BKP Alnico WARPIGS AND Alnico NAILBOMB COMPARISON (MY 2 CENTS)

[aidilomorello]

For years i've been using Alnico nailbomb for most of my guitar but recently i use the alnico warpigs. my impression on the warpigs is that it is EFFING HUGE , people say that the alnico warpig is bassy and muddy for drop tuning but it is not at all muddy the clarity in warpigs is unreal and this pickups basically roar like like a lion.
 
In the other hand Alnico Nailbomb tone is very RAW has that classic rock tone but also an in your face metal tone. the a-bomb basically growl.

Now basically i have a dilemma choosing which guitar for me to bring out for gigs and jamming hahah.

[darrenw5094]

Yeh, i had an Alnico Warpig in a Caparison in dropped C and it wasn't muddy at all.

[Chris Rowberry]

That's scatter wound pickups for you 

[Lucas]

That's scatter wound pickups for you 

I still have to upgrade pickups in my old old old Ibanez copy Mayones guitar (yeah I`ve been doing that for a while...) and I`m really torn between Alnico Warpig and Aftermath in the bridge position.
Cannot decide at all. On the one hand I love those mids and surgical tightness in AM for modern metal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqpbzyIGujo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cX2sv-3Wyw

and on the other hand love Warpigs especially here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E0HNFgf5ic
mind blowing tone.
I know they are totally different but like them both equally.
The guitar is alder body, maple/rosewood bolt on tuned to Eb.

When it comes to AM the only thing that puts me off is being afraid that it wont be good enough for leads (harsh sounding not smooth enough)
and when it comes to Warpig that it won`t be tight and surgical enough for precise modern riffing

it`s hard to make a decision based on youtube because I`ve seen bad and horrible videos with both as well as good ones as well.

[Yellowjacket]

That's scatter wound pickups for you 

When it comes to AM the only thing that puts me off is being afraid that it wont be good enough for leads (harsh sounding not smooth enough)
and when it comes to Warpig that it won`t be tight and surgical enough for precise modern riffing

it`s hard to make a decision based on youtube because I`ve seen bad and horrible videos with both as well as good ones as well.

Sounds like you are describing a juggernaut bridge pickup.  Phat, tight enough for modern riffing, and beautiful lead tone! 

[Lucas]

Well, I`ve been planning to change those pickups for few months now, and the guitar is being idle hidden in the wardrobe in the meantime. Shame.

Juggs? They are not really appealing that much. 99% samples on YT is djent. Ok, I want modern sounding pickup but things like: Killswitch Engaged, Bullet for my Valentine, Mastodon ect.
I play loads of harmonized things on higher strings while holding a distorted chord as well as loads of fast staccato picking ect Just typical modern precise riffing. Also I would like a tone be more brutal, more in your face. Juggs seems to be 'hidden' a little bit, more relaxed, that sound is more behind that 'in your face'.
Hard to describe. But so far I`m torn between AM and APig.

I am aware of Miracle Man but too scooped, like AM much much better than MM, so no.... no MM.

In my main guitar (my trusty Dean Caddy) I have CBomb with CS neck. I love CBomb for hard rock, more 'typical' metal riffing. Great,  truly great rhythm pickup with surprisingly good cleans for ceramic pup. What`s more I even like it for more classic rock as well, it gives it a little aggression and modern twist but that`s a beauty of it.
Long story short, I`ve only noticed 2 downsides of CBomb:

1. it`s not great lead pickup, leads are just ok.
2. and it`s not precise enough and surgical for 'ultra' modern riffing with loads of harmonized things underneath the chord. Things are getting blurry with CBomb, it`s rather 'dirty' pickup than surgical and precise. Don`t get me wrong it is TIGHT, but dirty, hairy and not precise.
In my other guitar I want something that will rectify it. totally different approach than CBomb with different tast to deal with.

A while ago I was talking to (Chris as far as I remember) about that and I was recommended Painkiller. Going from that AM is less harsh and abrasive than Painkiller still staying in the same sandbox. When I mentioned Juggs, I was told that apparently I will experience same problems with Juggs as I have with CBomb being not precise enough with things getting blurry.

[Yellowjacket]

Painkiller is a good pickup.  I've tried one and it has that same musical feel that I love about all BKP.

I think with the Juggernauts, it depends somewhat on the amp.  Mesa Mark V is surgically tight with Juggernauts and it probably would be with an alnico II magnet in a vintage pickup.  I could see that pickup getting blurry a bit, especially with the wrong amplifier.  It's dark and phat, but definitely is capable of some great tones that are not Djent.  You'd get great rhythm tones, great leads, and great cleans, but I don't know about the sort of tightness you are describing.  Have you tried screwing around with boost pedals?  What amp / cab do you use? 

+1 on the C bomb being hairy.  I have an A-bomb and it is such a gnarly pickup. 
Is the C-Pig an option?  I wonder how the C-Pig compares with the Aftermath for tightness? 

[Lucas]

I use Orange Dual Terror through Orange 2x12 open cab at home (and gigs with the band) and Marshall jcm 900 combo in the practice room.

First thing is that Warpigs might sound boomy and bass heavy through Orange, plus apparently Orange amp dont like high (Warpig!!!!) output pickups, I know from experience that they are picky with distortion pedals for sure. I guess that dry nature of AM and it`s surgical tightness might benefit with Orange.
When it comes to Juggs due to the fact that Orange amps are 'dirty' already, it will not help.

[Yellowjacket]

Yuck, no distortion pedal =-(  I'm talking a clean boost or an OD pedal; something that is designed to tighten up high gain tones for extreme metal. 

Hmmm, you're running an orange Dual Terror with a 2 x 12 'open back' cab did you say?  I think Orange amps can get pretty heavy tonewise and they have a nice complexity to the tone.  That being said, you may need to investigate other option for what you do.  You can as easily be having an amp tightness problem as you are having a pickup tightness problem.  For instance, my Dual Rectifier is, by nature, a very loose and saggy amp, and when I want to do heavy riffing, I end up having to boost it with an OD pedal.  The idea is not to colour the sound, but just to shovel off a bit of lows and bump the mids slightly.  It doesn't really alter the gain structure of the amp but it becomes much more articulate.  Of course, BKP are very tight, but they can only go so far to compensate for the amp.  (KSE has used boosted Mesa Roadsters, for the record.  I think a lot of guys boost for metal)

For the record, the Juggernaut bridge pickup is not as gnarly as my A-Bomb.  It is midway between the A Bomb and the Rebel Yell.  It's really my favourite pickup I have ever tried but I get the impression that I don't play as heavy music as you do. 

BKP has the option to send something back if you don't like it so maybe you should try the aftermath first?  If cash is no issue, maybe you should look into other amplifier options too? 

[Lucas]

Well, Orange will stay for a good while, cash is an issue, to be honest.

When it comes to heavy music, with my band I play rock/hard rock using CBomb/CS combo. Here are examples of stuff we play:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1AzIEEv18w&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SSnM5cQ1z0

CBomb suits here brilliantly, dont get me wrong. CBomb was used on both recordings.

At home in my free time I`m into heavier stuff like KSE or Mastodon, having some 'heavier' fun. I have spare guitar so thought that I`ll turn it into beast.

Getting to the subject I use clean channel on my amp and use distortion pedals such as Wampler Triple Wreck and Wampler Sovereign. Other channel (FAT) is set up for light crunch, but I use it rarely. Many guys use boosts like Maxon OD 808 overdrive i agree.

many thanks!

[CommonCourtesy]

Hmm. I have a Nailbomb of each magnet in 2 of my Les Pauls, one Alnico and one Ceramic, both guitars are mahogany.

They work well as the alnico goes in the Epiphone LP standard, mostly used for standard/drop c rock stuff. Nice tones from ac/dc to full out high gain. Volume knob can control that.

Other LP is a Gibson LP studio which I use in drop c tuning. The ceramic n'bomb is tight and thuddy, and works well with my 6505+. Either guitar can act as my main band one but I use the studio.

Thought about putting a Warpig in there but cautious it might be too bassy and interfere too much with Mr Bass Man. Esp with the low tuning. I use a TS9 to boost with my 6505+ amp and its working well right now. My cab is a Marshall 4 x 12 with 2 V30's recently installed. Its a lot brighter and cuts through a mix pretty well. Also helps I've disconnected my tone knob from the bridge selector so the pickup goes straight to the volume. Hotter signal and more high end for a dark sounding guitar. Maybe experiment with stuff like that.

[Lucas]

Hmm. I have a Nailbomb of each magnet in 2 of my Les Pauls, one Alnico and one Ceramic, both guitars are mahogany.

They work well as the alnico goes in the Epiphone LP standard, mostly used for standard/drop c rock stuff. Nice tones from ac/dc to full out high gain. Volume knob can control that.

Other LP is a Gibson LP studio which I use in drop c tuning. The ceramic n'bomb is tight and thuddy, and works well with my 6505+. Either guitar can act as my main band one but I use the studio.

I`m totally happy with my CBomb, it`s a truly great pickup, for the stuff that I play in my band it`s a dream pickup. And believe me or not, CBomb + Wampler Sovereign + Orange Dual Terror = godly epic rock sound. With my other guitar I want to reach different type ot sound. Probably I won`t be using that with the band anyway, but I want create moder metal machine just for fun time at home while rifffing away for the sake of it :)

By the way, cheers to all of yous... another Carlsberg down :)

[Yellowjacket]

Well, Orange will stay for a good while, cash is an issue, to be honest.

When it comes to heavy music, with my band I play rock/hard rock using CBomb/CS combo. Here are examples of stuff we play:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1AzIEEv18w&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SSnM5cQ1z0

CBomb suits here brilliantly, dont get me wrong. CBomb was used on both recordings.

At home in my free time I`m into heavier stuff like KSE or Mastodon, having some 'heavier' fun. I have spare guitar so thought that I`ll turn it into beast.

Getting to the subject I use clean channel on my amp and use distortion pedals such as Wampler Triple Wreck and Wampler Sovereign. Other channel (FAT) is set up for light crunch, but I use it rarely. Many guys use boosts like Maxon OD 808 overdrive i agree.

many thanks!

I'm glad you love the C Bomb, I happen to love my A-Bomb in my LP.  Does one of your mates have an OD808 / TS9 / etc., you can borrow just to test how it sounds with the gain structure of the Dual Terror?  I'm curious if this will give you the tightness you want? 

Anyhow, I am definitely interested to hear how this turns out.  You are ordering directly from BKP?  you can always try an Aftermath and then exchange it for a c-pig or a painkiller if you are not sold on it. 

[EDIT]  NOW I get it.  Ok, ok, ok.  You're using dirt boxes -albeit great ones- to create the core tone you want from your amp because you can't afford to get an amp that sounds the way you want.  So, you can't boost a dirt box to tighten it up.  Ah.  That makes sense.

I'm still of the opinion that you should see what you can accomplish feeding the guitar into the amp and using the amp's tone.  Then see what you can do to boost it.  For live / band playing, I tend to like a lot of mids.   If I read correctly about an open back 2 x 12 for extreme metal / staccato riffs, I'd definitely think really hard about getting a closed back 2 x 12 instead.  That will make a HUGE difference.   I still happen to think that the Dual Terror boosted with a bit brighter of a sound would work really well in a band context even if it is a bit underwhelming on its own. 

In my band, I play my mate's Mark V and he plays my recto.  The Mark V's core tone is very mid dominant and I use the post EQ just to keep the thing from sounding nasal.  The rhythm player dimes the mids on the recto and turns the bass way down.  The result is a huge, aggressive, phat tone, with the bass covering the low end. 

[Lucas]

Sorry for late reply, was away for last few days.
When it comes to boosting, I recently started thinking about getting Xotic EP Booster (clean boost) and place it after dirt boxes. Basically I need little volume boost on solos, and Xotic seems to be perfect there. As far as I know people place it in front of distortion as well and keep it on all the time. When it comes to Maxon OD808 type of thing, I don`t thing that it would perform that well boosting an overdrive pedal. I also have Compressor pedal which I dont currently use (Wampler Ego Compressor) must try it it that would benefit a bit.
What would be best settings of Compressor pedal in front of dirt boxes?

Open/closed back cabs. Yeah, it makes big difference. Mine is open one but it works perfectly with the stuff that I play in my band.
Long story short, I think that I`ll try AM first.

Many thanks for great help!

[Yellowjacket]

Try the AM directly into the amp just to see what it does.  With and without a boost.  For me.   (And for your tone) 
I'm thinking the AM will be awesome and I'm looking forward to hearing your take on it.


That's a cool idea to run the boost pedal after the dirt boxes; that will give you a volume jump.  I guess this is really similar to running a clean boost in the FX loops of a tube amp if you are relying on preamp gain for the bulk of your tone.