D std pickup into a 5153

[potatohead33]

I have had a Kiesel CT4 with Lithiums in it for about five years and the bridge has never sounded quite right to me. It's ok to noodle around with but as soon as I pick up my other guitars I realize how much better they sound. My other three guitars are basically the same (mahogany CS6's with maple tops), one has a Cold Sweat set in drop C and the other two have M22SD and V combo in E std and drop D. I know a lot of people don't like those pickups but in those tunings to me they sound great. The CT4 is obviously a different body shape and it has an ash top instead of maple. The whole feel of it is very wooden (pun intended), very stiff.

So anyway I actually bought a Custom SH5 for it but the package showed up on Thursday after several weeks in transit torn open and empty (no joke, lol). So now I am reconsidering the whole thing.

I tend to like ceramic, mid high output with a bit of a scoop. One thing I do hate is fizz and presence in the mids, which I think is part of the reason I can't get along with the Lithium. I prefer tightness in the low end (not extreme) and brighter overall. I am mainly a rhythm player.

Basically what I want is a Cold Sweat with maybe a bit more output. I love the one I have now but it needs an OD for sure. I have considered a Black Winter as well but I'd prefer zebra and I don't think the BW comes like that.

Thanks

 

[Zhysick]

Hotter Cold Sweat? Miracle Man... I have never had a MM but my CS was hot enough but I know the MM is similar (tight, a bit scooped, nice highs, ceramic) but hotter so... There you go!

Cheers!!

 

[Hatchback Of Notre Dame]

You might also try unsoldering the capacitor Kiesel puts on the vol. pot., if you're going for a brighter sound.

 

[NickS]

Hotter Cold Sweat? Miracle Man... I have never had a MM but my CS was hot enough but I know the MM is similar (tight, a bit scooped, nice highs, ceramic) but hotter so... There you go!

Cheers!!

Miracle Man is the correct answer. I have them in my CS4 (Mahogany/Maple) and they should get you exactly what your looking for!

 

[potatohead33]

Been doing some reading on the MM. In terms of output I always thought the CBomb was the next step up from the Cold Sweat, and MM was another step up again. Not the case? It seems the CBomb might be a little hairier and the other two a little more open and organic.

Is the SH5 really a different type of sound? I like the sound clips I've heard of it and on paper it seems similar.

A little off topic but funny to see another Carvin fan pipe in, I've had several, still have the four mentioned and also not really a fan since the name change. My CT4 is branded Kiesel though, which I stupidly requested at the time. I also have a V3M I still play through a fair bit.

 

[potatohead33]

Did some more research which completely mirrors what you guys are saying, so I ordered the MM.

Now more waiting... Ugh.

Thanks dudes

 

[potatohead33]

So this thing finally arrived after six weeks , installed it today.

Basically it's what I figured, it's a nice upgrade and more the style of what I like. The guitar still has the same overall sound to it, but now there is a definite scoop, more so than the cold sweat I have in another guitar but that may be because the original Lithium had a lot of mids and it just sounds that way based on memory. The MM has slightly more low end punch and low mids than the CS, and a little more presence in the high mids. In typical BKP fashion it soaks up a lot of gain and seems lower output than the resistance would suggest. It is certainly a little hotter than the CS but not an earth shattering difference.

Overall though I'm happy and it took the guitar from maybe a 6.5 on my happiness of the overall sound to probably an 8 now. I still prefer a couple other guitars tonally but once I get more seat time and the strings break in a bit more, I'll have a better idea.

 

[Bogner]

I had similar feelings sonically on a couple of my guitars and the BKP Aftermaths and Juggernaut's worked well for me.

 

[potatohead33]

Alright so after letting my ears reset and letting the strings age 24 hours, this is a thick and meaty pickup. I have it in my D std guitar and I feel it would also really be well suited to E std if you need brightness. It seems to have both more low mids as well as brighter highs than the CS but the latter could be difference in the guitars too so it's hard to totally say. All in all I'll bump this to an 8.5 on the satisfaction scale. I just want to chug with it all day

 

[Alex79]

Miracle Man!
Amen to that.
It's a sledge hammer of a pickup. I've used it happily for many years.