SH4 vs SH6 vs SH11 vs Railhammer Chisel vs BKP Juggernaut

[Haemorrhage]

Hello all !

After a day struggling to use my account, I can finally make this thread ! Thanks for the help to the SD team !

So let's come back to the question : I am looking for a new bridge pickup. I need something terribly hot. Burning. Fat. Pretty aggressive and with a strong attack. I don't really care about precision, but I want big and imposing PMs.
I'm far from being a virtuoso and mainly use power chords. My style is simple, but the tone is very important for me.

Here is my gear :

-A Les Paul style Lag Imperator 1000 (Mahogany body, Flamed Maple top, 3 pieces Mahogany neck and Ebony fretboard) with a SD sh11 in the bridge. And a SDPG1 neck that I don't like at all.
-Washburn X50 Pro Q (Mahogany body, Curved Maple top, I don't know about its neck and Rosewood fretboard) with SD sh5. It had a sh4, but I wanted to try this one.
-Bugera Trirec Infinium amp. It's exacly the same sound than a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier (I'm not here to debate about it lol).
-Harley Benton 212 with V30 (no money for something better yet).
-Mxr 108 Q.

I've just bought my Lag which is a killing guitar ! To say, I had the choice between this one and an ESP Eclipse. I chose the Lag and don't regret ahah.

I've once tried a Mayones Setius GTM6 with BKP Juggernaut. Just amazing PU's. The first thing I wanted to do with my new Lag was to change its PU's. But I found the sh11 strangely good with my stuff. In fact, it was better than the Mayones (thanks to the MXR108 which helps a lot).

So can you tell me what you think about the pickups I listed in the title?

I read on the Railhammer website that their Chisel pickup were close to the Seymour Duncan SH4, but more aggressive. Is it true? (do you know something about their Anvil?)

I love both the sh4 and sh5 (but this one is a bit dry). I'm actually in love with my sh11 but I read on another forum that the sh6 was fatter.

And what about the Juggernaut?

So what do you think? Could one of these PU's sound better than my sh11? If you have other suggestion, don't hesitate !

Thanks for reading !


PS : If you have an idea for the neck pickup... (sh2?)

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: SH4 vs SH6 vs SH11 vs Railhammer Chisel vs BKP Juggernaut

I will be curious to hear what those with more experience with various SD pickups say as well, especially Custom vs. Custom custom, but if you want "hot hot hot" shouldn't you be looking at things like the X2N or Invader? Or at least the Anvil rather than Chisel railhammer?

 

[Clint 55]

Re: SH4 vs SH6 vs SH11 vs Railhammer Chisel vs BKP Juggernaut

Invader

 

[Demanic]

Re: SH4 vs SH6 vs SH11 vs Railhammer Chisel vs BKP Juggernaut

Dimebucker.

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[Haemorrhage]

Re: SH4 vs SH6 vs SH11 vs Railhammer Chisel vs BKP Juggernaut

Thanks for answers !

Dave : I can't find enough information about the Anvil...

I didn't know those PU's : Invader, X2N and Dimebucker. I'm going to read some reviews. The few I've just read seem to say that I won't like the X2N.

Anyway I fastly read that all those three pickups are made for death metal or punk. I'm not sure it is my cup of tea... I hate punk and old school death metal. And djent tone.

If it can give you more information about my style, I play modern fusion of metal, rap and electro (with some symphonic metal influences). But I can't give you bands that look like mine, it's unique. You can have a look upon the old Linkin Park, A Broken Silence or Dangerkids, but they are still not my band ahah. And my favorite tone is Nightwish Emppu Vuorinen's one in Imaginaerum album. But it's not perfectly what I'm looking for (he has a sh5).

 

[Clint 55]

Re: SH4 vs SH6 vs SH11 vs Railhammer Chisel vs BKP Juggernaut

Ok so you already have the Custom. I'm listening to that Nightwish Imaginaerum album. The guitar sounds tight and dry. Hot pickups like that would be the Parallel Axis, Distortion, or Full Shred.

 

[Mincer]

Re: SH4 vs SH6 vs SH11 vs Railhammer Chisel vs BKP Juggernaut

I'd think a Jazz for the neck pickup certainly. And buying a few magnets to swap out of your SH-11 might be a better (and cheaper) place to start.
ceramic= Custom
A2= Custom Custom
A5= Custom 5
A8= Custom 8

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: SH4 vs SH6 vs SH11 vs Railhammer Chisel vs BKP Juggernaut

Agree with Mincer on the Jazz neck, far better for high gain work than the PGn. If you aren't concerned with single note work and are using your neck only for assertive chords you might think about the SH-6n Distortion Neck. It's hotter and has great attack.

I have a Chisel and a couple of JBs. The Chisel is comparable in output to the JB but tighter in the lows, without the upper midrange peak that gives the JB its distinctive lead tone. Yes, the Chisel is aggressive and it cuts through really well- a very good balance of searing and chunky. All the Railhammers have great definition and punch on power chords thanks to their unique design. I haven't used the Anvil but I imagine it's fatter sounding though perhaps not quite as cutting as the Chisel. For something with a little more "bounce" to it and a low end that's more similar to how the JB feels, consider Railhammer's Alnico Grande. It's quite big sounding and has a more lively feel than ceramic pickups. I tend to prefer alnico magnets myself; they feel more interactive to me than ceramics. But for big tight sound with lots of treble definition ceramics are generally the ticket. And it sounds as if that's what the OP is looking for here.

The Dimebucker is a bit hotter than the Chisel I think, and pretty aggressive in its own right. So is the Duncan Distortion.

The PATB-2b Parallel Axis Distortion is a really excellent recommendation in this case- you can't get much tighter than that in a very hot pickup. Good call by Clint 55.

 

[Haemorrhage]

Re: SH4 vs SH6 vs SH11 vs Railhammer Chisel vs BKP Juggernaut

Thanks again !

I haven't had time to have a look on all the pickups you recommended yet... gonna do it ASAP !

Clint : Yes, Emppu'so custom PU is tight and dry. It sounds amazing in Imaginaerum, but as I said before, I don't want this dryness and tightness for my tone. By the way, do you agree to say his tone has very few middles?

Mincer : Yeah, I like my Washburn's sh2 so I might take one for my Lag. You're right. Why should I seek everywhere if I got the answer right ahead ahah. And btw in this case I only use single notes with my neck PU. About the sh11, what would happen if i'd change the magnets?

Eclecticsynergy : interesting ! I gonna have a look. But I can't find enough things about the Anvil.

 

[Demanic]

Re: SH4 vs SH6 vs SH11 vs Railhammer Chisel vs BKP Juggernaut

I'd think a Jazz for the neck pickup certainly. And buying a few magnets to swap out of your SH-11 might be a better (and cheaper) place to start.
ceramic= Custom
A2= Custom Custom
A5= Custom 5
A8= Custom 8

Don't forget double thick ceramic for the Big Custom. Or UOA5. And I bet that an A4 Custom would sound just fantastic.

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[Mincer]

Re: SH4 vs SH6 vs SH11 vs Railhammer Chisel vs BKP Juggernaut

Don't forget double thick ceramic for the Big Custom. Or UOA5. And I bet that an A4 Custom would sound just fantastic.

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Ahh, yes. Although I haven't tried this. But this is what happens if you change the magnets in the Custom Custom- it becomes a different pickup (see my above list).