Another pickup advice topic

[Myth]

Hi there !

I've finally installed my bkp set in my guitar. And that was awesome !

The pickups I installed are a alnico nailbomb bridge and a cold sweat neck. The guitar is a lag arkane (mahogany with maple top, maple neck and ebony fretboard, floyd rose, tuned Eb).
Before, i had a DiMarzio air norton/air zone set.

I found BKP gave life to my guitar, i did not expected such a big change, and now I want to change pickups on all my guitars xD

I really liked the nailbomb, but the cold sweat is not what i'm looking for (for my other guitar i mean, for this one it's perfect, i only use it for a metallica cover band)

What i liked about the A-Bomb :
- really strong mids (upper mids, i'd say)
- so much life
- hum... i think "graou" is the best way to described the tone i have and like with this pickup
- damn, those harmonics 
- so clear...
- It plays alone !

what i don't :
- a bit to hairy on the high side
- i find it lacking a bit of low-mids.

what i like about the cold sweat neck :
- deep low-end
- yes, they're alive as well

what I don't :
They're a bit to present on the high-end, and a bit to much scooped. They have a huge low-end, but i find them lacking some mids, and too much highs (great highs, by the way). I really like my neck pickup to be fatter.

So, the next swapping pickups will be on another lag arkane (this one made in france, same woods). It has an HSH config, and i want to swap all of the pickups. At the moment, i have an air norton/air zone set with a air norton s in the middle (i hate this pickup... The single, i mean, i love the air norton humbucker).
This guitar is my main one, i need it to be versatile, at least on the heavy side (from rock to prog metal, maybe a bit in death prog territory).

For the neck, i'd like a pickup close to the air norton, but with much more life to it. the cold sweat did not convinced me.
For the bridge, i'm ooking for a pickup with more low-mids than the nailbomb, a bit less hairy on the high side.
The middle does not really matters, i just want a single coil that sounds like a single coil (damn, i hate thise air norton S), fits in my guitar (emg single coil size...) and is a good match with the other pickups.

I also need a good lead tone (i use neck or bridge for leads, so i'ts a must for both pickups).

At the moment, i think about a holy diver bridge and VHii neck, or a juggernaut set from what i've heard on the samples/youtube and read on the internet. And for the middle, maybe a cobra... it seems to be emg-sized... But maybe bkp can make any single coil in this size ?

What do you think ? Does that make sense ?

And sorry if i made a few language mistakes... you know, i'm french...

[Kiichi]

Hi and welcome mate.

I do recon that the Holydiver would be a great option here. That was my read of what you want here. However, you mention the Juggernaut too and that makes sense as well. Would be a good bit more modern than the HD though. For the neck it would be Jugg set or for the HD IŽd consider the Emerald too. Lovingly smooth. IŽd let other people chime in there more as I donŽt have a personal comparison to the VHII and CS.

For the middle IIRC BKP can put all the SCs in EMG size. For a true single coil sound with the HD IŽd have a look at the Irish Tour. Classic single coil with some magic rock dust. Though others would also work nicely.

[m t soule]

If you want a thicker sound on the neck than a cs i would not go vhii.
The crawler is my thicker choice from the neck humbuckers i have.
For less hair than a nailbomb yiu could also try the Miracle man as it is smoother yet still aggressive.
Irish tour is a good shout.

I did some vids too.

Neck comparisons
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EOIQuanO12I

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CSPmUDdMBk8

Bridge comparisons (i had lassed my nailbomb off to another before i did this vid unfortunately)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IEBGySN6IVE

[ericsabbath]

Miracle man set or holy diver/emerald
Or even an alnico warpig set

[Dave Sloven]

The alnico Warpig set is not a bad recommendation, as long as plenty of bass is okay

[Myth]

Thanks you all for all your advices !

Yet, I'm a bit surprised... I did not think warpig could be described as "vesatile", and I thought miracle man has more high-end than the nailbomb...
Could someone describe the differences between all those piclkups (nailbomb, holy diver, juggs, miracle man and warpig) in a more detailed way ?

I forgot to mention I play on a dual rectifier roadster (it's like a recto, but with a different voicing... hard to describe, bu it's less harsh and more... let's say subtle).

Thank you all :)

[Dave Sloven]

Out of these I really only know the alnico Nailbomb and alnico Warpig sets from experience, as well as the Emerald neck (which I have installed in someone else's guitar, but haven't played much at all).

To me it sounds like (from the wood combination and the issues you are reporting) these are bright guitars.  The alnico Warpig has a lot of mids and bottom end and suits bright guitars (it is not good with dark ones).  The top end is a bit rolled off (at least on the alnico version) and it sounds like this would appeal to you.  By all reports the MM and WP necks are very close.  The Warpig bridge does not have the hairiness of the alnico Nailbomb.

Main issue would be the output, especially for matching a middle pickup.  The safest bet might be a bridge Sinner with a baseplate, which I believe a couple of forum members have used with a Miracle Man bridge effectively.

[Kiichi]

I would not think MM since you mentioned you like higher mids. The MM does not have those in focus. Great chugging and present low mids though with the high end being rather present. Not in the hairy NB way though. So outside of the lowered high mids this could work for you. Not the most versatile of the bunch as well though.

The Juggernaut was developed as a crossover between the Blackhawk and Aftermath. Turned out very organic with proper low end and a musical high end. Good fit. The neck is a VHII adjusted to fit the bridge.

The HD is a very versatile beast. Classic 80s metal at the core, so a hotrodded PAF. Not dull, but with a musically rounded high end. DonŽt think it lacks cut. Has a very hearty roar to it in the mids that for someone who likes 80s music is homely. Covers Holydiver (obviously), to early Dream Theater, to Mastodon and others. Quite the range.
The HD neck is on the bright PAF side and the EM neck is often paired with it since it extends the thought of the HD bridge. EM neck is the perfect cross between vintage sweetness and modern cut, using vintage magnet and modern wire. Great shredder, awesome clean, very much singing and perfect for brighter guitars, as both of these are.

The Warpig is indeed more verastile than youŽd expect it to be. It is a vintage inspired growly monster, but they key here is vintage. It reacts to the volume know very well. Always stays full, but it can back up the roar. Full on modern metal is possible, but donŽt forget that it also does early sabbath, which was kinda just turned up blues in a way.
The neck can even do a clean jazz sound I quite apprechiate.


For extra info I can also recommend having a look at the sticky I made here full of user reviews. Especially Slartibartfast42Žs view on the Holydiver is extremely well done and to the point. Mentions the EM neck too.

[Myth]

After reading lots of reviews and hearings hours of clips, I think i'm going to juggernaut set. Don't know why, but i really think it's the set i'm looking for (maybe because of the name).

How do they split ? Which single coil could I use with them ? Aren't they too high output for a Irish tour ?

If i don't like the neck pickup, would the juggernaut bridge pair well with a warpig neck, for example ?

Thanks you ;)

[pcarrion]

Are you looking for versatility in your neck pickup or just pure shred power? My experience with the Warpig is that is not tight enough. Maybe it was in my guitar, but it was too bassy indeed but somewhat loose. In that guitar too much bass, without some tightness, was closer to a rumble than to a fluid sound. Maybe your guitar is different. I have a custom Bedarieux lag Arkane (mahogany/maple top body, maple neck and fretboard) and is a completely different beast from the Ibanez (the one with the A-Pigs). Great guitars by the way! I'm changing my alnico WP neck for a painkiller neck, looking for a thick with some edge neck solo sound.