What's a great Riff Raff type pickup for double cut guitars into a VH4?

Veritas0Aequitas

Veritas0Aequitas

Active member
Hey all,

I love my covered Riff Raffs in my Les Pauls through my Diezel VH4. Thanks, Ventura for that long lasting recommendation! Seriously amazing.

Recently though I have been moving to lighter guitars as my crappy back prefers them and we've been moving to lower tunings like drop C, drop B, drop A#, etc. I love the 3D tone, dynamics, open airiness but still punchy and tightness of the Riff Raffs. Both the cleans and the high gain are very pleasing to me. I think I am just very much into the PAF vibe as I love some pickups that do ethereal clean well and still rock. My VH4 and V30 cab definitely like it.

I have sold off the LPs in favor of ESP E-II Eclipses, ESP E-II Horizons, and a Schecter KM-6 MK-III. The Eclipses are obv a lot like the Les Pauls being single cut Mahogany body/neck with a maple cap but thinner so maybe I could try Riff Raffs in them? My other dilemma is what to do about my double cut guitars with mahogany body maple neck/cap. These guitars are already bright and I fear the Riff Raffs may be too bright for them. I would like to stick with an A5 pickup set.

So far I have tried Emeralds (too thin sounding in double cuts but ok in the Eclipse), Silos (great frequency range, just too powerful), Impulses (too clinical), Polymaths (might be the best so far but not as good as the Riff Raffs). I own a set of Black Dogs and Alnico Nailbomb which I have not installed yet but I am guessing the Nailbomb is probably going to be a miss. Maybe the Black Dog will work better, especially in the double cut guitars. Holydivers were recommended as well but my fear is they may be too high output.

Any other ideas or suggestions?
 
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The Rebel Yells are incredible in any Lester "bigger wood" guitar and play exceptionally well with Diezels, Bogner, etc. I love 'em. But my gut says try the RRs in the new Eclipses as the build on the Eclipses is pretty much same/same with the Lesters before blowing dough on the RYs.

Double cut - HolyDivers for the win.
Double cut - VHII for you-know-who kinda sorta maybe wannabe sound and yes, closer in character to the RRs even though their build is different.

/end
 
Ventura said:
The Rebel Yells are incredible in any Lester "bigger wood" guitar and play exceptionally well with Diezels, Bogner, etc. I love 'em. But my gut says try the RRs in the new Eclipses as the build on the Eclipses is pretty much same/same with the Lesters before blowing dough on the RYs.

Double cut - HolyDivers for the win.
Double cut - VHII for you-know-who kinda sorta maybe wannabe sound and yes, closer in character to the RRs even though their build is different.

/end
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Thanks, Mo! I am going to order a set of Riff Raffs for the Eclipse and a set of Holydivers and VHII's for my double cuts. Maybe I will try the Rebel Yells eventually.

That way I will have almost every freakin BKP there is lol
 
Veritas0Aequitas said:
Thanks, Mo! I am going to order a set of Riff Raffs for the Eclipse and a set of Holydivers and VHII's for my double cuts. Maybe I will try the Rebel Yells eventually.

That way I will have almost every freakin BKP there is lol
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I take it the spacing is different on the Eclipses than a standard Lester?? Forgive me here - I'm under the impression you are offing your Gibson Lesters and acquiring ESP/LTD Eclipses. Just curious - is the spacing different or lemme guess, the long leg version doesn't fit??

Cuz if you already have the RRs, don't order them again if you can retro-fit them into the Eclipses. Maybe send Tim an email or BKP customer service an email and if it's a long-leg-to-short-leg compatibility issue, see if they can offer a conversion solution (if indeed that's the issue).

I was skeptical re: the RebelYells...
They're now in 3 of my Lesters - all of which are my No.1 on any given evening depending on what I'm playing. VERY versatile with just a little bit of pole-piece/string-height adjustment; and INCREDIBLE range on the pots. Ya...3 sets. That's how much I love 'em. Just put that feather in yer cap for later :cool:

keep me posted :2thumbsup:
 
Ventura said:
I take it the spacing is different on the Eclipses than a standard Lester?? Forgive me here - I'm under the impression you are offing your Gibson Lesters and acquiring ESP/LTD Eclipses. Just curious - is the spacing different or lemme guess, the long leg version doesn't fit??

Cuz if you already have the RRs, don't order them again if you can retro-fit them into the Eclipses. Maybe send Tim an email or BKP customer service an email and if it's a long-leg-to-short-leg compatibility issue, see if they can offer a conversion solution (if indeed that's the issue).

I was skeptical re: the RebelYells...
They're now in 3 of my Lesters - all of which are my No.1 on any given evening depending on what I'm playing. VERY versatile with just a little bit of pole-piece/string-height adjustment; and INCREDIBLE range on the pots. Ya...3 sets. That's how much I love 'em. Just put that feather in yer cap for later :cool:

keep me posted :2thumbsup:
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Spacing is actually the same on LP to Eclipse which is great! I sold off a lot of my long leg Riff Raffs and just bought some short leg ones. In a different finish, etc. It's all good. I wanted to try some different pups as well.

Regarding the Rebel Yells... Do you like them in your LP through your VH4? That'll be my question. I love their tone on the recordings and have always been a fan of how those sound. Just never thought to install one in a LP or Eclipse.
 
Veritas0Aequitas said:
Spacing is actually the same on LP to Eclipse which is great! I sold off a lot of my long leg Riff Raffs and just bought some short leg ones. In a different finish, etc. It's all good. I wanted to try some different pups as well.

Regarding the Rebel Yells... Do you like them in your LP through your VH4? That'll be my question. I love their tone on the recordings and have always been a fan of how those sound. Just never thought to install one in a LP or Eclipse.
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The Rebel Yells are my fave pup overall - in all amps - for all styles of music - and most definitely kick ass through my Diezels. Which *is* kinda interesting given that I've always favoured lower/moderate output pups for my Diezels; but the RYs just have this incredible "breadth" to them - they're super versatile with minimal adjustments, they really sparkle and spank, and they hold their articulation in all manner of heavier gain settings et al.

I was pretty apprehensive about them - just for reasons of pigeon holing Billy Idol / Steve Stevens - stupid really, I just don't dig "signature" model stuff... But after a lot of assurances from Tim, I went for it - and as mentioned - now they're in three of my most played Les Pauls. That alone oughta tell ya something.

We all hear differently - so YMMV - but for me?? The RYs are a one-stop-shop for do-all pups.
/end
 
Ceramic nailbombs are awesome. Gain is just about right, super tight, and bridge that vintage/modern thing you could be looking for. I'd say a touch less gain than the silo too. Think the rebellious bastard child of a riff raff?
 
I have a Bare Knuckle Riff Raff neck & an Abraxas bridge in my 79 Les Paul Standard, put a lot of thought & research into that pairing & am very happy with results. Jimmy Page wiring, usable tones for everything from clean to high gain.
 
So far I have not found another pickup I like as much as the Riff Raff calibrated set. I like the Polymath so far but it does not have the same open, airy quality that the Riff Raff has. I am looking forward to trying the Black Dog, Holy Diver, and Rebel Yell when they arrive.
 
Veritas0Aequitas said:
So far I have not found another pickup I like as much as the Riff Raff calibrated set. I like the Polymath so far but it does not have the same open, airy quality that the Riff Raff has. I am looking forward to trying the Black Dog, Holy Diver, and Rebel Yell when they arrive.
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Traveled back to main music stead this past weekend - been cranking the bejesus outta my kit.

RYs were SO fine to dig into - blowing my mind...like, I've played 'em for countless hours before - but I took a break - came back - plugged in - and was again - jaw-dropped.

Love 'em. May not be for everyone, but they're definitely for me.

Rock on Brethren!!
 
Ventura said:
Traveled back to main music stead this past weekend - been cranking the bejesus outta my kit.

RYs were SO fine to dig into - blowing my mind...like, I've played 'em for countless hours before - but I took a break - came back - plugged in - and was again - jaw-dropped.

Love 'em. May not be for everyone, but they're definitely for me.

Rock on Brethren!!
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Nice man! What were you playing the RYs through?
 
Veritas0Aequitas said:
Nice man! What were you playing the RYs through?
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3 Les Pauls now.

Started with my No.2 player. Then I installed a set in my No.3

Then I went head and tried another set in my No.1

I love them. SUPER sensitive to pup/pole-piece height adjustment, extremely versatile with pot controls, and they just sound perfect through all my amps and for all manner of music I play 90% of the time. They continue to surprise me with how good they sound.
 
Ventura said:
3 Les Pauls now.

Started with my No.2 player. Then I installed a set in my No.3

Then I went head and tried another set in my No.1

I love them. SUPER sensitive to pup/pole-piece height adjustment, extremely versatile with pot controls, and they just sound perfect through all my amps and for all manner of music I play 90% of the time. They continue to surprise me with how good they sound.
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Do you find the VH4 handles the higher output of the RYs?

I am still trying to find a good Riff Raff equivalent to put in my Horizons... So far that's my favorite. My Rebel Yells are coming in the next 2 weeks and I'm excited to try them along with the Holy Divers. I've not tried either of those yet.
 
Veritas0Aequitas said:
Do you find the VH4 handles the higher output of the RYs?

I am still trying to find a good Riff Raff equivalent to put in my Horizons... So far that's my favorite. My Rebel Yells are coming in the next 2 weeks and I'm excited to try them along with the Holy Divers. I've not tried either of those yet.
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I found the VH4 didn't dig a lot of other high-output pups... But the RYs are different - in all aspects - they work AMAZINGLY well with my VH4 - in addition to my Hagen, D-Moll, Shiva and XTC. My main amps. Like I said - I've outfitted 3 of my top Lesters with RYs - why?? They really show off the wood, the fingerboard material, and depending on how they're adjusted for pole-piece and pup height, they all sound different but glorious.
 
If you like T-Top type output and sound, and aren’t squeamish on price: try the Throbak ‘70 Select set. A slightly overwound (7.8k) T-Top with a short A2 magnet for a little more mid presence. Low output clarity goes perfectly with my VH4.

I play mostly in D or C# and this set just KILLS. I’ve been through a lot of pickups and generally like higher output but for leads and nuance these Throbaks are incredible

https://www.throbak.com/paf-pickups-throbak-70-select-t-top.html
 
RyeDaddy said:
If you like T-Top type output and sound, and aren’t squeamish on price: try the Throbak ‘70 Select set. A slightly overwound (7.8k) T-Top with a short A2 magnet for a little more mid presence. Low output clarity goes perfectly with my VH4.

I play mostly in D or C# and this set just KILLS. I’ve been through a lot of pickups and generally like higher output but for leads and nuance these Throbaks are incredible

https://www.throbak.com/paf-pickups-throbak-70-select-t-top.html
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Thanks for the recommendation! Unfortunately, I am not a fan of A2 for the style of music I play. But I am always on the look for more low output A5 sets!
 
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