Aftermaths are not for me.....

[Konfyouzd]

Originally Posted by USMarine75

IMO Tone Zone / Air Norton is one of the best and most versatile pickup combos out there. They aren't perfect for any one style (except maybe 80's shred) but they sound really good in any style. If you were upgrading over IBZs maybe you would have been more impressed...

Hells yes. My friend has that exact combo in his RG1570... WHOA. It literally sounds amazing for everything... You can roll back the volume and get some cool clean overdrive sounding tones too.

[Sepultorture]

I haven’t gone through a transition of many pickups like some on their tone search, I can say that I have played EMGs, and like aspects of them but just can’t get with them for death metal. Also tried D-Activators, Blaze, Crunch lab, assorted Seymour Duncans like the Invader and so on. When I heard the hype of BKP I was def down and I jumped right on it based on what Nick had to say. I Got a set of Warpigs with Ceramic mags to keep a tighter low end profile, as I didn’t want a slightly different invader (which sounds like mud to me). And it was instantly yes for death metal, and strangely worked for djenty type stuff, although you’d be hard pressed to get a REALLY tight start stop riff out of those. I sold my apex 2 loaded with that pickup in the bridge, all so I could get an RGD Prestige.

The RGD lived up to the hype, sadly the Aftermaths already installed did not deliver anything that I liked at all, not the character, the response, the sound, nothing at all. Try as I may I can’t get a sound that sounds as brutal and nasty yet still tight. So with my up coming custom I am going back to a wood choice that I prefer and returning to the mighty C-pigs.

Although your stories a tad different, you’re still looking for your perfect/near-perfect match, you will find it, but it’s gunna take time and patience. In the end if I were you, go back to the pickups that, out of most of the pups that you have tried, worked best of most for your needs, then tweak yer axe accordingly.

Hope that helps

[Konfyouzd]

Originally Posted by Sepultorture

In the end if I were you, go back to the pickups that, out of most of the pups that you have tried, worked best of most for your needs, then tweak yer axe accordingly.

Hope that helps

QFT

[Vinchester]

To the OP: I'm not surprised.. I put Nailbombs in my basswood Sterling and that combination just. doesn't. work. Sometimes you'll find that the pickup brings out weird characteristics of the tonewood and overall it sounds wrong.

If Dimarzios work for you then GREAT you save some money not having to buy BKPs for all your guitars Personally I love my D-Sonic and Air Norton in my M-II!

[Adam Of Angels]

Chad, if you put those Aftermaths in Mahogany (like, a Les Paul, or something with those sorts of tonal characteristics), you'll most likely be thrilled. I just moved an all Mahogany RGA-121h with an Aftermath in the bridge and it was nuts.. and those bodies are thin, too.

[Larrikin666]

Originally Posted by Adam Of Angels

Chad, if you put those Aftermaths in Mahogany (like, a Les Paul, or something with those sorts of tonal characteristics), you'll most likely be thrilled. I just moved an all Mahogany RGA-121h with an Aftermath in the bridge and it was nuts.. and those bodies are thin, too.

I'm gonna pull them out of the 1527 this weekend and install them in my Rico next week. I definitely expect them to be better, because I also like the Crunch lab more in the Rico compared to how it sounded in my JPX. I really don't think I get along with basswood 7s.

[th3m1ke]

I wish I could say this to you and have everyone believe me when I say its not because I'm a fan boy or have their logo in my sig.....but.......

I ABSOLUTELY love the Tremonti set from PRS. So full, organic and clear but enough bite to squeal with immense ease.

I also always liked the set I had in my ESP which was a Duncan Custom and a Duncan Jazz. Don't let the name fool you, it can get heavy.

[s_k_mullins]

Originally Posted by th3m1ke

I also always liked the set I had in my ESP which was a Duncan Custom and a Duncan Jazz. Don't let the name fool you, it can get heavy.

I had a Duncan Custom/Jazz set in my old Washburn Custom Shop P3. They were sick ....ing pickups! Very versatile, they covered any style I wanted to play. And definitely were great for the heavy stuff!

[myampslouder]

If you ever get the chance try the aftermaths in an Alder bodied guitar.

I had an aftermath set in my s7420 for a while and they never seemed to have the punch everyone talked about so i figured i'd try them in my RR7 with an alder body and HOLY .... they came to life. huge tight lows great mids and smooth clear highs. Palm mutes sounded massive and it was impossible to muddy it up.

Tried them in a Basswood RG just for shits and giggles and hated it. mids got super honky and the highs seemed scratchy. I know alot of people swear by the aftermath in basswood but it wasn't my thing at all

[Larrikin666]

Originally Posted by myampslouder

If you ever get the chance try the aftermaths in an Alder bodied guitar.

I had an aftermath set in my s7420 for a while and they never seemed to have the punch everyone talked about so i figured i'd try them in my RR7 with an alder body and HOLY .... they came to life. huge tight lows great mids and smooth clear highs. Palm mutes sounded massive and it was impossible to muddy it up.

Tried them in a Basswood RG just for shits and giggles and hated it. mids got super honky and the highs seemed scratchy. I know alot of people swear by the aftermath in basswood but it wasn't my thing at all

That's pretty much exactly how I'd describe them in the 1527. I'm gonna put them and some miracle mans in my Rico soon and see how they react in different wood combinations.

[Larrikin666]

So after months and months of having an Aftermath bridge 6 sitting around, the other guitarist in my band asked me to throw this in the 27 fret Xiphos he uses for our 6 string songs. I fully expected to get similar results to the 1527....wow....super wrong. These really shine in mahogany. The honky midrange disappeared. The clarity was great, but it still had enough percussion to it for my taste. The Miracle Man in my 1570 and the Aftermath in his Xiphos really seem to blend well together in the mix. They put accentuate different frequencies, so we get a nice full sound.

Thanks to everyone who pushed me to try these in a different guitar. Huge difference.

[Konfyouzd]

Glad you got it sorted...

Finding the right pickup can be annoying sometimes.

[MAJ Meadows SF]

Just caught up on this discussion; the woods make a huge, probably the biggest difference with BKPs. Height and all is important too, but the wrong wood combos can just .... up any preconceived hopes of achieving what you are going for. Tim, or someone well versed in these pickups, is the best to get advice from before even buying them. Even then, it won't always work as some people don't dig ultra-clear scatter wound pickups vs machine wound, or they prefer certain magnet combos, or just prefer a certain brands key characteristics over another. I like about one or two pickups from every brand, but I'm definitely an avid BKP user. To me, it's always about individual taste.

I've tried a few different brands: Lundgren, WCR, Motor City, SD, DMZ, Gibson, EMG, PRS, Stan Hinesley; they've all got a couple or so I like, some a lot. But I've always looked for more until I found BKP and now usually go back to them. But I think everything has it's place. I think some types of death metal MUST have EMGs, others work better with SD SH6, or whatever. All of these brands have stuff that does well for certain styles or niches, but even then that's up to the individual player.

Basswood is a picky wood. For BKPs I'm a huge fan of either the Miracle Man or Ceramic Nail Bomb. The low end and low mids are really pronounced in that wood and the highs balance it out nicely. C-Bomb and Painkiller neck in a basswood JEM.

Painkillers, Aftermath, Rebel Yell, and VHII all sound better in warmer guitars. I think you hit the nail on the head with those pickups in those guitars.

[Konfyouzd]

Informative post. OP stuck the Aftermath in a mahogany winged Xiphos and dug it.

[asilayamazing]

Originally Posted by Adam Of Angels

It could be the fact that you have them in Basswood - Aftermaths + Basswood is a really really weird combo.. Basswood is already insanely mid-rangey, and already has a strange low end. Most pickups act strangely in basswood

why i dont buy ibanez!

[Konfyouzd]

Cuz you can't put Aftermaths in basswood?

DiMarzio all day. (For all my basswood axes anyway...)

[asilayamazing]

Originally Posted by Konfyouzd

Cuz you can't put Aftermaths in basswood?

DiMarzio all day. (For all my basswood axes anyway...)

cause ibanez use cheap wood more than not. havent tried bkp's

[Invader]

Originally Posted by Larrikin666

Tightest shit I've heard since... I can't remember.

[penguin_316]

I have played virtually all the PUPs (not just the BKPS, all of them) in this thread except for the Emerald and the Cold Sweats.

Having said that, I'm not 100% vibing with my Aftermath bridge lately either but it isn't due to lack of tightness or tone. The height really really does matter with the overall sound as do the wood/build style of the guitar. Anyway, the Aftermath is a rather aggressive pickup and I think I much preferred my Rebel Yell.

Aftermaths do have a notched midrange but it isn't annoying to my ears, it is musical. The painkillers have a more upper/highs spike to it that is annoying. The Rebel Yell is more "organic and less compressed" and a bit looser than the Aftermath but still very metal if needed(they make boost pedals for a reason) and fairly flat response which gives them flexibility.

Comparing BKPs to most Dimarzios or EMGs is laughable, but the Tone Zone is a little known Dimarzio secret. Had them in my guitar when I was obsessed with Ron Thal back in the day. The tone zones are balanced across the board, making them flexible for all styles basically. The Crunch Lab sounds like a sterile Aftermath, don't know how else to describe it.

My 2 cents...

[loktide]

after having tried out most of the modern/contemporary pickups bare knuckle has to offer, i have to say there so few guitars where these actually sound good. usually it's the non-standard choices in contrast to what is recommended.

i currently have a rebel yell in my mayones after trying the aftermath and the stock JB. the rebel yell is somewhat similar to the JB, but with a FAR more controlled bass response. suits the guitar best so far. i also tried the aftermath in my JP7, and while it worked better than on the mayones, i didn't like what it does to the midrange.

the coldsweat in basswood ibanez's is also a good match for those wanting more top end bite with a more open feel.

i agree that there's a ridiculous hype surrounding these pickups. at the end they're simply 'different' sounding than duncans or dimarzios. just like dimarzios and duncans, bare knuckles don't go with every guitar, which is what people often fail to realize thinking that any BKP will bring out the best out of their guitar.

[Sepultorture]

I'LL be hearing what aftermaths ound like with mahogany in the next two weeks, my Bowes 7 is nearly done (waiting on C-Pig) and i will reserve final judement on my thoughts of the aftermath until i hear it in the mahogany monster.

really the whole hunt for that right pickup is a tough one especially with toanl qualities of wood types and the qaulity of that wood also. unless you're rolling in the dough so to speak it can be a long journey unless you kinda just fall into it by accident.

me i love the shit out of mahogany, it's a tone wood who's qualities i love, so for me that was lock and set, looking for a pickup though is an epic battle, and i feel for anyone with limited funds and no particular attachement to any kind of tone wood.

thankfully i found my fav combo with little searching, was kind of a happy accident

[broj15]

Originally Posted by asilayamazing

cause ibanez use cheap wood more than not. havent tried bkp's

Really not trying to thread jack or go OT (even though technically i'm not the one who went OT by opening the door. I'm just walking through it) but this dead horse has been beat to so many times. It's very ignorant to make such a generalized statement like the one I quoted. Yes ibanez does use cheap cuts of wood on thier lower end guitars, but then again so does every other guitar manufacturer. Ibanez does use high quality cuts of wood on thier higher priced instruments, once again, like every other respectable guitar manufacturer. Just about every ibanez prestige with a basswood body that i have played has been just as resonant, if not more so, than most guitars in the same price range (gibsons, usa fenders, esp's) that use different "higher quality" woods. Just because you don't vibe with the sound of basswood (your not alone. I will admit basswood does have a very different sound that i just so happen to like) doesn't make it a low quality wood. That is the difference between opinion and fact.

Basically if you pay for a budget level instrument (lets say $300-$500) then you will get a good, but less than stellar, guitar regardless of brand or species of wood involved. If you pay for a more high end instrument (about $1200-$1700) you'll get a nice high quality axe regardless of brand or species of wood involved.

[no_dice]

I had an Aftermath bridge in my RG7321, and it didn't blow me away. I've kind of lost the BKP fever after owning a few. I do really like the flat '52s in my Telecaster, though. For my metal guitars I'm going to go back to other (cheaper) options.

[JStraitiff]

I really would like to try some aftermaths or a few of the other bkp pickups. Im hesitant to buy new pickups that i dont know if they'll work because it would require modification on my guitars. I also am hesitant to grow accustomed to passives because i have so many guitars with EMGs in them and my new build has to have an 808 cause of the fan.

That being said i hope someone i know gets a set of aftermaths or something that i could try.

[Konfyouzd]

I play EMGs, DiMarzios and BKPs on occasion.