[Drache713]

Well I'm gonna take this from the other thread I started, I figure it would be better to start it's own dedicated thread than go way off-topic in the other one. If any of you mods say this is bullocks, let me know.

"WARNING: If you are not into lengthy posts, do NOT read any further!

I haven't decided which guitar I want to install new pickups into, but one of them is an Ibanez RG7421 and the other is an Ibanez S7420. I use a Digitech GNX3000 pedal for my tones and effects, and I usually run the pedal to the PA to take full advantedge of the pedal's amp and cabinet modeling. The type of amp models I tend to favor include the Engl Powerball, Mesa Rectifier, Peavey 5150, and VHT Pitbull.

The vast majority of the type of music I play is metal along the lines of All That Remains, Arch Enemy, Between the Buried and Me, Children of Bodom, Devildriver, In Flames, Into Eternity, Lamb of God, Machine Head, Nevermore, Pantera, Unearth, and others along those lines. Essentially, heavy music with an emphasis on technicality and skillful playing while remaining heavy. While this is the style of music I am most into, I also venture into other types of music, including Prog like Dream Theater, Classic metal like Iron Maiden, classical and jazz, and Instrumental rock such as Joe Satriani. So in short, the vast majority of the material I play is technical heavy metal, but I also like to venture into other territory genre wise, so I need a set of pickups that are versatile and flexible.

Tone wise, I am looking for tight bass that has some kick to it and warmth. I don't want so much bass that the sound becomes dark or boomy and out of control with sloppy definition, and at the same time I don't want so little bass that palm mutes have no impact and the tone is cold and thin. In the mids I am looking for a good full, snarly, growly sound with body that stands out well in the mix. I don't want so much mids as to be out of control crunch or become muddy and too vowel like/airy, and at the same time I don't want so little mids as to not have any body or definition to the tone with no depth. With the high end I am looking for some bite and aggression that gives a little sizzle. I don't want so much high end that the tone becomes harsh and fizzy/scratchy, and I don't want so little treble that the tone is perpetually smooth and has no attack or distinction/clarity with the tone. The pickup set needs to have good harmonics, respond well to palm mutes and riffs, and be equally capable with cleans and overdriven/distortion tones. It also needs to be equally useful both for rhythms and for leads.

One thing I have noticed with many of the bands I have mentioned is that a lot of them use EMG's. I've played EMG's before and what I don't like with them is the scratchy, plastic, sterile tone and high end to them. It sounds too digitized and harsh to my ears. I need a set of pickups that has tight tone with great articulation, great definition, and great clarity, but I want them to be more organic and natural sounding than EMG's. It might also be an issue of Ceramic vs. Alnico 5 to my ears...it seems that when I listen to guitarists that use ceramic pickups it has this annoying harsh, fizzy, scratchy high end to them, but maybe I'm just speculating. I don't know to what extent or validity the type of magnets used truely effects my ears.

I know that there is not one pickup set that can give everything you could ever imagine for with tone or be so versatile that they can do everything, but I'd like to be able to get as close to that as possible. Looking at the pickups on the site, my first instinct would be to go with a Cold Sweat in the neck and a Nailbomb in the bridge. Any help or suggestions as to what pickups you would recommend me to get would be very highly appreciated!"

[Nats]

i have a nailbomb in the bridge of my S7420. GET IT! it will melt the faces of everyone around you

[MerlinTKD]

Granted, these aren't Bare Knuckles, but... D-Activators? The whole point of them is EMG-like response with passive 'analog' qualities, yes?

I've heard that the Bare Knuckles guy responds well to emails, maybe you could put that exact question to him, and see what he recommends?

[thadood]

I personally love my Alnico Warpig. It's tight and punchy, and added just a touch of that 'djent' sound that we all love so much =0 Of course, Carvin 7 strings are prone to the mighty djent, anyway. It just emphasized it a bit, to my ears.

[stubhead]

You can always make happy pickups sound nasty, but you can't make nasty pickups sound happy.... Seriously, Hendrix played standard low-output Strats plugged into a bunch of stuff, Satriani and Gilbert use P.A.F.'s or the equivalent, Steve Morse's signature guitar has high-output pickups but they're designed to be kept screwed down low, plug enough boxes in a row and anything'll get nasty - you can't ADD roundness that's not there though.

[sonofabias]

I just recieved a set of war pigs for my carvin 7, can't wait to drop them in. You should deffinantly consider the Bareknuckles if the price is within your budget, they are amazing pups.

[Drache713]

Yeah I sent Tim an e-mail and got his response, he said either a NB set or NB/Cold Sweat for the RG7421, and for the S7420 he said either a set of Rebel Yell pickups or a set of Warpig pickups... I'm kinda inclined to go with a Cold Sweat in the neck either way, but I'm still not entirely sure, and now I'm having a real hard time choosing between the Nailbomb and Warpig for the bridge... AGH!

And Merlin, I have tried D-activators in the past. I actually enjoyed the neck a lot but the bridge just sounded bleh and uninspiring to me, nothing really special or unique about it to me.

[Grendel]

I have the Cold Sweat/Nailbomb combo in my 7 string. For the bridge, I complained to Tim about muddiness problems with my custom mahogany bodied, maple neck guitar. He suggested the Nailbomb and I'm very happy with the results. Very clear, warm, organic, tight, punchy and mean. I wish it was a little more scooped (for rhythm playing), but it's not that big of a deal. Interestingly enough, I have the both pickups really far away from the strings to get the sound I'm after and to mitigate feedback problems. I don't think the NB is the consumate metal pickup, but it's pretty mean sounding and very balanced. The CS is sick. I don't do much lead playing, but it's really smooth. It absolutely kills the Blaze neck, which I have in my other 7 string.

Hope this helps.

[Xtremevillan]

How much do Bare Knuckles cost?

[Drache713]

Originally Posted by Xtremevillan

How much do Bare Knuckles cost?

They end up coming out to around $165 per pickup.