Bareknuckle pickup decision.

[Ross82]

Nailbomb

 

[BabUShka]

My fave BKP is the C-Bomb because it is basically an evolved Thrash pickup. I haven't tried it with anything below Drop Db, but it covers anything imaginable for the styles of the Bay Area thrashers and their spawn.

Yeah, I can hear that! Its got some of that 80s vibe in the way its voiced. Yet super tight and punchy enough to play modern stuff!

 

[LotsOfGrease]

Alright so after doing some more research I've nailed down the final contenders. It's between the aftermath(I've been going back and forth with this one),brute force, black dog, and painkiller.

Aftermath- people seem divided on this one but every clip I hear of it, it sounds awesome.

Bruteforce - this one replaced the c pig as an option for me because it has a little less bass.

Black Dog- I've heard a few clips of this doing metal and it sounds bad ass and I think it's cool it's not a super high output pickup. I can't find enough info about this one doing metal however to sell me on it.

Painkiller- Sounds good on paper but I'm concerned it could be too ice picky because of the upper mids boost.

 

[Hoss632]

I've always had the impression that bkp are prone to suggest the same 2/3 pickups. Modern=aftermath ; neck=cold sweat ...

The aftermath is very tight and dry, perfect for modern staccato stuff but a bit weak on palm mutes and big chords.

Personally I didnt like it at all, has a voicing that gets tiring really fast just like the Juggernaut.

That probably is because most tell them they want a modern sounding pick up for metal and thus the suggestions. I've emailed them twice about a couple of pick up suggestions. First time being for pop punk and hard rock tones, in the vein of green day in the dookie/insomniac era, onwards to Godsmack and Mark Tremonti. They suggested the Coldsweat, miracle man and holy diver seats, and even the Silo at the time as well. Other time I asked if the Silo bridge humbucker and the irish tour middle and neck singles would work well for a modern sounding hss style guitar, and they agreed and also said the Polymath

 

[Hoss632]

Alright so after doing some more research I've nailed down the final contenders. It's between the aftermath(I've been going back and forth with this one),brute force, black dog, and painkiller.

Aftermath- people seem divided on this one but every clip I hear of it, it sounds awesome.

Bruteforce - this one replaced the c pig as an option for me because it has a little less bass.

Black Dog- I've heard a few clips of this doing metal and it sounds bad ass and I think it's cool it's not a super high output pickup. I can't find enough info about this one doing metal however to sell me on it.

Painkiller- Sounds good on paper but I'm concerned it could be too ice picky because of the upper mids boost.

I don't think I've heard a bare knuckle yet that doesn't do high gain at least decently well, including the black dog. Even the Riff Raff isn't bad in standard to Drop D with high gain.

 

[Lemonbaby]

Aftermath- people seem divided on this one but every clip I hear of it, it sounds awesome.

That's because it is.

 

[LotsOfGrease]

Alright spoke to someone at bareknuckle again. They highly recommended the ragnarok. I've ruled out the warpig because the guy said that it is more bass heavy than the rags. At this point I'm torn between the rags or the silos. The silos seem to be similar minus the output. The rags have much more output. They should be similar to my SD Nazgul/Sentient in that regard but having dynamics concerns me because I want some degree of dynamics. Videos of the rags make it seem like they do still retain dynamics but I'm unsure. I know the silos retain dynamics and have less output. I also want the pickups to not be overly tight, like I'm not playing djent all the time, that's what scares me about the rags. I feel like the silos can do everything I need but I'm worried they won't bring the mustard. The rags definitely get nasty and have tasty cleans.

Sorry for my rant, does anyone have thoughts on either of these pickups?

 

[lurè]

Rags are not the uber-djent pickups as advertised, they're actually quite balanced while being tight and a little on the higher output side. I really liked them and they can cover a lot of ground, split coil sounds rally good.

 

[LotsOfGrease]

Rags are not the uber-djent pickups as advertised, they're actually quite balanced while being tight and a little on the higher output side. I really liked them and they can cover a lot of ground, split coil sounds rally good.

Like how high would you describe the output? It's advertised as being extremely high output. Is it like active pickup high? Also what are your feeling about its dynamics? Does it allow for player feeling to come through or does it all get compressed to shit?

 

[lurè]

No it's not active pickup level output; it's a tad compressed but in a pleasant way, cleans are also good. I've found it to be the jack of all trades that the Juggernaut was meant to be.

 

[BrutalRob]

when i think of djent, I think of thin clanky high mid focussed sound. I had the rags and they are rather thick with the highs being pretty smooth.

 

[lost_horizon]

Alright so after doing some more research I've nailed down the final contenders. It's between the aftermath(I've been going back and forth with this one),brute force, black dog, and painkiller.

Aftermath- people seem divided on this one but every clip I hear of it, it sounds awesome.

Bruteforce - this one replaced the c pig as an option for me because it has a little less bass.

Black Dog- I've heard a few clips of this doing metal and it sounds bad ass and I think it's cool it's not a super high output pickup. I can't find enough info about this one doing metal however to sell me on it.

Painkiller- Sounds good on paper but I'm concerned it could be too ice picky because of the upper mids boost.

I've had lots of Bare Knuckles and Black Dog is good for metal but not as hot so your amp setting may need to change.

Juggernaut is like a slightly hotter Black Dog.

 

[Lemonbaby]

Like how high would you describe the output? It's advertised as being extremely high output. Is it like active pickup high? Also what are your feeling about its dynamics? Does it allow for player feeling to come through or does it all get compressed to shit?

I got a Ragnarok in my Skervesen and they're not really close to an SD Distortion or BKP Aftermath. I honestly wouldn't buy them again, the output just isn't up where I'd like it. They feel like a hotter version of a PAF - versatile, even and kind of boring.

 

[LotsOfGrease]

I got a Ragnarok in my Skervesen and they're not really close to an SD Distortion or BKP Aftermath. I honestly wouldn't buy them again, the output just isn't up where I'd like it. They feel like a hotter version of a PAF - versatile, even and kind of boring.

It stinks to hear that they could sound boring. I was pretty close to committing to the rags lol.

 

[profwoot]

Don't put too much stock in Ragnaroks being like PAFs, as they're about as far away from PAFs as a passive humbucker gets. They use 45AWG, so on the opposite end of the spectrum from PAFs (42AWG), and whereas PAFs often have alnico II magnets the Ragnaroks have huge ceramic magnets. The Rags are basically BKP's attempt to make an active-sounding passive pickup without some of the downsides of actives. Compared to PAFs they're way more compressed, with tighter bass, more mids, way more top end extension, and more clarity under high gain.

That said, I can see where lemonbaby is coming from. I have them in one guitar and generally enjoy them, but for how weird they are the results can be a little "default" sounding, if that makes sense.

 

[LotsOfGrease]

Yeah that makes since about the 'default' sound. It makes since with other things I've read saying they do most things well, the pickup would have to balanced and default to some extent to do that I suppose. What are your experiences with the dynamics? I know they are fairly compressed and I'm curious how that affects the dynamics. Did you have any recommendations for a bareknuckle set? I've been considering the aftermath or the silo also. Others here have had good things to say about the nailbomb. I like periphery tones but I don't really play djent, he is legend, sworn in, varials to name a few examples of tones.

 

[profwoot]

Yeah that makes since about the 'default' sound. It makes since with other things I've read saying they do most things well, the pickup would have to balanced and default to some extent to do that I suppose. What are your experiences with the dynamics? I know they are fairly compressed and I'm curious how that affects the dynamics. Did you have any recommendations for a bareknuckle set? I've been considering the aftermath or the silo also. Others here have had good things to say about the nailbomb. I like periphery tones but I don't really play djent, he is legend, sworn in, varials to name a few examples of tones.

I haven't tried most of them. I've got the Juggernauts in two guitars and love them. I recently swapped out the Juggs in my #1 (see avatar) for some Polymaths, then swapped back to the Juggernauts. The Polymaths sounded great in the Solar I got them in (I gushed about them on here), but in my #1 they sounded really blase -- the mids were really flat and broad, filling all the available space but lacking an actual voice. The Solar was mahogany and my #1 is northern ash over swamp ash, if you believe in that sort of thing. My #1 started out with SD Nazgul/Sentient (as seen in avatar), which I hated in that but really liked in my now-sold KM6, so it might just be an eccentric guitar.

The Juggs have a couple spikes in the mids that some people dislike, but it's subtle enough it doesn't give me a cocked wah vibe and prominent enough to have a distinctive voice. I also tried the Painkiller 7 set in a KM7 but found them bright and thin. It had an evertune tho which may have contributed.

The only other BKPs I have are the 63 veneer board singles and the Stockholm HSP90s, so that's no help. I do have a custom Valravn 7 with Silos on the way that I'm excited about.

 

[getowned7474]

I just put in some Bare Knuckle Silos In my Aristides 060 and I have the Rags in a Warmoth Tele that I put together.

The Rags are moderately high output but not insane or anything. Less hot than some of the "metal" forward Dimarzio pickups for instance. They definitely have a pretty neutral sound to them with the bridge pickup having a slight upper punch. They are moderate on the bass, it's there it's punchy but it tightens up just fine. And then the very top end is slightly rolled off but the pickup doesn't come across as dark since it has a slight upper mid push rather just more clean and clear since you lose some scratchy upper treble. Overall I'd say they are pretty versatile for modern music in general but don't expect a PAF sound or anything more of a smooth clear sound with maybe a bit of upper mid punch.

The Silos are interesting in that they aren't your typical modern metal pickup to be honest. The neck pickup is pretty PAF like, sort of hollow and chimey sounding with fairly low output. The bridge pickup is interesting, it has a broad wide midrange that is slightly honkey if you aren't careful with EQ but pretty harmonically complex. Treble seems slightly subdued and the bass isn't lacking and maybe a little more loose than some of your ceramic pickups. I get a somewhat "grunty" or "grindy" quality to the bridge pickup that reminds me slightly of a Warpig I used to have. I would say it has a sort of raw thick punchy sound that isn't the most "clinical" or tight but can be fun too. Almost like a tamed warpig in a way which makes since given that Rabea used to use them.

 

[BabUShka]

I had a Black Dog installed that i used for metal. I think it is great for everything. A very versatile pickup. But if your doing 100% metal and thats the main use of this guitar, IMO there are pickups that does high gain much better. I used the guitar for blues, rock and metal - loved it. But for very high gain i prefer my other guitars with more balls.

Its very gnarly and tight. But it will not saturate like a high gain pickup, and it will not give you the "oumph" feeling that ix a Nailbomb or Duncan SH5 delivers.

For that use, IMO it sounds like you should check out Rebel Yell. I had a set installed in my EC1000. It does high gain, not too tight but still thick sounding. Not too hot and is just an amazing and underrated pickup. Its very dynamic. You stroke gently, it will clean up. You stroke hard, it will bark.

 

[LotsOfGrease]

I just put in some Bare Knuckle Silos In my Aristides 060 and I have the Rags in a Warmoth Tele that I put together.

The Rags are moderately high output but not insane or anything. Less hot than some of the "metal" forward Dimarzio pickups for instance. They definitely have a pretty neutral sound to them with the bridge pickup having a slight upper punch. They are moderate on the bass, it's there it's punchy but it tightens up just fine. And then the very top end is slightly rolled off but the pickup doesn't come across as dark since it has a slight upper mid push rather just more clean and clear since you lose some scratchy upper treble. Overall I'd say they are pretty versatile for modern music in general but don't expect a PAF sound or anything more of a smooth clear sound with maybe a bit of upper mid punch.

The Silos are interesting in that they aren't your typical modern metal pickup to be honest. The neck pickup is pretty PAF like, sort of hollow and chimey sounding with fairly low output. The bridge pickup is interesting, it has a broad wide midrange that is slightly honkey if you aren't careful with EQ but pretty harmonically complex. Treble seems slightly subdued and the bass isn't lacking and maybe a little more loose than some of your ceramic pickups. I get a somewhat "grunty" or "grindy" quality to the bridge pickup that reminds me slightly of a Warpig I used to have. I would say it has a sort of raw thick punchy sound that isn't the most "clinical" or tight but can be fun too. Almost like a tamed warpig in a way which makes since given that Rabea used to

I just put in some Bare Knuckle Silos In my Aristides 060 and I have the Rags in a Warmoth Tele that I put together.

The Rags are moderately high output but not insane or anything. Less hot than some of the "metal" forward Dimarzio pickups for instance. They definitely have a pretty neutral sound to them with the bridge pickup having a slight upper punch. They are moderate on the bass, it's there it's punchy but it tightens up just fine. And then the very top end is slightly rolled off but the pickup doesn't come across as dark since it has a slight upper mid push rather just more clean and clear since you lose some scratchy upper treble. Overall I'd say they are pretty versatile for modern music in general but don't expect a PAF sound or anything more of a smooth clear sound with maybe a bit of upper mid punch.

The Silos are interesting in that they aren't your typical modern metal pickup to be honest. The neck pickup is pretty PAF like, sort of hollow and chimey sounding with fairly low output. The bridge pickup is interesting, it has a broad wide midrange that is slightly honkey if you aren't careful with EQ but pretty harmonically complex. Treble seems slightly subdued and the bass isn't lacking and maybe a little more loose than some of your ceramic pickups. I get a somewhat "grunty" or "grindy" quality to the bridge pickup that reminds me slightly of a Warpig I used to have. I would say it has a sort of raw thick punchy sound that isn't the most "clinical" or tight but can be fun too. Almost like a tamed warpig in a way which makes since given that Rabea used to use them.

How do the silos stack up with the rags as far as tightness? Is the treble roll of pretty similar also, like not dark but not harsh either? Also which do you prefer to play?