BKP Polymath in 7 string?

[WeBowInItsAura]

Hey guys! I’m going insane trying to decide on pickups for an Aristides H/07 build. I was debating Fishman Abasi’s but I think they might be too active sounding and compressed for me. Then I found SD Pegasus / Sentient and thought those were sick, but realized they aren’t compatible with the Aristides headless models’ pickup slant.

I started going through all the BKP models trying to find what I like best and ended up on the BKP Silos and the Polymaths. I like the versatility offered by the medium output alnico 5 pickups: Nice cleans and gain tones with good clarity / articulation.

Now, I was slightly leaning towards the Polymaths because they are sounding pretty great and we all know Nolly is a tone god. However, I cannot find a single clip anywhere of someone playing these on a 7 string in lower tunings.

Can anyone comment on how these sound in a 7 string in B standard / Drop A tunings? If anyone has any clips that’d be excellent too!

The Silos I have heard in 7 string clips and it sounds great, so I might gravitate towards that if I can’t hear the Polymaths in a 7.


Thanks in advance guys!

 

[Emperoff]

@-Nolly-

 

[syzygy]

I'd also be curious to know! But to throw another pickup into the mix, how do the aforementioned Silo and Polymath compare to the BKP Juggernaut? I ask because on paper they all sound vaguely similar

 

[Hoss632]

This so far is the only 7 string Polymath tones I've heard. What I can say having heard the 6 string versions of the Silos and Polymath's compared, the Silo set have a little more output. Both respond well to picking dynamics. The Silo bridge is a little fatter sounding than the Polymath, but the neck pick ups are the exact opposite where the Silo neck is more jangly and the Polymath is a nice warm tone. I'd imagine the 7's are similarly set up as well. Anyways here's the little demo from Adam of the new Manson guitar and it has the Polymath 7's in it. I personally think you can't go wrong with either set.

 

[Hoss632]

I'd also be curious to know! But to throw another pickup into the mix, how do the aforementioned Silo and Polymath compare to the BKP Juggernaut? I ask because on paper they all sound vaguely similar

Here's the polymath's vs the juggernauts at least.

 

[Emperoff]

The Silo has quite less output than the Juggernatus. In turn, the Polymaths have quite less output than the Silos. So I'd say they are quite weak in terms of output. The Silos already fall behind what most manufacturers label as "medium output".

The Polymaths seem to be all mids, no bass or treble, low output. So they're probably perfect for the tones you're looking for.

The Silos, OTOH have more output, low end and highs. The fact that the Silos sound scooped in comparison to the Polymath proofs the outrageous amounts of mids the Polymath has (since the Silos already have more mids than the Juggernauts).

According to Rabea, the Silo neck is based on a SD '59, the bridge is a toned down A5 Warpig. So you get the idea.

Here's the polymath's vs the juggernauts at least.

They all sound the same to me in that vid. At least in Reabea's video you can hear some differences.

 

[A.JohnHayes]

I had the Silos in a 7 string that I never got too much time with due to unforesen expenses, but I thoroughly enjoyed them while I had them. I have the Polymaths in a Mayones that's my main 6 string, and I love them! I tend to prefer lower-output pickups - I had the Ragnaroks in my previous main 6, and I enjoyed them, too, but they were just a bit overbearing. My assessment lines up with what's already been said - the Polymath neck is insanely smooth and warm. I prefer bridge pickups for leads, anyway, but if that's what you're looking for in a neck pickup, it nails it. I will say, the neck split coil tones are my favourite out of any pickup or guitar I've ever had. I spend most of my time on there these days, even when I don't mean to; it just feels so nice and satisfying to play. I like it even more than both pickups split, and that's been my usual go to for cleans/ambient stuff.

The bridge pickup is nice. Definitely significantly lower output than the Ragnarok, but it doesn't ever feel anaemic or weak. Nolly sets his super close to the strings, which you can apparently get away with due to the specific magnet type used in the Polymath, and, while I don't go that close, I have it set higher than I usually would, and I have zero complaints in terms of output, low end, or richness.

if it sounds like I'm a kool aid guzzling fanboy, it's probably because they're my favouritre pickups I've tried in my favourite guitar of all time...so I'm biased as fuck.

 

[Hoss632]

The Silo has quite less output than the Juggernatus. In turn, the Polymaths have quite less output than the Silos. So I'd say they are quite weak in terms of output. The Silos already fall behind what most manufacturers label as "medium output".

The Polymaths seem to be all mids, no bass or treble, low output. So they're probably perfect for the tones you're looking for.

The Silos, OTOH have more output, low end and highs. The fact that the Silos sound scooped in comparison to the Polymath proofs the outrageous amounts of mids the Polymath has (since the Silos already have more mids than the Juggernauts).

According to Rabea, the Silo neck is based on a SD '59, the bridge is a toned down A5 Warpig. So you get the idea.



They all sound the same to me in that vid. At least in Reabea's video you can hear some differences.

I can hear the differences from the Polymath's to the Juggernauts and Rags in the first video. They definitely have their own thing compared to Misha's pick ups. I do agree that in Rabea's video the differences there are much more noticeable.

I disagree that the Silo's sound scooped compared to the Polymath's. They just have a lot more low end. High end at least in the bridge position between the 2 is about the same. It's the neck pick ups where the differences really stand out between these 2 sets.

 

[gunch]

I thought the polymaths were supposed to be more mid-scooped

 

[syzygy]

I thought the polymaths were supposed to be more mid-scooped

Off of the BKP website:

"The Polymath humbuckers are an antidote to scooped, harsh or boomy tone, they’re all about broad, characterful midrange, addictively juicy playing feel and trim, percussive low end."

Idk how they are irl but they're definitely not supposed to be midscooped

 

[Emperoff]

As always, when people hear the word "scooped" panic takes control

None of these pickups are scooped. Probably no pickup from the last 10 years is. Everyone wants mids, mids and more mids, and that's what these pickups give. The only difference is that the Silos also have some low and high end in them, which makes them seem "scooped" compared to the Polymath (which is all out mids).

If we're talking neck pickup, even more so. The Silo neck is quite open sounding and chimey (as Rabea likes more "strat-ish" neck pickup tones) whereas the Polymaths are more focused to smooth lead tones.