BKP virgin needs humbucker recommendations!

[Philly Q]

Hi, this is my first time here although I've been following the site and the forums for ages.  I'll start with an apology because this'll be a long post!

I've just bought a nice little guitar that I think will be a prime candidate for a pickup upgrade.  It's a Gibson The Paul SL, basically an LP shape but all-mahogany with a much thinner body - so more like a slightly beefier SG than a proper Les Paul.

I'm not one of these people who likes a subtle difference in tonal shading between the neck and bridge pickups.  I like a really big contrast which emphasises - rather than disguises - the natural differences in tone between the two positions.  I like the neck pickup to be fat, warm and smooth-sounding with tons of sustain, and the bridge to be bright, focused and aggressive, without being harsh.

Fortunately, the neck pickup choice seems to be quite easy - I've always loved Carlos Santana's tone, and Geoff Whitehorn's Crawler neck demo sounds just about perfect.  And I understand the Crawler neck is the same as the Abraxas neck(?), so Abraxas neck it is.

The bridge pickup choice is much tougher.  I want it tight in the bass so chords sound crunchy, with none of that horrible boominess you can get from the low E.  I want enough mids for good sustaining leads, but not so much that it turns to total mush.  And I want the treble strings to sound really bright, but also thick - a snarly, grindy kind of tone.  It probably sounds stupid when I'm after a humbucker, but almost a huge aggressive Tele tone - like Roy Buchanan when he really used to dig in hard.  If he'd been stupid enough to play gumby metal.

I'll mention favourite players, but they all sound fairly different so perhaps it won't help much - the Schenkers, Tony Iommi, Ronnie Montrose, Marty Friedman, Dave Mustaine, early Billy Gibbons, Warren Haynes, Gary Moore, Dave Meniketti, Frank Hannon of Tesla, Tim Sult of Clutch, Ty Tabor, Michael Amott, the guys from COC and Trouble.   Plus loads of Fender chaps who aren't particularly relevant to this discussion - Blackmore, Uli Roth, Robin Trower, Jake E Lee, SRV, the aforementioned Roy Buchanan.  And Alex Lifeson is awesome, but I don't really want to sound like him (like I ever could, ha!).

Can you believe how long I've waffled on?  OK, I'm thinking Abraxas neck plus Cold Sweat bridge (tempted to try ceramics for a change, but the neck model seems to get more rave reviews than the bridge).  Or Rebel Yell (love that demo!).  Or maybe Holy Diver (too thick/bassy?) or Emerald (not enough power?).  I'm stumped really.  You guys know far better than I do, any advice would be much appreciated!

[OD-Black_Fire]

I think that either the Nailbomb or Cold Sweat would be good. I've heard some Nailbomb clips with the guitar tuned down to B and A and the bass is still nice and tight, but it's not insanely bassy.

[Johnny Mac]

It's a hard choice! Try and get a demo with your amp or similar.  :idea:  I see your in London, so I would Contact Feline Guitars http://www.felineguitars.com/ who use this forum and see if they can help. I'm going there myself in about 30 minutes and if i had known about this post earlier I'd have given you a lift!
 :D

Edit Welcome Philly Q!  :D

[Antag]

I want it tight in the bass so chords sound crunchy, with none of that horrible boominess you can get from the low E.  I want enough mids for good sustaining leads, but not so much that it turns to total mush.  And I want the treble strings to sound really bright, but also thick - a snarly, grindy kind of tone.

IMO the Nailbomb does all this - I have one in my Les Paul.  It's a wonderfully dynamic pickup too, despite it's fairly high output it cleans up really well.  The word "Percussive" is often used to describe the NB.

Can't comment on the Cold Sweat as I've not got one (yet)

Holy Diver (too thick/bassy?)

Yes, probably.  I have one in my Korina strat, it has a massive thick tone but probably not enough "cut" for what you describe.  It's probably my favourite of the BKPs I've got so far for lead work but when I want to play massive heavy riffs with face-melting overdrive :twisted: I reach for the LP every time...

& welcome BTW :)

[Skybone]

You've already decided on the neck pickup, but running through the list of influences for the bridge choice, If you value the vintage ton, you can't go far wrong with either Mules, VHII's, Black Dog's or Emerald's, but if you want something slightly hotter, the bridge Crawler is a fantastic pickup with plenty of vibe.

If you want to hear a lower output pickup doing the "crunchy" rock thing, try this thread in the Player's section: http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3697 (shameless plug of course)... ;)

[Philly Q]

Thanks guys!  Interested in the comments about the Nailbomb, I've read a lot of favourable comments about its versatility.  I guess the name is deceptive - I was assuming it would just do a Sepultura (or maybe Fudge Tunnel!) sound which isn't really my thing at all.

Johnny Mac, thanks for the tip about Feline Guitars.  I know where their shop is (unless they've moved in the last couple of years) so maybe I'll drop in sometime.

If you value the vintage ton, you can't go far wrong with either Mules, VHII's, Black Dog's or Emerald's, but if you want something slightly hotter, the bridge Crawler is a fantastic pickup with plenty of vibe.

Thanks Skybone, liked the demo!  I would normally go straight for the "hot vintage" type of pickup (and probably will eventually, maybe for my SGs), but for this particular guitar I want something hotter for a change - say 14K plus.  The bridge Crawler demo actually sounds really good, but just a little too smooth and warm - I want something slightly brighter and nastier.   Which is why I'm thinking the ceramics in the Cold Sweat could make the difference.

Maybe a Miracle Man?  But I began with the assumption that the MM, NB and Warpig are going to be "too Metal" even though I love that style of music.  :?

[jt]

:D The Cold Sweat bridge is a great P/U . It gives a very focused sound well capable of a lot of the players you mentioned. I would also suggest that you get it coil tapped as well this will give you a very versatile P/U.

 :D  8)

[Peterku]

I'm not sure about the Nailbomb. It might sound too middy in an all-mahogany guitar. I'd either choose high-output ceramic or low-output alnico for the bridge position. A Cold Sweat maybe?

[tartanmartin]

I think the RY set is what your looking for, after all, it has the CS neck and with the bridge you would get a huge amount of versatility.

Im ready to order a set of black covered RY's with the Ray Gun design, just need to get payed.........  :P

[Johnny Mac]

I think the RY set is what your looking for, after all, it has the CS neck and with the bridge you would get a huge amount of versatility.

Im ready to order a set of black covered RY's with the Ray Gun design, just need to get payed.........  :P

Just got a pair of burnt chrome RY's with bkp's logo engraved on them too!  8) They sound gorgeous!

[carlaz]

I think the RY set is what your looking for, after all, it has the CS neck and with the bridge you would get a huge amount of versatility.

I was actually thinking Abraxas neck (always a good choice!) with the Rebel Yell bridge.  My sense is that the RY bridge is just that bit more rawk than the Crawler bridge, which seems to be the aim :)

[Philly Q]

I was actually thinking Abraxas neck (always a good choice!) with the Rebel Yell bridge.  My sense is that the RY bridge is just that bit more rawk than the Crawler bridge, which seems to be the aim :)

Yes, exactly!  I'm pretty set on the Abraxas neck, and I seem to be narrowing it down to either CS or RY bridge.  I may even get both and put whichever is the more "versatile" in one of my single-pickup SGs.

[Philly Q]

Don't really know why I feel a girlish urge to share this news, but I've made my first BKP order! :gif:

I've gone for the Abraxas neck and Rebel Yell bridge.  Tim told me that my guitar would handle the Cold Sweat, but his comment about the RY was "it's awesome, brighter and tighter than the Crawler".  That swung it!

[DeathEngine]

Hey everyone my first post here. Thinking about ordering a B2 from Doug at Blackmachine. I play everything from Van Halen to Killswitch Engage to Meshuggah. I love aggresive humbucker tones but find the ones ive tried a bit mushy for chording. Also using a Paul which doesnt help.

What do you guys recommend for the bridge slot? Im over Duncans and EMG's. Got Lundgrens in my Gibson. I would love to have BKP's installed. Any advice would be great!!!

[gingataff]

Obviously a VHII would be great for, uh, VH! But for more aggressive music a nailbomb would be good, its never mushy, high output and still has the organic midrange that you get from the VHII.