Grittier Rebel Yell Wanted

[darkandrew]

I have a problematic Fender Showmaster superstrat that I just can't seem to find the right bridge pickup for. I've tried a number of BK pickups in there, the best of which is the Rebel Yell but even that's not 100% what I'm after. The biggest problem with the guitar is that it has quite a noticeable midrange resonance. The guitar's body is made of basswood, the neck (set) is maple with a rosewood fretboard and I've blocked the trem which appears to have helped improve the low frequencies a little.

I have a number of BK pickups laying around, all which I've tried in there as follows.

VH2 - output too low.
Crawler - mids coincided with guitar's own mid resonance to create a midrange overload.
Alnico Nailbomb - cutting edge too bright but otherwise pretty good.
Yebel Yell - nearly there but too smooth and lacking "grit".

So basically I'm after a grittier Rebel Yell. Any suggestions?

[Yellowjacket]

Black Dog?

[johnny_rock_it]

Lower the A Bomb or raise the RY?

RY doesn't sound very smooth to me, it has grit. Not as much as a Abomb but still a nice amount of grit.

[darkandrew]

Lower the A Bomb or raise the RY?

RY doesn't sound very smooth to me, it has grit. Not as much as a Abomb but still a nice amount of grit.

I played with the heights to find the "sweet spots" but still couldn't quite get them as I wanted. From my experience with the Nailbomb, I think they are quite sensitive to string guage and get on better with 10s than the 9s on this guitar (Fender scale being longer). As for the Rebel Yell, the lower end of its "presence" peak probably coincides with the upper end of the guitar's mid-frequency resonance a little, so I could probably do with something a little "scooped" such as a Cold Sweat. Does that sound about right?

[darkandrew]

Black Dog?

I found the VH2 to be too low output - is the Black Dog any hotter?

[Dave Sloven]

I would probably go for a Miracle Man in this guitar, going by your preferences and what you've said about the mids etc.  Cold Sweat could be good too.  Both of them will give you tight lows and a crisp top end.  Another option would be a Stockholm HSP90.

[darkandrew]

I would probably go for a Miracle Man in this guitar, going by your preferences and what you've said about the mids etc.  Cold Sweat could be good too.  Both of them will give you tight lows and a crisp top end.  Another option would be a Stockholm HSP90.

I was thinking of the Cold Sweat too. My only concern was that it might be too bright and brittle. Does it have the lows to balance the bright top end?

[Dave Sloven]

It has more low end than the Rebel Yell, and it is a better lead pickup than the Nallbomb.  But I also suggested the Miracle Man as that has more bottom end than the Cold Sweat.  The CS definitely has bottom end, but it is tight and percussive in the bottom end, not big

[darkandrew]

It has more low end than the Rebel Yell, and it is a better lead pickup than the Nallbomb.  But I also suggested the Miracle Man as that has more bottom end than the Cold Sweat.  The CS definitely has bottom end, but it is tight and percussive in the bottom end, not big

It's used mainly for high gain rhythm playing - ideal A Bomb territory but I found its edge to be a little too bright in this guitar. The RY's  leading edge, by comparison, is fine; it's the mids that don't quite work (a little too "honky").

[Dave Sloven]

I've used a Cold Sweat and an A-bomb in the same middy and bright guitar.  Same with an A-Pig and the same A-bomb in a darker guitar.

The A-bomb is definitely brighter than the A-Pig in the dark guitar and the treble detail or hair does help there and it is quite versatile.

The A-bomb was obnoxiously middy in the middy guitar.  The hair seemed extreme there and I could only get a very narrow spectrum of sounds out of it.  The Cold Sweat doesn't seem to be any brighter but has a bit less output and in that guitar is nice and balanced, lacking the middiness and thus becoming much more versatile.  I would say that in a middy guitar it is the next best option when the Rebel Yell just comes out middy with no bottom end.  The mids of your guitar will fill out the mid scoop in the pickup.

I am going to change the CS out for a MM soon because I want more output and a slightly darker sound in that guitar for my doom metal project, but I was not dissatisfied with the CS there. I think the MM will allow me to go for heavier sounds when I want them

[darkandrew]

Oddly, playing through the clips on the BK website, something about the Holy Diver stands out for me. It seems to have the low end and low-mids that I need along with just enough top end to stop it becoming muddy, not to mention plenty of grit. However, having tried the Crawler in there and finding it lacking in highs and having too much in the mids, I am a little worried that the HD could be the same; how do the Crawler and Holy Diver bridges compare?

[Dave Sloven]

It kind of seems like all the signs are pointing toward the Miracle Man here.

If I were you I'd take a closer look at that pickup.

[darkbluemurder]

Black Dog?

I found the VH2 to be too low output - is the Black Dog any hotter?

No - if one is hotter, it's the VH2.

Cheers Stephan