Metal Pickups for Non Metal Player

[stratguy23]

I was wondering do some of the more metal focused pickups also work for non metal styles? I play everything from totally clean to blues to heavily effected alternative rock to hard rock. The reason I ask is I have a Strat that I am looking to swap the pickups in. It is an American Deluxe Strat from the late 90s. It was the first good guitar I got, and I have modded it a bunch. It started out as an HSS Strat, and I swapped the bridge humbucker first then made it a conventional SSS. I then got my first Bare Knuckle, a Crawler and put it in that guitar. This is where my question comes in, the Crawler was too dark for that guitar, so I swapped it into a partscaster with an ash body and Floyd Rose where it works much better. For my alder American Deluxe Strat, I want something that is brighter than the Crawler. I was also thinking of going a bit more aggressive at least for the bridge. I want something that is great for lead. Kind of looking for that fluid, effortless to play sound if that makes sense. This led me to think about some of the ceramic contemporary pickups from BKP, but I do not play much in the way of metal (I do listen to some classic metal like Ozzy, Sabbath, etc. and I like some newer stuff like Mastodon). I don't chug at all. I do play in drop D sometimes and so I do want the bass to be relatively tight, but it doesn't have to handle anything really down tuned. I played a Juggernaut in someone else's guitar and really liked the sound (it was in an ESP of some sort), but I'm not sure if those will be right for what I am trying to do in this guitar. The pickups don't need to have a great clean sound, but if they split well, that would be a plus. I am thinking of going HSH in this guitar. For the neck, something that balances with the bridge and has a nice vocal lead sound.

[Telerocker]

You describe the Holy Diver!

[stratguy23]

You describe the Holy Diver!

Interesting! I actually am in the process of modding a Strat for someone, and the guitar is going to get a Holy Diver, so I will be able to try one out in a similar guitar.

[stratguy23]

The only worry I have with the Holy Diver is that the Crawler was a little darker than I wanted in this Strat, and it sounds like the Holy Diver has a similar EQ or might even be darker, is that true?

[darkandrew]

I enquired about which pickup could replace a Crawler but be a little more aggressive and cutting, and was recommended an HD too by someone at BKP. I haven't done the swap yet but in the clips I've found and been directed to, the HD is definitely brighter than the Crawler.

Another pickup you might want to consider is the Cold Sweat. I've got a Cold Sweat set in a Fender Showmaster superstrat and I'd say it fits in somewhere between a metal and a rock pickup - it has the distinctive ceramic saturation in the mids and upper mids, and a very fast attack but it also has a nice, almost bluesy, bottom end which balances it nicely; making it full, cutting and chewey all at the same time.

Another pickup that a lot of people told me to try was the Miracle Man.

[Telerocker]

You describe the Holy Diver!

Interesting! I actually am in the process of modding a Strat for someone, and the guitar is going to get a Holy Diver, so I will be able to try one out in a similar guitar.

The Holy Diver has more cut and a little less bass than the Crawler. It sounds in a direct comparison brighter.

[gwEm]

I have a Cold Sweat in a Fender guitar and love it.

It has a good clean actually, and when you wind up the gain it becomes a screamer if you want it to.

I used it in an alternative rock band where it did the business.

I think though the Holy Diver might be a better choice for you, since it's less edgy. You may also like the Emerald.

[stratguy23]

I scored a used Miracle Man neck for really cheap. Would the Holy Diver bridge pair well with the MM neck? Also, how does the MM bridge compare to the HD? I have looked at the specs, and I realize the MM bridge is ceramic while the HD is alnico 5 (which is what the MM neck is), and the tone chart shows the MM is scooped while the HD has more midrange. Both seem to be '80's metal-style pickups just in different ways. What else should I know about one versus the other? I am not married to the idea of a brighter, more aggressive Crawler and would be interested in going with a very different style pickup.

[ericsabbath]

the neck MM you have should work pretty well in the bridge, but would probably sound somewhat like a slightly more aggressive and less mid-bloated crawler
it's pretty much an alnico version of the ceramic bridge model
I'd try it first if I could install it myself