Versatile "metal" pickup(s)?

[cschneider154]

Cold Sweats will give you anything from Judas Priest to Pantera to Slayer and Celtic Frost.

They do not have an EMG type sound though - if you are looking for that go for a Black Hawk or Miracle Man.

Rebel Yells do sound quite '80s, very Ratt or Randy Rhoads

what do you mean they do not have an emg type sound? is there something the emg has that they are lacking?

[Dave Sloven]

No, just that it's a specific sound.  For example, Suffocation, '90s Slayer, and most death metal from '89 onwards tended to use that pickup.  I don't especially like it, but it works in some situations.  The MM and BH are closer to it in sound and output than a Cold Sweat, which sounds more like the hot passive humbuckers of the '80s.  The A-Bomb has a more '90s metal sound, but really you could also see it as a '80s hardcore sound.

[Sarkasis]

anyone play a Bill Lawrence L-90 in the neck and a L-500 in the bridge.? i listened to some videos and it seems the rebel yell sounds very 80's to me. Its cool and all, but it doesent sound like it could play modern metal at all. ill admit i liked that you could get them with a laser gun etch lol

Nolly has been big on the Rebel Yell for years, and all his Red Seas Fire stuff (IIRC) was recorded with a Rebel Yell in the bridge.
http://youtu.be/1QUUajNPb5g

[littleredguitars2]

i had a rebel yell set in my LP for 5 or 6 months and while i think it could definitely hit that 80s tone, its definitely much more than that. its quite versatile. i have some videos on my channel showing it off a bit. let me find some

Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell Pickup / Gibson Les Paul review

Riff. Full Version

Comparing Bare Knuckle Pickups - The Mule, Piledriver, Rebel Yell, Stockholm
(3rd guitar in this video)

Testing my new Peavey 5150 4x12 Cab

[cschneider154]

No, just that it's a specific sound.  For example, Suffocation, '90s Slayer, and most death metal from '89 onwards tended to use that pickup.  I don't especially like it, but it works in some situations.  The MM and BH are closer to it in sound and output than a Cold Sweat, which sounds more like the hot passive humbuckers of the '80s.  The A-Bomb has a more '90s metal sound, but really you could also see it as a '80s hardcore sound.

now im super interested in the MM and BH haha, im gonna check out some videos. Ill check out those rebel yell videos posted above as well, although i keep seeing videos of the rebel yell playing great but still none of the videos show the rebel yell playing modern or really heavy metal lol, so im still convinced its a pickup stuck in the 80's. The nolly video was cool but i would of liked to have a video of him by himself.

[cschneider154]

 ill admit im a noob. what does it mean when you go to buy a pickup and the choices are 2.0H, 2.8H, 4.0H etc?

[Yellowjacket]

No, just that it's a specific sound.  For example, Suffocation, '90s Slayer, and most death metal from '89 onwards tended to use that pickup.  I don't especially like it, but it works in some situations.  The MM and BH are closer to it in sound and output than a Cold Sweat, which sounds more like the hot passive humbuckers of the '80s.  The A-Bomb has a more '90s metal sound, but really you could also see it as a '80s hardcore sound.

now im super interested in the MM and BH haha, im gonna check out some videos. Ill check out those rebel yell videos posted above as well, although i keep seeing videos of the rebel yell playing great but still none of the videos show the rebel yell playing modern or really heavy metal lol, so im still convinced its a pickup stuck in the 80's. The nolly video was cool but i would of liked to have a video of him by himself.

I think pickups do something to shape tone but equally important is the axe they're in and the amp they're being played through.  It's a bit narrow minded to classify a pickup as one sound / style era when tone is influenced by so many other factors as well. 

[Dave Sloven]

Please describe the EMG sound.

[cschneider154]

so after making myself look like a jackass i have concluded that the rebel yells are not stuck in the 80's. I think i might actually put a rebel yell in the bridge but was considering a emerald or vhii in the neck. would that work for what i want? or should i wait to hear back what kind of wood  the guitar is? To be honest im a little sold on the rebel yell because i really want that ray gun sketch lol but after watching some nolly videos on other rebel yell videos it seems like you can play metal on a rebel yell seeing how nolly did it with his band but he only had a rebel yell in the bridge.

[Dave Sloven]

I would take a closer look at the Rebel Yell neck before ruling it out, especially if you want the rayguns.

It is one of the best pickups in the BKP range, described as being between the VHII and Cold Sweat in character.  It is a little brighter than the CS and not quite as hot, but can do the same things, if that makes sense.

I really think that the RYs would be very well suited to your guitar simply because of the similarities between it and an Explorer, where the RYs are the stand-out pickup choice because of the large mass of wood behind the bridge, which provides a lot of bass but can get muddy with a pickup that lacks the RYs tight bottom end.

BTW, the main guitarist I think of when I see a Rich Bich is Mappe from Candlemass, who used one on all of their classic albums from the '80s for that huge rhythm sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiAhhY1B3GE

[Yellowjacket]

The Rebel Yells are interesting pickups.  They're very 3 dimensional and they have really lively harmonics that just growl and chirp like crazy.
The soloing / lead playing in particular is really really fun.  It may take some getting used to but once you learn how to manipulate the different tones with your pick, you'll never go back.  There is a depth to the expression that I really love. 

I find that the bright high mids really go well with dark / modern amplifiers, as these pickups retain clarity and string separation even under ludicrous amounts of gain.  The trick to getting a great sound with a RY is finding the most appropriate piece of wood for them.  Any axe that is more scooped sounding with a lot of lows and low mids will provide this pickup with a monstrous tone overall.  Having put it in an all mahogany guitar, it's absolutely enormous sounding and it growls like an angry chainsaw. 

 :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

for days!!!

[cschneider154]

yellowjacket you put the set or just a bridge RY in the all mahogany? how would they handle other wood type?

agentorange- Badass video man, you pushed me a step closer to the RY. He wouldent happen to actually be using RY pickups in that video is he?

also i just checked is it really worth the extra $150 to get RY instead of a black winter open set? or a blackout set? AKA i just need some more pushes to buy RY lol

[Kiichi]

The black winter are Duncans if memory serves? I like to be fair here and not put duncans down. The can work really well. Hey, a lot of classic and great sounding stuff has been recorded with them. I do however think that, yes the extra money is worth it here. I am not talking specific pickups, just general BKP vs others.

Paying more for high end gear is a thing, sometimes it is worth it, sometimes you are paying for name or mojo. I have gear from a lot of companys. All good stuff, but there are three that really feel like they rise above the rest for me. Feline Guitars, our own Juansolos pedals (not even a buissiness), and BKP. The quality, the heart, and really just (pardon my french) the f*ck these people actually give. It is a term thrown around often, but when it feels right it just feels right.

So would I recommend you to try BKPs? Hell yeah. The guys are really cool, probably the best customer service I have seen on such a scale. In this day and age that counts for a lot in my book. What would it be without good product? Nothing. What BKPs can deliver however can be hard to describe. Yes, they are really open, dynamic, touch sensitive, defined, musical, etc. All words which are good, I like words, heck I study them currently, but you can only really take it on faith and try it yourself.

And if you somehow happen to not like it there is always either the wonderful BKP customer service with 14 day return policy if bought directly and if all goes wrong pretty good resale value.



Sh*te I am sounding more and more like a sales guy for BKP. I have been here too long. xD

[Yellowjacket]

yellowjacket you put the set or just a bridge RY in the all mahogany? how would they handle other wood type?

agentorange- Badass video man, you pushed me a step closer to the RY. He wouldent happen to actually be using RY pickups in that video is he?

also i just checked is it really worth the extra $150 to get RY instead of a black winter open set? AKA i just need some more pushes to buy RY lol

Dark / Bass heavy guitars are best because they make for a beefy and balanced sound.

[Edit] I was typing this out very quickly so I didn't fully answer your question.  I apologize.  I had the RY bridge in a LP Standard, so Mahogany / Rosewood fingerboard / Set Neck / Maple cap.  It tends to get brighter and quite mid rangey and can sound a bit thin at lower gain settings.  Once again, a dark and bass heavy amp (Like a Dual Rectifier) will compensate for this quite easily.  I've not tried the RYs in a properly bright guitar but they're very bright pickups so I'd imagine this sort of configuration would quickly become overbearing.   

Generally I like BKP with dark and thick amps like Mesas that tend to get muddy.  I prefer Seyour Duncans with bright and thin / midrangey / clear sounding amps like Marshalls.

[cschneider154]

[quote author=Kiichi link=topic=31565.msg406035#msg406035 date=1394499319
The black winter are Duncans if memory serves? I like to be fair here and not put duncans down. The can work really well. Hey, a lot of classic and great sounding stuff has been recorded with them. I do however think that, yes the extra money is worth it here. I am not talking specific pickups, just general BKP vs others.]





the only negative ive heard of bareknuckles so far is that they can be "Scatter Wound" which means that the winds are not guided and not uniform. so the tone will be different.