Need help vintage vs modern pickup choices

[Pilgrim of the Dark]

I have a 2016 Charvel San Dimas with a SD JB/59 combo. I think the JB sounds pretty dull; jack of all trades, master of none. I don't mind the 59, but as with all SD pickups, I feel like there's just something missing.

The guitar is alder body, bolt on maple neck w/maple board, Floyd trem.

I'm pretty set on Bare Knuckle pickups as I like the touch sensitivity, clarity, and openness (all of which I feel are missing with the SD).

I play lots of different stuff from John Frusciante cleans with the pickups tapped, all the way to Dimebag style groove metal, and even some more extreme stuff.

I was thinking of going for a "contemporary" pickup set like the Aftermaths or Nailbombs, but I feel like I'll lose versatility. I have been thinking of maybe doing a 59 PAF style set instead.

What say you experts? Would a vintage PAF be good for everything from great cleans to metal, or would I be better off sticking with a modern pickup set and just dealing with the clean/low gain tones in order to have great tight metal tone?

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

Rebel Yell bridge and VHII neck I've had the 7 string versions of both and they're killer. The RY is marketed as a "rock" pickup, but it gets downright brutal if you need and is still open/dynamic enough to back off or split well for cleans. I had mine in a 7620 tuned to drop G and it never farted out on me

 

[Promit]

It's all very personal, but I've always gravitated towards medium hot, AlNiCo V pickups in 6ers. The Suhr SSV/SSH+ set, for example. The Nailbomb is likely to be a great, similar set. I'm not too fond of what ceramic does to the touch/feel of the pickup.

 

[Alex79]

Difficult for me to say, as I'm not very familiar with super strats and a good deal of how a pickup sounds depends on the guitar it is in.

My standard response would have been Juggernaut if you want modern.

 

[chassless]

at the risk of sounding like a broken record: SD Full Shred set are a good option if you want to save up a bit. i think they bridge the gap between vintage vs modern pickups, and as far as SD pickups can go, they really are clear and dynamic, but probably not to the point of BKPs.

 

[Progbusters]

The vintage ones can do some metal but they can also do blues, jazz, country, rock and etc going back to the days of your granddaddy

Conversely, the "contemporary" ones only go back to the 80's sound. So no Ted Nugent and Blue Oyster Cult for you.

 

[USMarine75]

Dimarzio Tone Zone / Air Norton (or Air Zone) is very versatile and very good sounding, especially for the money. With the right amp settings and EQ, you will be able to get just about any tone you want, except maybe ultra high clarity and articulation required for extreme metal / dj0nt stuff.

Fishman Fluence Modern would give you the best versatilty, as it has several voices and splitting. But the set and install would be more expensive.