Which BKP For Me?

[Would'e?]

Greetings BKP Community! I am first-time poster and first time prospective BKP buyer. I am looking to replace a Tone Zone in the bridge position of my Ibanez RGAT62. The DiMarzio does decent leads and chunks well, but it is too boomy and dark and I cannot get good singing harmonics in it for most of the rhythm parts I play.

I am primarily looking to get great 80s metal tones. Wolf Hoffman is my main reference point, but I also love the bridge tones from Scorpions, Lynch, Slash, and early Hetfield.

From what I have read in the forums, it sounds like the Holy Diver or Cold Sweat is probably what I am looking for, but I am hoping for some specific recommendations.

For those who do not know the guitar, it is a maple and walnut neck with neck-through construction and mahogany wings. The fretboard is rosewood. Thanks!

[McStrummer]

Can't speak from experience, but considering flipping one of my guitars in that direction (after I've dealt with my Strat). Guitar in question is a Variax JTV89F (HH, mahogany body, maple bolt on) so fairly similar construction to the RG - and I'm looking very closely at the HD.

So I'll be watching this thread...

[darkandrew]

Greeting BKP Community! I am first-time poster and first time prospective BKP buyer. I am looking to replace a Tone Zone in the bridge position of my Ibanez RGAT62. The DiMarzio does decent leads and chunks well, but it is too boomy and dark and I cannot get good singing harmonics in it for most of the rhythm parts I play.

I am primarily looking to get great 80s metal tones. Wolf Hoffman is my main reference point, but I also love the bridge tones from Scorpions, Lynch, Slash, and early Hetfield.

From what I have read in the forums, it sounds like the Holy Diver or Cold Sweat is probably what I am looking for, but I am hoping for some specific recommendations.

For those who do not know the guitar, it is a maple and walnut neck with neck-through construction and mahogany wings. The fretboard is rosewood. Thanks!

Having used both Cold Sweats and Holy Divers in the same guitar at one time or another, I can offer you some comparison between the two. Holy Divers are louder with a fair amount of bottom end and bags of middle. The HD is also more saturated and coarser under break-up. In contrast, the CS has some compression / saturation  but not as much as the HD and so has more head-room for dynamics. It also has quite a lot less middle and a lot more top end and as such, on break-up it is less coarse. As you can see, they are quite different sounding pickups and my personal preference is for the CS due to the HD's higher saturation and lack of highs in comparison. In the HD's defence, however, I would say that the HD probably makes for the better lead pickup if that's your thing.

[Dave Sloven]

Leaving Slash out of it (because his sound is so different to the others you have mentioned) I think the Cold Sweat is a lot closer than the Holy Diver.

[Telerocker]

Besides the Cold Sweat a Rebel Yell might do the trick here.

[darkbluemurder]

I am primarily looking to get great 80s metal tones. Wolf Hoffman is my main reference point, but I also love the bridge tones from Scorpions, Lynch, Slash, and early Hetfield.

From what I have read in the forums, it sounds like the Holy Diver or Cold Sweat is probably what I am looking for, but I am hoping for some specific recommendations.

For those who do not know the guitar, it is a maple and walnut neck with neck-through construction and mahogany wings. The fretboard is rosewood. Thanks!

HD and CS are completely different sounding pickups. HD has a strong mid focus whereas CS has a flat mid response along with a cutting top entd.

[Dave Sloven]

With a maple neck-through you might not like a mid-focused pickup

[ericsabbath]

Rebel Yell for the best of both worlds
I love both cold sweat and holy diver, though
they are completely different sounding pickups, like darkbluemurder said
the sweat is heavy on the bass and treble, with a raspy and grainy texture on the upper mids, while the diver is loaded with center mids and delivers a nice smooth top end
both have decent cleans, great lead tones and loud harmonics

[ericsabbath]

I see the rebel yell as a good alternative since it will keep the heavy mids of the diver, the bright top of the cold sweat, and also the good leads and harmonics

[darkandrew]

I see the rebel yell as a good alternative since it will keep the heavy mids of the diver, the bright top of the cold sweat, and also the good leads and harmonics

I'm not sure ... I've always found the Rebel Yell to have a lot of presence / high mids but not a great deal of the bright top end, for example the sound of the pick on the string, that a CS or even a Nail Bomb or Mule has but I do agree that it's a good compromise and good all-rounder.

[Would'e?]

I understand that Wolf Hoffman was using Bill Lawrence pickups back in the day. Is something the Rebel Yells can do, or is it more The sound of Cold Sweats? https://youtu.be/B_3TlrZLpQ0

[darkandrew]

I understand that Wolf Hoffman was using Bill Lawrence pickups back in the day. Is something the Rebel Yells can do, or is it more The sound of Cold Sweats? https://youtu.be/B_3TlrZLpQ0

I would say the riff at the start of that clip is more like the Holy Diver than Cold Sweat.

[Telerocker]

I understand that Wolf Hoffman was using Bill Lawrence pickups back in the day. Is something the Rebel Yells can do, or is it more The sound of Cold Sweats? https://youtu.be/B_3TlrZLpQ0

I would say the riff at the start of that clip is more like the Holy Diver than Cold Sweat.

From what I remember the BL bridge is very midfocused. Indeed a Holy Diver would be closer than a CS.

[ericsabbath]

Bill Lawrence pickups sound very midscooped (in the center mids) for my ears
More than the cold sweat, but still a similar voicing to It
I had a huge sounding imbuya top les paul that sounded great with a Holy diver and later a miracle man, but very very thin in the mids with the Lawrence

[Telerocker]

Bill Lawrence pickups sound very midscooped (in the center mids) for my ears
More than the cold sweat, but still a similar voicing to It
I had a huge sounding imbuya top les paul that sounded great with a Holy diver and later a miracle man, but very very thin in the mids with the Lawrence

Probably you're right Eric. I refer to the BL pickup in my friends Ibbie early nineties. Compared to the PAF Pro in my Jem FP 77 I felt the Lawrence had a narrower spectrum. But man, it is long ago, maybe I mix up things.