Older, less hyped BKPs like the Painkiller or Aftermath

[gunch]

Did these models get picked over or outmoded by the Juggernaut, Silo, Impulse or Ragnarok? Did people not like them when they were new? Warpigs and Nailbombs still get used and have good rep to this day and I'm just wondering about the other metal focused BKPs that nobody hardly ever talks about. Hell, it even seems like the hypetrain ran out of steam for the Blackhawk, dont see many of them anymore either.

I only bring this up because listening to the sound clips the Painkiller's chugs in the last 10 seconds of the modern metal clip sound absolutely killer and it's EQ profile is favored toward high mids (which is what I like)

 

[nickgray]

Less hyped? From what I remember, Aftermath was the SSO pickup back in the day. RGA321 + Aftermath = ultimate djent machine.

 

[gunch]

Currently compared to the past, I mean.

 

[Asdrael]

Less hyped? From what I remember, Aftermath was the SSO pickup back in the day. RGA321 + Aftermath = ultimate djent machine.

Wait I have been looking for ideas to move my Fishman out of my 321... maybe this is it, a meme machine.

 

[Strobe]

Less hyped? From what I remember, Aftermath was the SSO pickup back in the day. RGA321 + Aftermath = ultimate djent machine.

Until it can be 18V modded, it will never be THE SSO pickup.

 

[Excruciator]

Painkillers have been my main preference for the last 15-ish years. Back then, to my mild irritation, they were very highly regarded and used regularly by the nascent "influencers" as much as anyone else. The range was a lot smaller back then, and there were fewer signature models associated with a particular non-genre which rode the wave of the influencer culture explosion.

The Aftermath release took a lot of the attention away, as a mid-focused, high output ceramic pickup which was vastly overhyped in many corners of the internet, especially here. I say that as someone who likes the Aftermath - but haphazardly recommending a pickup that specific in tonality and applications was always comedically stupid, I guess welcome to the internet. It's been more of the same over and over since then, happening in turn to the Aftermath with subsequent flavour of the month/signature releases, rinse repeat.

I'm pretty au fait with the contemporary BK's and for me, it's still the most aggressive, trve metal sounding/feeling pickup they make.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Did these models get picked over or outmoded by the Juggernaut, Silo, Impulse or Ragnarok? Did people not like them when they were new? Warpigs and Nailbombs still get used and have good rep to this day and I'm just wondering about the other metal focused BKPs that nobody hardly ever talks about. Hell, it even seems like the hypetrain ran out of steam for the Blackhawk, dont see many of them anymore either.

I only bring this up because listening to the sound clips the Painkiller's chugs in the last 10 seconds of the modern metal clip sound absolutely killer and it's EQ profile is favored toward high mids (which is what I like)

Painkiller and Aftermath are one-trick ponies compared to most of the other modern metal offerings from BKP.

The aftermath in particular is very good at one very specific thing (dry, mid centric modern metal) and kind of sucks at everything else imo, except for pop/punk riffage like ADTR.

The painkiller set is also a one-trick pony. They're extremely bright and icepicky in anything but a very dark guitar ime. They also have a ton of output/compression, mediocre cleans and a hairy high end that really wasn't "modern" enough when they came out ime. They're tight and work great for chugging but kind of suck ass for other stuff ime.



Nearly every other modern metal offering from BKP can do what they do with less limitations ime.

 

[Zado]

Painkiller is likely the only BKP I'd get along with the rebel yell

 

[Hollowway]

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.

 

[ManOnTheEdge]

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.

 

[MetalDestroyer]

"less hyped"

"aftermath and painkiller"

wut

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I mean I get what the OP means. Every time there was a metal pickup suggestion, it was always AFTERMATH or PAINKILLER, but now I don't ever see them mentioned anymore. Hell out of the older pickup selections, I'm seeing more love for the Warpig and Nailbombs, kinda like everyone forgot about the PK and AM lol

...I loved the Painkiller FWIW. It's like someone took the Duncan Custom and made it even more modern sounding.

 

[gunch]

I guess I should have titled this better, like "Why haven't AM/PK withstood the the test of time"

 

[MetalDestroyer]

I guess I should have titled this better, like "Why haven't AM/PK withstood the the test of time"

They only do one thing and that thing isn't in style anymore

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I still find it amazing how many pickups from the '50s, '60s, and '70s are still considered classics, yet we have pickups designed in the 2000s considered "dated"
I mean it makes sense when you have a pickup *specifically* dialed in for a specific niche genre.

 

[gunch]

I know I'm stupid but the bad things people say about the PK sound like good things to me and what I want to play (drop C# technical metalcore like The End, A Life Once Lost, Burnt By the Sun, Sikth's first album, Norma Jean's early albums, etc

Not set on anything yet because I'm almost 100% sold on Elysian Trident II Goliath just keeping my options open or if I spot a good deal used. Or just buying a RPC for my EMG57 and just fully embracing being annoyingly bright and ice picky as a feature

 

[AngstRiddenDreams]

The Aftermath bridge pickup is still one of the greatest pleasures I've ever had playing a metal geared pickup. It got pigeon holed as a djent pickup but it honestly rips for death metal and even hardcore. It's thick and aggressive as hell in the mids but just unbelievably tight. Like a sledge hammer strike every palm mute. Sounds really rad split too.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

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:

 

[Neon_Knight_]

I know I'm stupid but the bad things people say about the PK sound like good things to me and what I want to play (drop C# technical metalcore like The End, A Life Once Lost, Burnt By the Sun, Sikth's first album, Norma Jean's early albums, etc

Not set on anything yet because I'm almost 100% sold on Elysian Trident II Goliath just keeping my options open or if I spot a good deal used. Or just buying a RPC for my EMG57 and just fully embracing being annoyingly bright and ice picky as a feature

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.

 

[Crash Dandicoot]

Painkiller bridge, Miracle Man neck.

Trust. I promise it's good.