BKP suggestion: Aftermath or alnico Nailbomb in my Daemoness?

[FrancescoFiligoi]

Hi folks! I've recently bought a used custom Daemoness, this one specifically:



Specs:
ash body
maple neck
maple top
ebony board

The guitar plays awesome, and VHII in the neck is my absolute fav neck pickup so I'll keep it, but the Rebel Yell in the bridge lacks low end/low mids and is very harsh/bright sounding. I also feel it lacks a bit of output and I'm forced to dig in the strings more than I'm used to.

I play technical progressive stuff with lots of Death Metal in it, and will use this guitar for some important recordings.

I've already asked Tim at BKP and he recommends the alnico Nailbomb, which I don't have experience with, so I'm scared it wouldn't be tight enough (I play in drop A) and most importantly have the voicing I'm searching for, which is an aggressive and modern sounding vibe.

On the other hand, I love the Aftermath and used it in a JPXI 7, but this is a very different/brighter guitar so it probably wouldn't solve the harsh/thin sound issue.

So, what's your take on it? Any first hand experience?

[AngstRiddenDreams]

Ceramic nailbomb sounds like it would work, especially if Tim recommended it.

[drawnacrol]

I have an alnico nailbomb in a guitar with roughly the same specs but has a mahogany body. I find it a bit too bright and thin sounding to be honest. Its very clear and articulate though, works well for soloing and techy riffing but from the sounds of it its going to be the same as the rebel yell. I find Ebony boards add a lot of snap and treble so you have to use something with the treble rounded off.

Edit: Congrats on the guitar!!!!! I remember when that was being built.

[FrancescoFiligoi]

Originally Posted by AngstRiddenDreams

Ceramic nailbomb sounds like it would work, especially if Tim recommended it.

I have a ceramic nailbomb in another guitar and it's very bright, I was talking about the alnico version.

[sevenstringj]

Strange. In an axe with such bright woods all over, and your emphasis on lows and low mids, and high output, I would think the Warpig would be a better choice.

Or you could send the Rebel Yell to Tim to rewind to your liking.

[AngstRiddenDreams]

Originally Posted by FrancescoFiligoi

I have a ceramic nailbomb in another guitar and it's very bright, I was talking about the alnico version.

I didn't mean to say Ceramic Wasn't paying attention, too tired.

[ronjhoser]

I often see mention of Nailbombs being too edgy, which is very different from my experience. The one that I has was thick and kinda dull. It was surprisingly articulate, though. More so than the Holy diver that I swapped it out for.

[FrancescoFiligoi]

Originally Posted by ronjhoser

I often see mention of Nailbombs being too edgy, which is very different from my experience. The one that I has was thick and kinda dull. It was surprisingly articulate, though. More so than the Holy diver that I swapped it out for.

Could you please compare the two? The HD is another pickup that intrigues me...

[guy in latvia]

if medium output doesnt scare you, go for a black dog!

[FrancescoFiligoi]

Originally Posted by sevenstringj

Strange. In an axe with such bright woods all over, and your emphasis on lows and low mids, and high output, I would think the Warpig would be a better choice.

Or you could send the Rebel Yell to Tim to rewind to your liking.

While it could certainly work, it's not what I'm searching for in terms of voicing, and it wouldn't pair up well with the VHII.

[FrancescoFiligoi]

Originally Posted by guy in latvia

if medium output doesnt scare you, go for a black dog!

Asked Nolly about it and Black Dog doesn't have much low end so I would end up with something less harsh, which is good, but as thin as before.

[loktide]

based on what i've gathered so far, the alnico nailbomb is supposed to be a somewhat hotter version of the rebel yell.

i shot you a PM in case you're interested in trading me your RY for my aftermath

[toiletstand]

no interest in the warpig? might be what youre looking for

[guy in latvia]

Well from what ive heard the HD is probably your best bet. Ive had a NB in a mahogany guitar before and while it was a good pickup it seemed too bassy for me, might work better in a bright guitar tho!

Also, unless youre dead set on BKP, you can always try and send an email to Johan Lundgren, his stuff is more expensive, boutique either way, extremely fast service too!

[FrancescoFiligoi]

Originally Posted by guy in latvia

Well from what ive heard the HD is probably your best bet. Ive had a NB in a mahogany guitar before and while it was a good pickup it seemed too bassy for me, might work better in a bright guitar tho!

Also, unless youre dead set on BKP, you can always try and send an email to Johan Lundgren, his stuff is more expensive, boutique either way, extremely fast service too!

I think I'm just used to BKPs at this point, I find every other manufacturer kinda weird to play with. Lundgrens are excellent but very pricey, also M7 would be too bright/harsh for this guitar.

Yeah Holy Diver is a nice option, but from the clips on BKP site I don't think I like its voicing for aggressive cutting rhythm. I have one in my Ibanez RG550 but it's a standard tuned 6 string so it doesn't matter, but for leads it's awesome.

[guy in latvia]

well then looks like the NB is your best option!

[FrancescoFiligoi]

Originally Posted by guy in latvia

well then looks like the NB is your best option!

Apart from being too bassy in your guitar, how would you describe its voicing? do you find it's tight but most importantly aggressive enough?

[guy in latvia]

there is no such thing as a not tight enough BKP pickup, unless youre tuning to Z or something...

Its definitely agressive enough, i would say that it has an organic, somewhat classic voicing, but definitely does aggressive metal!

[Lewk]

sheesh he sold that fast. Congratz, though!

I wonder how much of what you don't like is the ebony board? I've never got on with ebony boards 'cause of what you described. I've always found the attack so damn fast and immediate on ebony boards. I tend to find it's a case of too much snap and not enough bloom in my experience. Having said that, I did have a Hamer Californian with an ebony board AND an all maple body which sounded pretty savage and full... with a Nailbomb in bearing that in mind I'd take Tim's advice to be honest, he's not given me duff advice in the half dozen suggestions he's made to me. The RY/VH is perfect in my Daemoness and isn't harsh or bright but it's ash/maple so it's going to be worlds apart anyway. It is very articulate, though as are all BKP I've tried.

[ras1988]

The nailbomb isn't necessarily too bassy. I use it in a PRS Custom 24 and it just sounds very very BIG, the voicing is very well spread not too bright not too dark. It has a classic voicing and it is a little blunt compared to the sharp cutting sound of the aftermath (have that in another PRS Custom 24). The AM is definitely very focused, when I changed over to it it felt like I had a compressor and a noise gate built into the guitar. The NB reacts to changes in picking dynamics, and volume changes more readily than the aftermath. They are both a little compressed but the AM doesn't really seem to change voicing as you change the "input" where as the NB will. I find the NB easier to play as well, the compression lends itself to be a looser more ready to play pickup whereas the AM's voicing and compression will force you to keep your picking and fingering very precise (it is rewarding though because of that "cut"). Hope that helps you get a little bit of a handle on the intrinsic differences between the two.

[guitarneeraj]

If Tim is suggesting the alnico Nailbomb, go for it. Keep in mind also that the actual pickup magnet does not affect the sound by itself, it's preposterous to say a pickup having the same number of windings and magnets of identical strength (either ceramic/alnico) would give different tone. It's the magnetic field which differs, and Tim obviously has a better idea of the tones produced by the "alnico" and "ceramic" versions.. in quotes because they're essentially not the same pickup with just the pole pieces changed. Go for the "alnico" Nailbomb, I think it would suit the Ash body/Maple top well.

[Miek]

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say? It's pretty well known that magnets are a major component of the sound of a pickup. Hell, even different mixtures of a given AlNiCo (II, V, VIII, whatever) can sound different when placed in the same pickup.

[AngstRiddenDreams]

^ Yeah i'm pretty sure magnets play a substantial role in the sound of a pickup.

[KiD Cudi]

Originally Posted by guitarneeraj

If Tim is suggesting the alnico Nailbomb, go for it. Keep in mind also that the actual pickup magnet does not affect the sound by itself, it's preposterous to say a pickup having the same number of windings and magnets of identical strength (either ceramic/alnico) would give different tone. It's the magnetic field which differs, and Tim obviously has a better idea of the tones produced by the "alnico" and "ceramic" versions.. in quotes because they're essentially not the same pickup with just the pole pieces changed. Go for the "alnico" Nailbomb, I think it would suit the Ash body/Maple top well.

[guitarneeraj]

Originally Posted by Miek

I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say? It's pretty well known that magnets are a major component of the sound of a pickup. Hell, even different mixtures of a given AlNiCo (II, V, VIII, whatever) can sound different when placed in the same pickup.

By your post I assume you're going by hearsay. Have you done any frequency response measurements by yourself at all?

It's not the magnet itself that affects the sound, it's the pickup (essentially an electromagnetic sensor) as a whole. If you have any magnetic material which generates a magnetic field of strength 'B' given there are 'x' number of windings around it, any other magnetic material which is able to generate a magnetic field of the same strength will give the same response. Think about it conceptually.

Essentially what I'm trying to say is, an alnico version of a pickup is not simply the exact same system with just the pole pieces swapped out. This is because ceramic magnets generate a different magnetic field, not necessarily with the same number of windings, hence giving a similar albeit not identical response. Also, the response depends on the retentivity of the material, the distributed capacitance of the winding, lot of other factors.

Hope that makes sense.