Bareknuckle Impulse Pickups

[Carl Kolchak]

Here is my guitar. It's still stock. 30" scale, mahogany neck, ebony fretboard, mahogany body, 3/4" maple cap.

I currently have my guitar set up for octave down E using DR Tite-fit strings (I use the 8 string heavy 11-80 set, less the low B string), but have considered tuning up to G1 because the definition goes to once I get down to around G#1. I'm mainly playing doom/drone, bi-amped through tube amp and SS bass amp. Does an impulse in the bridge make sense for this guitar and the style I've described or would it make sense to go with something else like a ceramic nailbomb, cold sweat, or aftermath? Thanks!

I'm playing an Ibanez SRC6 30" baritone guitar/short scale bass atm, and think the Impulse is basically the answer to both our sonic questions. Don't know if this is a problem for you as well, but most pups I've heard sound oppressively "twonky" for heavier gauge strings (I'm using almost exactly the same gauge you are, btw.). Which is good, I guess, if you're playing djent, but not so hot if you're playing slower, dommier stuff where saturation and sustain mean more than annoying high-mid scratchiness. As you can hear in that Chug clip, there's no excess low end flub or high end fizz to be heard. That said, this really does sound like the ideal pup for down-tuned doom, imo.

One question I have for people following this thread, what would be the best value pot for this pup, 250, 500, or 1K?

 

[noob_pwn]

I'm playing an Ibanez SRC6 30" baritone guitar/short scale bass atm, and think the Impulse is basically the answer to both our sonic questions. Don't know if this is a problem for you as well, but most pups I've heard sound oppressively "twonky" for heavier gauge strings (I'm using almost exactly the same gauge you are, btw.). Which is good, I guess, if you're playing djent, but not so hot if you're playing slower, dommier stuff where saturation and sustain mean more than annoying high-mid scratchiness. As you can hear in that Chug clip, there's no excess low end flub or high end fizz to be heard. That said, this really does sound like the ideal pup for down-tuned doom, imo.

One question I have for people following this thread, what would be the best value pot for this pup, 250, 500, or 1K?

I like to use the BKP 550k pots, tends to sound better a bit wider open. If for some reason it's not bright enough you could try 1k. This problems you're describing were just what I was trying to combat.

 

[Carl Kolchak]

I like to use the BKP 550k pots, tends to sound better a bit wider open. If for some reason it's not bright enough you could try 1k. This problems you're describing were just what I was trying to combat.

What freqs are these pups pushing?

 

[katsumura78]

I finally got my guitar the other day. I'll try to snap some photos and write what I think about these pickups. Spent an hour playing yesterday and they're the real deal. Clarity and dynamics! Be on the look out for my NGD.

 

[Carl Kolchak]

I finally got my guitar the other day. I'll try to snap some photos and write what I think about these pickups. Spent an hour playing yesterday and they're the real deal. Clarity and dynamics! Be on the look out for my NGD.

Clips.

 

[noob_pwn]

What freqs are these pups pushing?

Well the whole voicing is fairly flat, there's no real frequency humps in them.

 

[diab0lus]

One question I have for people following this thread, what would be the best value pot for this pup, 250, 500, or 1K?

I have decided to buy the 4-conductor Impulse for the bridge position based in part on your response to my comment. After I install the pickup and try it out with the existing stock tone pot, I am going to bypass the tone pot while maintaining the existing push/pull coil split switch. Whenever that happens, I can provide some anecdotal feedback on the tone differences. I sold off all of my recording gear and mics years ago, so I don't have a way to really demonstrate the differences unless you think something useful can be gleaned from a cell phone microphone .

 

[Bearitone]

Hey Josh,

Could you compare the Impulse bridge to a Lundgren M7 or M6?
The M series is currently my favorite bridge pickup but, I want something different for my new baritone.

 

[noob_pwn]

Hey Josh,

Could you compare the Impulse bridge to a Lundgren M7 or M6?
The M series is currently my favorite bridge pickup but, I want something different for my new baritone.

I don't have enough experience with Lundgrens to comment I'm afraid!

 

[noob_pwn]

Sorry to resurrect this thread. Here's a review guitar world did with some video/playing footage. It's kinda different to the other stuff I've seen floating around

http://www.guitarworld.com/reviews-accessories/review-bare-knuckle-pickups-impulse-humbuckers/29779

 

[Lemons]

Well I'm just under a month away from getting my next ET with a slanted Impulse set, I'm interested to see how these fair with mid gain tones in standard tunings. I remember seeing these being described as a lower output Blackhawk set, in which case they should be perfect.

 

[vansinn]

I've been using OBL 450 L/XL dual-blade pups since around '87.

While the 450 L and XL has different tone than these new Bareknuckle Impulse's, I sense the same ability to keeps notes well defined; not in an edgy way but simply nicely cutting through.

What's so nice about such thin blades is that even if you rip a chord hard, there'll always be the same pole area under the string, and thin blades results in less magnetic pull, which can translate to a cleaner sound and maybe longer sustain.

 

[kale1doscope21]

Sorry for the necrobump but do bkp still offer the impulse single coils? If so, how do they compare to the cobras?

 

[noob_pwn]

Sorry for the necrobump but do bkp still offer the impulse single coils? If so, how do they compare to the cobras?

If you ask they can probably wind you a set but don't quote me. They aren't publicly offered. They have rolled off highs and lows and a very thick midrange, a lot more low mid than the cobra and a tad less output. They match up great with a humbucker in a h/s guitar and work well with both 250 and 500k pots.

 

[philkilla]

All the words

Amy new Intel if these are coming out for 8 strings? I'd like to give them a try in my banshee.

 

[jwade]

No posts in 6 years in this thread? I have a question for @noob_pwn or any of you that have the single coil.

I'm going to start a new 7 string build in January, and I was thinking about it having an SSS config. Would the Impulse single neck have enough output to work as a bridge pickup?