someone compare the rebel yell and holy diver for me

[littleredguitars2]

I have the RY. But I've always been curious how the HDs would compare to them in a les Paul.

[Guitarteach]

I got both...

The RY is quite a bit brighter and has more cut and bite to it. My favourite as its more versatile for alternating between chunky rhythm and a more cutting lead and i can tame it with the tone control.  Just rewired my RY equipped RGT guitar (thru neck / mahogany) today with parallel / serial / single options and it's great in all combos. Can look to do a full set on one guitar.

The HD seems flatter and more 'polite' to me compared to the RY. Def. a nice fluid lead sound with a bit more fatness/body to it and less upper mid/high fizz. From forum comments before i got the HD I was really hoping for something in the HD to blow away my SD JB but I'm afraid my 20+ yrs old JB smokes the HD for me still. It just sings and howls that little bit more.

May move the HD into another set neck guitar to see if its the wood as it feels a very solid performer.

Either would make nice Xmas presents though and if the amp is cranked they both perform very well and the differences balance out.

I'm looking for P90's for my Xmas... :). Nantucket or BlueNote I think

[Sir_Palomid]

Never had a LP, but had same pups in my PRS.
Rebel Yell has less output, more highs and high-mids, bright and crunchy pickup, tighter than HD, more thin sounding.
HD is fatter, but not that crunchy, more polite (but still have some cut), has more center-mids.

Depends on what gain levels you need... for progressive-rock/metal I would definitely take HD, but for hard-rock/hair metal I prefer RY.

Although, among "mid-pushed" BKP pickups I dig Crawler a lot more, than HD and RY both. Crawler is less modern than HD, but has almost same output, thicker sound, and it roars! And very good smooth\thick lead sound, extra weight on notes, played higher than 12th fret. It's my favorite BKP until now, and I've tried Nailbomb, Cold Sweat, HD, RY and Emerald (also great PU, less output that Crawler, brighter, but have awesome articulation and mid-push).

Emerald neck/Crawler bridge would stay in my Suhr forever, although Crawler might be a little too dark in LP.

[littleredguitars2]

hmm weird. i always expected the holy diver to be crunchier. and i've always been curious about the crawlers. but i agree, i dont think it would work well in a les paul.

[Sir_Palomid]

hmm weird. i always expected the holy diver to be crunchier.

Well, it might depends on pickups height, amp and etc, but I'm pretty sure that RY drives amp better (crunchier) on mid-gain, and HD sound dryer,
vice versa on high gain though, HD is the pickup that must be played loud  :lol:
Once more - it's my personal observations, with my guitars and gear, and they might be different than somebody else's.

Also, I've checked your review of RY on YouTube, I think they sound awesome in your LP. My PRS sound way thinner and brighter with RY (that's why I've put HD back).

[littleredguitars2]

yeah the RY's do sound awesome in my lp. i plan to buy another lp in the coming months and i'm trying to decide what pickups i may ultimately put in there

[Dave Sloven]

yeah the RY's do sound awesome in my lp. i plan to buy another lp in the coming months and i'm trying to decide what pickups i may ultimately put in there

Emeralds sound awesome in a Les Paul.  I installed a set in my friend's Les Paul Studio a month ago.

[littleredguitars2]

basically what i want to do, is get a neck pup that will work in a lot of different situations. and swap out bridge pups every now and then. i was thinking about the emerald neck

[Dave Sloven]

basically what i want to do, is get a neck pup that will work in a lot of different situations. and swap out bridge pups every now and then. i was thinking about the emerald neck

Wise decision.  Between the Emerald and Rebel Yell necks you will have a lot of ground covered.

[littleredguitars2]

yeah i've heard a lot of good things about the emerald neck. was always curious about the bridge though

[Dave Sloven]

The bridge sounds really nice in a Les Paul.

Basically I can see it working anywhere a Rebel Yell works.  It is a bright pickup, well suited to a darker guitar

[littleredguitars2]

Hmm sounds like I may have to try one.  I'm also becoming interested in the dimarzio tone zone.  Worth giving a shot at least. I'd probably try it in one of my strats though

[darthphineas]

I got both...

The RY is quite a bit brighter and has more cut and bite to it. My favourite as its more versatile for alternating between chunky rhythm and a more cutting lead and i can tame it with the tone control.  Just rewired my RY equipped RGT guitar (thru neck / mahogany) today with parallel / serial / single options and it's great in all combos. Can look to do a full set on one guitar.

The HD seems flatter and more 'polite' to me compared to the RY. Def. a nice fluid lead sound with a bit more fatness/body to it and less upper mid/high fizz. From forum comments before i got the HD I was really hoping for something in the HD to blow away my SD JB but I'm afraid my 20+ yrs old JB smokes the HD for me still. It just sings and howls that little bit more.

^^ this ^^


I was wanting a BKP version of a JB killer and it took the RY. 

I put the HD in a few guitars before it found just the right combination to get what I was hoping for from it.  I've put a few RYs in a few guitars and it's right at home.  when I finally put the HD in an alder MIJ Charvel San Dimas Pro Mod with a maple board and titanium block, I was able to get that cut on the high end I prefer.  in an alder guitar with a rosewood board and brass block, the highs on the HD were just a little too soft and rounded for what I was wanting.

the RY has a bit more of a rude grunt in the mids.  both are pretty well voiced for solid rock rhythms. 

if you want a sweeter high, there's the HD.  but I agree... for more of a howl, there's the RY.

[Yellowjacket]

I was playing around with the Rebel Yell in my Les Paul Standard.  It's a legit neck pickup.  It just screams rock 'n roll and it can definitely howl when it comes to playing lead.

[Telerocker]

yeah the RY's do sound awesome in my lp. i plan to buy another lp in the coming months and i'm trying to decide what pickups i may ultimately put in there

There is some concensus here on the forum that HD's work well in PRS's and strats, but are most of the time not the first choice for Les Pauls. So are Crawlers. Of course with some exceptions. It's not a black or white-thing.