Older, less hyped BKPs like the Painkiller or Aftermath

[Roo]

So, with all these varying opinions on the aftermath, is there anything in the new range than can match it's aggressive, tight and clear sound with better versatility and cleans?

Asking for a friend

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

The aftermath was designed/refined from a customer request as they were trying to get an ultra-precise pickup and the C-Pig and C-Bomb didn’t get them there.

Think the name alludes to the band “Origin” but am not familiar with their stuff so can’t attest to whether the p/up achieves it.

I've never heard this connection before, and have also never used the Aftermath, but:

Huh I always assumed it was named after the SYL song

 

[Romeo Knight]

So, with all these varying opinions on the aftermath, is there anything in the new range than can match it's aggressive, tight and clear sound with better versatility and cleans?

Asking for a friend

I'd say that the Ragnarok could fit in this regard.
And in terms of clarity and string separation it's the Black Hawk.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

Huh I always assumed it was named after the SYL song

See this post:

Whilst it does have a pronounced high mid peak, contrary to a lot of accepted wisdom, the Painkiller is thicker and has more low end than most people expect it to. The Aftermath was not a refinement of a customer request, it was a pickup Tim was working on with ultra tight, mid heavy thrash riffing in mind, for when the Painkiller was just a bit too thick in the low end and abrasive on the top end. A regular customer shared correspondence with Tim regarding such a pickup, and Tim allowed him to get a pre-release version to put it to the test.

After much enthusing about the pickup just prior to release, the customer nicknamed it "The Aftermath", since he was a big fan of Origin. The name stuck, probably to avoid confusion as much as anything. I honestly think it may have ended up with a Slayer related name if that hadn't happened, as I think it fits the flavour and applications much better. However, it (rather sadly, I think) ended up nicknamed after a tech death song and pigeonholed as a d*ent pickup.

The aforementioned customer ended up going back to EMG's by the way, I traded his Painkiller for my EMG 81 and we all lived happily ever after.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

A lot of the criticisms of the Painkiller are similar to the criticisms of the EMG 81 and D Activators (the first of which is on countless amazing records and the second of which is currently my favourite pickup set). For this reason, Painkillers are one of the BKPs that I'm most keen to try. I picked up a guitar with Nailbombs equipped fairly recently and am still getting to know those...how much I enjoy them is likely to be a determining factor in whether I splash out on any other BKPs.

I'm pretty sure a Painkiller set will be my next pickup purchase.

 

[lewstherin006]

I'm pretty sure a Painkiller set will be my next pickup purchase.

I put a set of these in an old Carvin and they were interesting. Very mid focused. My fav BKPs are the War Pigs. They came in a Duvell I bought in May and I love them. Neck pickup is actually really good and they sound awesome in split coil mode.

 

[Wucan]

The technology in passive pickups is essentially unchanged over decades. I think that each new model is more “different” than better. I find it hard to believe that someone is using a different magnet and windings and has solved all old problems so it works in all cases now. But it seems like every new pickup is good at everything. “Heavy, but good at cleans. Articulate, but a wall of tone. Even output, but raw. Hairy, but refined. Sounds great for everything from country to the brutalist metal.” I’ve always liked the aftermath for the mid bump, and am super skeptical of these new ones that claim to work for everything.

It makes perfect sense when you realize they're talking not about the pickups but about Neural DPS or Axe FX.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

I put a set of these in an old Carvin and they were interesting. Very mid focused. My fav BKPs are the War Pigs. They came in a Duvell I bought in May and I love them. Neck pickup is actually really good and they sound awesome in split coil mode.

I think Alnico Warpigs would be too dark for most of what I play. Good for doomy / sludgy stuff, but not for much else. C-Pigs might be really good for OSDM, but again probably wouldn't suit a lot of the other stuff that I play.

I like relatively bright, tight pickups.

 

[Dumple Stilzkin]

I can only speak about the blackhawks that came in a guitar I bought used, but I really like them. That said, I don’t see myself buying any. I like DiMarzio and Duncan just fine.

 

[lewstherin006]

I think Alnico Warpigs would be too dark for most of what I play. Good for doomy / sludgy stuff, but not for much else. C-Pigs might be really good for OSDM, but again probably wouldn't suit a lot of the other stuff that I play.

I like relatively bright, tight pickups.

Ceramic Warpig and turn the brightness up on your amp. I used to think Pigs were only good for Doom too but that isnt the case at all. Its awesome for metalcore and everything in between. They get a bad wrap because they are high ouput but I found they are awesome. And this is coming from someone who had used Fishman Tosins for 3 years before the warpigs. If your guitar is really dark then the painkillers would be good. I found them overwhelming in my old carvin.

 

[Emperoff]

I hated the Aftermath set I had with every fiber of my being. It was like an EMG-81 but without what makes an EMG-81 cool.

I swapped them for a Juggernaut set, which as SunBro said it's a tweaked aftermath but more versatile. This is why they're more popular now, since 7-stringers have gotten more and more into prog these years. Same deal with the Silo. It's a more versatile Warpig, and a really cool sounding set (also more versatile than the Juggs as well).

The Nailbomb and Holydiver, etc are still relevant because they're aimed at an older audience, which is less into flavour of the week stuff as well. The Rebel Yell used to be overhyped as well since it was deemed as a tighter Nailbomb.

 

[lurè]

the Aftermath bridge is very dry and good at fast staccato stuff, the neck version is just a plain full mistake.

 

[Andii]

Yeah the new Schecter sJohn Browne pickups are alnico instead his usual ceramic but that was apparently an accident lol.

But yeah around the djent craze, it was about making the djentiest pickup that ever djented, but now with the Fishman Fluences doing their thing, it does seem like a lot of companies are now focusing on trying to do something similar in principle, the ultimate jack-of-all-trades pickup, but in passive form or old-school active tech.

That is extremely relevant. That explains the most likely reasons for the design philosophy and marketing that I was talking about, but I didn't make the connection until you mentioned it.

I didn't look at any guitar related gear for YEARS and when I started to look around and see what has changed the fluence pickups were one of the most surprising and innovative things I found. Not that Im interested in them.

"Jack of all trades" is never as good as a one trick pony. Those ponies really know that one trick.

 

[MFB]

I hated the Aftermath set I had with every fiber of my being. It was like an EMG-81 but without what makes an EMG-81 cool.

I swapped them for a Juggernaut set, which as SunBro said it's a tweaked aftermath but more versatile. This is why they're more popular now, since 7-stringers have gotten more and more into prog these years. Same deal with the Silo. It's a more versatile Warpig, and a really cool sounding set (also more versatile than the Juggs as well).

The Nailbomb and Holydiver, etc are still relevant because they're aimed at an older audience, which is less into flavour of the week stuff as well. The Rebel Yell used to be overhyped as well since it was deemed as a tighter Nailbomb.

I don't think I've seen a single person - and if someone did, it was probably @eaeolian - recommend Rebel Yells, those along with Miracle Man and Holy Diver etc genuinely ARE older and less hyped of the BKP bunch. I mean shit, when was the last time someone mentioned the Cold Sweat?

 

[narad]

I don't think I've seen a single person - and if someone did, it was probably @eaeolian - recommend Rebel Yells, those along with Miracle Man and Holy Diver etc genuinely ARE older and less hyped of the BKP bunch. I mean shit, when was the last time someone mentioned the Cold Sweat?

Probably about the time Nolly stopped posting here regularly.

 

[Emperoff]

Probably about the time Nolly stopped posting here regularly.

This. For both the CS and the RY

 

[narad]

This. For both the CS and the RY

And he had super good tone even back then so I'm still on board for those old BKPs. Weirdly I never wound up buying them or a guitar with them.

 

[ikarus]

question for the guys who are using warpigs: If you use a ceramic warpig in the bridge do you pair it with alnico or ceramic in the neck?

 

[Crungy]

I don't think I've seen a single person - and if someone did, it was probably @eaeolian - recommend Rebel Yells, those along with Miracle Man and Holy Diver etc genuinely ARE older and less hyped of the BKP bunch. I mean shit, when was the last time someone mentioned the Cold Sweat?

I may have recommended Rebel Yells but I'm a little newer here. One of my old guitarists had those in a CE22 played through a Soldano Decatone. Sounded great for heavy Tool-esque prog stuff as well as Jimmy Eat World style pop punk stuff.

 

[Jon Pearson]

I don't think I've seen a single person - and if someone did, it was probably @eaeolian - recommend Rebel Yells, those along with Miracle Man and Holy Diver etc genuinely ARE older and less hyped of the BKP bunch. I mean shit, when was the last time someone mentioned the Cold Sweat?

Which is a shame - the Rebel Yell neck is glorious. Can't speak to the other two but the Rebel Yell is among the best lead sounds I've heard.