Versatile pickup set needed - please advise!

[Tom W]

Hey guys,

I recently got myself a 2nd hand Fernandes Ravelle that I'm pretty happy with but I'm considering getting myself a new set of pickups. I've heard only good stuff about BKPs, so the brand was an obvious choice but I am having a really hard time choosing the right pups, especially that they all sound so great here on the website. I was wondering if you could help me out in making the right decision.

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The Fernandes is a solid alder body guitar with a bolt-on maple neck and a rosewood fingerboard (I am planning to replace it with a birdseye maple one). It has a tune-o-matic bridge with strings through body, 1x vol 1x tone controls, 2 humbuckers. It will remain in E Standard/Drop D for most of the time. I may use it to play around with open tunings every now and then, but nothing too crazy, and definitely no lower tunings.

I am a metal(core) person at heart and most of the time I play stuff like Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying or Sempiternal-era Bring Me The Horizon. Because of my taste and no musical background, whatever I play, my picking style is rather aggressive. I use a lot of palm muting and pinch harmonics. In my solos I use some tapping and sweep picking, but nothing too fancy. I don't djent (much) but I've been trying to learn some guitar slapping and... chicken picking.
Yep, the problem is I also LOVE to jam bluesy/classic/hard rock tunes and since I already have an EMG 81/85 loaded DBZ Venom that is not all that good for that, I'm looking for something more versatile. I understand this may not be really possible and may sound crazy but I'd love it to be able to cover anything from classic rock, through melodic guitar stuff (I love Andy Timmons), up to modern hard rock/metal (nothing extreme though - things like more modern Ozzy, Alter Bridge or Avenged Sevenfold at worst).

I would love the bridge pickup to be a high output, ready-to-rock machine that could deliver for hard rock & high gain riffs (as I've mentioned - nothing too extreme. The DBZ is good for that) and sweet, singing leads. The bigger the tone the better
For the neck pickup I am looking for something bright & selective and it'd either have to be a humbucker sized P90 or something with a good coil split, to additionally cover that vintage glassy/woody/stratty areas. I'd use this one for cleans, crunch and some of the solos, as well as some ambient stuff with loads of reverb/delay/chorus.
I'd like both the pickups to be very responsive to volume controls.

I've already contacted the good people from BKP and Chris recommended me a Nailbomb Bridge/Coldsweat Neck set. I am also considering a Riff Raff Bridge/Mule Neck (but I'm not sure if it's not too vintage and if the Riff Raff will be able to pull off the high gain side of things). The humbucker sized P90s look VERY tempting too - especially Stockholm. From what I know Lee Malia from BMTH uses P90 in his signature Epiphone and I really like his tone these days. What would I have to mix it with though to get that heavier sound in the bridge?
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Would you be so kind to help me out & recommend something? Any advice would be appreciated... as you see I'm really torn here and my 'broad taste' doesn't help. Thanks!

Have a good one,
Tom

[Yellowjacket]

Chris would know so I'd be tempted to go with his recommendation.

That being said, the first thing I thought was CRAWLERS!  But this may be too vintage for what you want!

LOL, maybe you need a st of KNUCKLES in the DBZ venom for heavy stuff and another in the new guitar for lighter stuff?? 
I have two short scale electrics equipped for blues, hard rock, etc; and a superstrat equipped with Juggernauts for my metal band. 

[darkandrew]

the first thing I thought was CRAWLERS!

I've grown to really like my Crawlers, they are great for 80's new wave but I've never been convinced by their metal credentials, which is why I also have a Nailbomb set in an identical guitar.  With these two guitars I can do pretty much anything. I also have a third BKP equipped guitar which I wanted to be a versatile, halfway point between the two, and in that one I have a Rebel Yell in the bridge and a VHii in the neck, a combination that possibly wouldn't be a million miles away from meeting your needs also.

[Dave Sloven]

My first thought was Holy Divers.

[Tom W]

LOL, maybe you need a st of KNUCKLES in the DBZ venom for heavy stuff and another in the new guitar for lighter stuff??   

Oh Man, how do I convince my wife that I have to buy pups for two guitars instead of one haha
One day, one day! First I need to sort out the Ravelle. Apart from the pickups I'll also be replacing the tuners (I need locking ones), the bridge (I really want the Graph-Tech ghost system) and possibly the fretboard (always dreamt of a birdseye maple). I know this may sound nuts as I'm leaving almost nothing from the original guitar, but I really like its neck and overall feel, but at the same time want to personalize it 'a bit' I've already had it re-painted/finished, I changed the knobs to hipshot o-ring controls and I've had all the wires replaced with better quality stuff. I've also changed the output and the switch to Switchcrafts. I may or may not be adding a custom made pickguard sometime soon... 

Anyway - thanks guys for your replies. I'll give a few more listens to the Divers, Rebel Yells & the Crawlers, I didn't look too much into them before.
As for the neck I'm seriously considering the P90s right now. I have no idea why as I've never really liked anything but humbuckers before, but there's something about them that really struck me recently and I can't stop thinking about them lol do you have any experiences with those? Cheers!

[Slartibartfarst42]

The Crawler for the neck was also my first thought for a number of reasons. It's easily the most versatile BKP I've ever owned, doing anything from Blues Rock to 80s Metal with ease, though A7X might be pushing things a bit. It also has the best cleans of any fairly hot pickup you're likely to try, split tones are so good they're better than many true singlecoils I've tried and the Crawler sits beautifully in alder guitars with bolt-on maple necks. While other options will give you a more convincing A7X tone, to my mind no other option in the contemporary category of pickups will come even remotely close to this much versatility. I've tried a number of Bare Knuckle pickups over the years and I've loved every one but you try these things and move on. There are very few pickups I would go out of my way to buy again but the Crawler is one of them because it offers so much that is seriously good. I don't tend to get too attached to many things but I really regret selling my PRS with a Crawler in it because there really wasn't much that guitar couldn't do with that pickup.

The A-Bomb is far tighter than the Crawler and much more aggressive with a load of hairy upper mids that will be brought out even more in an alder/maple guitar. It will do A7X far more convincingly than the Crawler but it won't be anything like as versatile because everything it does has that hairy aggressiveness to it. Depends where your priorities are really.

The Crawler is the most 'vintage' sounding of the modern pickups but only because it sits right in the middle between vintage and modern. There has been some debate on here as to whether the Crawler should be in the contemporary or vintage hot section but in my opinion, it is a hot, contemporary pickup, it's just that it carries with it a distinctly vintage flavour to it. Everything else in the contemporary section  is quite definitely 'modern', which is great for your A7X tones but severely limited for the kind of versatility you're talking about. With another guitar that is clearly set up for Metal, do you really need this guitar to do that as well as the other styles you're after? I suspect not. I only ever use two electric guitars and the most versatility I've ever achieved was when I had the Crawler to take me from Blues to 80s Metal and another guitar that ran from Hard Rock to more modern Metal styles, giving me a useful area of overlap. I think that this is what you need to do.

For the neck, I'd look at a Mississippi Queen if you fancy a P90 and either an Emerald or Holydiver if you want to stick with a humbucker.

[Tom W]

Thanks Man! A7X and modern-era Ozzy were just some examples and perhaps misleading ones. I'm not really after their tone, I just want something that could pull off higher gain stuff on top of the hard rock/blues. Not necessarily extreme high gain, modern stuff though. I guess something with a slightly more vintage flavour could actually be nice for a change, as long as the tone is huge. I've looked at some Crawler-related YouTube videos and I'm absolutely in love with the leads. I think with a good overdrive the higher gain sound could actually have a Mastodon vibe, which I wouldn't mind at all! 80's metal and hair metal were genres I was raised on so the ability to cover these areas may be a really good thing for me too. How is the output of these pups? Will they handle pinch harmonics well?

By the way you guys describe Crawler it may be a really good pick for me. Do you think a set of a bridge Crawler and a neck HSP90 Mississippi Queen would be a good, versatile choice?

Cheers!

[Slartibartfarst42]

I guess something with a slightly more vintage flavour could actually be nice for a change, as long as the tone is huge.

I think the word 'huge' is very apt when talking about the Crawler and that's why it works so well in alder guitars. It gives your tone real body and weight that isn't always present in alder guitars. The Crawler is a unique pickup in my experience and I think that's why I love it so much. Where you might expect a vintage pickup to sound open, brighter and even 'polite' com[pared to a modern pickup, the Crawler is compressed, dark and distinctly growly. However, modern pickups are often very tight, dry and clinical, especially ceramics, whereas the Crawler is thick, rich, warm and organic. No pickup will do everything but the Crawler soon became my 'go to' pickup for pretty much anything and I could have played a set ranging from CCR to Metallica with it. God I miss that guitar 

I've looked at some Crawler-related YouTube videos and I'm absolutely in love with the leads.

I agree and it's the combination of factors I mention above that makes this possible. The tone is so smooth, sweet and rich and each note has real weight to it.

80's metal and hair metal were genres I was raised on so the ability to cover these areas may be a really good thing for me too. How is the output of these pups? Will they handle pinch harmonics well?

Snap!! I'm very much a child of 80s Metal so I naturally tend to like the rich, smooth distortion that typifies the era. The Crawler does this but with its own unique growl to it. There's no doubt it's a hot pickup and while I don't think it's quite as hot as a Nailbomb, I don't honestly think it's far off. It's a lot hotter than you'd expect of a pickup with such a vintage vibe and yes, they will give you pinched harmonics fine.

By the way you guys describe Crawler it may be a really good pick for me. Do you think a set of a bridge Crawler and a neck HSP90 Mississippi Queen would be a good, versatile choice?

In a word, 'YES'. If you want a hotter neck pickup I can tell you for certain that the bridge version of the Mississippi Queen also works really well in the neck position as the other guitarist in my band uses a bridge MQ that way and the result is fantastic. It's articulate, sweet, fluid and generally wonderful.

If it helps, here's a link to the review I wrote on the Crawler:

https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=30278.0

[Telerocker]

My first thought was Holy Divers.

Divers would be my first choice. The Crawler is a good option too, yet less tight.
The Nailbomb oozes nineties metal, with agressive uppermids and topend sizzle which is not everybody's piece of cake.
From the HB-sized P90's the Supermassive would your styles, going from rootsmusic to even metal. Remember: P90's hum a bit.

[Dave Sloven]

Yeah I'm sticking with the Divers suggestion.  I think it has the best chance of hitting all the bases the OP wants

[Tom W]

Thanks for all your feedback guys, I really appreciate it!
It seems it is going to be a tough choice - I didn't even look into Crawlers/Holy Divers before and now I'm torn between them! You are all right and I will leave the heavy/extreme, more modern stuff to the DBZ. As for the neck I'll probably go either for a Mississippi Queen or a Supermassive (I suppose it'll depend on the bridge choice). A humbucker with a coil split option paired with a P90 should give me a lot of tonal flexibility and versatility.

By the way - do you know if BKP offer custom engravings on the pickups, such as own logos, lyrics, etc? Ever since I've seen Jens Ritter's 'Back in Black' Porsch it's been a dream of mine to have something similar done on my pups. I suppose it may be not possible or extremaly costly, but who knows!

Once again - thanks all!

Have a great weekend,
Tom

[Slartibartfarst42]

Splits on the Crawler are far superior to the Holydiver and the cleans are better too. The Holydiver is tighter than the Crawler for sure and sort of takes over about where the Crawler leaves off. I owned both at the same time and the Holydiver was great for 80s Metal and maybe slightly more modern styles too. The was some versatility there for sure but it was never really convincing outside of its own operating window. The Crawler starts to tail off a little once you start to pass 80s Metal but it will go all the way back to Blues. Its comfortable operating window is far bigger than the Holydiver. If you want a tighter, more modern pickup with an element of versatility, go with the Holydiver. If you want a pickup that is huge and crosses the divide between vintage and modern with greater versatility, go with the Crawler. Both are good and both will do the job to a greater or lesser extent but I know which direction I'd go. I loved both pickups but if I wanted a really versatile pickup in an alder guitar to cover a number of styles, I'd have no hesitation in using a Crawler. The telling factor for me is also that having loved the Holydiver, I know I'll never buy another one because I found an alternative that does the same job but better while I'd have another Crawler in a heartbeat because I've never found another pickup that offers what the Crawler does.

[Tom W]

This is brilliant, thanks for all your feedback guys. I think I will stick with the bridge Crawler + neck Supermassive HSP90 and broaden my arsenal this way. I still need to think it through but I like how these pickups sound and how you guys describe them.

Just in case I have a change of heart and decide I want something 'heavier' and more modern after all, do you have any suggestions for a good bridge humbucker that would fit my guitar (alder body, set maple neck) and musical preferences (Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, etc)? If I don't go for versatile I will be looking for a very high gain, modern metalcore tone.
I really doubt my decision will change as I do have my DBZ for the heavier stuff and I would like to have a guitar for something smoother, but I'm a metalhead, so who knows what's gonna happen before I click that 'Buy Now' button

Sorry for that and once again, THANK YOU!

[ericsabbath]

holy diver + tube screamer type boost works really well for those mid 2000's modern metal tones