Gas for the Rebel Yell

[GuitarIv]

Cheers guys,

so I'm slowly arriving at the point where I'll finally have my rig finished, or rather where I'll have everything I imagine I'll ever need. I bought myself a Jet City JCA50H, I'm gonna get a cab for it and a masterswitcher, powersupply and a few pedals to finish my pedalboard and after that I have everything I ever wanted to have (although it's gonna take me a bit longer than expected as I have some unforeseen bills to pay, damned insurances, banks and TV fees, nowadays everyones a goddamned thief!)

Anyway, there's still this thing called GAS. Out of the BKP Range I own a Holydiver/Slowhand set (sitting in my Strat), a Painkiller/Coldsweat combination (in my Jackson Dinky) and a Miracle Man/Sinner Set that's soon gonna be moved into an Ibanez RG. Regarding my BKPs I'm quite satisfied and I don't think I need more but... considering the fact that my 2 main guitars are my Strat and my Dinky I feel the need to get both guitars to the point where they are perfect. And whilst the Holydiver/Slowhand combination complements the Strat perfectly I still have some doubts about the Jackson.

Now my Strat is a very bright guitar. Tight lows, very present mids and cutting highs, a custom instrument with a Poplar body and Maple Neck and Fretboard and although I miss the lows sometimes, compared to the Jackson it is clear as a tear. The Bareknuckles even enhance that attribute as expected.

Its not like the Jackson sounds bad, but it has a very fat (not dark) voicing to the point where note separation isn't as evident as one would expect it to be. Maybe having both guitars side by side contributes to this, but playing the Dinky through my Micro Terror I feel like it could use something thinner pickup wise. The Painkiller is a great metal pickup but it has huge low end in the Jackson and I had the Holydiver in it before sounding even fatter and lacking the aggression in the highs.

Now the logical consequence for me would be the Rebel Yell for that guitar. It's supposed to have some characteristics in common with the Holydiver (better version of the JB), which is personally one of my favourite pickups of all time, but have a tight and punchy low end. As I find myself to be more and more of an Alnico V pickup guy as opposed to Ceramic, this only strengthens my theory. Just like these clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20zSjw98Gvg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOg2_sS6w5Q

Now as always I'm seeking wisdom and opinions from fellow guitarists on this forum. What do you think? Will the Rebel Yell give me less low end and better clarity (or rather say thinner sounding chords) in the Jackson than the Painkiller and the Holydiver? As said the instrument isn't dark sounding, rather fat. Whilst it excels at lead tones I'm more of metal rhythm guy so riffing is my biggest priority.



Cheers!

[Dave Sloven]

If I were to buy a Jackson the kind of pickup set I'd want in it would be the Rebel Yell so I'm watching this discussion with interest.  I doubt you can go wrong with the neck pickup.  See Kiichi's review on the bridge.  I think you should find it an improvement on what you've had in there before, but it seems like a 'suck it and see' kind of thing.

Personally I would be divebombing like a mother$%&#er if I had that Charvel in the first clip, LOL

[JimmyMoorby]

I think youre right in everything youve said but just so you know the rebel yell isnt thin per se but it will add some more presence and brightness so make it less thick sounding if that makes sense but it still has a big sound.

Its like the nailbomb's less weighty, happier and less angry relative.  I think others have summed it up as a brighter nailbomb which is a good thing.

If I had the money id be interested in getting the vhii, painkiller and rebel yell oh and some mules!

[GuitarIv]

I imagine the RY to work similar in the Jackson as the Holydiver in the Strat. The HD balances out the mid and treble emphasis of the guitar and adds a bit of depth with a very organic ROAR. That's the same I'm looking for in the Dinky and as said whilst the Painkiller sounds great I'm looking for that Alnico V warmth and a pickup that will clean up the guitar a bit in the lows. Oh my poor wallet...  :?

[richard]

Why wait ? Order one now. You know you want to. No food for a couple of weeks should cover it, get your priorities right.

[Lew]

just buy mine-you can route a bit of space and the 7 will fit fine :-p

[Lesion]

I am also considering the rebel yell  for a super strat/floydrose type guitar.
I have been put off that choice so far because you always  get people recommending that particular pup with Gibson s? I think.
 
Them clips you posted are interesting.

[Heket]

I am also considering the rebel yell  for a super strat/floydrose type guitar.
I have been put off that choice so far because you always  get people recommending that particular pup with Gibson s? I think.

Probably because the high and upper mids of the RY cut through mahogany very well. I've just got one for my SG and it's beautiful. That's not to say it'll be too bright in a non-mahogany guitar; I was worried it would be too much for my naturally treble-heavy amp, but it wasn't. I think it's more of a case that there are pickups that will sound too dark and muddy in mahogany, rather than others that will be too bright in alder or whatever.

The lows are very tight. They are there but, as someone else has said previously, the focus is elsewhere. It's medium output though, so if you're used to something a bit heavier you will need to compensate elsewhere. My RY replaced a Seymour Duncan Custom and the change in output was a marked difference. I now need a pedal if I want to get into metal territory.

[Kiichi]

Exactly heket. The character of the RY allows it to make guitars come alive. Place it into a slap of mahagony which is rich and warm but lacks that certain thing and you got it. In a LP it just always works for that reason. And as you correctly reference me the lows are there and do their job, nicely definet and punchy, but the focus is on those uppermids giving it live and all that rocking goodness.

The beauty is though that it does not only work in heavy mahagony axes. I personally have it in a light mahagony axe with maple neck, a Ibanez S series, and I think it is wonderful. The great thing is that while the PU has a lot of cut and present treble from all the harmonic overtones it has it is not harsh. Thus it still fits in most guitars, where other PUs that work well in bright guitars might do because of their harsh treble. Of course it is no Crawler that can be placed in the brightest of brightest guitars, but I feel for the RY to truely be too bright a guitar would have to hit those certain high mid frequencys in a specific way, which is pretty rare.

As long as you feel the guitar has some internal balance and you like that rocking upper mid sound the RY can work wonderfully. Partially also because it is very sensitive to height adjustments. So if it initially is too bright you can always raise the bass and lower the treble side.

[Dave Sloven]

I now need a pedal if I want to get into metal territory.

Or a Peavey like mine.  I think I could almost mic up a banjo and play it through my lead channel and it would sound metal!!  :lol:

[Kiichi]

I now need a pedal if I want to get into metal territory.

Or a Peavey like mine.  I think I could almost mic up a banjo and play it through my lead channel and it would sound metal!!  :lol:

To be fair banjos are kinda metal. First thing I did when I got mine was play the Lamb of God - Redneck riff with it. Amazing. Also John 5 shows how you can incorporate banjo style licks into metal songs. Interresting guy. Had a listen to one of his albums again...

But I do see what you actually mean. An amp with the right character can anything sound metal, otherwise there are pedals. Just donīt try to get a metal sound out of a guitar, that way round it does not really work.

[Dave Sloven]

My grandfather used to play banjos on a station up north in the 1930s.  Somehow though my younger cousin ended up with both of them, one of which was hand-made by our grandfather.  He wasn't even alive when my grandfather died, but you know the pushier sibling (my aunt) ends up with all the good stuff.  I'll get a banjo and learn to play it one day

Preferably one with a pickup in it so I can put it through the Peavey  :lol:

Then I'd just have to work out how to play 'Dethroned Emperor' on it

[GuitarIv]

Regarding the Banjo I have to post this:

Revocation - Revocation - Invidious (Official Music Video)

Skip to 0:25 if you can't wait through the intro  :lol:

Richard: believe me or not, it wouldn't be the first time I've spent money on gear and suddenly realized, "whoops, I need to eat something as well"  :P

Lew: errrm... no ^^

Regarding everything that has been said here my feeling tells me more and more the RY will just give that missing bit of life to the guitar I'm looking for. I don't rely on pickups to push my amps into high gain, I do that with a boost in front and a hard picking technique so I still have all the dynamics and expression when needed.

Anyway, I think I'm pretty much set that I'll get the RY as soon as I have the cash. Just need to decide on the matching neck PU, I'm thinking VHII, Emerald or Holydiver. Also not sure if covered or uncovered. Too many choices...

[Kiichi]

On count of the neck PU, may I ask what your reason for leaving out the neck RY is? Since it is being described as somewhat of a cross of the VHII and CS is certainly seems to fit in with the others you mention.

[darkbluemurder]

I'll get a banjo and learn to play it one day

Preferably one with a pickup in it so I can put it through the Peavey  :lol:

Then I'd just have to work out how to play 'Dethroned Emperor' on it

Will that be Bluegrass Metal?

Cheers Stephan