Pickup for Prog and Trash

[Power Stack \m/]

Hey Guys.

I hope this hasn't been posted before but I need a new pickup for my chapman ml-v (all mahogany w/ flame maple cap and ebony board). I'm an 80s thrash player (megadeth, testament and slayer - on south of heaven and seasons :headbang so I want a pickup thats tight and aggressive and good for those chuggy gallopy rhythms like on testaments "into the pit" but Ive started to play a lot more prog now, like dream theatre, so I really want chord clarity which i don't feel i have right now.

I have a jb in ANOTHER guitar (rhoads) and i love the bright and cutting upper mid tone but I want a tighter pickup for the chugs (in standard E and standard D) but also the clarity to play something like a 6 string minor 9 chord with a decently high gain sound.

Is there any pickups you guys recommend? I was thinking bare knuckles because everyone says they are known for their clarity. Anyways, Ive listed the ones I'm thinking about but would love any other suggestions.

BKP:

Black Hawk
Nailbomb
Juggernaut
Ragnarok
Holy Diver

Duncan:

Nazgul
Pegasus

Dimarzio:

Crunch Lab

In short - pickup for playing a combination of 80s Thrash and Dream Theatre. I would never tune lower than drop C and I don't play lower than D standard very often

Thanks Guys and sorry for the long post

 

[Mincer]

Re: Pickup for Prog and Trash

Don't ever worry about being too descriptive here. It helps us understand what you like. I'd actually look at the Pegasus or Black Winter. The EQ of these pickups are a little different, but what makes them so good for heavy proggy stuff is their versatility. Both are really good at fast switching between many gain levels, and sound great cleaner as well as with a lot of effects.

 

[Nagisa]

Re: Pickup for Prog and Trash

Huge megadeth, DT etc fan myself - I think the BW set may get you what you want for the heavier sounds. I honestly wouldn't recommend the Crunch lab as the illuminators have often been said to be the better pick. I don't have experience with BKP but I can't imagine them bein worth the money over Dimarzio or Duncan.

 

[dxlxntxxlxr]

Re: Pickup for Prog and Trash

Id go ceramic nailbomb. Its got that old school voicing for thrash combined with the bkp clarity for the dream theater stuff

 

[Power Stack \m/]

Re: Pickup for Prog and Trash

Id go ceramic nailbomb. Its got that old school voicing for thrash combined with the bkp clarity for the dream theater stuff

Thanks!! that sounds exactly what I was leaning towards.

I hear the black winter is getting a lot of love not just here but everywhere. What do you think of the BW compared to C Bomb?

 

[dxlxntxxlxr]

Re: Pickup for Prog and Trash

im a bkp fanboy so take what im saying how u will, but i think the nailbomb would be a better choice. Based on my experience w the omega id assume the bw is a similar idea in that its a pretty modern voicing. The quintessential dt tone is a dmz steves special which isnt terribly modern sounding, and thrash guys typically use something like a duncan jb/distortion/custom or something like that. Also based on the omega, sd hasnt rly figured out how to get that bkp open high end thing that makes eq-ing so much easier. id definitely go c-bomb, plus u can always throw an a5 in there if ur not diggin it

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Pickup for Prog and Trash

Didn't read through the suggestions, but the Illuminator might be a great fit for you! The bridge model has a little more of that upper-mid emphasis and overall brightness compared to the slightly darker sounding Crunch Lab, but it's still reasonably warm and full sounding. Articulation is what you would expect from a Petrucci design and the bottom is plenty tight with a nice crunch that isn't overly compressed.

EDIT: Did I mention the harmonics are awesome and it has that ceramic-induced immediacy? Cleans are really nice, as well.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Pickup for Prog and Trash

My initial thought was Duncan Custom. It'll do everything you want and more. And if it doesn't, you have three different pickups a magnet away each. And it won't put you back nearly as far as any Bare Knuckles.

 

[Joey Voltage]

Re: Pickup for Prog and Trash

I also wouldnt discount the DiMarzio Steves Special for what you want. It deffinately has the clarity for more complicated chords with added tensions.