compare neck pickups for me: coldsweat/nailbomb/miracleman??

[JoshuaLogan]

Hey, guys. I'm getting really close to ordering a set of BKP pickups since I finally found a guitar I want to put them in.

I'm looking for comparisons between the neck pickups of these 3... coldsweat, nailbomb, and miracle man. how are they voiced differently? what are the dc resistance outputs of each?

main priority is that it has to be good for shred, but I've heard all 3 of these are, so.... I like a really round, warm, fat sound in the neck... a nice warm tone for lots of melodic sweep picking lines. think something like the band between the buried and me if you've listened to them. which one would you recommend for this?

also, I'd like to get a pretty good clean sound when tapped for coilsplitting... I'm guessing the coldsweat would be the best at this, then nailbomb, then miracle man. is that right?

anybody have comments?  :)

[Toms' anominous]

for dc resistance go to the shop and it says more info at the bottem of the page it'll also say what they sound like.

http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/products.html

and yeah your right in that order although for warmth i think BKP aren't the best (although i haven't heard all of them). i'd put a Swinehead runaway with the cold sweat cos i think that would be a lovely combo.

EDIT: actually the VHII sounds better then the Swinehead

[Philly Q]

for dc resistance go to the shop and it says more info at the bottem of the page it'll also say what they sound like.

http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/products.html

Those DC figures are just for the bridge pickups.  You'll need to search the forums or email Tim and the guys to find the neck pickup specs.

[Transcend]

for dc resistance go to the shop and it says more info at the bottem of the page it'll also say what they sound like.

http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/products.html

and yeah your right in that order although for warmth i think BKP aren't the best (although i haven't heard all of them). i'd put a Swinehead runaway with the cold sweat cos i think that would be a lovely combo.

EDIT: actually the VHII sounds better then the Swinehead

have youa ctually tried the swinesheads? because ive been thinking of getting some of them but dont know anyone with experience and i hate ordering blindly

[JamesHealey]

sound clips unfortunately are a bugger to judge tone from until you get the gear your self, from my experience i'd say the following about these pickups:

Cold Sweat:
Big Warm round, slightly hollow sounding, plays extremely fast reminds me of a more open sweeter Air Norton.

Nailbomb:
Fast dynamic and crunchy, not as thick sounding as the Cold Sweat probably my least favourite of all high powered neck pickups by BKP.

Miracle Man:
Really agressive, just the right ammount of compression really does sound like an EMG85 but dynamic and more agressive, great for shred.

[JoshuaLogan]

sound clips unfortunately are a bugger to judge tone from until you get the gear your self, from my experience i'd say the following about these pickups:

Cold Sweat:
Big Warm round, slightly hollow sounding, plays extremely fast reminds me of a more open sweeter Air Norton.

Nailbomb:
Fast dynamic and crunchy, not as thick sounding as the Cold Sweat probably my least favourite of all high powered neck pickups by BKP.

Miracle Man:
Really agressive, just the right ammount of compression really does sound like an EMG85 but dynamic and more agressive, great for shred.

thanks. that was very helpful. that's kinda what I was expecting from the nailbomb neck... figured it would be pretty sharp on the attack and not real round or warm. so, that rules that one out...  hmmm, so the miracle man set's basic tone is modeled after an EMG 81 and EMG 85?

how well can the miracle man neck pickup clean up when split? if it doesn't do cleans too well, then it isn't all that versatile anyways and maybe I should just go all out and get the wapigs since? hmmm

also, is the miracle man bridge pretty bright? It seems like it would be, since it has a ceramic bridge, but I've never heard anyone on here really say it was very bright.... ???

anyways, if I get a miracle man bridge, the miracle man neck is sounding like what I'm after I think, but what exactly do you mean by aggressive? I don't mind it having a high output. but I don't want an aggressive razor sharp attack... I want smooth, thick, warm, round.... for nice fat lead tones.

also, how much hotter is the miracle man neck pickup than the coldsweat neck pickup?

[Toms' anominous]

the Miracle Man can do cleans well but i haven't heard it split, and its not very warm compared to the VHII and cold sweat.

and to the dude asking about swineheads, yes they are very good but not as good as BKP but their alot cheaper. the resident expert on SwineHeads is Dave MC asking him would be the best idea. OR sign up to ultimate-guitar forums as theres a good mix of pickup experts over there, (plus there very entetaining forums).

[Antag]

Cold Sweat:
Big Warm round, slightly hollow sounding, plays extremely fast

Nailbomb:
Fast dynamic and crunchy, not as thick sounding as the Cold Sweat probably my least favourite of all high powered neck pickups by BKP.

If this thread is still around when I get my Les Paul back from Feline, then I'll add a comment, but I don't yet have a MM neck.

FWIW, I agree with James' comments on the NB & CS necks.  One thing he doesn't mention is that the NB neck has a bit more output than the CS...

[JoshuaLogan]

hmm, so the miracle man neck isn't as warm or thick as the coldsweat neck?

anybody else have comments?

[JamesHealey]

The Cold Sweat is without a doubh't the warmest out of those pickups in the neck and the most "liquid" to play on aswell.. it's so smooth and warm it's almost a sin.

[JoshuaLogan]

The Cold Sweat is without a doubh't the warmest out of those pickups in the neck and the most "liquid" to play on aswell.. it's so smooth and warm it's almost a sin.

nice. that sounds like what I want then. maybe I'll just ask to have it wound slightly hotter than normal so it matches with the bridge a little bit better.

one last question here just to make sure before I order. the coldsweat neck is warmer and smoother than the miracle man neck, but how about thickness? which sounds thicker?

and I actually do like the sound of the EMG 85 for metal leads (not much for anything else though)... so do you think I would like the miracle man neck too, or is it a lot more aggressive sounding than the 85? I don't think the 85 is all that aggressive sounding.. sure in output, but it's pretty thick and smooth....

[TonyGibson]

hmm, so the miracle man neck isn't as warm or thick as the coldsweat neck?

anybody else have comments?

That has definitely not been my experience. I purchased an MM set and while I loved the bridge, I hated the neck. The neck was too thick and too bassy for my tastes...maybe good for metal, but for blues it definitely lacked cut.

I wrote to Tim expressing I wanted something more "vintage sounding" in the neck, with much more cut than the MM neck, but could still match the MM bridge power-wise.

He recommended the CS neck and it was perfect for what I wanted. In my experience it definitely sounds more "hollow" and vintage than the MM neck...it sounds awesome through a tube screamer into a tube amp, and cleans up beautifully. I would not call it excessively warm though...not by a long shot.

Regarding the MM neck, it's great for metal, but for blues not so much.
Keep in mind this is in a Les Paul Studio (with an ebony fingerboard), so it may be different in a different guitar.

The MM bridge CS neck combo in this Les Paul has given me everything I could possibly want in this guitar...metal, blues, classic rock (with the volume rolled down on the MM) and everything in between.

EDIT: Back in my EMG days, I absolutely HATED the 85 as a neck pickup. My choice for the neck was always the 60A.

[JoshuaLogan]

hmm, so the miracle man neck isn't as warm or thick as the coldsweat neck?

anybody else have comments?

That has definitely not been my experience. I purchased an MM set and while I loved the bridge, I hated the neck. The neck was too thick and too bassy for my tastes...maybe good for metal, but for blues it definitely lacked cut.

I wrote to Tim expressing I wanted something more "vintage sounding" in the neck, with much more cut than the MM neck, but could still match the MM bridge power-wise.

He recommended the CS neck and it was perfect for what I wanted. In my experience it definitely sounds more "hollow" and vintage than the MM neck...it sounds awesome through a tube screamer into a tube amp, and cleans up beautifully. I would not call it excessively warm though...not by a long shot.

Regarding the MM neck, it's great for metal, but for blues not so much.
Keep in mind this is in a Les Paul Studio (with an ebony fingerboard), so it may be different in a different guitar.

The MM bridge CS neck combo in this Les Paul has given me everything I could possibly want in this guitar...metal, blues, classic rock (with the volume rolled down on the MM) and everything in between.

EDIT: Back in my EMG days, I absolutely HATED the 85 as a neck pickup. My choice for the neck was always the 60A.

hmm, I associate the word hollow kinda the same as "chimey".... mids kinda scooped out, so it's more sparkly sounding... I think "warm" is more low-mids and round sounding... which is what I want for this... for fat metal, shred, and prog rock leads...

sounds like the miracle man neck is what I want then, because I love thick and bassy... and this guitar is an archtop ibanez rg... actually pretty similar tone to a les paul but the body isn't quite as thick, and also it's a 24 fret guitar, so the neck pickup is a little more trebley than on a 22 fret guitar.... seems like the MM neck would fatten it up a bit and get it closer to that LP sound. would you agree?

also, tony, can you compare the MM and CWP? how are they different other than the CWP being hotter and more compressed? do you think the warpig neck would be thick and bassy like the MM neck but hotter, or voiced different too?

[TonyGibson]

[hmm, I associate the word hollow kinda the same as "chimey".... mids kinda scooped out, so it's more sparkly sounding... I think "warm" is more low-mids and round sounding... which is what I want for this... for fat metal, shred, and prog rock leads...

sounds like the miracle man neck is what I want then, because I love thick and bassy... and this guitar is an archtop ibanez rg... actually pretty similar tone to a les paul but the body isn't quite as thick, and also it's a 24 fret guitar, so the neck pickup is a little more trebley than on a 22 fret guitar.... seems like the MM neck would fatten it up a bit and get it closer to that LP sound. would you agree?

also, tony, can you compare the MM and CWP? how are they different other than the CWP being hotter and more compressed? do you think the warpig neck would be thick and bassy like the MM neck but hotter, or voiced different too?

I don't know if I would classify the CS neck as "scooped" but definitely bright and sparkly if that makes any sense. If you're looking for a round, bassy sound I really think the MM neck is your best bet. The only thing I would equate it to is a much BETTER version of the EMG 85, and I hated the 85.  IMO if you like an 85 in the neck, you'll love the MM neck. If you're like me and liked the 60A in the neck, you'll love the CS neck.

In regard to the CWP and MM, they are quite different. I find the CWP to be BRUTALLY heavy, whereas the MM is heavy, but it can do classic rock and overdriven blues very well (as well as metal). The trick to the MM is to turn the volume to 7 when playing anything but metal. It actually does NOT lose top end or bottom end, but it overdrives the amp less, resulting in a much less aggressive sound.

As far as which one I like best, that's a tough one. Consider that the MM bridge and CS neck are in a Les Paul and the Warpigs are in an Ibanez, it's really what I'm in the mood for. The Ibanez is C tuned and I use it for metal exclusively (check out my In Flames clip in the players section) and the Les Paul I use for EVERYTHING. Once I got the CS neck in it, I realized I could play that guitar for anything...I've jammed with metal guys, funk jams, blues jams, etc. and that Les Paul with the MM and CS NEVER fails me.

Again, if I had to pick, I'd say the MM because I find it more versatile. To be fair, if I could only own ONE guitar for all the styles I play/dabble in, it would be that Les Paul, and that's largely due to the pickups.

[JoshuaLogan]

thanks. hmm I'm having some trouble deciding if I want the guitar to be versatile or a metal machine... meh. I'll have to decide that for myself though.

oh, and, everybody likes to think of "scooped" is a bad thing, but... a good example: a fender twin reverb is many people's ideal amp for a clean tone, but that amp (and a lot of other fenders too) is extremely scooped... the hollow/chimey/sparkly thing... it's bass and lots of treble and very little mids. it's not always a bad thing. haha.

thanks for the help, now I just gotta decide if I want a miracle man set or a CWP/WP set