Searching for a Sound - Metal pickups for Pro Jackson RRMG

[aknsenko]

I recently got my hands on a pro series Jackson Randy Rhoads, and as much as I love the guitar, I can't stand the EMGs. Plenty of people sound great with them, just not my thing. That being said, I'm not sure what pickups I need to get the sound I'm searching for. I've never heard what I want in one specific tone, but I figure with some help, I can at least get in the ballpark and tweak it from there.

The Rebel Yells sound really rad, but I'm not entirely sure they'll be exactly what I want. I'm a huge fan of Alexi Laiho's tight and crisp harmonics, and while I like the way his tone and style fit Children Of Bodom, it's a bit thin and tinny sometimes in the top end, depending on the album. The low end crushes, but the rest is a bit too sterile and harsh. I also love Chuck Schuldiner's tone on Sound Of Perseverance, especially the leads in Voice Of The Soul. It's got a lot of dynamic and rich harmonics, plenty of clarity and power, but it's still kind of cold and harsh. I'd like to be able to blend the rich, smooth, full sounding, blistering lead tone Steve Stevens has, and sometimes Michael Schenker (when he doesn't have the grainy classic rock crunch), with the tight, crushing bottom end Alexi has, and the screaming harmonics Alexi and Chuck do really well. Also, bonus points if I can also get those throaty harmonics Wolf Hoffman has on Metal Heart, specifically Screaming For A Love Bite, but I'm pretty sure that's a single coil in the neck position. So maybe a coil split? Just a thought.

As far as other hardware, I'm gonna be putting in the MM-04 gain boost that Alexi uses, since I don't really use pedals much, especially being on the budget I am. As far as pickups though, I'm willing to spend whatever I need to in order to build my main workhorse. I want it to last me and get me off the ground, eventually playing gigs and recording. I like pretty low tunings and heavy strings; right now I'm using a set of Alexi's .10-.56 signature DRs. I'm hoping once my truck sells to get a Hughes & Kettner Grandmeister Deluxe 40, but I'm also flexible on amp choice, so any suggestions are appreciated.

Sorry for the lengthy post, and thanks in advance for any help

[Slartibartfarst42]

I'd say you certainly don't want Rebel Yells as they'd be way too bright in your guitar. If it was me, I'd probably be looking primarily at the Miracle Man. It's smooth, does pinched harmonics with ease, has great lead tones and a bottom end with real body to it that will deal well with the light guitar. I think it fits your needs better than anything else that leaps to mind.

[aknsenko]

You don't think the gain boost will make it too harsh, do you? I haven't used the MM-04 before so I don't know how it affects the sound of the pickups it's paired with entirely. Thanks for the help! I'll definitely look into the Miracle Man.

[Slartibartfarst42]

The Miracle Man is certainly a hot pickup but it isn't harsh by any means. If you think it might be a bit too much, try the Holydiver, which has a similarly smooth, 80's Metal tone but is dialled back a bit. The bottom end isn't as prominent and the highs scream a bit less, with the focus moving to the mids (full spread of mids here). The Holydiver isn't just an 80's Metal pickup however, as it retains a slightly more modern flavour than a strictly 80's Metal pickup would. You'd never guess it by looking at the website but the Miracle Man and Holydiver are actually quite closely related. If you think of the Miracle Man toned down a tad, you get the Holydiver and if you want to dial it down a bit more and make it more like a true 80's Metal pickup, try the Abraxas, which will do Metal a LOT better than the name would suggest.

[Telerocker]

I would pick Holy Divers. They are organic and fullsounding, provide the mids in an alder/ebony board guitar,  but don't have enormous amounts of bass, which you don't need using heavy strings and lower tunings. They are not overly hot, which is good for dynamics. And if you will buy the Tubemeister 40, you will have loads of gain on tap from the amp.

[ericsabbath]

maple neck thru, children of bodom and death
that's definitely a miracle man job

[Slartibartfarst42]

Is it maple neck-thru? I thought the Pro series were bolt-on and it was the Soloist series that were neck-thru but I might be wrong. Either way, both the Miracle Man and Holydiver will do the job for you. If your guitar is neck-thru I'd say the Miracle Man certainly has the edge, though both will work. If your guitar is bolt-on, I think it's down to personal preference.

[aknsenko]

It's a 3 piece maple neck through, ebony board, alder body.

Alexi is really happy with his current setup, passive EMG with gain boost through a Marshall JVM 410h. He keeps the amp gain lower and plays with the boost on, 3rd channel only. I like that because it has less of that grittiness and muddiness that actives especially through a cranked amp gets. I'm just not sold on the EMG, even passive. I tend to stick to the bridge pickup only, much like he does. I would've gotten an RR24, but there were none for sale when I got this one. I'd probably be open to trade for one, since I'm out the frets for a pickup I don't use, but I'm in love with the matte gray and black with the dark pearloid binding, so it'd have to be a good deal for sure. But that's beside the point. I've overwhelmingly been recommended the MM, but I've also been told by BKP sales that the Nailbomb would work really well, as well as Friedman amps. I know Steve Stevens likes the Friedmans, but I'm not familiar with how they are as a metal amp. Anyways, keeping in mind that I almost exclusively stick to the bridge pup and I'm going to run the MM-04 gain boost, what would the biggest difference be between the Miracle Man and the Nailbomb? I've liked the samples I've heard of both, I'm just undecided.

I've been recommended Friedmans, Marshalls, and the Hughes & Kettner, but the features like the power soak, phone controls, red box out, etc. are pushing me towards the Grandmeister 40. Hell, if the 36 works for Jeff Waters, the 40 won't be underpowered by any means! I'm also a big fan of Jason Bieler's tone, but the Rivera TBR-SL1 is near impossible to find. Not sure what gear Chris Caffery uses, but I love his lead tone as well, especially around Savatage's Dead Winter Dead album and the Doctor Butcher stuff. Any recommendations based on all this would be great, especially if it helps me find a good pup/amp pairing. Sorry if I'm a bit off topic, everyone's been great so far helping me out.

Thanks!

[Dave Sloven]

It's a 3 piece maple neck through, ebony board, alder body.

Miracle Man

[Slartibartfarst42]

I tried both a Miracle Man and an A-Bomb in a maple neck-thru guitar and they weren't similar at all. The Miracle Man was superb and the A-Bomb was hideous. The clips of the A-Bomb you hear on the website were recorded in a Les Paul and that's a guitar that's dark enough to tame the upper mids that are the defining characteristic of the A-Bomb. A maple neck-thru guitar tends to accentuate the upper mids anyway so when you pair it with an A-Bomb you end up with a VERY hairy and aggressive sound. Conversely, the scoop in the Miracle Man tends to be in the upper mids, which is why it works so well in a maple neck-thru guitar.

[dxlxntxxlxr]

Schuldiner used a dimarzio x2n so...