Replacing my Nailbomb

[ealford0]

Hi everyone. Just coming back from from a long hiatus on the forum.  I have an S style Ibanez with cold sweat in neck, which I love, but the nailbomb in the bridge is not quite right for me.  I can split the coils, but it sounds thin, probably due to how thin the body is. Even a little thin full hmbkng.
  Anyhow, I want to get more bass, roundness and modernity from my bridge. Some more warmth if you will. Maybe Santana meets Petrucci if possibly with an S. Any suggestions?

[Yellowjacket]

Hmmm.  Holy Diver?  A-Pig?   Juggernaut?  The usual phat offenders. 

[Telerocker]

Ragnarok?

[ealford0]

Ok, thanks I am leaning towards the jugg. Or what about a rebel yell.  I am not always playing metal with this guitar, but also hard rock and want some livable clean tones in bridge.  I know y'all know best.  I played it a while today, and the A Bomb sounds good to me but I don't know, I just wanna try something more organic.  I was trying to notice what I don't care for as much and I think it is the loud pick attack. It sounds rounder all-round unplugged, but is just a very thin bodied guitar with a Floyd and there's just not much wood there lol . It is mahogany, though w/ a maple neck/ rosewood finger board. It's not honky at all unplugged like an LP.
 Just trying to take  away some of the stratty snap I hear sometimes. 
     Back in the day , way before the Juggernaut was invented, I did always have a Jones for the HD and the A-pig,  but am I totally up the wrong tree with a rebel yell?  Thank again.

[Telerocker]

I just wonder if the Jugg sounds more organic than a Nailbomb. I doubt about that. To my ears the Jugg has a bit of a c--ked wah going. Might be the enhanced mids. When I listen clips I do like the Ragnarok although it's ceramic. For me, ceramic and hot is usually not the path to organic eargasm.

[Yellowjacket]

People need to quit with that stupid c--ked wah thing.  I actually spelled out c-o-c-k-e-d  loooll!!   Guess it isn't a swear in North America!!!

I have Juggs in 2 guitars and I'd describe it as a dark and phat sounding pickup.  It has a lot of low mids with attenuated upper mids and very smooth and purring high end.  There is a bite in the upper treble.

My 6 string super strat has a zingy upper mid tone that is the contribution of the Schaller FR style bridge with the 5/8" brass block.  It is phat and super aggressive with this growl in the midrange.

My RG7421 is a hardtail and it has been upgraded with a TUSQ nut and a Hipshot bridge.  In that guitar, it is a balanced and full range tone.  You really hear that iconic Ibanez metal tone and the pickup seems to disappear.  This guitar is very aggressive and articulate.  The frequency holes in the pickup are filled in by the guitar.  You can just tell this was the style of instrument the pickup was built around.

I think the c--ked wah tone is a result of amp settings and people running modern boost pedals with the tone up.  Boost pedals that really focus the tone around the mids.  I have never got this result running my Jugg equipped guitars straight into an amplifier. 

[one]

agreed, the juggs are dope, my fave BKPs

[stratguy23]

The Holy Diver might be a good choice. I haven’t played a Nailbomb, but from clips I’ve heard, the Holy Diver is definitely more organic. The Rebel Yell is a lot brighter with an upper mid focus. It works better in fatter sounding guitars. One other option might be the Crawler. It would definitely fatten up the guitar, and it isn’t super modern in voicing, so it could do Santana, and hot enough to play rock/hard rock. The Juggernauts are cool and definitely can do a lot more than just djent, but they are modern, so I don’t think it could do Santana convincingly.

[ealford0]

Thanks guys for all your input on this. I have ruled out the Rebel for this guitar. Might be interested in the Crawler though.

[Telerocker]

The Crawler will fatten up your Ibbie, but mind you, the Crawler has a softer lowend response than your NB. Santana and Petrucci is possible though.

[darkandrew]

The Crawler will fatten up your Ibbie, but mind you, the Crawler has a softer lowend response than your NB. Santana and Petrucci is possible though.

How about a Black Dog then? That's supposed to have a thick mid / bottom with a bit more bite than a Crawler.

[Telerocker]

The Crawler will fatten up your Ibbie, but mind you, the Crawler has a softer lowend response than your NB. Santana and Petrucci is possible though.

How about a Black Dog then? That's supposed to have a thick mid / bottom with a bit more bite than a Crawler.

The BD is recommended for downtuned guitars and indeed it has a tight lowend for a vintage(hot)pickup. I would say it's the vintage take on the Holy Diver.

[ealford0]

Thanks guys, I have been listening to the Crawler and I think it is right for the ibbie. I just need to sell my Nailbomb.

[Telerocker]

Good luck! Keep us informed.