RY, but I'm pretty confident that the RY would be a safe bet.

EDIT: on the RYs I also found these two videos just now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG7Gcw12Yhg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aD8q0h-WC0

[darkbluemurder]

I think a Black Dog bridge with a Riff Raff neck could work well.

Cheers Stephan

[ericsabbath]

the rebel yell sounds absolutely amazing and those videos sound great, but I have the impression that the rebel yell mids are just too full sounding for what he apparently wants
and the black dog sounds even fuller