Neck P/U recommendation - to go with Warpig Bridge...

[Tonerider]

Morning All,

I'm in the process of taking my Warpig bridge humbucker out of my original axe ('94 Yammy Pacifica) and into my main axe which is a LTD EC-1000 (mahogany body, cap, ebony f/board.)

I'd been playing hard/classic rock with the LTD, which has just got a bit stale, and want to get back to the realm of metal - hence wanting to drop the A5 'pig in. LTD currently has Alnico II pu's - which simply don't cut it.

So, my post is two-fold - what tonal difference could I expect to hear from going from the Alnico II to the 'pig? I'm a big pinch/natural harmonics user, so obviously the very high output will help with this.

Styles, hmm - think from Red Fang to Revocation via the Red Chord. Lots of palm mutes, pick scr@pes, harmonics, trem picking, need for clarity with open strings and jazz chord voicings.

Second question, is what neck humbucker would be a good match? My original Yammy has 2 x single coil sinners - so they will be staying put. This leaves the neck pu options open on the LTD.

I notice the Warpig neck is hitting 17.5k - do I need to look at pu's with similar neck outputs to get a good matched tone? Say 15k and up?

If a Warpig neck is the best match - i'd take that - but I am interested in the Miracle Man and even other pickup manufacturers - open to suggestions. Neck pu needs to be tight, good for leads and rhythm with string/note clarity - without being too bassey. Good clean tone would be a bonus, but not afraid of using volume control to clean things up for lighter stuff.

So, any help or recommendations would be most helpful.

Cheers,

-Tonerider.

[Yellowjacket]

You want to put an A-Pig in an ec 1000
?  =-o 

Probably going to be very bassy and round sounding.  I would match a Juggernaut Neck with an A-Pig bridge for great clean / shred neck tones but I'd be leery of putting either of those pickups in a Les Paul. 

From an Alnico II pickup (Alnico II Pro) that sounds like a PAF style pickup, you'd get a lot more bass, some more highs perhaps, and tonnes more output.  More compression and much less of a dynamic sound / feel.

I'm more inclined to suggest a c-bomb bridge.  I have an a-bomb bridge in my Les Paul Standard and it's really a good fit for that particular guitar but with the styles you play, I suspect you'd want the wider tone with more output and cut in the high end.  From conversations here, it sounds like the cold sweat neck would be the appropriate neck pickup to go with the C-bomb bridge. 

[Dave Sloven]

I would look at the Juggernaut neck.

If you like the Warpig and have one on hand I would try it in the LTD and see how you like it.  If it works then look at getting a neck pickup

[Tonerider]

It's no problem for me to take the Alnico II out and drop the 'pig in - and I can always swap them back.

But, these tones aren't too bad from a A-Pig in a lester. Now, the EC1000 is quite a bit thinner than an LP...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPkxofUctjM&list=UU8_RLbmtbpDoF8EvW7KjXjA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUeRX-jzD84

I play through a Kemper Profiler, so no problem shaping the low end if it's excessive, got an original Maxon OD808 to help out if needed also.

Also, if the output is too much on the bass, I can drop the pu height right back to the pickup ring?

Thanks,

-Tonerider

[darrenw5094]

I have a Warpig in a mahogany Caparison and the bass is not overpowering or flubby, there is a chunky bass, but it's controlled.

I also have a Riff Raff neck paired with a Painkiller bridge in a Ibanez J Custom and there is no volume difference. I don't think that is a problem with BKP's.

[Yellowjacket]

HA!  Well, try it first. 

I get a whole mountain of low mids from my Juggerset in my super strat so I think that some guitars would just have too much lows to use a pickup which is designed to compensate for a lack of lows / body in an instrument.   It may work in the LTD, it may not.  I have 'heard' reports of Warpigs sounding too bassy in a singlecut / mahogany style guitar and then yielding a very pleasing result when installed in something like a Jackson.