Hey guys,
So I have a new hot pink Charvel San Dimas (alder body, maple neck) with a floating floyd and a set of Seymour Duncans that came stock with it (JB and 59). Sweet pickups, but lack the clarity of the Bareknuckles I have in all my other guitars. I do like the low end on the JB, though it could be a bit tighter, and I love the lead tones it provides, but there's this mid range frequency that seems hard to dial out. For reference, I have Rebel yell bridge/emerald neck in a PRS Custom 24, Holy Divers in a Les Paul, Mules in another Les Paul and VHII in an ash bodied strat. Love the Diver and RY's, Mules are amazing but the VHII was just alright. I'd prefer not to have two of the same pickups.
I'm looking for this to be an 80's metal machine. I have my spandex and hairspray at the ready. Think of tones like Van Halen, Ratt, Dokken, Randy Rhoads, scorpions, Judas Priest (Painkiller era) etc. Something that gets me in the ballpark of these artists, but it doesn't need to be an exact replica as the sound I end up loving could be something else entirely. I want something with a crunchy and hairy rhythm tone, huge lead tones that are searing and clear, and effortless harmonics. I want a pretty chunky thick low end, but not a pickup that's too dark as a result. Something relatively aggressive, nothing too polite. As the guitar has split coil features (or coil tap, I dunno) that'd be something to keep in mind as it'd be a shame to have something that doesn't split well.
A few I've eyed off, aside from repeating the Diver or RY's, are the cold sweat and the nailbombs (probably alnico). The hair metal sound clips on the website all sound great, but I have no idea how they'd likely sound in a charvel, so hence, here to seek out some professional opinions. Any help in narrowing down pickups, or suggesting alternative options that might meet my needs, would be appreciated.
Should also note that I'm playing an Orange Rockerverb 50 and a Friedman Runt 20 into an Orange 212 cabinet.
