Help deciding new pickups

[Corporial Bodies]

Hi,
New member here from the uk,

Ok so I've been away from music since my child was born and haven't been an active musician for about 10 years. I've discovered a load has changed, especially the gear.
Anyways I've brought a schecter c7 hellraiser passive, 2015 model I believe, so 26.5 scale, neck thru, mahogany body.
I want some new pups as I think the brimstone stock pickups sound a bit crap and I am undecided what to go for.
I have seen alot of threads stating that the body wood of the guitar make a huge difference to the tine of the pickups so I'm getting a bit confused of what pickups to actually choose. I've watched at of youtube clips however so many of them have so much post production it's hard to hear the fundamental differences between alot of them. I play mostly progressive metal (although admittedly I'm a bit out of practice) and bands I'm into are periphery, I built the sky, intervals, tesseract, karivool, animals as leaders etc etc.
Pups I'm interested in are 7 string ones, preferably a neck and bridge set.

Bkp juggernaut, ragnarok, impulse, black hawks.

Sd alpha omega, I have the 6 string set in my prs se wondered if they sound/play any different.

Fishman fluence moderns, tosin abasi.

What I'm looking for is a shove in the right direction.

Does anyone have experience with these either in a Mahogany body? Or the schecter c7 hellraiser.

What's your experience with these pups and how would you rate them?

 

[Adieu]

One of the DiMarzio 7 string Petrucci sets, maybe?

 

[Merrekof]

I find it extremely hard to compare pickups, based on the internet. That video Keith Merrow did on youtube was the best pickup comparison I ever saw or heard. A dozen Seymour Duncans, same guitar, same amp, same setting, same player, same riff,... it was a 6 string though.

You might add a BKP aftermath to your list, I loved them more than the Impulse and it is a little more towards Periphery stuff. Both pickups were in a basswood guitar.

 

[Restarted]

If you're going for Bareknuckle, also consider the alnico Nailbomb. Got those in my Schecter km7 and I love them. They're versatile enough to cover the range you want.

 

[Corporial Bodies]

Wow guys thanks for your replys tbh I didn't expect to get any replys, will check out that Keith merrow vid, the nail bomb alnico pickup I used to have in an old guitar and tbh I couldn't make it work for me, just didn't seem to have the punch I wanted if that make sense?

 

[KnightBrolaire]

I've tried all of those barring the tosin set in mahogany bodied guitars.
All of them will do what you want tbh, but some shine better in warmer sounding guitars (black hawks/impulse/alpha omega/moderns) and others in brighter guitars (ragnarok/juggernauts)
What exactly do you dislike about the current pickups, and would you say the guitar has a warmer or brighter feel overall through your setup?

 

[Corporial Bodies]

@KnightBrolaire With the brimstones it's a little dark, the screws/poles? are rusted although I dont know if that would effect the tone. I feel that the bass response could be alot tighter also the clean tone isn't that great on a whole they seem a bit lifeless, what I'd like is a medium or high output pup, something with punchy tight bass more mids and high end that's not to shrill, but still has clarity, although I'm think maybe I won't get that

 

[KnightBrolaire]

@KnightBrolaire With the brimstones it's a little dark, the screws/poles? are rusted although I dont know if that would effect the tone. I feel that the bass response could be alot tighter also the clean tone isn't that great on a whole they seem a bit lifeless, what I'd like is a medium or high output pup, something with punchy tight bass more mids and high end that's not to shrill, but still has clarity, although I'm think maybe I won't get that

Hmm ok so based off that, it's going to be hard to get all of those qualities from those pickups.

All of them will deliver punchy/tight low end, though the moderns and juggernauts are the most mid heavy. Juggs and Moderns will do that cocked wah vocal midrange if you want that. Juggs have a low mid bump as well, which doesn't always play nice with darker sounding guitars, it can make them feel a bit bloated. They also require you to REALLLLY dig into the strings to get a distorted sound, which can be a good thing or bad thing depending on your preference. The Jugg neck pickup is excellent for creamy/smooth lead work or super high gain shred. The set also has great split coil sounds and cleans. Provided you put the set in a guitar that doesn't accentuate that low mid bump and you're willing to pick very hard, they're pretty tonally versatile. Not my personal favorite but a lot of people love them.

Moderns are very upper mid heavy and cocked/vocal on V1 so they excel at djenty riffs, but v2 is much more relaxed in the mids and significantly thicker/meatier sounding but still very responsive on the low end (great for sludgier riffage or just if if you get tired of V1). cleans are pretty solid, though the coil split sounds are pretty mediocre compared to your other options. They have shitloads of treble, which is why I'm wary to recommend them. In the wrong guitar they're extremely bright. Can be pretty versatile provided you get both voices and coil splits installed, otherwise they're not worth it. The coil splits make much more of a difference for cleans than with high gain imo.

If you're going down the Fluence path I've heard much better things about the Abasi set in terms of versatility and being more djent-friendly. I haven't personally used them though.

Omega has a slightly less responsive low end compared to the moderns or juggs, though still feels tight. It has more of a snarling midrange as opposed to that vocal/cocked wah quality. High end is a bit brighter than the juggs, but not anywhere near as cutting as the moderns. Alpha is a very blahh neck pickup for my tastes. It works well for cleans but it's not a great pickup for liquidy lead work imo. YMMV. Coil splits are very solid and so are cleans with this set. Overall a pretty tonally versatile set imo.

Blackhawk bridge (alnico is what I had)- Has a big chunky low end, growling midrange, and pretty sharp high end. The neck is smoother and warmer overall, and blends well with the bridge in the mid position (gives a bit of a jangly almost strat vibe). They feel much higher output and aggressive compared to the other options except the moderns. Cleans and coil splits are pretty good. Probably the least versatile set of the bunch, but they're the most fun imo. Just plug and chug.

Impulses- Great set. Kind of like the blackhawk set, but shaves some of the low end/low mids and high end off to give a much more even feel overall. They still have that great growl and punch, but since they're a different wind (and slightly lower output versus the blackhawks iirc) they have better cleans and can cop more tones imo. They're easily one of my favorite sets from BKP besides the good ole tried and true HD/VHII. They excelled at basically everything I threw at them. These are a great option if you think you'd like the blackhawks, but want a lot more versatility.

 

[Corporial Bodies]

Hmm ok so based off that, it's going to be hard to get all of those qualities from those pickups.

All of them will deliver punchy/tight low end, though the moderns and juggernauts are the most mid heavy. Juggs and Moderns will do that cocked wah vocal midrange if you want that. Juggs have a low mid bump as well, which doesn't always play nice with darker sounding guitars, it can make them feel a bit bloated. They also require you to REALLLLY dig into the strings to get a distorted sound, which can be a good thing or bad thing depending on your preference. The Jugg neck pickup is excellent for creamy/smooth lead work or super high gain shred. The set also has great split coil sounds and cleans. Provided you put the set in a guitar that doesn't accentuate that low mid bump and you're willing to pick very hard, they're pretty tonally versatile. Not my personal favorite but a lot of people love them.

Moderns are very upper mid heavy and cocked/vocal on V1 so they excel at djenty riffs, but v2 is much more relaxed in the mids and significantly thicker/meatier sounding but still very responsive on the low end (great for sludgier riffage or just if if you get tired of V1). cleans are pretty solid, though the coil split sounds are pretty mediocre compared to your other options. They have shitloads of treble, which is why I'm wary to recommend them. In the wrong guitar they're extremely bright. Can be pretty versatile provided you get both voices and coil splits installed, otherwise they're not worth it. The coil splits make much more of a difference for cleans than with high gain imo.

If you're going down the Fluence path I've heard much better things about the Abasi set in terms of versatility and being more djent-friendly. I haven't personally used them though.

Omega has a slightly less responsive low end compared to the moderns or juggs, though still feels tight. It has more of a snarling midrange as opposed to that vocal/cocked wah quality. High end is a bit brighter than the juggs, but not anywhere near as cutting as the moderns. Alpha is a very blahh neck pickup for my tastes. It works well for cleans but it's not a great pickup for liquidy lead work imo. YMMV. Coil splits are very solid and so are cleans with this set. Overall a pretty tonally versatile set imo.

Blackhawk bridge (alnico is what I had)- Has a big chunky low end, growling midrange, and pretty sharp high end. The neck is smoother and warmer overall, and blends well with the bridge in the mid position (gives a bit of a jangly almost strat vibe). They feel much higher output and aggressive compared to the other options except the moderns. Cleans and coil splits are pretty good. Probably the least versatile set of the bunch, but they're the most fun imo. Just plug and chug.

Impulses- Great set. Kind of like the blackhawk set, but shaves some of the low end/low mids and high end off to give a much more even feel overall. They still have that great growl and punch, but since they're a different wind (and slightly lower output versus the blackhawks iirc) they have better cleans and can cop more tones imo. They're easily one of my favorite sets from BKP besides the good ole tried and true HD/VHII. They excelled at basically everything I threw at them. These are a great option if you think you'd like the blackhawks, but want a lot more versatility.

@KnightBrolaire m8 that's an awesome explanation, just the kind of thing I was looking for.
Have you any experience with the dimarzio titans?
What's good about the holy diver and VHII ?

At the moment I leaning toward maybe a black hawk or impulse in the bridge and a juggernaut in the neck. Have you any other recommendations?

 

[KnightBrolaire]

@KnightBrolaire m8 that's an awesome explanation, just the kind of thing I was looking for.
Have you any experience with the dimarzio titans?
What's good about the holy diver and VHII ?

At the moment I leaning toward maybe a black hawk or impulse in the bridge and a juggernaut in the neck. Have you any other recommendations?

Titans are basically like a less annoying aftermath set ime, or a tamed D-activator set. They're very tight on the low end, not super mid heavy, and they have this kind of dry quality to them where it takes a bit of gain to saturate them, so they don't smash the front of the amp like say a black hawk. They also have pretty warm high end so they work well in brighter guitars, though they definitely work in a dark guitar as well. Cleans are solid but not amazing imo. They're a solid set but they're kind of the least interesting of all the periphery boiz sig pickups imo.

HD/VHII set is very different from all the others mentioned. Much more of an old school vibe compared to others you mentioned (though they can do modern tones just fine ime). The Holy Diver is kind of like a refined duncan JB. It has a pretty tight low end, a dash of that classic JB vocal midrange, and a less hairy high end. It doesn't feel quite as hot as a JB and cleans up much better ime. It's not going to be what you want though. The HD is not a super aggressive sounding pickup compared to the blackhawk.
VHII is a fantastic pickup for shreddy lead work. Low end is bigger than the HD, but not bloated. It's smooth on the high end, but not overly smooth like say the liquifire can be, and has very solid cleans. Think Van Halen/Eric Johnson type lead tones. It can easily bounce between those two ime. Overall they're a super versatile set. The jugg neck is supposedly based off the VHII, which makes sense after having played both. They're both excellent neck pickups and can cop a lot of the same vibes.

The cold sweat neck is even better for liquidy shred riffage imo. It gets this almost flute like quality to sweeps and legato that's super unique. It's not terribly versatile but it is easily the best at what it sets out to do imo. Cleans are solid but not amazing ime.

Honestly if you're looking to mix and match rather than try a full sig set, personally I'd go black hawk and cold sweat in the neck. If you wanted better cleans/more versatility, then just go for a jugg or impulse set.

 

[Two Panthers]

Hmm ok so based off that, it's going to be hard to get all of those qualities from those pickups.


Moderns are very upper mid heavy and cocked/vocal on V1 so they excel at djenty riffs, but v2 is much more relaxed in the mids and significantly thicker/meatier sounding but still very responsive on the low end (great for sludgier riffage or just if if you get tired of V1). cleans are pretty solid, though the coil split sounds are pretty mediocre compared to your other options. They have shitloads of treble, which is why I'm wary to recommend them. In the wrong guitar they're extremely bright. Can be pretty versatile provided you get both voices and coil splits installed, otherwise they're not worth it. The coil splits make much more of a difference for cleans than with high gain imo.

If you're going down the Fluence path I've heard much better things about the Abasi set in terms of versatility and being more djent-friendly. I haven't personally used them though.

.

Great points here

I will say this, the KSE for 6 string and SRC for 7/8 are definitely the most scooped, with high low end, scooped and less mids, and a nice high top end, and if its too high can roll it back with Hf tilt

 

[fps]

I've seen recommendations for Alnico Black Hawk, I'm not quite sure why not Ceramic for the bridge personally. More aggression/spike which may work to balance the darker guitar.

 

[Two Panthers]

I've seen recommendations for Alnico Black Hawk, I'm not quite sure why not Ceramic for the bridge personally. More aggression/spike which may work to balance the darker guitar.

+1
Absolutely , ceramic like a pain killer

 

[Corporial Bodies]

Thanks for your reply guys, really appreciate it. Do covers and the pickup actually effect the tone, also what's the main difference in sound and response in general for a ceramic vs alinco 5 magnet?

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Thanks for your reply guys, really appreciate it. Do covers and the pickup actually effect the tone, also what's the main difference in sound and response in general for a ceramic vs alinco 5 magnet?

cover barely affect the sound, if at all imo. Ceramic mags will bump output and add more low end and highs to the base sound versus an alnico 5.

 

[fps]

Thanks for your reply guys, really appreciate it. Do covers and the pickup actually effect the tone, also what's the main difference in sound and response in general for a ceramic vs alinco 5 magnet?

I don't think there are any discernible effects of pickup covers except how much swagger you feel on stage if you want them and have them.
Ceramic magnets have a little more output and I would say a little more bite to the sound at the top end.

 

[Corporial Bodies]

Quick update, I actually went for fishman fluence moderns. Was really getting fed up with the stock pickups and they were on offer on Amazon plus I had some vouchers from work so I ended up getting them for £60 which I thought was a bargain. Soldering them in wasn't hard once I worked out how I was going to do it, luckily I was having a good day and my hands went shaking everywhere. The only bastard thing was that the pickups didn't fit straight in, they were every so slightly longer, literally by 2 or 3mm so had to take a file to the pickup cavities. But it's done now, I'm pleased so far with the sound and really like the cleans on the neck pup although not really hearing much of a difference between voice 1 and 2

 

[Two Panthers]

Quick update, I actually went for fishman fluence moderns. Was really getting fed up with the stock pickups and they were on offer on Amazon plus I had some vouchers from work so I ended up getting them for £60 which I thought was a bargain. Soldering them in wasn't hard once I worked out how I was going to do it, luckily I was having a good day and my hands went shaking everywhere. The only bastard thing was that the pickups didn't fit straight in, they were every so slightly longer, literally by 2 or 3mm so had to take a file to the pickup cavities. But it's done now, I'm pleased so far with the sound and really like the cleans on the neck pup although not really hearing much of a difference between voice 1 and 2

I would have said go with the Fishman FLuence set, so I’m happy you are enjoying them.