Recommend a Pickup for My Les Paul Custom

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battery198

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Looking for a new bridge pickup for my 57 reissue Les Paul custom.

It's a solid Mahogany body, right now has the stock burstbuckers. For reference, my favorite pickup right now is the Tremonti treble pickup that I use in my Tremonti IIs. I would put this pickup in, but I kinda want to retain a bit of the vintage les paul sound, but also have the ability to Crunch.

The 2 pickups that interest me are the Motorcity Afwayu and the BKP Nailbomb. Anyone have some suggestions? My main amp is a 5153, but also play a Diezel VH4 and Kerry King Marshall. Style of music is hard rock/punk but I also do some Led Zepp covers etc.

I've tried the MCP 2nd degree blackbelts, not quite enough crunch and the suhr aldrich, which I didn't dig at all.

Thanks.
 
rupe":jl3x8ht9 said:
Dirty Fingers
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:thumbsup:

or a pair of 490's, or the Zakk Wylde route of EMG 81/85. Personally I am moving off the EMG's back to 490's.
 
there's nothing "vintage" about the afwayu
it's loud, middy and bassy as fuck
and the alnico nailbomb is very 90's sounding, about as hot as the afwayu, but less bassy/middy and more open sounding
if you wanted something in the tremonti ballpark but less saturated, you could try the ceramic nailbomb

if you want something truly vintagey but with teeth, you should try the riff raff, black dog or VHII
the mcp 2nd degree black belt sounds amazing as well, but since it wasn't enough for you, I'm not sure you'll be happy with the others
had a ton of high output BKPs and a couple MCPs in my '73 les paul custom
ended up with a riff raff/mule set and never looked back
a good booster makes anything crunch, and I get a lot more clarity from the lower output models

as a mid term, the cold sweat is an amazing option
not as hot and midrangy as the tremonti, but quite crunchy and a lot more open and classic sounding
it sounds amazing in les pauls and PR smiths, and matches really well most high gainers I plugged it into (rectos, diezels, marshalls, soldanos, peaveys...)
my bandmate has a mccarty with a tremonti and borrowed my cold sweat for our recording sessions
I love the sound he gets with the tremonti, but the cold sweat is definitely clearer and adds some classic hard rock character
 
SD JB or Custom 5. If you want to keep a bit of classic character, avoid ceramic pickups as there is nothing classic about them for the most part. Alnico 5 will get you there and have a smoother tone.
 
You might even look at the EVH pickups... they have the PAF feel to 'em if you can keep the volume turned down a bit, but get into the hot zone real fast. I'm really surprised no one ever brings these up.
 
I just got a 57 VOS LP Custom a couple of weeks ago... I really dig the burstbucker setup that's in it stock. That being said, I love the 57 classic + for a bridge pickup in a les paul. It's higher output, but still very warm and somewhat vintage sounding.

I also really like the duncan SH6 Distortion in all mahogany guitars. I used to have one in a faded Les Paul studio that was all mahogany and tuned down a step. Sounded huge.
 
I think you should take a look at the BKP Cold Sweat or Motor City Angel Dust. If the Aldrich was too much and the MC 2nd Degree wasn't enough....those two sit somewhere around the middle. Plus they both have some teeth on top that really seems to balance out on a Les Paul.
 
BKP RiffRaffs for a moderate output pup with tons of vintage growl. They're beautiful...seriously beautiful.

BKP Emeralds sound uber sophisticated.

BKP BlackDogs shred the grill coth on the cab...

Going through an amp that offers gain gain on tap, I've come to realize that lower to moerately voiced output pups are the best. The wood is more accentuated; the sparkle and spank; the warmth; the response and pick attack.....everything. This is solely my opinion, and personal. But seriously, the RRs have the finest grunt out of any pup in my Lesters. The BlackDogs are rough and gruff. Emeralds are, well, Emeralds.

Nailbombs, WarPigs, Aftermath, ColdSweats (maybe), etc. are all way over powered. I'd find they'd be best suited to a clean amp that tends to break up on overpower/saturation and push that amp into more gainier territory. But again, opinions and assholes.

Cheers :thumbsup:
Mo

PS - I'm a HOOOOOOOGE fan of BKPs :lol: :LOL:
 
Ventura":2c4x74h7 said:
BKP RiffRaffs for a moderate output pup with tons of vintage growl. They're beautiful...seriously beautiful.

BKP Emeralds sound uber sophisticated.

BKP BlackDogs shred the grill coth on the cab...

Going through an amp that offers gain gain on tap, I've come to realize that lower to moerately voiced output pups are the best. The wood is more accentuated; the sparkle and spank; the warmth; the response and pick attack.....everything. This is solely my opinion, and personal. But seriously, the RRs have the finest grunt out of any pup in my Lesters. The BlackDogs are rough and gruff. Emeralds are, well, Emeralds.

Nailbombs, WarPigs, Aftermath, ColdSweats (maybe), etc. are all way over powered. I'd find they'd be best suited to a clean amp that tends to break up on overpower/saturation and push that amp into more gainier territory. But again, opinions and assholes.

Cheers :thumbsup:
Mo

PS - I'm a HOOOOOOOGE fan of BKPs :lol: :LOL:
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I totally agree with you big time on lower output pickups sounding much larger and powerful on high gain amps. Pretty much the way I roll on my personal guitars!

I'm thinking if the 2nd Degree didn't put out enough for him, then the Riff Raffs (which are flat out bad-ass) and the Black Dogs won't be enough either. They are all kinda close to the 2nd Degrees in terms of how hard they drive the front end of an amp. Emeralds are a good call, definitely worth a shot!
 
luxxtone":1cz4j3te said:
Ventura":1cz4j3te said:
BKP RiffRaffs for a moderate output pup with tons of vintage growl. They're beautiful...seriously beautiful.

BKP Emeralds sound uber sophisticated.

BKP BlackDogs shred the grill coth on the cab...

Going through an amp that offers gain gain on tap, I've come to realize that lower to moerately voiced output pups are the best. The wood is more accentuated; the sparkle and spank; the warmth; the response and pick attack.....everything. This is solely my opinion, and personal. But seriously, the RRs have the finest grunt out of any pup in my Lesters. The BlackDogs are rough and gruff. Emeralds are, well, Emeralds.

Nailbombs, WarPigs, Aftermath, ColdSweats (maybe), etc. are all way over powered. I'd find they'd be best suited to a clean amp that tends to break up on overpower/saturation and push that amp into more gainier territory. But again, opinions and assholes.

Cheers :thumbsup:
Mo

PS - I'm a HOOOOOOOGE fan of BKPs :lol: :LOL:
Click to expand...

I totally agree with you big time on lower output pickups sounding much larger and powerful on high gain amps. Pretty much the way I roll on my personal guitars!

I'm thinking if the 2nd Degree didn't put out enough for him, then the Riff Raffs (which are flat out bad-ass) and the Black Dogs won't be enough either. They are all kinda close to the 2nd Degrees in terms of how hard they drive the front end of an amp. Emeralds are a good call, definitely worth a shot!
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Emeralds are an elusive pup... There aren't a lot of cats owning them or talking about them. I put a set into my triple pup Black Beauty '57 - 3 calibrated pickups; mahogany back, mahogany top, mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard. They really made the guitar sound distinctive; almost 'finer' but still really raging when the amp's pushed. Bass is tight, but the mids and highs are lush man. I just threw down what I was hoping to change in the guitar's personality, what amps I use, and my styles on that guitar - and Tim just flat our said "Emeralds" or "Abraxas", but "I'd recommend the Emeralds...". Besides, their guarantee is pretty ace, and once you get a relationship going with BKP, they take damn good care of you.

I'm super tempted to try some 'Mules' in one of my other Lesters, but that's only for experimentation. They sound ace as is - no need to change 'em up. RiffRaffs are straight up bitchin' magnets man, straight up hardcore stage shaking pups :thumbsup:
 
I'd disagree on the output point...or, more appropriately, I'd say it depends on winch high gainer you're playing through. My VH4 loves low output, and the Mesa has so much grind on the lead channel that low output isn't an issue. However, the Herbert sounds mushy and undefined with low outputs.

That said, BKP RRs, BDs and Emeralds all sound killer and really sharp through any amp. Personally, I chose an Alnico Nailbomb bridge and Black Dog neck for my LPC and it's perfect for me. The nailbomb is a very musical pickup, cleans up well, responds brilliantly to lowering the tone pot, and is super-warm. You owe it to yourself to try one out if you play metal!

In sum, though, any BKP = the shit in terms of clarity and punch.

-C
 
Dimarzio PAF 36th bridge... Let's not complicate this...
 
MCP Detroiters. A little more grit and bark than the 2nd Degrees. If you are looking for something a little rawer, these will get it done.
 
battery198":3gg4bl0v said:
Looking for a new bridge pickup for my 57 reissue Les Paul custom.

It's a solid Mahogany body, right now has the stock burstbuckers. For reference, my favorite pickup right now is the Tremonti treble pickup that I use in my Tremonti IIs. I would put this pickup in, but I kinda want to retain a bit of the vintage les paul sound, but also have the ability to Crunch.

The 2 pickups that interest me are the Motorcity Afwayu and the BKP Nailbomb. Anyone have some suggestions? My main amp is a 5153, but also play a Diezel VH4 and Kerry King Marshall. Style of music is hard rock/punk but I also do some Led Zepp covers etc.

I've tried the MCP 2nd degree blackbelts, not quite enough crunch and the suhr aldrich, which I didn't dig at all.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

MCP Nasty Nasty. It's got an open, pissed-off paf thing going on. It has the high gain note definition of a 2dbb, but less lows & is fatter like the Detroiter. That's basically how Wade described it. I've never played the 2dbb, but I can compare it to the Detroiter. It does have a similar eq curve, but it's a little tighter, hotter, & has a little more crunch to it. Killer LP pickup.
 
Duncan JB or Gibson Dirty Fingers sound great in LP Customs.
 
I don't agree with the output statements made...I own a bunch of different BKP high output pickups and I do not like them in my NMV Marshalls at all, I think low output pickups sound much better through them. I loooooove my high output BKPs through my high gain amps though.

And also, let's be factual here, my Painkiller is wound to 15K, my Cold Sweat is wound to 14K, and my Aftermath is wound to 14.7k. None of those are even as high output as a Duncan Distortion or JB.
 
killertone":3dvrcfy1 said:
And also, let's be factual here, my Painkiller is wound to 15K, my Cold Sweat is wound to 14K, and my Aftermath is wound to 14.7k. None of those are even as high output as a Duncan Distortion or JB.
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Agreed. My Fender Red Lace singles are 14.8 each and while they're awesome in their own respect, they are not as hot sounding as most of my other pups...some of which come in at 8k.
 
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