Rio vs WCR vs Voodoo vs Bare Knuckle...

[Ced777]

Hello!

I posted this thread in the effect section first, maybe the wrong section.....
So here it is:

I am looking for a fat, smooth, greasy, with buttery mids, and vintage flavor tone.... Something for blues/classic rock/ hard rock... think the smooth Slash tone in neck, and thick greasy with enough bite tone in bridge... I'm not really into Peter Green, Clapton, Kossoff, Allman..... tone. I'm more into an overwound PAF I think, than a pure PAF tone.

Here is the combo I thought about:

- Rio Grande BBQ + Duncan APH1n (cheapest)
- pair of WCR Goodwoods
- pair of Bare Knuckles The Mule (alnico IV)
- pair of Voodoo 57 PAF (the smoothest of the Voodoo's)

For now I have a Duncan Custom + Pearly Gates neck. Good PUs, but I would like a smoother more liquid neck and a bit more vintage (and smoother) bridge PU. They will go in a PRS CU22 which is plenty punchy, with pronounced high and lows.

I tried the DBs in my PRS, but was not completly happy with them. Good output , but too much treble and lack of mids for the bridge PU. Not enough smooth. Nice PUs, I don't blame them... just not my taste.
I have in another guitar a pair of Bare Knuckle Nailbomb and Riff Raff and love them But I need another tone for the PRS. Tim @BK told me about the Mule (Alnico IV). Peter Florance thought about the 57's. And I know that a lot of you like the Goodwoods.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Ced777

[RSRelic]

If you think the Darkbursts are to thin and don't have enough mids run don't walk away from the Voodoo 57s. I used them for a long time, and they are much brighter than the Darkburst. The Goodwood, and Darkburst neck pickups are almost the same (if not the same), buth the bridge Goodwood is much warmer. I hate Rio pickups so i won't talk about them at all. In the Duncan Family try the Custom Custom in the bridge, and a seth or Alnico II in the neck (slash did Alnico IIs).

[Ced777]

Ok. I cancel the Voodoo 57's.

The Rio BBQ, I read some very positive and negative things. (more of positive than negative). It seems to be a love/hate thing. But it is cheap.

I owned a Custom Custom some years ago but in another guitar. I like it very much, but get finally tired of the "one-trick" pony it was (too much mids, too few highs/bass). BUT, it was in another guitar, with less pronounced highs and lows, and different amp. So, the CC could do the trick in this guitar. I keep this idea in mind (even if it doesn't sound very vintage to my ears for blues or classic rock)

How would you describe the Rio BBQ vs Duncan CC?

Another queston: I already have a Duncan Custom TB5. Do you know where i can order a A2 magnet?
Thank you

[Lex Luthier]

For a hot PAF type pickup, I dig the Wolfetone Marshallhead

[Ced777]

Originally posted by Lex Luthier
For a hot PAF type pickup, I dig the Wolfetone Marshallhead

Describing of the site: "sizzling high end" .... "bright" .... I think it will do nothing for me.

[RSRelic]

I'm really confused by what you are looking for in the bridge, so give me an artist that get's the sound you want. You say you don't want highs, but you don't like the idea of the Mids of the Custom Custom. One thing to keep in mind is that if your CU22 has a trem it's hurting for mids to start with. The darkbursts from WCR as some of the sweatest over wound PAF style pickups i've heard.

[jlagrassa]

The CC might be a good bridge pup to try in a PRS, I might try one myself in my McCarty i hear the work real well in PRS guitars. Like your self I didnt care to much for the DarkBurst in my PRS and preferd the McCarty pups tone over the Darkburst.

Did the CU22 come with Dragon II pups, I have a pair of those sitting in a draw but think they are very good pickups!

[Ced777]

Originally posted by RSRelic
I'm really confused by what you are looking for in the bridge, so give me an artist that get's the sound you want. You say you don't want highs, but you don't like the idea of the Mids of the Custom Custom. One thing to keep in mind is that if your CE22 has a trem it's hurting for mids to start with. The darkbursts from WCR as some of the sweatest over wound PAF style pickups i've heard.

I did not say that I don't like the mids of CC. I like the CC and it could be (maybe) a winner in this guitar. I had a CC a long time ago, but found that he has only mids, no bass and treble. BUT, it was in another guitar (slim mahogany body, middy tone) . I found that the CC has a very modern and over-the-top feeling (I know that it can be very subjective).
Something like a CC but with a vintage flavor and less over-the-top tone (less output maybe) could be nice. In my memories (but I can be wrong), the CC was not the perfect pickup for classic rock and blues. But very nice for shred and smooth tone.

I don't really say I don't want highs at all, but, for example, the DB has too much highs and too fews mids for me. I would like rounder highs, and a global smoother feeling.

The artist that came to my mind is Slash (circa Snakepit or GNR) . I know its main tone is coming from the amp (and the finger)....

[RSRelic]

sounds like you need to stick with pickups that use alnico II magnets to keep round highs. Slash used Alnico II in both positions with GnR. You might talk to Jim at WCR about adding a II in your darkbursts.

[Ced777]

The DBs are already sold.

Tim at Bare Knuckles told me about the Alnico IV. Something between the A2 and A5.

[Ced777]

Someone in another friendly forum told me that the Voodoo 57's was very different and a lot smoother than the 59's. Can someone confirm this?

[NickVig]

Originally posted by Ced777
The artist that came to my mind is Slash (circa Snakepit or GNR) . I know its main tone is coming from the amp (and the finger)....

The other part of that tone equation is the Les Paul, IMO. I think it's going to be tough to really cop that tone using a CU22.

I have a Custom Custom in the bridge of my Thorn, but it has a wraptail and is 1/8" oversize korina body. I would say that it gets clost to G'n'R era Slash, but still probably doesn't have that low-mid push that is inherent in Les Pauls. IMO, to cop that middle of the road vintage+hard rock with PRS-style guitars, you need a bit hotter pickup, with a Alnico II magnet. This seems to work well, the extra output combined with less string pull is the winning combo, IMO. The difference between the Duncan Custom and the Custom Custom is the Alnico II magnet in the CC vs. the Ceramic Bar in the DC.

I also have a Wolfetone Marshallhead pickup in my LesPaul. It is a good choice for the over-wound PAF style pickup, regardless of how it is described on the website.

[mgarrison99]

There's a fairly cheap set of Rio Grandes on ebay right now. I'm not the seller, but have been tracking them. Seems like they would be a good deal, and you could probably break even on a re-sale or just leave them in a backup guitar if you decided to go with something else:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=007

[mgarrison99]

Also, check out the WB pickups. I heard the Reverends are very nice and may be just what you're looking for. Competes nicely with WCR and Bare Knuckles. Soundclips included on this website:
http://wbpickups.com/pickups.php

[Phil M]

My Oxblood Les Paul has the Rio Grande BBQ in the bridge and a WCR Crossroads in the neck. I have not heard of anyone using this combo before but I guess I got lucky because they go well together. The BBQ is a little hotter and rounds the highs off a little which works really well with my setup. It is not a dark or muddy pickup though.