Riff Raff bridge +/- Mule neck?

[darthphineas]

it would seems that the RRb and Mn are a suggested pairing for a post-72 Page, if I'm not mistaken.  if I AM mistaken, stop now and reply to correct me.  lol!

anyway....being that we're talking about a big slap of mahogany Epi Lester with a super boomy neck, I've been tempted to go with a full-on RR set.  but...before I do...I just wanted to check in to see if there are those with solid experience with both neck models that should stop me in my tracks.  we are talking about high-energy riff-rock here more than jazz or Southern rock, if that helps.


thanks!

[Chris Rowberry]

Hi

That would be correct! When we had Jimmy's No1 in the workshop to replicate the pickups for him, we found the Riff Raff bridge and Mule neck combo was pretty much a perfect match. Quite of a few of the Bare Knuckle staff use this very combo in some of their guitars too.

[darthphineas]

Thanks for the confirmation on the RRb/Mn set as a match for the Page setup.


Are there guys out there with experience with the RRn and the Mn that could advise or speak to concerns with a dark-sounding neck position in a guitar?

Thanks.

[Dave Sloven]

If you are worried about the neck being too dark you could go for the RR set, and maybe add a series/parallel switch for the neck to cut output if you are worried that the output might be too much.

I guess the other possibility might be RR/SM

[ericsabbath]

my favorite combo for the last 4 years
and that was after trying a lot of different models in the same guitar

[Tim]

I use this combo in quite a few of my LPs. Have a listen to this track, not Zep I'm afraid but it'll give you an idea of the tone into a Plexi:

https://soundcloud.com/bare-knuckle-blues-band/bridge-to-better-days?in=bare-knuckle-blues-band/sets/round-1

[ericsabbath]

I use this combo in quite a few of my LPs. Have a listen to this track, not Zep I'm afraid but it'll give you an idea of the tone into a Plexi:

https://soundcloud.com/bare-knuckle-blues-band/bridge-to-better-days?in=bare-knuckle-blues-band/sets/round-1

that's absolutely great, Tim

that's plugged straight into a stock 1959? or is it pedal boosted or into a modded amp?

[Tim]

It's actually the Malmsteen head with the built in OD switched on and the amp dimed into green back loaded TV cab.

[ericsabbath]

It's actually the Malmsteen head with the built in OD switched on and the amp dimed into green back loaded TV cab.

nice!
that's probably the best sounding stock marshall from the last couple decades
hope they eventually drop its price like they did with some other models

[darthphineas]

If you are worried about the neck being too dark you could go for the RR set, and maybe add a series/parallel switch for the neck to cut output if you are worried that the output might be too much.

I do generally try to keep a series/parallel p/p pot on the neck...but mainly to clean things up a little better for clean amp settings. 

several boutique PAF/vintage builders here in the colonies had previously tried to get me on board with low output neck humbuckers and after several hundred $ spent/lost, it was not the solution at all.  I'm not thinking the output is the issue I'm concerned about as much as tone/voicing.  I have several higher output neck humbuckers that are the bees knees....but the massive mahogany Epi LP neck position turns pickups to mush in my rig.

the biggest variable is the dark nature of an Epi Lester neck.  it seems as if most of the LP guys I come across are so much more into PAF/vintage tones that it's been a long road toward finding cool options.  but....for this purpose, I'm looking to go toward a bit more of the post-72 Page vibe and am just trying to compensate for the heavier neck tone with a pickup that can get me back in the right ballpark.  so...yeah...I am thinking the RR set would be the way to go.

I guess the other possibility might be RR/SM

thanks for the SM suggestion.

as I continue exposure to more BKP pickups and get a better idea of how the tone chart translates to these Yankee ears (lol!), I think the RR set might be a safer bet.