A-Bomb Bridge/Cold Sweat Neck for LP Custom

[T4LJaredK]

Hey guys. Gotta LP Custom w/Anderson HC's in it & was thinking an A-Bomb in the bridge & Cold Sweat in the neck would be a great combo to replace them with. I've got a Lifeson LP w/a calibrated A-Bomb set in it that I love, but thought the Cold Sweat would be better in the neck for leads.
Play mostly heavy, but all decades of heavy. Really love Opeth, Tool, Alterbridge to name a few. Thoughts?

[Slartibartfarst42]

You already know the A-Bomb well so it seems pointless commenting on that except to say that you might want this set to offer something different so why go for the same again? As for the Cold Sweat, it's a great lead pickup that is both fluid and articulate. It's great for shredding, suits your style perfectly and is ideal in a Les Paul.

[T4LJaredK]

Hey Slartibartfast42! Thanks for your reply! I'll probably do some more agonizing over this, as the Custom is my #1. I also forgot to mention that I have a calibrated set of Juggs in a 1989 Epi Flying V which sounds amazing. So if you were gonna run a Cold Sweat in the neck & played dynamic, heavy to quiet & clean music, what would be your choice for the bridge-other than the Nail Bomb. 😬

[Dave Sloven]

I would consider a Rebel Yell set for this guitar, especially if it is a typical Les Paul Custom.  The neck is similar to a Cold Sweat, and the bridge is great for rhythm or lead.  If your guitar is relatively dark and bassy that would be my go-to set.

[Slartibartfarst42]

If your guitar has real body to its sound acoustically, I'd agree that the Rebel Yell is a good option. It's based on the A-Bomb but toned down a bit, making it far more versatile to my ears. It is, however, not the only option available to you. A fantastic option would be a Cold Sweat set because the bridge Cold Sweat is also an incredible pickup. It's perfectly suited to a Les Paul and despite being ceramic, it's far more organic sounding than you might expect. It's also easily tight enough for what you're doing and is hot enough to drive you amp well. It's fantastic for both leads and rhythms and while the neck version is rightly lauded as a supreme shred pickup, the bridge version is often wrongly overlooked. I've tried quite a few BKP over the years and I can honestly say that it's one of the best I've tried. If you don't need the pickup to drive your amp as much because you already have plenty gain available, you might want to consider trying a Black Dog as it will do the material you play far better than you might expect.

[Yellowjacket]

Is the LP a darker, more low mid focused instrument?  The Rebel Yell excels in this environment!!

I think the Rebel Yell is my favourite Bridge BKP so far along with the Juggerbridge.

I have a VHII neck and Rebel Yell bridge in a solid lump of mahogany guitar and it is glorious.
In the case of the LP, you'll have to see what will work for what you need. 
If the guitar has a boomy neck position pup and a bright / thin bridge position pickup, you may need to compensate for that with pickup selection. 
I had to deal with this with my LP standard.  Just a heads up.

[T4LJaredK]

Ok, so when I strum both the Lifeson & the Custom acoustically, the Lifeson to my ears is noticeably brighter than the Custom(2007 Silverburst)so I guess it lives in that darker, low mid end of the spectrum.
Slartibartfarst42, my main amp since 2009 has been my Mesa Mark V.  So like you said I've got plenty of gain on tap.
Guys, thank you so much for your knowledge.  It's awesome having this community to lean on! I'll let you know what I end up going with. Of course feel free to keep hitting me w/ideas. I'm relatively new to BKP's.

[Dave Sloven]

If your guitar has real body to its sound acoustically, I'd agree that the Rebel Yell is a good option. It's based on the A-Bomb but toned down a bit, making it far more versatile to my ears. It is, however, not the only option available to you. A fantastic option would be a Cold Sweat set because the bridge Cold Sweat is also an incredible pickup. It's perfectly suited to a Les Paul and despite being ceramic, it's far more organic sounding than you might expect. It's also easily tight enough for what you're doing and is hot enough to drive you amp well. It's fantastic for both leads and rhythms and while the neck version is rightly lauded as a supreme shred pickup, the bridge version is often wrongly overlooked. I've tried quite a few BKP over the years and I can honestly say that it's one of the best I've tried.

I'd agree with this.  Rebel Yell set or Cold Sweat set

[Yellowjacket]

Ok, so when I strum both the Lifeson & the Custom acoustically, the Lifeson to my ears is noticeably brighter than the Custom(2007 Silverburst)so I guess it lives in that darker, low mid end of the spectrum.
Slartibartfarst42, my main amp since 2009 has been my Mesa Mark V.  So like you said I've got plenty of gain on tap.
Guys, thank you so much for your knowledge.  It's awesome having this community to lean on! I'll let you know what I end up going with. Of course feel free to keep hitting me w/ideas. I'm relatively new to BKP's.

Mark V is a brighter voiced amp so you may find you prefer a darker pickup with it.

The Rebel Yell bridge sounds amazing, very clear and articulate.  It pairs up very nicely with a low mid focused guitar.  BUT, you could probably get away with anything that has a darker voice.  I wouldn't pair an A-Bomb with the LP because I didn't like that combination with a Mark V.  (I have a LP Standard with an A-Bomb bridge and Rebel Yell neck)    It's just a bit trebly and midrangey with that amp.  The rebel yell has more upper mids and a nice even harmonic spread in the top end.  There aren't any -potentially- offensive frequencies that stick out.

[Dave Sloven]

I this case then the Cold Sweat set might be a better option, as the mids would not be so pronounced as Rebel Yell and it has more bottom end.  There is still enough top end for cut

[T4LJaredK]

Yellowjacket, I have to confess that I haven't played the Lifeson through the Mark V virtually @ all with the A-Bomb!! Without going into lengthy detail, I was in the process of moving right when I put the A-Bomb in & havent got a chance to work with it. It'll be interesting to hear it with your experience in mind.
I feel like I'm leaning toward the Cold Sweat, but either way, it's always good time figuring out that perfect tone! Thanks again!(Agent Orange, Yellowjacket)

[Yellowjacket]

I this case then the Cold Sweat set might be a better option, as the mids would not be so pronounced as Rebel Yell and it has more bottom end.  There is still enough top end for cut

Interesting.  Rebel Yell is quite focused in the upper mids but there isn't any one frequency that sticks out.  They have a really nice, even harmonic sheen.  Very clear and open sounding.

In a bright guitar, they just sound bright.  There isn't a sort of cut, it's more presense and a really addictive bite in the highs. 

A low mid heavy instrument sounds brilliant.  They worked in my LP Standard but the RY bridge is positively SICK in Godin LG which has a solid mahogany  body and a bolt on mahogany neck with a rosewood board.

The downside of the Rebel Yell set is how the bottom end evaporates when they are in a bright guitar.  Think traditional strat or basswood body / maple neck Ibanez.  LPs have enough bottom to work well with those pickups, and modern low mid focused amps are wonderful with them.  They are tailor made for a Dual Rectifier, for instance.

With a Mark V, I don't like treble focused pickups.  I LOVED the BKP juggernauts with a Mark V.  KILLER tone.   I'm curious how a Holy Diver would sound with a Mark V.

[Lucas]

I have similar combo (Ceramic Nailbomb with Cold Sweat neck) in really similar guitar (mahogany Dean Cadillac). When it comes to CS neck, it is great pickup for either cleans and lead, but you have to remember that you might find it quite dark in your guitar. My CS is way more on the darker side even that I tried to adjust height as well. Plus it is loud pickup too.