New member. Pickup swap question.

[tbragdon]

Hello. Just got my 2024 .Mark Holcomb SE. I love this guitar and haven't put it down since I got it. Drop c and D it sounds great with the SD Scarlet/Scourge. However in standard I'm not fully happy.

I'm debating between the Bareknuckle Polymath or PRS 59/09. I play Opeth, Soen, Karnivool, Sylosis, Mastodon, etc through a Mesa Mark V though I'm possibly swapping to digital soon to have more options.

Looking for a pickup that has great cleans and handles gain well. Not too vintage or modern with great clarity and string seperation without being thin or loose. I can always boost for more gain.

I'm asking a lot, but which set would you recommend? Other options are welcome.

 

[Slo-mo]

\m/

 

[tbragdon]

\m/

I'm worried it may be too hot

 

[Slo-mo]

Nah, they're similar to 59/09 but just a bit more bite on bridge. Clean they are a bit more articulate. I have them in a SE CE-24 and I couldn't be happier. They cover everything I need them to.

 

[tbragdon]

Nah, they're similar to 59/09 but just a bit more bite on bridge. Clean they are a bit more articulate. I have them in a SE CE-24 and I couldn't be happier. They cover everything I need them to.

I'll look more into them. I figured they were like a hotter but clearer JB. Can you clean up just by picking lighter? I tend to pick pretty heavy too in general. I'll head to the PRS shop website

 

[tbragdon]

I should also mention I'll be in E standard mostly

 

[Slo-mo]

I debated 59/09 vs the M and I decided to try them. I have no regrets, especially in such a low priced guitar. So, I would think if you like the 59/09 or similar, you'll like these as much or perhaps a bit more like I do. They are everything I was looking for and much more versatile than the name implies.

 

[Bogner]

The \m/ Is A Great And Very Underrated Pickup IMO. It Does Everything Well In My World. You May Want To Spend More Time With Your Original Pickups And See If Some Adjustments Can Help In Some Way. The Polymaths Are Nice As Well. For Something You May Not Have Considered But Will Work Nicely For The Sonic Description You Listed You May Want To Look Into The BKP Rebel Yells And The BKP Black Dogs. The Black Dogs Are Excellent In Extended Range And Detuned Guitars And They Sound Excellent And Work For A Lot Of Things. They Are Very Much Under The Radar IMO But Are Absolutely Fantastic Pickups And Would Excell At The Musical Style/Sounds You Listed Of Those Bands.

If You Are Going Digital I Would Hold Off On Changing Pickups Until You Did So. There Are A Lot More Variables In That World And You May Not Need To Change Anything. While Options Are Good They Also Could Potentially Lead To More Puzzle Pieces In The Overall Equation. Depending On Which Product You Go With That Impact Could Vary.

Holcomb Picked His Puzzle Pieces For Him (Obviously) And For What He Does And In The Manner He Does It In. You May Lose Some Of That Special Sauce In The Detuned Aspects By Going With Something That Sounds To Your Liking In Standard Tuning. In The Perfect World You Get It All But It Doesn't Always Work Out That Way. Do You Play More Detuned Stuff Or Standard Tuning Stuff Or Both?

Edit: I Missed Your Post Of Saying You Are Primarily In Standard Tuning. This Further Solidifies My Recommendation Of The Black Dogs With The Polymaths Close Behind Along With The \m/ For This Particular Guitar.

 

[dogrocketp]

57/08 neck and 59/09 bridge. It rules.