Is this guitar warm enough for the Painkillers?

[JimmyMoorby]

Thanks, mates :)

A guy from a shop who sells a lot of BKPs said the Nailbomb is just as bright as the painkiller. Some forum friend who has tried dozens of them also told me that the lows sounds much better and are more tight in the PK. A matter of taste, I guess. Another friend of mine has established this rank from bright to bassy:

Aftermath->C-Nailbomb/Blackhawks->Miracle Man/Painkiller->C-pig-->Alnico Warpig

He said that the PK is somewhat similar to a EMG81 but with better sound and more body. He says the C-bomb has an 80's cool flavour like a JB that actually sounded good (I never tried a JB, so I don't know very well what he means)

I'm going to put a poll if I can just to get the opinion of those who read but don't want to write :)

Honestly mate reading the above you'd be better off listening to people on this forum.  I take no pleasure in saying the info youve been given is WAY off IMO.
Bright and dark are good starting points to describe a sound but a pickup could be extremely bassy but also very bright.

I agree the painkiller is very tight.  In that regards its similar to an EMG 81 and in that it has a similar upper mid and treble response but thats it.....they dont sound similar as such.

Its often said the rebel yell and holy diver are BKP'ish' takes on the Duncan JB but whilst I have read some people say the nailbomb is similar to a JB I strongly disagree with this.

[Dave Sloven]

First off I would try to narrow it down like this.

1. You need a ceramic pickup
2. Do you want a 'hairy' pickup (or not)?  I think the answer to this in your case might be yes, but not too much
3. How will the EQ of the pickup interact with the EQ of my guitar?

The C-Bomb, Cold Sweat, Miracle Man, and C-Pig have a mid scoop.  The C-Bomb and C-Pig less so than the other two, but more so than their alnico counterparts.  The Aftermath and Painkiller buck this trend and are middy despite being ceramic.  All of them will generally give you a tighter low end than an alnico magnet with more of a crisp high end

What I would tend to think is that a C-Bomb can be like a Painkiller in a guitar where the mids might be too much for a PK.

The thing I'm not sure about is the walnut top.

Are you based in the UK?  If so it might be practical to return the pickup within the time period if it doesn't do what you want.  In that case I would order a Painkiller and exchange it for a C-Bomb if it is too middy.  How close is the guitar to completion?

[one]

Thanks, mates. You are helping me a lot educating me about BKPs and I'm learning many things. English is not my first language and I don't understand what a "hairy" pickup is, maybe similar to a crispy sound?. Anyways, if I am right, Agent Orange nailed it with "yes, but not noo much".

I think the C-bomb would be to bassy for a mahogany guitar, walnut top or not, but you know, some people say the real impact in sound of tonewoods come from the neck and especially the fingerboard, in that case, maple might make it a neutral guitar, a bit leaned over the bass side. I don't know if I make myself clear here. If it was a swamp ash guitar I'd go for the C-bomb no doubt because of my music preference and because the lows would be tamed by the light wood, but in mahogany I've been advised it will have a deep bottom I'm not sure I want.

It's still 8 months until the guitar arrives, 8 months to change my mind a hundred times :)

[Dave Sloven]

Hairy refers to the treble detail, hard to describe but PKs and NBs are the BKPs that really have it.

Cold Sweats and Miracle Mans tend to be more toward the crispy sound in the highs, maybe the C-Hawk too but I can't remember what that sounds like in clips exactly

Here's someone comparing Painkiller, C-Bomb, and Emerald pickups.

The first two definitely have the 'hair', the Emerald doesn't.

The A-Bomb was designed to give the sound you hear on the Nailbomb album, which is definitely hairy.  It's a kind of abrasiveness I guess.  The C-Bomb is toned down in that respect as it has less mids, and that's where the hair resides

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIrtChNDF6o

[one]

Thank you, agent orange! :)

Maybe BKs aren't for me, I was considering a pair of 57/66 as a last resort if I didn't make up my mind, because I prefer passives atm.

Anyway, I should have talked about my experience with other pickups first. Maybe this could help understand what I am after. I have a CrunchLab/LiquidFire in a mahogany Ibanez which I love, especially the LF for solos. I also have the EMG 81/89 in another mahogany guitar, I like the 81 for metal and doing harmonics, but after a while it sounds a bit sterile and even. I also have a Nazgul/Sentient pair in a KM7. I like both a lot. The Nazgul is brutal, I love it, so much power, although a bit too much middle range, I think it's the best pickup for any kind of metal I have ever tried, not very versatile but does its job. I also tried the SD FullShred which I found very clear but lacking of character, or the Blackouts type1 which I found great for metal but too dark for mahogany.

[Dave Sloven]

I would probably take a closer look at the Blackhawks if I were you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qacdnnbe2k

It might be the case that the alnico Black Hawk will be perfect for your guitar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvoZPM-sVRc

[one]

That's precisely my first idea, the Alnico Blackhawk. My friend who has had almost all the modern BKP humbuckers told me the AV version are more bass-oriented, more loose and less metal than the C-hawks, better for slug, stoner or grunge. He said the C-hawks have a lot more mids and trebble. He said he wouldn't the alnico in any BKP except for the Blackhawks, and that those would be like the opposite of the C-pigs. Maybe you recommended them to me because I mentioned the 57/66 and the Blackhawks are supposed to be the most EMGish of the BKP catalogue. It's hard to know without actually trying oneself, I'm afraid I am to choose any and use the old trial-error formula here. Thanks a lot for your help :)

[Dave Sloven]

The reason I recommended them is that (1) they are a good alternative to EMGs, (2) they have a lot of the good BKP qualities that people can't find in EMGs, & (3) the alnico version is less bright than an EMG and less likely to be too bright in your guitar.

EMGs are generally very bright pickups best suited to things like ESP Vipers and Schecter Hellraisers (solid mahogany guitars)

[one]

The reason I recommended them is that (1) they are a good alternative to EMGs, (2) they have a lot of the good BKP qualities that people can't find in EMGs, & (3) the alnico version is less bright than an EMG and less likely to be too bright in your guitar.

EMGs are generally very bright pickups best suited to things like ESP Vipers and Schecter Hellraisers (solid mahogany guitars)

Thanks, bro. ;) Well, my guitar is going to be mahogany bodied, not the neck, and RAN Crushers are not as heavy-wood guitars as other brands/models so you are probably right and I should discard EMGs. Well, the decision now is between Painkillers, C-Nailbombs and Blackhawks, different beasts, but I still have to come to a decision. Maybe mentioning that I use blackstar amplification is also relevant. These amps are more dark than bright.

[ericsabbath]

the c-bomb might have some minor resemblance with the duncan custom sh-5 and the custom 5 sh-14, but it sounds nothing like a JB and has no 80's character to my ears

I agree with agent orange about the c-bomb feeling a little tamed compared to the a-bomb
it sounded unexpectedly warmer under gain in the same guitar, but more compressed than LOUD
personally, I liked it much better than the alnico version

I don't agree about the painkiller comparisons with emgs, but they do have that scratchy texture like the aftermath, which could be interpreted as an active pup common trait

[JimmyMoorby]

the c-bomb might have some minor resemblance with the duncan custom sh-5 and the custom 5 sh-14, but it sounds nothing like a JB and has no 80's character to my ears

I agree with agent orange about the c-bomb feeling a little tamed compared to the a-bomb
it sounded unexpectedly warmer under gain in the same guitar, but more compressed than LOUD
personally, I liked it much better than the alnico version

I don't agree about the painkiller comparisons with emgs, but they do have that scratchy texture like the aftermath, which could be interpreted as an active pup common trait

I agree.  To clarify the painkiller doesn't sound like an emg 81 per se but its suitable for all the kind of music an emg 81 would be good if that makes sense.....and more.  The sounds of later Judas Priest, Necrophagist etc those guys used actives and the painkiller covers that sound but with a lot more 'character' and 'grind' and clarity.  Twiddly and brutal riffs.


Still saying c-bomb though for a brutal pup with more versatility