Pickup choice for Berlin pro

[nig1064]

Hi Guys Have a quick question.

Only posted a few times here but am after a bit of input from you all.
Last year i received a set of mules for my custom 24,had them fitted and was blown away by them,So well rounded and responsive
,It changed the whole personality of my guitar.Very impressed.
On a side note Ben( i think) recommended the abraxas set but wash,t sure about the highish output and more mids.
I want nice bass response and crystal highs.
My second favourite guitar is a 1994 patrick eggle Berlin pro and i,m thinking about new pickups for this one.
It currently has a duncan custom in the bridge and an alnico pro 2 in the neck with a three way rotary ( outside coils,hum bucker,inside coils) a volume control and three way toggle all original which i don,t want to change.
I mainly play this one in the split positions,It has a lovely sound with cleans and slight breakup (which is where i am at right now)
Sooo what would be a good choice for this one?

After the mules i know bkp will be a step up from the duncans it,s just which ones.
Not really after high output just the best split sounds in a vintage type pickup.

Hope i explained myself ok!

Cheers

[darkbluemurder]

I think the VHII set would be a very good option for what you want to achieve with this guitar.

Cheers Stephan

[Telerocker]

I you want good solid splits go with vintagehot pickups like the Abraxas and the Crawler.  Both have good clean sounds in humbuckermode too.
Mules splitted will be on the bright and perhaps a little on the weak side. But, Mules sound great for cleans in all positions. The bridge and neck combined produces een refined, deep and almost 3D sound.

[darrenw5094]

Seen this on youtube a few months ago.

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

[Telerocker]

Seen this on youtube a few months ago.

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

Nice cleans, but can't touch Mules.

[nig1064]

Thanks for responses guys,

Still mulling it over but i am leaning towards the abraxes set,Ben recommended them last year for the split sounds.
Cheers Telerocker,you chimed in last year and recommended them also and again this week so maybe they are the ones to go for and i agree on the 3d sound of the mules,Amazing.I choose right with that set..
As i said i love my mules but want something  similar but not to different from them for this guitar,I think they are the best cleans i have
experienced in a humbucker,I love the bass and crystal high end but don,t want another set of mules cos then i couldn,t swap them lol.
Not to sure about the vh2 or the crawler at this stage,so i will give it some thought over the next few weeks.
I do find it hard to chooses because what you hear in the sound clips never  compares to in a room with your own gear and your own guitars.

Cheers for your time and feedback guys

[Telerocker]

Abraxas won't disappoint you. It has more topendchime than a Crawler, more mids than a Mule and good splitted tones. Could be the best of both worlds (Abraxas sits between Mules and Crawler) and certainly will fit the Eggle.

[darkbluemurder]

Both Abraxas bridge and Crawler bridge split very well. As it has been mentioned before, the Abraxas is the brighter of the two. However since you said you also wanted crystalline highs that's not something the Crawler bridge has to offer, at least not in series humbucking mode. Abraxas bridge does this better, VHII bridge or Rebel Yell bridge even more so but Rebel Yell would be close in output to what you have right now. 

In my PRS Custom I have a Crawler bridge in the bridge and a VHII neck in the neck. They work very well with the rotary selector in a way that the split sounds are full and not thin at all. Hence, I still stand by my VHII neck recommendation. The Abraxas neck is lower in output than the VHII neck. Never tried this one split but as a general rule the lower output a humbucker is the thinner it sounds split.

If your guitar were my personal guitar I would go Abraxas bridge and VHII neck since I did not like the VHII bridge as much. My initial VHII set recommendation was entirely based on your description.

Cheers Stephan

[nig1064]

Cheers guys

Have been away for a bit,so reply a bit slow.
I am so split between the abraxes  set and the vh2 set.not sure at all.But i think it,s between these two....
Darkbluemurder many thanks for your input,What didn,t you like about the vh2 bridge and what do you like about the abraxes bridge and vh2 neck combo ,how do they sound together clean and split.I am sure they dirty up well.This combination has me interested very much.
Is there any disadvantage to not getting a calibrated set and what is the best way to order individual pickups to make a set that works well together.
Cheers  to your replies guys,you are a helpful bunch.

[Telerocker]

The VHII-bridge is very focussed and noncompressed. Splitted, the cleans are not so juicy as my Crawler. I think the VHII excells as a (hard)rockpickup with - for my styles - and has a limited versality compared to other BKP-bridgepickups I own. The VHII-bridgesplit is - again, in my guitar and with my setup - not as good as the splits of my Crawler, which by the way is a bit underrated for cleans, I think. I'm not bashing the VHII. It's a great pickup in the right guitar for the right music, but not exactly what the OP wants.

[nig1064]

Thanks Tele

I have decided on the vh2 for the neck.
I think it,s between the the abraxes and the crawler for the bridge after having spent yesterday listening over and over and a lot of time digging into the forum history,Which was fun
I didn,t actually have the crawler in my sights until you mentioned it and it sounds like a nice contrast to the vh2.So any extra opinions on how these work together from you would be great.
A few more days to ponder but will probably order this week.
If anyone has any more input it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to one and all for your help.

Cheers  Nigel

[darkbluemurder]

What didn,t you like about the vh2 bridge and what do you like about the abraxes bridge

The VHII bridge sounded too dry in the Les Paul I had it in. Not that it was bad but I expected a hotter overwound PAF tone. That's not what it sounded to me. It sounded like a very aggressive beast, tight full low end, crisp top with harmonics but lacking in midrange warmth. On the other hand the Abraxas just sounded right in every guitar I had it - just the right balance of everything.

and vh2 neck combo ,how do they sound together clean and split.

No idea as I have not played them as a set. I have played the VHII set and I still play Crawler bridge and VHII neck in one guitar so I don't see a reason why Abraxas bridge and VHII neck would not work well. I definitely can say that both split well.

Is there any disadvantage to not getting a calibrated set and what is the best way to order individual pickups to make a set that works well together.

No, it's personal preference and a matter of what you want from your pickups. For example I like the Cold Sweat bridge and the Cold Sweat neck but do not like them as a set because I found the bridge to be much brighter than the neck with the same amp settings. Other players will love just that because they want a strong contrast between the two pickups. On the other hand I really like the Rebel Yell set but I want a set where I can play both pickups with the same amp/pedal settings and not have to adjust settings when I switch pickups. Hence my preferences for a humbucker set is for a higher output bridge pickup, possibly on the warm side and a low output bright, tight, clear neck pickup. 

Cheers Stephan

[nig1064]

Cheers Stephen.

You hit the nail on the head for me with your last sentence of your post.
I want a brightish neck that is clear and crisp and splits good to get that stratish sound and a fuller bridge that has warmth but body to it,heft if you will,Without being super bright.
Sorry i wasn,t really sure how to convey what i wanted from the pickups for this one, but you phrased it so well,I guess i will learn.

Cheers  Nigel

[Telerocker]

When the splitted sounds are important, I think you can't go wrong with a Abraxas-set or a Crawler/Abraxas-neck. Just to know: Crawler-bridge splitted sounds a bit like a telecaster pickup.