Cbomb/Abomb in "dark-thin" SG

[Heket]

Hey all

I have an all-mahogany SG special which is quite dark although has it's own biting tone. I wouldn't say it's thin, but it's certainly not as fat as something like a Les Paul. It's Dark-thin. I am looking to replace my current bridge pickup which is a Seymour Duncan Custom (ceramic, high output) as although it's an improvement from the stock Gibson 490T, it has a certain element to it which I don't like. The best way I can describe it is that it makes my ears feel a bit tired. I would almost call it sterile, compared to the character that the 490T had. I didn't like the 490T because it lacked body and power, but it sure had character.

I play anything with "rock" in it, all the way up to heavy metal. Versatility is important as it's my only guitar. I like high output as I am not keen on pedals. I like quite a raw sound that's not too loose. I mainly play rhythm.

I emailed BKP and have just received an email back (Ben) suggesting I should try a Nailbomb for my SG Special. He recommended ceramic, but also suggested I look into the Alnico version.

I am a bit hesitant as Nailbombs are supposedly very picky and not always that good in SGs. Which one should I be looking at? I know probably ceramic, but I am afraid that it's the ceramic properties that I don't like in my current pickup.

This will be my first BKP, but I'm pretty sure I see more in my future  :)

Thanks!

[Dave Sloven]

I've had an A-Bomb in an SG.  It currently sits in a cupboard, and has been replaced by a Cold Sweat.  I don't think this would have happened had I ordered the ceramic version.  The SG really needs that mid scoop.  If I were you I would play it safe and get the ceramic version, or a Cold Sweat, or a Miracle Man.

I find that my Cold Sweat covers the same area that you want.  Anything from Cream to Celtic Frost.

With the A-Bomb I found it sounded much more like a hardcore guitar, and I found those smoother tones very difficult to get.  The A-Bomb was great though for The Exploited, Sepultura, AC/DC, Rose Tattoo, basically anything with aggressive mid edge.

I would say that the C-Bomb would be a good middle ground between the Cold Sweat and the A-Bomb.  Actually it will probably sound more like the A-Bomb clip as it gets a boost in the low mids from the design of the guitar relative to a Les Paul (which is what is used for all the humbucker clips), at least in terms of distorted tones.  The cleans on the C-Bomb are probably not as good as those on either though.  The Cold Sweat has atypically good cleans for a ceramic pickup.

Another choice would be a Rebel Yell set, but I tend to think you would be happier with a C-Bomb.  A Rebel Yell neck and C-Bomb bridge could be a very good combination.

[Slartibartfarst42]

As an alternative to the Nailbomb, if you want something that is thick, smooth and organic but also tight and reasonably aggressive, try the Miracle Man. If you want something a bit more open sounding and brighter, go with the Cold Sweat. Both should work very well. Or just get the C-Bomb of course.

[Heket]

Thank you for your answers! The Miracle Man is something I considered and I mentioned this to Ben, but he recommended the Cbomb over it. I'll still look into it. I probably will end up with a Cbomb, and that suggestion of a Rebel Yell in the neck sounds like just the ticket too.

I also mentioned HSP90s in my email, but he didn't touch on those. Having never heard a P90s in real life it's probably best not to gamble on one anyway, it's just that so many people say that P90 + SG = win  8)

[Slartibartfarst42]

Why don't you keep your safe bet of a C-Bomb in the bridge and try a HSP90 in the neck? Best of both worlds  :D

[Dave Sloven]

I've seen the Stockholm neck recommended with the Nailbomb bridge by Nolly on here before.

Rebel Yell neck is one of the great ones though.  Like a Cold Sweat with some VHII character in there.

[darkbluemurder]

"Dark thin" almost screams for a Cold Sweat bridge to fill out the undershaded sound areas with tight bass and more cut in the highs. This worked well with a middy guitar of mine.

I liked both the Holydiver neck and the Abraxas neck better than the Cold Sweat neck which I found to be a bit too bassy in the guitar I had it in.

Cheers Stephan

[Dave Sloven]

I find that the Cold Sweat set works well in my SG, no problems with the neck since I reversed it and raised the pole pieces a couple of turns.  Bridge works a treat

[Heket]

I never even looked at a Cold Sweat. Doesn't that come into the "medium output" that is recommended to be avoided in SGs? I think Ben recommended the Nailbomb because I have more of a lean towards vintage tones. But thanks! I'll look at that more.

[Dave Sloven]

It seems to me that the only reason the A-Pig is not an issue with an SG is its sheer output.  But in general a more scooped pickup like the C-Pig is better suited to the SG's natural frequency characteristics.  SGs have a 'mid hump' built into them and thus mids will sound more pronounced.  With certain pickups that have a strong mid range - such as the A-Bomb or the Holy Diver - but are not powerful enough to overcome the tonal characteristics of the guitar you get a kind of butting of heads in terms of frequencies between the guitar and the pickups.  Apparently with the Holy Diver this results in 'mush', in the A-Bomb it can produce a very 'hairy' and 'aggressive' sound, much more so than when used in some other types of guitar.  What you need is to somehow get out of the way of that hump.  The Crawler is another one to avoid.  No idea on Blackhawks.  I would avoid the Painkiller.  I tend to think that it would react like the A-Bomb, making a very aggressive and thus somewhat one-dimensional guitar. I've heard a couple of clips and it sounded very much like that.

This is why I think there have been some positive experiences with the Rebel Yell set.  It has strong mids but they are higher than the A-Bomb mids.  The natural mid hump of the guitar then sits below the pickup's hump, rather than coinciding with it.  This is a set  to inquire about, I've read good reports on it here and at the US seven string forum (where there is a lot of BKP talk).

I have seen good reports on various vintage hot pickups in SGs too, but these have been so far and few between (because people do not seem to try them) that I find it hard to recommend them.  Out of the Vintage Hot range the one that I think was bad in an SG was the Abraxas (again, another pickup like the Holy Diver and A-Bomb that has a great reputation for versatility in other types of guitar).  I've read vague things about someone having used the Black Dog (maybe twice) and VHII (once) and being happy, and the Emerald might work though I haven't read a report on it in an SG.

I haven't seen any bad reports of the vintage pickups in SGs, probably they don't have enough output in the mids to cause an issue.

I can tell you though that the Cold Sweat is a huge improvement on the A-bomb in my SG for all kinds of rock and metal except for hardcore/crossover, and manages hardcore quite well, although it is not as aggressive and hardcore sounding at the A-bomb/SG combo the latter was a one-trick pony.

I've read good reports about the C-Bomb, and judging by the EQ charts I can see why it would be better than the A-Bomb.

People tend to suggest that the A-Bomb will give you a more vintage sound due to it being alnico, but if I were to choose an alnico pickup for an SG in the mid-output range it would be a Rebel Yell set.  The Cold Sweat set is also an excellent set, it has a ceramic bridge but the cleans are excellent - I prefer them to the cleans that I was getting with the A-Bomb in the same guitar.

Overall the Rebel Yell set is warmer and more 'rock' sounding than the Cold Sweat set, which is more 'metal'.  Either seems like a good option, based on my experience with the A-Bomb and Cold Sweat and what I have read here and elsewhere. Ben recommended both the Cold Sweat and Miracle Man to me, calling the Cold Sweat 'the pro's choice' for its clarity and range, whereas the Miracle Man was a high-output recommendation if I wanted more output, but it is equally good (besides cleans).