[berg]

I'm getting into heavier genres so was considering changing the BurstBucker Pros in my 2008 chambered Gibson Les Paul to something more fitting.

The problems is, that the guitar is heavily chambered, so the pickups will need to be able to handle the extra resonance coming from the body. While the BB Pros are good for classic styles, theyre lacking when it comes to metal (the sounds I look for range somewhat from Dream Theater to Metallica, maybe even some death metal sounds too).
Currently, I feel the neck bucker is too dark and muddy. I'm looking for something to tighten up the lower end, add some midrange punch while allowing the highs to sing during solos.
The bridge bucker is just way too thin sounding, and I would like something fuller for rythms and solos also with a tighter lower end and punchy mids.

I don't want actives, so considering ceramics or AlNiCo 5 neck/ceramic bridge.
I have been looking at different stuff like the Super 2 neck/Super Distortion bridge, illuminator/illuminator, or even the new rainmaker/dreamcatcher, but I'm really not sure if they're right for a chambered LP.

Can you experts suggest some pickups for this? Or maybe I'm better off getting another, better suited guitar for the purpose?

[Strangeman86]

Well, the Dominion set comes to mind (Mr. Morton's signature Jackson is spec's similarly to a chambered LP if memory serves me correctly).

[berg]

That sounds promising - do you know what kind of chambering he is using? Mine is the full chambering seen here http://aws2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Gear-Tech/en-us/Wide-World-of-Weight-Relief.aspx
I'll give him/them a listen and see if I like the sound.

[BluesJam]

Pickups are going to react to body feedback, regardless.  If your guitar howls under high gain settings, then you may need to address the amp’s vicinity with the instrument.  There is a big difference between studio volume and stage volume.  Some guitarists stuff foam into the body to keep things quiet.  Today, many artists are using inears and the stage volume is low and the music is pumped through the PA.  If you change the way you approach the amplification of your music, a high gain pickup  would probably work.

[berg]

Yeah, the feedback issue is not something that can be avoided, but I mostly play at lower volumes. Even then, the added resonance is apparent and heavy gain sounds get muddy.
The Dominion set seems close to what Im looking for. Has anyone had the chance to compare it to the JP Rainmaker/Dreamcatcher set yet? They look similarly specced, so it would be an interesting comparison. Dimarzio also list the Rainmaker as suited for semi-solid guitars.

[HarlowTheFish]

With a chambered axe, you can either try to mitigate it with a really hot pickup with a lot of character (a Bare Knuckle Warpig or something like an X2N or D-Activator X on the dimarzio side), or you can try to play off it with something a little less hot that sort of "fills in" what your guitar already has. Depending on your rig and tuning, something like a FRED-b/PAF Pro-n or Norton-b/Air Norton-n (probably not the AN if you want something brighter, maybe a Bluesbucker?), sets that are a little lower output but that can complement tonally what you're hearing from your guitar.
Any of the Petrucci pickups (I'm not big on the Crunch Lab/Liquifire combo personally though) would probably work well for you to sort of split the difference.
I have the Kiesel Lithiums in my CL6 (Chambered mahogany body, maple top and neck) which work really well because the guitar is super warm and thick and resonant, and the pickups are super bright and tight.

[buddroyce]

I have a chambered Les Paul. I've never had any problems with high gain metal pickups. In theory the extra resonant chambers might cause problems, but I haven't found it to be true in practise though. I might just be lucky but I don't play live at full concert volume in a long time.

[berg]

@Harlow
Yeah, I start to look for medium-high output that sort of rolls back what the guitar has too much of and emphasizes what it does well.

@buddroyce
What pickups are you using? Is your LP the fully chambered or modern variant?

[DarthPhineas]

Dark and muddy neck sounding neck position pickups goes with a LP like peas and carrots. I tried many “neck position” pickups, including several DiMarzio options.

There are a few approaches.

One is to make the amp, pedals (if any), cabs, and speakers do the heavy lifting. I personally ally dig this, when possible. It allows a player to focus more on finding a pickup with tone more than output or drive...as the amp covers that.   A good cab and the right speakers can really put the cherry on top as well. With that in mind, I have a set of Seth Lovers in on LP and it covers just about any music genre I can throw at it.

The other approach is to just swap pups. That’s going to be more workable if a player only handles a specific tone and isn’t interested in getting off that path. For something like that, and considering some of your criteria, I might suggest the Titan set. Another very cool option is the Mojotone PW Hornet set, which has a great neck pup.

Don’t sweat concerns about feedback too much. Many modern pickups are pretty well potted. If you’re wanting to be sure about if a certain model is potted or not, call or email the company directly.

[berg]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

Currently, I'm considering a Titan neck/Dominion bridge combo since the Rainmaker/Dreamcatcher is not yet available from my go to guitar stores.

Another thing, the stock volume pots are 300K - will that be okay for these pickups or should I consider gutting the entire PCB system and upgrade everything?

I guess there is only one way to know how well it works in the end

[HarlowTheFish]

Well honestly before you upgrade your pickups swap those 300k pots out for 500k (Bare Knuckle sells some 550k ones you might like) or even 1meg pots. It makes a pretty big difference. Swap out all 4, even the tone pots.
As far as the PCB, it's a personal preference thing, but I don't know if you can just swap out pots on those without replacing the whole thing.

[Strangeman86]

Mojotone also makes pre-wired LP kits, and their 'vintage' pots are absolutely fantastic (in feel, taper and consistency).