BK cold sweat.

does anyone know if a cold sweat bridge is the same as a rebel yell only with a ceramic mag ?
I was wondering because I have a rebel yell that I swapped the mag out to a ceramic . I like the sound but I think I would like to try a cold sweat . however I don't want to waste my money if I basically already have one .

I have both (with stock magnets) in practically identical guitars (mahogany neck-thru w/RW board) and I don't think they're the same. The Rebel Yell is more high-mid focused. To me, sounds more like a vintage hot rod. Has a lot of thrust.

The Cold Sweat is much more balanced, not in a vintage way, but not in a modern way, either, if that makes any sense. It's the most organic, warm ceramic that I've heard (granted, I don't much care for ceramics). If I didn't know better, I wouldn't guess it's ceramic. Sounds and feels closer to A5 or the way I used to wish that actives sounded (gave those up years ago). I'm not sure what the wire gauge is, but mine are about 1.5k different, IIRC, so probably a different number of turns.

Thought of something... IIRC, the RY was based on the A-Bomb (A5 Nailbomb), albeit a slightly underwound "vintage" one. The A-Bomb is the same pickup as the C-Bomb, just different magnets (I have both of these, too). Not sure if this was what you may have been thinking of, though.

Relatedly, the WarPig (A5) is the same pickup as the C-Pig. They used to let you custom order different magnets than the standard spec, but I'm not sure they're doing that any more. I'm sure if you emailed them, they'd let you know and could likely explain all this better than I. Good bunch of guys to talk to, lots of patience for all my long-winded questions. Good bunch of guys on their forum, too.

can you tell me is the cold sweat brighter than the rebel yell

Not to my ears. The RY has a distinctive upper mid spike, so it feels brighter, more like a high output pup. The CS has a smoother response, so it feels bigger and warmer, more like moderate output. Having said that, both cut really well and make it very easy to get pinch harmonics.

IMHO, I think both pups represent their namesakes well... Sykes tone is certainly bright and cutting, but it's also huge and relatively warmer than Stevens. He fills up more of the mix, or rather has more of the mix to fill. Stevens is more like a fighter jockey, coming in hot, laying down some blistering fire, and getting back out of the way. He uses space more than Sykes, but also has to share that space with other parts of the arrangement and has less to fill. They are both monster players with monster tone, and I think these differences are more the result of the bands they were in, the songs and arrangements they were playing, and the tonal choices made to best achieve the desired results.

I have ab'd a cold sweat and an Emerald at least three times in different guitars and the Emerald was better each time imo. I didn't care much for the Rebel yell neck. Cold Sweat is a nice pickup but the emerald neck for the win in the Bare knuckle line.

glip22":28rbvfim said:

I have ab'd a cold sweat and an Emerald at least three times in different guitars and the Emerald was better each time imo. I didn't care much for the Rebel yell neck. Cold Sweat is a nice pickup but the emerald neck for the win in the Bare knuckle line.

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The Emerald is a great pup. I have them in a all-mahogany set-neck, in this case an SG. At the bridge, it is a brighter than the CS, but a bit more sweet, probably the AV in the Emerald vs the ceramic in the CS bridge.

The CS neck is a nice combo with several other pups. It's A5, not ceramic like the CS bridge. However, the Emerald neck is also A5. The Emerald neck is slightly hotter, brighter, and more scooped. The CS neck is rounder, warmer, and is half vintage. Honestly, I didn't care for the RY neck, either. It wasn't bad, but not quite what I was going for.

My personal favorite BKP neck pups are Stormy Monday and The Mule. The Crawler is my favorite set, Crawler neck is very close to The Mule, and the bridge is just enough output and just enough vintage to work great for me. The jury's still out for the bridge pup... The Mule, Holydiver, A-Bomb, Crawler, or A-Pig, probably whichever I last played.

All just IMO. I also think they have a few really nice Strat, Tele, and P90 pups, too.

glip22":2l5u8ro5 said:

I have ab'd a cold sweat and an Emerald at least three times in different guitars and the Emerald was better each time imo. I didn't care much for the Rebel yell neck. Cold Sweat is a nice pickup but the emerald neck for the win in the Bare knuckle line.

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I can't find a neck pup I like and I hated the RY neck pup . I have a riff raff in the neck now . Don't like it either .However I really don't play the neck pup enough to spend much time worrying about it .
I like the RY with a ceramic mag in the bridge and I'm looking for something similar only a little brighter

What about the VH-II in the neck? The output should match nicely, it's not as scooped as the Stormy Monday (or the SD Alnico II Pro or Slash), not quite as bright as the Riff Raff (nor as raw), and not as vintage as the Mule. It's somewhere between the Emerald (which is a little brighter) and the Cold Sweat neck (which seems to have a little less output, same tonality, though).

I have a VH-II neck in a Jackson Rhoads with an A-Bomb at the bridge and I have a CS neck in a Jackson Soloist with a Holydiver at the bridge. I like both combinations better than the matched sets and have been happy with both.