New Ibanez on the way, I need BKP's for it.

[jaredmkl]

Welp after some money issues I can no longer get my Majesty . But it's all good, I ended up ordering a RGIT20FE today.
Specs:
7pc Maple/Walnut neck-thru
Ash wing body
Ebony fretboard
Gibraltar Standard II bridge

It ships with EMG's. So those have to go.

This going to my Modern Metal/Prog guitar. I tend to go for kinda "djenty" tone. I really dig the sound Periphery has. I also really really enjoy the tone Dez from The Safety Fire has.

So I've been looking at the Painkiller, Juggernaut, Holydiver, and Aftermath in the bridge.
And pretty much settled on the VHII for the neck, I've loved every sound I've heard out of it. (If I grab the Juggernaut, I'll just get a set).

I'm worried getting to thin of a sound as well, I still like having that "purr" with that tight upper aggression. And chord clarity is huge! I use alot of large complex chords.

I really dig how they all sound.
 I'm kinda worried about the HD not having all the aggression and tightness I want, and I've never really been huge on non-ceramic Bridge pups.
As for the Juggernaut I've heard sounds that I've LOVED and ones I've really hated, and It seems when compared against the AM, the AM beats the pants off it, but the hybrid alnico and ceramic might do well in Ash I'd assume?

As for the Painkiller I've just heard awesome reviews of it, and heard it's one of the tightest BKP's around so I dug that.

Any help would be awesome!
 

[Dave Sloven]

From clips I'd say that the Painkiller is more bitey than the Juggernaut.  Depends on what you like.

#1 piece of advice: wait until you have the guitar in your hands before deciding which pickups to get.  You need to assess its acoustic (unplugged) characteristics before replacing the EMGs.

[Sarkasis]

To summarize (for my own sake), you prefer ceramics, need lots of clarity for chords, and like purring palm mutes while playing djent.

I think we can rule out the Holydiver because it's warmer and not quite as fast as these very fast-reacting ceramics. I like it but it'll depend on your guitar and application.

If you like a lot of bite in the highs or your guitar is darker, consider the Painkiller. If you like a broad midrange and squeaky tight and percussive palm mutes, get an Aftermath. Those are the tightest pickups. On the other hand, the two best bets in ceramic for more versatile prog tones (and more purr) would be the Blackhawk or the Juggernaut. My impression is that the Blackhawk might be more polished-sounding. I think you should be able to narrow it down to one of them depending on these specific preferences.

[jaredmkl]

Defiantly nailed it.

So it sounds like Jugg/PK would be my best route.  Maybe the AM.

Whats the low end on the PK like? And The upper mids on the Juggs? haha

If the juggs can as tight and aggressive as the PK's with the dialing in of my rig they might be the way to go from the versatility. 

[Yellowjacket]

Juggs are plenty aggressive but it is a refined sort of aggression.  I have the juggerset in a brighter guitar and I can't put the thing down.  They're really amazing pickups.

Bright guitar = Juggerset.

Darker guitar = Painkillers. 

Consider a darker guitar to be something like a short scale mahogany solid body with a mahogany neck and rosewood board.  This sort of guitar will have a lot of weight in the low mids.

[jaredmkl]

And would the AM's do better in a darker or brighter guitar?

[Kiichi]

And would the AM's do better in a darker or brighter guitar?

Imho they can do well in both, though you would need to be more careful with the bright end of the spectrum. What goes best with the AM are scooped mids, or at least not a pronounced center mid range, cause the AM has a lot of that.

[Duck2587]

Your guitar sounds like it may be too bright for Aftermaths unless you're tuning down to C. If so, then go for the AM. They have outstanding clarity. I honestly think you should go for black hawks since they have a fantastic reputation for ash body and maple necks. Just check out Mishas video with black hawks in his Mayones walnut guitar. They have the wide range for versatility, they purr like no other, and have the best clarity out of all the BKP's IMO. Check out the Miracle Man as well. They have a reputation for maple necks.
Ultimately it depends on how your guitar sounds naturally/unplugged and what your rig set up is (darker or brighter). Hope this helps 

[jaredmkl]

Your guitar sounds like it may be too bright for Aftermaths unless you're tuning down to C. If so, then go for the AM. They have outstanding clarity. I honestly think you should go for black hawks since they have a fantastic reputation for ash body and maple necks. Just check out Mishas video with black hawks in his Mayones walnut guitar. They have the wide range for versatility, they purr like no other, and have the best clarity out of all the BKP's IMO. Check out the Miracle Man as well. They have a reputation for maple necks.
Ultimately it depends on how your guitar sounds naturally/unplugged and what your rig set up is (darker or brighter). Hope this helps 

Drop C exactly actually haha. I've tried the Blackhawks, I've got a bud with them in his 7 string. I wasn't the most fond of them. They sounded too hot, smooth, and refined for my tastes.

[Kiichi]

Your guitar sounds like it may be too bright for Aftermaths unless you're tuning down to C. If so, then go for the AM. They have outstanding clarity. I honestly think you should go for black hawks since they have a fantastic reputation for ash body and maple necks. Just check out Mishas video with black hawks in his Mayones walnut guitar. They have the wide range for versatility, they purr like no other, and have the best clarity out of all the BKP's IMO. Check out the Miracle Man as well. They have a reputation for maple necks.
Ultimately it depends on how your guitar sounds naturally/unplugged and what your rig set up is (darker or brighter). Hope this helps 

Drop C exactly actually haha. I've tried the Blackhawks, I've got a bud with them in his 7 string. I wasn't the most fond of them. They sounded too hot, smooth, and refined for my tastes.

Well the AM will not get muddy cause it has less low end than the BH, which is known for having a deep low end too. The AM also is pretty abrasively agressive. You can get quite the grind out of it. Just be aware that it also is a very dry sounding bridge.

[Duck2587]

Your guitar sounds like it may be too bright for Aftermaths unless you're tuning down to C. If so, then go for the AM. They have outstanding clarity. I honestly think you should go for black hawks since they have a fantastic reputation for ash body and maple necks. Just check out Mishas video with black hawks in his Mayones walnut guitar. They have the wide range for versatility, they purr like no other, and have the best clarity out of all the BKP's IMO. Check out the Miracle Man as well. They have a reputation for maple necks.
Ultimately it depends on how your guitar sounds naturally/unplugged and what your rig set up is (darker or brighter). Hope this helps 

Drop C exactly actually haha. I've tried the Blackhawks, I've got a bud with them in his 7 string. I wasn't the most fond of them. They sounded too hot, smooth, and refined for my tastes.

Go for the Aftermaths 

[jaredmkl]

Seems like AM's, maybe Juggernauts are the routs to go for me...
I just need to listen to clips of both next to each other a bunch more, and hear the guitar when it shows up.
Any one ever hear of AM bridge and VHII neck?
I LOVE the VHII in the neck I'm 100% sold on that neck pick up.

[Yellowjacket]

If the guitar is overly bright, an A-Pig or a C-Pig may be worth considering as well.

I'll give a huge recommendation for Juggernauts as I always do.  Very versatile pickups and loads of fun to play.  The feel is just so amazing.

[jaredmkl]

At this point, It'll be decided when the guitar shows up here in a few weeks...
Both the AM's and Juggernauts seem to have Pros and Cons and both seem equality awesome.

[Yellowjacket]

HAH!  The only cons of the Juggernauts are as follows:

1) If you have a very dark sounding axe and you want a balanced tone.

2) If you don't care for the voice of the pickups.  Somehow that 'tone' cuts through much more obviously recorded than it does in the room.   The Juggs are an absolute blow torch and they're super hot.  If you're looking for that vintage sort of a thing, good luck.