I need a pickup to brighten up my guitar!

[Dave Sloven]

Thanks for the response!  So you think the rebel yell can handle heavier gain while also tightening up the bass response?  Have you ever played one of these in the bridge in a les paul?

I haven't had the chance to play one, I've only heard recordings.  There are no really good recordings of it playing the heavier style of stuff you like, as far as I know, but there is a video of the 8 string version that gives the impression that it can handle a bit of bottom end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QGpa_HOsbU


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


Those 8 string players always seem to be into djent though :?

There are some threads here around the place from people who have put them in various mahogany guitars.  Not one bad report that I've read, although someone did swap the bridge out for a VHII on a Les Paul because it wasn't really his thing.

I expected littleredguitars2 to be all over this, but he seems to be away.

If you went for the Nailbomb you would probably be happier with the alnico version, but it doesn't like some thinner bodied, middier sounding mahogany guitars, like most SGs.  The RY on the other hand works well on either SGs or the bassier Gibsons like Les Pauls and Explorers.  The A-Bomb just seems to clash with the resonant qualities of the SG.  Some people have been warned off of Nailbombs for Explorers due to the Explorer being  too dark.  Unless the guitar is the same as yours it's hard to go by these discussions.  I would say that the RY is a safe bet.  Others are less safe.  littleredguitars2 had a Nailbomb and didn't like it for pop punk, but that was in a Strat and he replaced it with a Stockholm P-90.  TBH having used a Nailbomb - admittedly in an SG, which wasn't the smartest gamble - I'd say its punk qualities lie outside of the kind of punk you like, much more in the hardcore vein, and everything seems to have a hardcore edge to it with the Nailbomb. If you want to play stuff like The Exploited, Poison Idea, RDP, Sepultura, etc go for it, it's a no-brainer for those styles.  It does have a very distinctive sound that immediately evokes those bands for me. It can do other things, but its scope depends very much on your guitar.  In general the more mid-focused your guitar is the more hardcore it sounds.

[kingneptune117]

Thanks for the responses!  Hopefully littleredguitars2 can give me some input here.  Anyone know the difference in sound between a C-Bomb and a coldsweat for the bridge position? 

I was thinking a ceramic pickup because it seems to emphasize the highs, whereas the rebel yell emphasizes the highs and mids.  Although it seems like many people are reccomending a set of rebel yells, so it's a tough choice. 

[Slartibartfarst42]

Honestly, if you're wanting bright, you REALLY need to check out the Emerald. Brighter and more open than the Rebel Yell and it will take as much gain as you can throw at it.

[CommonCourtesy]

Hey man, I'm into some of the bands you've posted links of, ATL and ADTR are a few of my favourite bands (hence the username CC haha).

I just put an Aftermath in my main band guitar which is a Les Paul and it sounds huge! We play drop tuned chuggy power chordy stuff and it sounds phat! I understand the guitarists of ADTR or one of them used EMG or Seymour Duncans.

I love the guitar sound which sounds like its been triggered to lock in with the kick drum on the 16th note chugging parts. The main riff "Dead and Buried" on CC is the kind of sound i'm looking for. Npt too overly gainy but still enough punch to maintain clarity.

[Dave Sloven]

Thanks for the responses!  Hopefully littleredguitars2 can give me some input here.

Seems he's around again now.  I'm sure he can give you his opinion on the RY set for pop punk.

[Kiichi]

The RY is absolutly lovely for pop punk. It has that light, agile feel, and that lively agression which just lends itself perfectly.

[witeter]

Anyone know the difference in sound between a C-Bomb and a coldsweat for the bridge position? 

The Cbomb had more oomph in the bottom end and the CS had a tad more high end-they are quite similar to be fair, i believe the Coldsweat is an underwound Nailbomb

[Dave Sloven]

I thought the Nailbombs had a more asymmetric wind than the Cold Sweat?  The Cold Sweat seems closer to the Miracle Man from what I've heard, brighter and cleaner than the Miracle Man but with a similar scoop

[kingneptune117]

The RY is absolutly lovely for pop punk. It has that light, agile feel, and that lively agression which just lends itself perfectly.

How about for some heavier music that requires more gain?

[Kiichi]

The RY is absolutly lovely for pop punk. It has that light, agile feel, and that lively agression which just lends itself perfectly.

How about for some heavier music that requires more gain?

Well since the bottom end is so tight and punchy it really holds up well. More gain usually mostly adds bottom end (bass and low mids) as it saturates, so the high mid heavy voicing of the RY fits very well. It is one of the last PUs you can turn to mush, it likes to stay punchy, tight, alive and cutting.

The forums own Nolly (who also is BKPs demo man) used them for a long time for his band Red Seas Fire, though now he has switched to Juggernauts. Just one example.

[Dave Sloven]

This guitar is 10-11 pounds of solid mahogany, and it gives off a fairly dark sound.  I notice this especially under heavy distortion.  It just sounds really "boomy" if that makes sense.  Tons of dark tone/bassiness, and not much high end definition. 

I really like my high gain bridge tones to be punchy, bright, crisp, very clear, and to have fairly tight bass response (not super tight, but not so loose and boomy).

This is exactly the sort of situation in which the Rebel Yell has the reputation of performing best: a dark, boomy guitar, which they transform in exactly the direction you want.  The Emerald set has a similar reputation, although it is not as widely used and if perhaps not as tight in the low end?  Personally I think either a Rebel Yell set, an Emerald set, or a RY bridge/Em neck is the three choices here.  You could also pair the RY bridge with a VHII neck.

Here's littleredguitars2's video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65zOouArFDo

Rebel Yell (bridge) & VHII (neck) combo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX7Fbw5refI

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

7-string version through a series of amps (RY starts 1:25):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SunTM0U311Y

[Lew]

I didn't realize One Direction even played guitars!  8)

[Dave Sloven]

I didn't realize One Direction even played guitars!  8)

I've had such a lovely sheltered existence without television and radio that I don't even know what One Direction sound like  8)

[Heket]

I have an all-mahogany SG so I know exactly what you mean when you described the "boominess". I put a Rebel Yell in the bridge and it now sounds brighter and clearer than the Gibson 490T (modern PAF) in my alder/maple Strat. It's not an aggressive pickup but it is clear, bright, punchy and with enough output to suit your needs.

I love it, although sometimes I wonder if what I was subconsciously trying for was a P90 sound and if I should have gone for Stockholm instead. Consider a HSP90 too.

[BigB]

I didn't realize One Direction even played guitars!  8)

I've had such a lovely sheltered existence without television and radio that I don't even know what One Direction sound like  8)

Just _who_ is One Direction ???

:mrgreen:

@kingneptune117:  Even the Mule and RiffRaff do handle a whole lot of gain without turning to mush so I wouldn't worry about the RY not being tight enough.