Rebel Yell B VHII Neck combo. Some thoughts.

[Yellowjacket]

So my VHII N pup came in and I got it installed in the guitar.  Some preliminary observations at low volumes through a practice amp.  I have not got this thing through a proper tube amp but I did notice some general things about the timbre.

VHII  is warm and smooth like most Alnico II style vintage pups but it has the power, bunch, and brilliance of an Alnico V magnet as well.  Under gain, it is kinda raw, hairy, and phat like my A-Bomb bridge and yet it is somehow smooth as well.  It's like a gravely, growly, edge to that PAFish "AAAHHH" vowel tone. 

Next to the Rebel Yell, you get this higher output Mule / Riffraff sort of vibe going on.  It's really rad.  The VHII DOES have a low end so I may need to adjust the height / pole pieces to keep it from getting overly boomy.  I have to try it with a real amp to determine though.  I can definitely hear the similarities to the Juggerneck in terms of the warmth but the juggerneck is smoother sounding and more saturated when used with gain.  So far, it's cool.  The axe just oozes R&R charisma now and there is no muddiness to be found, something that plagued that guitar before, no matter what else I put in it.

The pickup splits really well and stays warm, not becoming overly bright. 

[Yellowjacket]

Through a real amp, you hear the pickups but in a more pronounced way.  The VHII is smooth and purrs nicely but once you dig in it gets greasy, grimey, and screams R&R.  It's a warm pickup but it has the brilliance and chime of an Alnico V magnet.  I'd say that it's really warm and I wouldn't want to go warmer in this guitar.  At the same time, it's got more top end and clarity than the pickup it is replacing, the SD Alnico II Pro, which was simply dull and muddy sounding.  There are lots of good sounds to be had with a coil tap, and I have a lot of great rock tones now covered, with a generous helping of attitude.  I find the more gain you add, the more pronounced the top end bite becomes, which is not a problem. 

The guitar has a gritty and lively sort of a nature, like most bolt ons do, and it is well served with the pickups I have in it now.  Such a great axe, that is only outclassed severely by the pickups HAHA!!

More importantly, while the neck pickup has a deliciously different voice from the bridge pickup  (Rebel Yell), I find that the bass does not become boomy and over pronounced in the neck.  Furthermore, the bridge pup does not sound thin so everything balances well for switching.  I have the sort of output difference I like, with the slightly hotter bridge paired with the less hot neck.  I prefer more dynamic tones on the neck with more jam on the bridge, for a more saturated and focused crunch.  It will take me a bit of time to 'find' all the tones with the VHII but it's going to be a fun ride!!!

[darkbluemurder]

Very nice review!

Cheers Stephan

[Yellowjacket]

I should mention that the VHII neck has a similar timbre to the A-Bomb bridge, something which I'd attribute to the offset coils.  The raw, hairy, raunchy tone is nice and it does contrast the Rebel Yell set, which is more consonant and 'pure' sounding.  Mixing and matching pickup models really depends on what a player needs or wants to hear from an instrument.  The real caveat with the VHII N/ Rebel Bridge combo or the Rebel Yell N / A-bomb combo is the fact that the timbre of the neck vs bridge pups in either of those combinations is perhaps more different than some players would prefer.  In my mind, what makes them work is that the EQ difference along with the difference in output is favourable for my needs.  I personally prefer a hotter bridge PUP with a slightly less hot neck PUP.  I find that a dynamic neck is far more useful since the tendency for a warmer tone with less overtones is not conducive to massively overdriven tones for the most part.  At least for my playing style, I like low gain on the neck and higher gain / punch on the bridge.  High gain neck playing is the domain of lead in my opinion and even in this context, there is nothing lost with a more dynamic and lower output tone.  It often results in a softer clip which is more musical.