Got a HolyDiver put in the bridge of my Rico tonight

[kmanick]

and I have finally found tonal bliss with this guitar.
I can't believe more 7 stringers don't use it.
I've gone thru a Crunchlab, an AfterMath and a JB 7 and
the HD sounds like a tighter, meaner, warmer, fuller,
more balanced version of the JB. Basically it sounds like a way better Verison of a JB
The bottom end is surprisingly plenty tight (typical BK) yet I still have a great singing articulate lead tone.
My Rico is really bright (especially for an all mahogany guitar) and this thing is just a perfect fit for it.
I think I'm even going to order the matching neck pickup to go with it
and dump the Liquifire.
gotta thank Zimbloth for hooking me up with this.
He's da man!

 

[JamesM]

Sick dude.

I always wanted to try one of those out.

 

[mountainjam]

dump the Liquifire.

 

[yellowv]

The HD is a great pickup. Definately an improved JB.

 

[djpharoah]

 

[ronjhoser]

Glad you found a love connection. Can you break down the differences you found between the aftermath and the holy diver?

 

[kmanick]

Glad you found a love connection. Can you break down the differences you found between the aftermath and the holy diver?

So far my initial impressions after a few hours of jamming on it.

Aftermath:
much more pronounced mid to high mids
tighter bottom end than the HD(although not by that much)
Very agressive and Percusive pick attack.
A very pissed off in your face sounding pickup.
The first thing I noticed about it was how much sonic space it takes up. It's kind of hard to describe but it's very "big" sounding.
A ton of mids but not "honkish" or "boxy" mids.
In a darker guitar I would probably really love this pickup.

HolyDiver:
more pronounced low mids, much smoother top end,
still an agresive sounding pick up but in a much different way than the
Aftrmath, it's not as "pissed off" sounding like the AM is, to my ears (in this guitar anyway) it's a bit more of a "polite" pickup.
A Great singing lead tone (which is what it's known for ).
This is also a "fat" sounding pickup, but it's not in you face fat it's more
like a thicker "fuller" fat, but still really defined and articulate.

With the aftermath I found playing single not runs on the lower strings
sounded amazing, but when I got to the higher strings I got a bit of that
ceramic "clack" that I hate in bright guitars. Saturate it with gain and
you're probably Ok , but I don't play like that.

The Holydiver also sounds great on single note runs , but it stays thicker and warmer sounding all the way up on the higher strings.
The HD is a lead players dream pickup (for sure) that can also stay tight
enough for probably anything but the craziest death metal or the Djentiest Djent.
It's probably a little too "open" sounding for really technical machine gun
type rhythm playing (which I suck at so no problem with that here )

I love the old 80's JB's and the HD really does nail the "JB on steroids"
thing as advertised. It doesn't sound 80's at all though, it just sounds ............well ................................f'n great!
Next up I want to try one of the Wolftone JB rewinds so I can compare the 2.
I bet they sound very similar.

 

[Hollowway]

Yeah, let us know about the difference between the Aftermath and the Holy Diver. My Rico 828 is to the point of needing the pickups, so I have to decide. On the BKP site the tonal response looks like it would be the same for the AM and the HD. But I do loves me my JB, so.... Do you think the sound difference has to do with the ceramic vs alnico magnets?

EDIT: D'oh! You ninja'd me.

 

[zimbloth]

I love Aftermaths in warm guitars and Holydivers in bright guitars. I had a HD in my old maple-neck Rico 7 and it sounded epic.

Glad you're digging it man. I love the Aftermath and the Holydiver. The AM PRS exhibits none of the qualities that you found in your Rico, but thats just how it goes sometimes. The AM in my guitar sounds deep, warm, tight and punchy. Mids pretty under control. The Holydiver is definitely even fatter and darker, with an even sweeter high-end. It's also a bit hotter.

 

[kmanick]

I think in a warmer guitar I would really like the AM, but you've heard it first hand (obviously ) My Rico is a really bright guitar, so the HD is working out great.

I love Aftermaths in warm guitars and Holydivers in bright guitars. I had a HD in my old maple-neck Rico 7 and it sounded epic.

Glad you're digging it man. I love the Aftermath and the Holydiver. The AM PRS exhibits none of the qualities that you found in your Rico, but thats just how it goes sometimes. The AM in my guitar sounds deep, warm, tight and punchy. Mids pretty under control. The Holydiver is definitely even fatter and darker, with an even sweeter high-end. It's also a bit hotter.

 

[heilarkyguitar]

Thinking of getting some bkp in my brj h 7. Would I need them short or long poled. I was thinking short but want be sure.

 

[kmanick]

short, I think all 7 string bks are now short by default

 

[heilarkyguitar]

thanks

 

[phantasm]

I'm worried about this "clack" you speak of. I have an all mahogany Jekyll coming with Aftermaths next week. I hate any kind of harsh high end.

I think due to my abilities, I end up playing more Dio/Maiden/Priest/Queensryche type stuff than the Necrophagist/Radiance type stuff I'd like to play.

I'm wondering if the Holy Divers will be a better fit for me also. Fortunately, I have a set in my alder/poplar Jackson Rhoads I can throw in. I always thought they were a little thin in the RR, anyway.

Seeing as this is my first non-hardtail guitar, I would like to get some pretty crazy Dimebag-like harmonics out of it. Which is better suited?

 

[zimbloth]

I think there's just something odd about the voicing of his particular guitar, dude. The Aftermaths in my mahogany PRS guitar sound completely different. The Aftermaths are not harsh at all, they were designed to be tight and clear but with a warm lead tone. They sound amazing in most guitars, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[phantasm]

I'm not super worried. Just a little scared of the unknown . I've only played alnico and EMG for the last twenty years. The last ceramics I played were in my Rhoads. I didn't care for them. They were the Duncan Distortions. I've got the Holy Divers as backup.

Thanks guys!

 

[troyguitar]

Is it wrong that I want to try the Holy Diver just because of the name?

 

[phantasm]

It's not wrong, and it is a very suitable pickup for the Dio/Ozzy style. I very much agree with the "JB but better" sentiments.