Gibson Les Paul traditional, aftermath vs blackhawk for death/thrash metal

[jackol4ntrn]

which would sound better on a peavey 6505 amp? I was also thinking about getting james hetfield's passive emgs too. I like something with nice brightness, but not over the top and good UMMFF in the bass end for my les paul. And also something that would remain clear sounding too.

[JimmyMoorby]

What tuning are you playing in?  Any rough examples of bands?

Think in order of tightness it will be emg then aftermath then black hawk but all should tight enough but some people really want the tightest sound possible.

I'd say black hawk because they sound so full but I must admit ive never tried the het set only emg 81's which i'm a fan of for wht they do.  Never been interested in the aftermath bridge

[jackol4ntrn]

thanks for the reply, judging by your userpic, you know what I'm talking about which is great!

https://soundcloud.com/jackson-k-3

heres some samples of my band. I want that kind of Death crunch and brightness from symbolic but I dont like bc riches, or I could get away with Carcass's new sound in surgical steel

My guitar is in D standard, too.

Edit: Also, I am playing my Jackson dkmgt here which has the emgs 81 and 60 set. i wish the guitars would sound brighter outside of amp and effect simulation. Also fixed soundcloud link.

[Dave Sloven]

If you want brighter than EMGs with a tight bottom end maybe the Rebel Yell?

In terms of bass you lose some, but 6505s are bass heavy anyway

Soundcloud didn't work for me.

[jackol4ntrn]

fixed link, thanks for your imput. I should listen to those two pickups as well. But I think I'm leaning towards emgs, especially the 81s. I just dont want to lose that clarity though.

[Dave Sloven]

I can hear them now.  Very Schuldineresque at times.

I would also consider the Painkiller for the Les Paul.  Through the 6505 it should give a nice bright sound with a lot of presence.

Just as an aside, one of the sounds I used to be able to get out of my SG Standard when it had the A-Bomb in it was the Possessed 'Seven Churches' sound (through a Peavey 6534+ and Maxon OD-9).  I don't know if that is one of the sounds that would work for you but it's possible a Painkiller in a Les Paul with a similar overdrive, a 10-band EQ and a 6505 might get close.

[JimmyMoorby]

I havent tried the emg het set so I cant say but i've had quite a few pickups swaps of late in my les paul custom.

I agree with Orange 110% you want a painkiller bridge and whilst youre at it get the set if its one thing ive learn of late with BKP the sets work better most of the time.

I've said it before on here but for me the painkiller to my ears sits inbetween a duncan distortion and an emg but with that string to string clarity you get with BKP.  Obviously emg's are clear with high gain but so are painkillers.

The painkillers is ideal for Painkiller era Judas Priest and BEYOND not the other way round.  Its very aggressive more so than the distortion (In a big mahogony guitar any way)

Compared to an emg 81 its not as tight (Nothing is) and it doesnt have as much output but it sound about as chunky with some added aggression.

I havent got much time for the aftermath from what ive heard but I think most folk will recommend the painkiller.  You could also consider the black hawk and ceramic nailbomb but I really think the painkillers what youre after from those clips too.

[jackol4ntrn]

wow okay, I will deff check painkiller out. I wish this company was in the states so I can try and return it easily without the hassle of international shipping. I have more research to do.

[littleredguitars2]

Definitely trust in the suggestions given by the board and by bare knuckles staff directly.  As long as you really know how to express the way you want your guitar to sound, you should be in good hands if you take our suggestions to heart.

[jackol4ntrn]

at first I avoided the painkiller because BKP marketed it as a "djent" pickup, I dont know why. But I believe the suggestions after hearing some youtube vids of the pickup installed on a les paul. But I really wanted just a bridge pickup, does it really matter to have a set if I plan on using the bridge more? Also I would like a covered set because I like the classic chrome look, I assume that an open would be louder?

[Toe-Knee]

The Aftermath is ok for thrash but its a bit too honky for fast chugging imho.

The Miracle Man & cold sweats are the only pickups in the range I would use for thrash.

[JimmyMoorby]

I wouldnt worry about them being covered or not just get what you want and only get the bridge if youre happy with whatever neck you have.

I personally think theres quite a few BKP's that can pull off thrash for my tastes at least but the painkiller works a charm in an unchambered les paul.  I cant imagine the painkiller in any thing but a big mahogony body though but again my tastes

[Dave Sloven]

I agree on Cold Sweat and Miracle Man for '80s thrash - especially American 'Bay Area' thrash - but I think the Painkiller is better suited for the '90s style tech death metal stuff that the OP seems to be more orientated toward.  It will also be better at doing more aggressive thrash stuff like Possessed, Sepultura, Kreator, or Destruction.

[JimmyMoorby]

Yeah the painkiller has the Chuck Schuldiner thing going on which is no shocker.  Like I said Judas Priest and beyond.  Chuck was a JP fanboy.

God I miss Chucks music :(

[Dave Sloven]

Here are a couple of clips to show how the PK performs in two different mahogany set-neck guitars.

1. An SG Standard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imPQUg1NK1I

2. A Les Paul (same player, same amp):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68EFY0I-SxE