Emerald N Abraxas B combo?

[ptgold]

So Tim recommended I go for a Emerald/Holydiver combo after I initially was going all gaga over the Crawler or Rebel Yell and couldnt decide.. :lol:  Funny that he didnt even recommend any of the two I initially though to get.

Anyways, since alot of people had also recommended the Abraxas bridge for my tastes plus Ive done some research and found people say that the Abraxas is very similar to the Holydiver except that its more vintage flavored has me favoring this combo now

Emerald Neck / Abraxas Bridge. 

Im guessing this combo should match pretty well no?  Any players here have experience with this specific combination in a Les Paul or other mahogany guitar?

thanks

[darrenw5094]

Abraxas bridge in my Gibson lp. Middier paf type pickup.  I would guess yhe emerald is brighter slightly,  but that might make it more versatile,  but then I have no experience with the emerald.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Despite the AIV magnet, the Emerald neck has more modern cut but with a retained PAF sweetness thanks to the magnet. I'd have thought the Emerald neck would be better with the Holydiver. The Holydiver/Emerald combo is fantastic and is one I use myself; I also know it's one of Tim's favourites. Although I can't immediately recall what sort of sounds you were after, if Tim says go for a Holydiver/Emerald combo, my best advice would be to do just that.

[ptgold]

I told Tim I was looking for something good for heavy blues rock and heavy rock and that it had to be rich and fat in the bridge and a bright but sweet, single coilesque neck pickup.

However I prefer to lean to the vintage side of things with regards to tone regardless of what Im playing be it heavy metal or classic rock, so I thought maybe I would prefer the Abraxas bridge.

Am I right in thinking that the Abraxas and HD are almost like twin brothers with one leaning towards the modern side (HD) and the other leaning towards vintage (Abraxas)?

[Slartibartfarst42]

I confess, it sounds to me like it's a Crawler you're after. Fat and rich is what it's all about. It has a real growl to it but with a vintage character about it. Honestly, to me you described a Crawler spot on. I have both and the Crawler and Holydiver do have a connection as both are smooth and have plenty mids but where the Holydiver is thick, the Crawler is fat. I'd say the Crawler is closer to the Holydiver than the Abraxas. Perhaps the Abraxas is another step further down.

[Telerocker]

I understand you have a Les Paul. When it's dark sounding I would rule out the Crawler. For bluesrock and heavy rock you're better of with an Abraxas, which has more chime and a LP might need that. If you have a highgain amp, a set of Mules might do the job too.

[Slartibartfarst42]

I didn't realise it was a Les Paul and I quite accept Telerocker's point. A Crawler may well struggle if the Les Paul is dark but equally could be fine if it's not that dark. I was commenting to Ben that I had picked up a Vintage V100 that would require the BKP treatment and he told me he'd played a friend's V100 recently with Crawlers in it and he didn't want to give it back it was so good and a V100 has no maple cap to lighten things. Clearly a Crawler can work in a Les Paul but it all depends on how dark it is. If it's not very dark, I'd say go with a Crawler. If it is quite a dark guitar, go with the Abraxas if you want a more Bluesy, PAF tone and the Holydiver if you want a more Rocky tone. All three have common features. As the other pickup you mentioned originally was a Rebel Yell, I'd say go with the Holydiver if the guitar is dark.

[darkbluemurder]

I have both and the Crawler and Holydiver do have a connection as both are smooth and have plenty mids but where the Holydiver is thick, the Crawler is fat.

I also have both and tried them in the same guitar (a PRS Custom) and I fully agree to that statement. I did not try the Abraxas bridge in that one, though.

I'd say the Crawler is closer to the Holydiver than the Abraxas. Perhaps the Abraxas is another step further down.

I have played the Holydiver and Abraxas bridge also in the same guitar (but not the Crawler bridge in that one) and I have to disagree. To me the Abraxas sounded closer to the Holydiver than the Crawler did compared to the Holydiver in the PRS.

In another guitar I had both the Crawler and the Abraxas bridge (but not the Holydiver). The Abraxas sounded noticeably brighter than the Crawler. I would rank them as follows (most to least):

Brightness: Abraxas - Holydiver - Crawler (I hear higher highs in the Crawler but more high midrange and less low midrange in the Holydiver which makes it appear to be a bit brighter)
Midrange fatness: Crawler - Holydiver - Abraxas (the Abraxas being not far behind the Holydiver)
Bass: Crawler - Holydiver - Abraxas
Output: Holydiver - Crawler - Abraxas (the Crawler being almost on par with the Holydiver)

To OP: Tim's recommendations are usually good but if you are leaning more towards the vintage side of things the Abraxas bridge should work well. I have not played an Emerald neck (that is definitely on my to try list) but if it works well with the Holydiver I imagine it would work equally well with the Abraxas - same wire gauge and same magnet type.

Hope that is helpful,
Stephan

[Slartibartfarst42]

I have played the Holydiver and Abraxas bridge also in the same guitar (but not the Crawler bridge in that one) and I have to disagree. To me the Abraxas sounded closer to the Holydiver than the Crawler did compared to the Holydiver in the PRS.

Yes, I appreciate what you're saying and I don't disagree with any of it. When I said the Crawler was perhaps a bit closer to the Holydiver, I was thinking purely in terms of where it sits on the line from vintage to modern and the level of aggression. The Abraxas is closest to a proper PAF and is the most 'polite' sounding of the three. If I wanted a PAF based pickup for Blues and had to choose from these three, it would be the Abraxas, even though I realise it will do more. At the other end of the spectrum, the Holydiver has more aggression to it and is more obviously a Rock/Metal pickup. Versatile as it undoubtedly is, it's not a jack of all trades and is not a PAF. In that respect, the Crawler does sit between the two as it has a real growl to it that I don't hear in the Abraxas but it clearly isn't as aggressive as the Holydiver either. In terms of musical applications, I also see the Crawler as bridging the gap between the other two. It may not do Blues as well as the Abraxas and won't do Metal as well as the Holydiver but it will go to both those extremes and do its job well as well as nailing that middle ground. I also think it sits between the two because while it does have some PAF qualities, it also sounds too modern to be a real PAF. I suppose which is closest to the Holydiver depends on what crireria you use.

[ptgold]

haha oh man...you guys have me gassing for everything again.  I need to focus!!!

Anyways I definitely think the Emerald/Abraxas combo is going to be the way to go for my specific needs

plugged in with 57 classics my LP sounds sort of scooped actually.  Theres lots of huge bass but very little mids I feel, plus the fact that its also bright.  Im guessing any of these pickups should do the trick and fill things out to give my tone more body.

[darkbluemurder]

Little Mids with the 57 classics? You must have a very scooped guitar there. Still I think the Abraxas bridge should work well and do what you expect from it. If it does not produce enough mids with your guitar the Crawler bridge would be the next step up. 

As regards the neck pickup: for me a neck humbucker cannot be bright enough most of the times.

Cheers Stephan

[Philly Q]

Am I right in thinking that the Abraxas and HD are almost like twin brothers with one leaning towards the modern side (HD) and the other leaning towards vintage (Abraxas)?

Not trying to confuse things here, but that's not a description I recall reading before.

The Abraxas is commonly described as a higher-output Mule (both Alnico IV).

And I think I've recently seen the HD described as being in the same tonal ballpark as, but more "modern" than, the Black Dog (both Alnico V).  But I may be mis-remembering that last one.

[Slartibartfarst42]

I'm with Phil on that  :D

[ptgold]

Little Mids with the 57 classics? You must have a very scooped guitar there. Still I think the Abraxas bridge should work well and do what you expect from it. If it does not produce enough mids with your guitar the Crawler bridge would be the next step up. 

As regards the neck pickup: for me a neck humbucker cannot be bright enough most of the times.

Cheers Stephan

I completely agree with you on the neck humbucker.  Brightness on neck humbuckers is like deciding on the amount of underwear you take on a vacation trip......you can never have enough  :lol:


Im horrible at describing tone on my guitars and my LP is also relatively new to me.  However I cant figure out why it feels thin while theres still good solid bass coming through.  Its more of a feel thing, as the 57 classics feel thin to me compared to my other singlecut which has WCR Godwoods in it.  Up to know thats my favorite humbucker.

Anyways....gonna go ahead and order the combo, ill get back here with a tone report.  Im pretty sure I wont be disappointed

[Philly Q]

Im horrible at describing tone on my guitars and my LP is also relatively new to me.  However I cant figure out why it feels thin while theres still good solid bass coming through.  Its more of a feel thing, as the 57 classics feel thin to me compared to my other singlecut which has WCR Godwoods in it.  Up to know thats my favorite humbucker.

I understand where you're coming from.  Alnico II humbuckers never sound harsh or piercingly bright, there's always a certain softness in the attack, but they can sound thin, especially on the treble strings on the bridge pickup.  The Gibson 490T is the same.

(I don't know what magnets your WCR pickups have)