Les Paul – Mule replacement?

[richardjmorgan]

Soooooo a while ago I picked up a Greco Les Paul Custom copy (details here: https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=31904.msg408609#msg408609) with a set of Mules in it.

I only just recently got a chance to give it a go with my usual setup (C# std. tuning, 5150 mk1 boosted with a Boss SD-1, Orange PPC412) and I am pretty ruddy impressed. The other guitar I use for this stuff is a Gibson V with EMGs (81/85).

Now, there are some things I love about the LP/Mules – everything's definitely warmer and fuller than with the V which, given that I'm predominately the Rhythm Guy, serves to fill out our band sound quite nicely. Compared to the V though, I feel they're lacking a certain something when it comes to fast palm muting (of which we have a fair bit) – they don't have the bite, or attack, or whatever you want to call it, that the EMGs have, which leaves things sounding maybe not as punchy as I'd ideally like.

So here's the thing: do I need a different pickup (I'm thinking bridge for now) – one that retains the warmth and heft of the Mule, but with a bit more of an edge to it, à la the EMGs? Or are these two properties mutually exclusive and I'm going to have to compromise? Or do I just need to adjust my playing style or EQing or something to get the best out of the Mules?

Errr here's a soundcloud link if you'd like to hear the sort of stuff I'll be using it for: https://soundcloud.com/the-quarry/sets/we-the-disease. Although ideally, I'd basically want it to sound like the guitar sound Bill Steer and Colin Richardson got on Heartwork.

Any advice gratefully received, chaps.

(Obviously the follow-on question to this is what to stick in the V to warm/beef it up without losing the punchiness of the EMGs. Warm beef my flying V, people.)

[JimmyMoorby]

In my opininion you are asking a bit much IMHO PAF's and EMG's are at the opposite end of the scale!

Having experimented with a lot of different pickups in my Les Paul I can recommend you two bridge pickups.....

The emerald bridge IMO is like a mule with more energy.....'power' is misleading.  Through a cranked hi gain amp it can hang with high output pickups.  It's funny because it was great but playing in standard tuning at all times it needed a little more bottom end BUT my friend who plays in drop D used it and it sounded mega and he was really impressed.

I've just put a set of alnico black hawks in my les paul custom and i'd say they are like EMG's but better.  Active qualities but thicker and juicier...

[richardjmorgan]

In my opininion you are asking a bit much IMHO PAF's and EMG's are at the opposite end of the scale

Haha, I thought this might be the case! I guess I'm aiming for the middle of that scale, then.

[JimmyMoorby]

IMO Emeralds are a slight step up and work really well with low tunings.

Are those guys who mentioned from Carcass?  Haven;t really listened to them properly but in my les paul the piankiller worked really well for an arch enemy type sound

Any way Emeralds would be a step up as I say but black hawks would be an improvement on EMG

[ericsabbath]

I loved the ceramic nailbomb in my '73 lp custom
sounded much warmer than I would expect
it has a quite broad and balanced frequency range and although it has the BKP tightness, it has a full low end and nice compression instead of the dry response of pups like the painkiller or aftermath

[Telerocker]

I like the suggestion from Jimmy, since you're dropping the tuning quite a bit. So Emeralds, or maybe even Rebel Yells.

[Slartibartfarst42]

I'd go with an Emerald. You have the EMG thing covered already so although the Black Hawks may be better than the EMG pups, you'd still end up with two guitars doing much the same thing. The Emeralds will give you a lot of what you like in the Mules but with a good bit more punch. They're super tight and can take shed loads of gain, suit low tunings well and yet retain their PAF character.

[richardjmorgan]

Cheers for the input, everyone!

Are those guys who mentioned from Carcass?  Haven;t really listened to them properly but in my les paul the piankiller worked really well for an arch enemy type sound

Sorta. Bill Steer's their guitarist; Colin Richardson was producer on Heartwork, one of the two albums they did with Michael Amott from Arch Enemy on second guitar. Accounts vary as to how much of Amott's actually on the recordings though.

Now, I see that the Nailbomb's described as "The perfect synergy of old-school and modern rock tones". Could this be the solution I'm looking for? Or am I totally barking up the wrong tree?

I know the consensus seems to be leaning towards the Emerald, so please don't think I'm ignoring the advice so far; I just wonder whether it's different enough from the Mule to justify the change.

[Slartibartfarst42]

No, you're not wrong. I've only tried the alnico Nailbomb myself but I found that it does have elements of what you mention. It retains a surprisingly open sound so in that respect it is still PAF-like in the same way you might describe Mules and Emeralds, however, I think that's where the similarity ends. The Mule is the quintessential PAF pickup while an Emerald has more power and more bit while still being clearly PAF in nature. The Nailbomb is far more modern. It's tight, very aggressive and 'hairy'. I've always felt that in a guitar like a Les Paul with a lot of 'body' to it and the depth of mahogany, it would be really good as such a guitar would tame the aggressive upper mids so I've always been tempted to return to an A-Bomb now I own a Les Paul. Unfortunately when I tried it, it was in a maple neck-thru superstrat, which was entirely the wrong choice and I ended up sending it back but it may well be what you're after. In your case I'd go with the ceramic option anyway. The only note of caution I'd sound is that despite the upper mids, it's a rather darker sounding pickup than Mules or Emeralds and you are playing in quite a low tuning but those with direct experience of a C-Bomb will be able to clarify this point.

If you want something from the contemporary section that is ceramic, I'd look at Cold Sweats. These pickups REALLY suit Les Pauls, they handle lower tunings well and still have some of the PAF feel about them without the overt aggression of a Nailbomb. It's more modern in tone than the Emerald but not as much as a Nailbomb and it's brighter than a Nailbomb but not as bright as an Emerald. It could be an ideal balance for you.

[Lucas]

Richardjmorgan, on that case I can share my experience with Ceramic Nailbomb in very similar guitar to your.
Generally speaking I wouldn`t recommend Nailbomb for lower tunings.

I have Dean Cadillac (mahogany body and neck with rosewood board) and Ceramic Nailbomb in it paired with Cold Sweat. As CBomb is wonderful rhythm pickup it doesn`t cope with lower tunings very well. It looses a bit of definition and clarity, cannot keep up with lower tunings in my opinion, gets a bit muddy and gets lost a bit in the mix.

I tried it with C# drop tuning and once I was hitting power chords on lower strings I was getting a bit lost. My other guitar player in the band has EMG 81/85 combo.
That`s my experience.
Wonderful rhythm pickup but don`t quite like it in lower tunings.

Emerald or Black Dog?

Black Dog seems to be perfect for lower tunings in LP style guitars and apparently deliver crushing metal tones while retaining vintage vibe.
BLACK DOG for you! check the other thread here about black dog.

https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=32361.0

[JimmyMoorby]

Further to what Lucas says I'm very pro nailbomb but I would not use it for drop tunings especially in a les paul.

[Dave Sloven]

Yeah I was going to suggest the Emerald or Rebel Yell.

I have the alnico Nailbomb in D standard and find it is fine for what I do, but I don't do any of that tight chugga chugga stuff with it.  It manages stuff like the palm-muted riffing in old Celtic Frost songs well but I haven't done anything more demanding that that.  Most of what I play is fast power chords and a little Discharge/Doom style palm-muting which is fine

Rebel Yell has a great rep for tightness

[ericsabbath]

bill kelliher of mastodon has a bridge holy diver in the '78 cream les paul custom (maple neck) he's been using in the last album tours

I think that guitar is tuned 1 step down, but the lower string is dropped to A


edit: seems like he used that in every song of the  once more 'round the sun album

[Lucas]

Further to what Lucas says I'm very pro nailbomb but I would not use it for drop tunings especially in a les paul.

have you got the same experience?

[JimmyMoorby]

Further to what Lucas says I'm very pro nailbomb but I would not use it for drop tunings especially in a les paul.

have you got the same experience?

In a word yes!