les paul medium output pickup recomendation

[arneseys]

Hey,

i would like youre advise for my hagstrom super swede deluxe (les paul style guitar) i'm searching for new pickups (b&n). the guitar currently has the stock hagstrom 59's wich are not bad, but i want want something with a bit more output. i play mostly mainstream rock music but last year i'm playing more gainy stuff like think of tool, alice in chains,... so everything beyond metalica is a bitt to much.

for the bridge
i have a epiphone sg with duncan distortion, great for chugging but these feel like a one trick pony to me. I find these pickups are to compressed.
so based on this, for the bridge i am looking for somthing more versitale, open sounding and with less compression than the DD but with a bit more push than a 59

for the neck
i set the tone and gain for my amp according my brigde pickup, this results in een boomy sound on the neck pick up. the usable sounds are not really my playing style so i just don't use the neck
 the only 2 sounds i like from neck humbuckers are these
1. super clean amp (but i don't like to use a clean sound on my amp, i use a crunch as clean sound)
2. for solo's past the 12th fret. (and i am not that much of a soloist)
the only neck pick up I use is the single coil neck from my strat
so is there humbucker pick-up that would not sound boomy in these circumstances so i could use it more? (i think a lower output pick up maybe but that pairs well with the brigde pick-up i'm loooking for)

Thx in advance

[darrenw5094]

The Emerald bridge kicks at around 13 oHm and is a great Rock pup. It has a bit of high end, but nothing too overbearing.

The Abraxas is similar oHm, but not as bright and is pretty versatile also.

[darkbluemurder]

For bridge True Grit bridge - has the output of a medium output pickup but retains some PAF voicing elements.

I hear you on the neck pickup - most humbuckers tend to be boomy in the neck, and I found that nothing in the BKP range is bright and tight enough for my tastes. The ones that I liked most in the BKP range (all neck models) were the Holydiver and the Abraxas, followed by the Riff Raff. In a guitar with 24 frets, the VH II neck is also good. Haven't tried any of the other vintage models.

Cheers Stephan

[arneseys]

so going of the soundclips on bkp site, the emerald is sounds more like me than the abraxas, but can anyone chime in how te emerald compares to a true grid ?
(fyi the the true grid is easy to get in europe, i'm hesatent to order at british shops sinds brexit)

conserning the neck pick up: since i love the s/c neck from my strat, did anyone of you try a hsp90 neck pick-up? (I've never played a p90 so this suggustion could be way of :-))

[timmy_pix]

The Emerald bridge feels more "old school" and open - it's got depth and weight, but not much in the low-mids/bass; it has a softer attack and rich harmonics. It's got a bit of an output kick when you compare it to vintage-style pickup, but it doesn't feel high output or compressed in any way. The neck is really full and warm, but also brilliantly clear - you won't have any boomy neck problems.

The True Grit bridge feels more immediate and has more thickness to it, more "modern" feeling but without feeling super powerful. It also has a more focused midrange - the Emerald generally feels happier to me as a rhythm/chords/riff pickup, as the midrange needs a bit of a kick for screaming leads, whereas the midrange in the TG is in more useable places for lead work. If the TG is easier for you to get hold of, it's a safer bet, for sure. I think some people have trouble with the voicing of the Emerald (I love it!) and it can be picky with guitars, whereas the Boot Camp pickups are designed to work in pretty much any application.

I can't speak for the True Grit bridge, but from what I've read on here and the Facebook group, it's a good do-it-all neck pickup without having any stand-out features.

[richard]

I have the Abraxas set in a PRS Bernie. This set gives me the best match between neck and bridge that I've ever heard. The bridge is vintage sounding but with a bit of extra kick and the neck is pretty bright so it is nothing like the muddiness of many neck pickups. A really great set.

[ericsabbath]

Sounds like True grits or Holy Divers.

Personally, I'm loving the Rebel Yell for that stuff (Alice In Chains and Tool are probably my favorite bands), but it's still more of a Van Halen meets Vivian Campbell sort of tone, but brighter and more open, almost like an alnico 5 PAF but feels like it's always boosted with a tube screamer. (In a good way)

The True Grit is definitely closer to a Jerry's Les Paul tones, though, specially from his solo stuff, and the Holy Diver to the classic Dirt sound.
Both thick and chewy, the True Grit being a little crunchier, less compressed, and punchier in the bass, while the Diver has a little more agressive mids, compressed top and leaner bass. (Neither are as tight sounding as the Rebel Yell)