New PU for my Suhr Modern Satin

[Asce77]

New PU time :)
Would be nice to get some suggestions.

I need a new bridge PU for my Suhr Modern Black Satin.
Best guitar I every played but really didn't like the Suhr SSH+. Too "honky" for my tastes, somehow undefined and almost no mids.
I replaced them with a Duncan Distortion. Sounds much better with more aggressive mids but I miss the clarity. Sounds too compressed.

I play everything from more melodic Metal up to some thrashy stuff. Lots of single notes, fast rhythms etc.
Looking for a tight, beefy sound that cuts through but still open sounding so you can hear every string and all nuances when playing chords.

I had the a-bomb in a Les Paul 2008 and really loved it. Hard to compare, I know, but I think the c-bomb maybe would be a good choice.
Maybe the Juggernaut is too "djenty" and modern for my style? Never played the Aftermath, Painkiller, etc.
Sound clips sound great, though.

Thx, guys :)

[PK]

I'd say either a Holy Diver or a Juggernaut.

[Asce77]

Thx. Liked the tones of the Holydiver. Also checked some more Juggernaut examples. There's always this certain mid-honk I don't really want to have in my high gain rhythm tones. I liked the leads and the clean sounds a lot, but 90% I play are high gain rhythms (Testament, Kreator, Exodus + some more melodic stuff) and I think there's a certain modern feel to it that doesn't really fit.

[Yellowjacket]

Haha.  I would never  call the Juggernaut bridge honky.  There is certainly a distinctive mid voicing  but even that can be influenced by the acoustic sound of the instrument. 

In my Ibanez rg7421, the maple neck and basswood  body results in a balanced and articulate sound with weight in the mids for amazing note separation and string to string clarity.

In my redline III the Juggs sound darker with this hollow character in the mids.  In this guitar,  The pickups sound low mid dominant and the pickups are very percussive, punching like crazy.

If the core voice of the pickup does not appeal to you, try something else.  But what you described in your original post basically is the Juggernaut set.

[Asce77]

Hehe, okay 
Yes, maybe "honky" wasn't the best description, you're right 
Maybe my prob is that most in of the videos where ppl test the Juggernaut they simply play more djenty stuff than I do.
When I listen to the samples on this page everything sounds great.

[Yellowjacket]

Hehe, okay 
Yes, maybe "honky" wasn't the best description, you're right 
Maybe my prob is that most in of the videos where ppl test the Juggernaut they simply play more djenty stuff than I do.
When I listen to the samples on this page everything sounds great.

You mean all the misha fan bois ?

They certainly do a lot more than djent.  I like Ibanez wiring with the Juggernaut set and a treble bleed cap on the volume pot is awesome. 

[Slartibartfarst42]

I know exactly what you mean as the Juggernauts sound great on paper but I've never been able to find a clip I really like, just ones that aren't quite as offensive as others. If you like a very aggressive sounding pickup that isn't too compressed, I think you're on the right lines with the Nailbomb. The only other one that leapt to mind, as you said you liked the Holydiver, was the Miracle Man. This is like a Holydiver taken up a couple of gears. It retains the smooth distortion and organic tone but is more aggressive, tighter, has a bigger bottom end and screaming highs. It's less open sounding than the Nailbomb but it's also less 'in your face'.

[Yellowjacket]

I know exactly what you mean as the Juggernauts sound great on paper but I've never been able to find a clip I really like, just ones that aren't quite as offensive as others. If you like a very aggressive sounding pickup that isn't too compressed, I think you're on the right lines with the Nailbomb. The only other one that leapt to mind, as you said you liked the Holydiver, was the Miracle Man. This is like a Holydiver taken up a couple of gears. It retains the smooth distortion and organic tone but is more aggressive, tighter, has a bigger bottom end and screaming highs. It's less open sounding than the Nailbomb but it's also less 'in your face'.

You and I are always going to disagree on this.
Have you ever tried the juggerset because they are quite remarkable pickups and easily my favourite from bare knuckle.  And I don't djent.  I find they pair up particularly well with brighter guitars and brighter amps.

As for the voice of the pickups, it is indeed unique.  The cleans  are fantastic and the dirt tone has a bite in the highs but not much sizzle.  They are the most non fizzy pickups ever.  They have a purring quality to the highs as well as a round low midrange.  They are dynamic with attack transients but the remaining, sustained portion of the note is quite compressed.

The mid voicing is interesting.  Because of the smoother treble, it can almost sound hollow depending on the guitar they are installed in.  But for djent,  26.5 scale drop tuned guitars get you there.  ( so avoid like the plague)

Littleredguitar just posted a punk instrumental in the player forum which is very interesting.  Not the tones you would typically associate with this pickup.

A-Bomb is articulate, throaty, pissed off and a great rhythm pickup.

Juggs are great for clean, rhythm, and leads.  They are powerful and percussive but also smooth and refined.

Juggs are the djentleman' s pickup and the a-bomb is an angry biker.

So, do not trust the clips but definitely trust littleredguitar's punk instrumental.  In that clip you can hear the core voice of the humbucker.

[Slartibartfarst42]

I will happily admit that the clip is the first and only one that has made me even slightly impressed! I found the rhythm sound a bit rounded and 'hollow' for want of a better word but against that, I really loved the lead tone - beautifully articulate and smooth.

I remember when the specs of the Juggs were first released I was VERY excited about it. I prefer AV magnets and I prefer 43AWG wire and the addition of ceramic flankers to tighten things up a bit seemed perfect so I was genuinely disappointed when so many clips left me feeling cold. I very nearly still bought some despite that, such was the appeal of the specs but eventually I went elsewhere and bought one with 43AWG wire and an AVIII magnet with AV flankers. I imagine they're pretty similar in reality and I do like what I have but I confess that if I could do it again, I'd see if I could go with an AV magnet with AVIII flankers instead so that it was the AV that dominated. Who knows, it may not sound that different. Certainly my pickup doesn't sound a million miles away from that clip of the Juggs.

[Asce77]

Thx, guys. That's why I'm here, to hear different opinions 
Listened to the punk instrumental and while I really loved the song, these "hollow" upper mids (maybe a better descriptions than honky) are again very present.
I really like the cleans and leads of the Juggernaut but I think the rhythm tone just isn't for me.

Have to check out some Miracle Man vids.

Oh, I forgot. Had the A-Bomb in my 2008 LP and loved it while it was too muddy for my 79 LP Custom which of course is a very dark sounding guitar you can't compare to my Suhr.
The Suhr is a lightweight (around 5.5 lbs) guitar. African mahogany and of course much brighter sounding. If I decide to get the Nailbomb. What would you say? A or C?

[Yellowjacket]

I will happily admit that the clip is the first and only one that has made me even slightly impressed! I found the rhythm sound a bit rounded and 'hollow' for want of a better word but against that, I really loved the lead tone - beautifully articulate and smooth.

I remember when the specs of the Juggs were first released I was VERY excited about it. I prefer AV magnets and I prefer 43AWG wire and the addition of ceramic flankers to tighten things up a bit seemed perfect so I was genuinely disappointed when so many clips left me feeling cold. I very nearly still bought some despite that, such was the appeal of the specs but eventually I went elsewhere and bought one with 43AWG wire and an AVIII magnet with AV flankers. I imagine they're pretty similar in reality and I do like what I have but I confess that if I could do it again, I'd see if I could go with an AV magnet with AVIII flankers instead so that it was the AV that dominated. Who knows, it may not sound that different. Certainly my pickup doesn't sound a million miles away from that clip of the Juggs.

Ya.  What you are hearing there is the core voice of the humbucker, which has the purring top with the rounded low mids.  The upper mids can sound a bit 'hollow' in certain guitars but it is compensated for by a upper mid dominant guitar / amp. 

Here is the LittleRedGuitar clip:  https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=34216.0

My experience was weird:
I love the A-Bomb clip the best on the website and I generally love all the clips I have heard of them everywhere.
I don't like the juggernaut clips on the BKP website and I haven't liked may of the youtube clips either except for Misha's demo, Rick Graham's Demo, and some guy 'Jason's guitar lounge"?  He got a great, petrucci-esque- tone with them.

For me, when I tried the A-Bombs I just didn't care for the feel, particularly on leads.  But I will swear that the BKP clip with them is my favourite tone, period.  ALso like the A-Pig...  The A-bombs sound great in my LP and I'm thinking of trying some heavier string for Eb standard / Drop C# and heavier playing.  They're rad but I just don't click with the, as well as the Juggs or the Rebel Yell bridge.  LOVE the Rebel Yell bridge and VHII neck. 

The Juggernauts amazed me because of the great lead tone and feel, responsive and tight rhythm, the power and dynamics, as well as the jaw dropping cleans.  LOTS of great clean tones. Ibanez Wiring is phenomenal for exploiting this to the max.
The tone grew on me -like coffee- but actually playing them and feeling how the work for me as a player is what sold me.  They're fantastic.

Thx, guys. That's why I'm here, to hear different opinions 
Listened to the punk instrumental and while I really loved the song, these "hollow" upper mids (maybe a better descriptions than honky) are again very present.
I really like the cleans and leads of the Juggernaut but I think the rhythm tone just isn't for me.

Have to check out some Miracle Man vids.

Oh, I forgot. Had the A-Bomb in my 2008 LP and loved it while it was too muddy for my 79 LP Custom which of course is a very dark sounding guitar you can't compare to my Suhr..
The Suhr is a lightweight (around 5.5 lbs) guitar. African mahogany and of course much brighter sounding. If I decide to get the Nailbomb. What would you say? A or C?

Ok great.  This is why I posted the clip, because I wanted to demonstrate that quality of the pickups.

RE: Abombs.  What tuning did you use?  I have the A-Bomb bridge in a LP Standard and in E standard / Drop D, there are no mud problems at all.  If anything, the pickup is a little mid focused with a somewhat attenuated low end.  Very balanced sounding.

[Asce77]

It sounded awesome in my 2008 Standard. Simply perfect! The 79 Custom is an extremely heavy and dark sounding guitar. Maybe the C-Bomb would have been better for that guitar.
I play in D standard tuning.

[Yellowjacket]

Maybe I need to try D Standard tuning?  ;)

[Asce77]

Oooopsolutely 

[Yellowjacket]

Here is another Juggernaut clip that I actually like:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGFeGtEwcsI

IT's more of a dream theater type thing so no djenty djenty.