2nd Tokai wants BKP's as well - this one should ROCK!!

[schneidas]

Hey again guys,

so as discussed in my other thread - my first Tokai LP has new BKP's coming: I chose a set of Mules - but also have a VH2 bridge if the Mule bridge should be too bright.
As my first Tokai will now cover the Vintage Rock Category with Mules or Mule/VH2 combo - my second Tokai should have pickups that are more powerful - hotter, if you will.

My style is still Gary Moore meets Dave Murray with a touch of Yngwie and Slash (it's an odd mix I know).
But the music played with this one should be more like 80s Rock and 80s Metal.
I'm still using my Kemper amp with hotrodded Marshall tones...

For the neck I was thinking, either:
-Riff Raff neck
-Rebel Yell neck
-Cold Sweat neck
-Nailbomb neck


For the bridge I was thinking:
-ABomb
-CBomb
-Rebel Yell bridge
-Riff Raff bridge


Pretty lost here. I've read like 1 million reviews and also used the search function extensively... every time I'm set on one pickup I read something different and another one gets more interesting.
But I can't really rule out any of the above as of yet. They seem to be strong contenders for the intended purpose.
Anyway, any help and insight would be highly appreciated!

Thanks again for the help on my first Tokai.

Cheers,
Chris

[Kiichi]

Well an LP for 80s rock and metal for me screams Rebel Yell. If you like the tones of the likes of Ratt then it is an amazing choice. Lover LPs, super punchy and tight bottom end, screaming high mids, and a high end that consists of harmonic overtones, giving it cut without end yet avoiding harshness. Into a Marshall type it is glorious.
The neck is also a great pairing for the style of the time, but it even works with a Mule neck (those two I can attest to).

[Dave Sloven]

Rebel Yell set could be good; you should also look at the Emerald set.

[richard]

I've just been in my kitchen playing my RY loaded Firebird (all mahogany) into my new Blackstar TVP15 set up for a Hotrod Marshall sound. Very difficult to stop playing. On Tuesday I was playing through a JCM900 half stack and got tones to die for. The RYs are AWESOME. They are not metal pickups - they retain a lot of vintage character but with added bite and growl. I think you will love them.

[Kiichi]

I've just been in my kitchen playing my RY loaded Firebird (all mahogany) into my new Blackstar TVP15 set up for a Hotrod Marshall sound. Very difficult to stop playing. On Tuesday I was playing through a JCM900 half stack and got tones to die for. The RYs are AWESOME. They are not metal pickups - they retain a lot of vintage character but with added bite and growl. I think you will love them.

New school cut, old school heart.
A classic tone faithfully brought to the modern day.

Those are versions of what I usually say about them.

[Lucas]

I would say that RY is the best bet, but talking from experience my CBomb deals with overdriven old school tones surprisingly great as well.

It adds a little bit of aggression and modern twist, but that`s a beauty of it. It`s hard to describe and explain but I love the way Cbomb works with lower gain pedals (I use Wampler Plexidrive and Wampler Sovereign for that, I know the last one can be a hi gain monster as well but have it set fairly low) or my Orange Dual Terror with added drive.

In my band I use CBomb to play even covers songs like
GnR Paradise City,
Tina Turner Simply the Best (more heavy version though)
30 seconds to Mars The Kill.

for ceramic pickup I really like clean tones as well.
Lead work is just ok in my opinion, nothing to rave about.

[Telerocker]

Rebel Yell-set. It's the BKP-pickup that links the vintage(hot) and contemporary section. Does (hard)rock in spades and is capable of doing serious metal. If you're Tokai has quite some bottomend the RY could fit the bill. If it's a bright guitar, you might want to consider the Holy Diver and even the Crawler.

[schneidas]

Thanks for all the answers 

Allright, although the CBomb sounds tempting, I guess I will just try the Rebel Yell bridge.
The Les Paul is pretty balanced with a slight bassy response (when played unplugged) - so nothing bright about the guitar.

Regarding the neck pickup: go Rebel Yell neck or try the Cold Sweat neck?

I know I didn't like the VH2 neck - it was too smokey/raunchy sounding for me. I read somewhere that the Rebel Yell neck is sort of a Cold Sweat/VH2 neck hybrid - so I'm kinda worried it will have the same smokey/raunchy (or "hoarse" - as I'd call it) quality to it - and I wonder if the CS neck would be better for me?

Any insight much appreciated 

[richard]

The RY neck is a beaut. I never liked any neck humbuckers until I got the RY set. I don't use it a great deal at gigs but when I'm noodling at home I can stay on the neck for hours. It will take all the gain you care to throw at it and it excels at 60's/70's cleaner tones.

[gwEm]

The Rebel Yell bridge pickup in a Les Paul is a monster, hard rock tone for miles and really good fun as well. Its definitely the most instantly pleasing pickup I've tried and its good for recording too. I don't play my Les Paul so often because its almost too easy to have fun with.

[Slartibartfarst42]

I'd go Cold Sweat in the bridge because it's a pickup that gives you a great Les Paul tone. It has everything you'd want in a ceramic but not really any of the limitations. For the neck I'd go with a Holydiver as it's very Dave Murray.

[Dave Sloven]

Thanks for all the answers 

Allright, although the CBomb sounds tempting, I guess I will just try the Rebel Yell bridge.
The Les Paul is pretty balanced with a slight bassy response (when played unplugged) - so nothing bright about the guitar.

Regarding the neck pickup: go Rebel Yell neck or try the Cold Sweat neck?

From what I can tell the RY and CS necks are similar, but the RY neck is like a CS neck modified to better suit the RY bridge.  Otherwise they do the same things.

Whether you get the RY or the CS I'd recommend the calibrated set.

Although Slarti's suggestion of a CS/HD combo is also excellent.

[Slartibartfarst42]

The Cold Sweat neck is a great shreddy pickup but that classic Dave Murray neck tone is very PAF in nature. The light wind on the Holydiver neck gives it the PAF characteristics you're after and the AV magnet gives it the cut you need. I've owned the neck versions of both the Cold Sweat and Holydiver and I can say with some confidence that the Holydiver is much closer to Dave Murray's tone.

[schneidas]

Yikes 
Now I'm intigued!!!!

Allright, seriously considering the CS/HD combo then. I'll need to do some research on this...
So I guess it is either Rebel Yell set vs CS/HD set. Or maybe also a Rebel Yell bridge with HD neck???

Choices, choices... I guess I'll have to use the search function some more...
Thanks so much for all your input so far!!!!! 

[Dave Sloven]

Style is one thing, sound is another.

In terms of sound Yngwie, Slash, Murray, and Moore all have different sounds!  I think you need to decide what kind of sound you want, regardless of playing style.

The Emerald set is also worth considering, but the neck pickup is fairly warm sounding.  Might be the better for Slash sounds.

Holy Diver, Rebel Yell, and Cold Sweat are all shred necks of a sort.  They differ in terms of how dark they are.  HD brighter, CS darker.

In terms of videos, there are some different BKPs here, including RY neck, CS neck, CS bridge, Emerald bridge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO4WsjX6YCE