Mule or Crawler

[Dane]

Hi can u guys tell me more about this two pups. I am contemplating to get which one. I want a great blues, rock tone and also do high gain very well. Can u tell me more of the two pups to those who own one b4. I am putting it in a Gibson SG.

Thx

[Toms' anominous]

Why don't you just mix 'em?

[gingataff]

Although they're beefy, I don't know if I'd put crawlers in an SG, might end up a bit dark. Mules should be ok or how about Rebel yells? A bright cutting bridge and warmer neck pup should be good for blues.

[Ratrod]

How about Riff Raffs?

[Dane]

well i dunnoe how da Rebel Yell is or the Riff Raff mind sharing ur opinions on y u recommend the pups.

[Dane]

gingataff y do u tink Crawler will be abit dark 4 my SG???

[Dane]

Hi guys Pls i need ur help man. I wanna have a Pups to be able 2 pull Led Zepplin and ACDC.. Which will be gd??  Mule, Riff Raff, VH II, Black DOg???

[TwilightOdyssey]

In an SG, I would definitely go with a Riff Raff in the bridge, and maybe a Riff Raff neck or a Stormy Monday. I run the latter set in a LP clone for my ultimate 70s hard rock tone ...

The Riff Raff is a PAF style pickup with a bit more bite, but still stays clean. Even with a lot of gain, it retains clarity and control.

The Stormy Monday is an exact PAF replica down to the slightest detail.

Here are a couple of quick clips with my combination in action:

http://www.soundclick.com/util/getplayer.m3u?id=4583926&q=hi

http://www.soundclick.com/util/getplayer.m3u?id=4580565&q=hi

[Dane]

I been hearing Riff Raff are Bright. How bright are they.???

[Dane]

I been hearing Riff Raff are Bright. How bright are they.???

[Philly Q]

I have a Riff Raff in an SG and I'd say it's clear, but not especially bright.

If you imagine a "typical" PAF-type tone (I know there are lots of PAF variations, but I guess you know roughly what I mean), the Riff Raff is just a bit drier and grittier, still versatile but a little bit more of a "rock" pickup.  

It's not a knock-your-socks-off sound where you notice a huge difference straight away, you have to spend a bit of time playing with it to see what it's capable of.  And it's great for 70s hard rock tones.

My SG only has one pickup, but I think the RR would be great with a sweet-toned neck pickup like the Stormy Monday, as Ben suggested.

[carlaz]

Mules are awesome for classic rock and blues rock tones, and seem generally reckoned to sound good everywhere.  Maybe even SGs :) but I don't have enough experience with SGs to have a good sense about them. I really like the Crawlers in my LP -- like hot PAF + extra grunt in the mids -- but I really couldn't say how they'd sit in an SG -- I don't know that I've heard any clips of that combo ....

Clearly, Riff Raffs work great in SGs. They do seem to be considered bright, though they're still within the range of classic PAF (which is pretty much a range of specs, rather than any specific spec).

What about MQs?  Should they be being considered here?

[Dane]

Guys wats da dif wif alnico II n alnico IV

[carlaz]

Tim has posted at length on the Alnico II vs. IV things, as I recall.  Do a search and you'll probably find his words in various threads.

However, I saved from notes from him back when I was initially researching what pups I wanted for my LP; Tim wrote:
Alnico II is the softest and generally has a smooth bass and treble although this is more pronounced the hotter the windings get .... Alnico IV is probably the best vintage tone IMHO and along with II and III was used in the earliest PAFs-this is a fact and not myth as we've had them analyzed and a colleague of mine has also seen original Gibson purchase orders that clearly state AIV bar stock being purchased. The tone of AIV is balanced and extremely organic, it produces the most authentic vintage tone and sits better in slightly hotter vintage winds than AII which tends to get very mushy if used incorrectly.

That probably covers a lot of it, and the rest of my memory is that Tim gfenerally prefers IV over II for most applications, though he has a supply of A2s now that work very well in the lower output vintage-style pups (like the Stormy Monday).  I gather relatively few other manufacturers use A4s as extensively as BKP; A4s are relatively expensive compared to A2.

[Dane]

Well thx 4 clearing dat.. so wif dat said will it be gd 2 have abraxas in my SG???