Rebell Yell on downtuned PRS-clone ? other options?

[jangoux]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here...I just entered the forum, because i've been reading other forums and there are lot of good things being said about the BK pickups, and i became interested on it.

Well, i currently have 3 guitars with Seymour DUncan pickups, a Gibson SG, with a Custom 5, and a Epiphone Les Paul Custom, also with a C5. Before that, i used Ceramics on both guitars and didn't like it..it sounded undynamic.

So, my third and newer guitar is a Cort M600, which is a PRS clone with a Mahogany body. It has a great sound, with great thick mids, which even with the stock Pickups sound better than the Epiphone model i have. I want to put a BK pickup on this guitar, and emailed Tim to ask for an opinion for an A5 humbucker and he recommended me a Rebell Yell for the bridge pickup. I'll be using it mostly for playing modern rock on Drop-C tunning with 011 strings (or maybe 012).

Do you have other opinions ? Would this pickup sound good on this guitar ? Besides the Rebell Yell, what would you recommend for this guitar ?

Oh, i just forgot : i need a good clean tone also. So no ultra-high output humbuckers.

If that helps, my amp is a Soldano SLO100 clone, made by a brazilian handmaker ( i am from Brazil) and i use it with a 2x12 cab with G1275 and V30. It's kinda bright and if not EQ'd properly it can make some annoying bright tones. So i usually over EQ the mids and lows to compensate for that.

Thanks
Ivan Jangoux

[JamesHealey]

Rebel Yell would be a good choice I think..

[38thBeatle]

Welcome.Generally the rule is that if Tim recommends something then it is avery good idea to follow his advice.

[Philly Q]

Welcome aboard Ivan!

Do your heavy strings and drop-C tuning mean you're playing Metal?  The RY is very tight in the bass so I think it'll cope with low tunings, but it's more of a "Big Rock" pickup than a "Metal" one, I think.  It'll do Metal, but more in an 80s kind of way.  If you wanted something a little darker-sounding but not ultra-high output, the Nailbomb, Holy Diver or even Crawler might fit the bill.

That said, you probably discussed all this with Maestro Tim.  I'm sure he's right.  

[jangoux]

Welcome aboard Ivan!

Do your heavy strings and drop-C tuning mean you're playing Metal?  The RY is very tight in the bass so I think it'll cope with low tunings, but it's more of a "Big Rock" pickup than a "Metal" one, I think.  It'll do Metal, but more in an 80s kind of way.  If you wanted something a little darker-sounding but not ultra-high output, the Nailbomb, Holy Diver or even Crawler might fit the bill.

That said, you probably discussed all this with Maestro Tim.  I'm sure he's right.  

Philly,

No, I dont play metal, but more of modern rock - that kind of american radio rock, like Nickelback, Tool, A Perfect Circle, etc. I dont want something that will do only metal (and that's the main reason i dont want ceramics...to me they are kinda lifeless and its clean sound lacks depth, at least on the ones i tried - the duncan custom and the dimarzio super distortion. I also tried a duncan distortion which i dont know which magnet is, but it's so high gain it unusable for anything else).  What i really want is a thick tone and not in a 80s kind of way heheeehhe

My main fear with the Rebell Yell is that is has a mid range boost, that from wha i've read, is JB-ish, which i really dislike, and my amp is VERY bright with a lot of hi mids, so i am kinda fearful this combination would be too much. ANyway, I can aways EQ the thing, and as i will be playing drop-C, this added brightness would help - and i think this is the reason Tim has told me this would be my best match for my guitar.

I dont know much from the Holy Diver and the Crawler..and for the Nailbomb, i think i will wait to send it to my Les Paul  8)  Anyway, i will research a bit of those two pickups on the forum and see whats the better fit.

How would those pickups compare to the Rebell Yell?

[Philly Q]

My main fear with the Rebell Yell is that is has a mid range boost, that from wha i've read, is JB-ish, which i really dislike

I wouldn't worry about the RY sounding JB-ish.  It's more focused and defined than the JB, bright and very tight in the bass.  It does have a lot of upper mids, but it's not harsh like a JB - it's a big, punchy, in-your-face sort of tone, but very musical.  Having said that, I don't think I'd put it in a one-pickup guitar, it's good to have a neck pickup for smoother, warmer tones.

I mentioned the HD, NB and Crawler because they're Alnico V, similar(ish) in output to the RY but not as bright.  I don't have personal experience of any of them, but as I understand it the Crawler is like a warm, beefed-up PAF (a Mule on steroids).  The HD is (some say) more along the lines of the original JB, not the current version.  I think they might be a bit dark for my guitars, which are mostly all-mahogany, but they should work fine in your Cort (assuming it has a maple top).

If you want a versatile pickup with a thick tone (but not in an 80s kind of way   ) I think a Crawler might do the trick, but as I say that's only based on what I've read.  There's lots more info on the forum.

[Kilby]

If you want a versatile pickup with a thick tone (but not in an 80s kind of way   ) I think a Crawler might do the trick, but as I say that's only based on what I've read.  There's lots more info on the forum.

Been lurking and thinking (always a bad thing), if the Cort isn't maple capped it may be a little too thick / dark (from soundclips and descriptions).

If it's all magogany it may be worth reading some of the SG threads.

Rob...

[Philly Q]

Been lurking and thinking (always a bad thing), if the Cort isn't maple capped it may be a little too thick / dark (from soundclips and descriptions).

I saw you there, Rob, you're too tall for lurking.  

Agreed, but I think that model does have a maple cap.  Not sure though.

[Kilby]

I saw you there, Rob, you're too tall for lurking.  

Agreed, but I think that model does have a maple cap.  Not sure though.

You can never be too tall for lurking

Theres so many models these days I'm never sure (hence me always asking questions)

Does the pickup have to be A5 also Tim (and his team if pixies ;) ) can tweak the pickup to your requirements (also he is seldom wrong in a reccomendation).

Rob...

[jangoux]

My main fear with the Rebell Yell is that is has a mid range boost, that from wha i've read, is JB-ish, which i really dislike

I wouldn't worry about the RY sounding JB-ish.  It's more focused and defined than the JB, bright and very tight in the bass.  It does have a lot of upper mids, but it's not harsh like a JB - it's a big, punchy, in-your-face sort of tone, but very musical.  Having said that, I don't think I'd put it in a one-pickup guitar, it's good to have a neck pickup for smoother, warmer tones.

I mentioned the HD, NB and Crawler because they're Alnico V, similar(ish) in output to the RY but not as bright.  I don't have personal experience of any of them, but as I understand it the Crawler is like a warm, beefed-up PAF (a Mule on steroids).  The HD is (some say) more along the lines of the original JB, not the current version.  I think they might be a bit dark for my guitars, which are mostly all-mahogany, but they should work fine in your Cort (assuming it has a maple top).

If you want a versatile pickup with a thick tone (but not in an 80s kind of way   ) I think a Crawler might do the trick, but as I say that's only based on what I've read.  There's lots more info on the forum.

Yes, i just forgot to mention that the Cort has a beautiful maple top. It's Mahogany with a maple top, like the EPiphone LP Custom i have, but it has a lot more openess on it's sound. It just sings beautiful, even with stock pickups.

Well, on another post, a couple folks recommended a Nailbomb for another use that like some stuff i like and are tone refereces for me, like Tool and A Perfect Circle. However, he has a Ibanez Super-strat, which might have a brighter sound than my guitar, and adding to the fact that i down tune it. Would a NB be too dark for what I want ? How it would compare tone wise and output wise to the RY ?

Answering to Kilby, It doesn't need to be A5, but i really dislike Ceramics (for clean sounds, i feel they are terrible and too undynamic), A2 usually are too boomy, and i don't have any experience with other Magnets. A8 seems like a cross between ceramics and A5, but i'd rather try something that's known to work than try something new and end up desapointened.

Keep the opinions comming and help me bring a BK to Brazil  8)

[Tricalibur]

Well a warpig would be great for your distorted tones and, Honestly IMO, they realy arent impossible to use clean either.