Can't afford BKP Blackhawks, what is the next best thing?

[Alpenglow]

Hey guys,
I had decided on BKP Blackhawks as the pickups for what I was going for tonally, but I cannot afford BKP Blackhawks for both my guitars. I have a maple/koa neck-thru Carvin 7 string with mahogany wings and an ebony fretboard. I am receiving a Carvin 6 string of very similar design and I am going to need to change out the stock pups of both soon in order to begin recording an EP with my band.
I had originally decided on Blackhawks because I needed pickups with the capability of achieving ethereal, The Contortionist-esque soft clean sounds as well as full, heavy distortion tones like something Vildhjarta or Northlane would play.
Any suggestions? Ideally I would like the pickup set to be below $200. Thanks for your help!

 

[Tyler]

From what I've heard and also seen around, a good equivalent to the Bhawks are Dimarzio D Activators

 

[nicktao]

If you really want them, save up a little instead of 'settling'.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

Honestly, it's not a matter of next-best-thing so much as a slightly different sound.

Dimarzio's are on the same quality level as BKP, but mass-produce and are able to keep prices low. I've got a D-Activator in one of my guitars and it's just as "good" of a pickup as my C-Pig, just with a different sound.

That being said, D-Activators will have a pretty similar sound to the Black Hawks

 

[noob_pwn]

Blackhawks are very unique sounding and we've never really nailed our newer tone with another type of pickup. You might want to try the Duncan Distortion or nazgul or possibly the dimarzio D-activator. As a rule of thumb we try to have our guitars retain a lot of low-end warmth whilst getting a really defined attack so the lower register stuff stays full and clear at the same time

edit: something else is that all our guitars have a 27" scale length and we use 550k volume pots with no tone pots. All up this makes a big difference and is another piece of the puzzle I guess.

 

[Damus]

AHH DD's are horrible haha, honestly havent tried BKP Blackhawks but they look like another high output passive... I think the dimarzio D-activator would be worth a go, however I can say I have tried HEAPS of pickups and my pref for a relativly high output pickup for bridge is the Michael Amott (arch enemy) signature made by Dean.

 

[Hollowway]

Wait, you have two Carvin customs and you can't swing an extra hundred dollars for BHs? Just save a little more or borrow some money from a friend.

 

[Abbath78]

AHH DD's are horrible haha, honestly havent tried BKP Blackhawks but they look like another high output passive... I think the dimarzio D-activator would be worth a go, however I can say I have tried HEAPS of pickups and my pref for a relativly high output pickup for bridge is the Michael Amott (arch enemy) signature made by Dean.

That's interesting, I know great pickups can come from surprising sources

 

[vent187]

I use a 6 string Bare Knuckle Black Hawk (alnico) bridge pickup on my guitar, and the other guitarist in my band uses a D-activator bridge in his guitar. I was almost sold on the D-activator after trying it on his guitar, but I knew somewhere down the line the GAS in me would rise again and I'd have to get a Black Hawk. So I saved up some more and got it.

I'd really advise you to do the same. The Black Hawk makes me want to play my guitar all the time. It really feels alive, which is impossible to tell from the videos on YouTube or whatever. Don't settle, man. If you buy cheap, you'll have to buy twice.

 

[Legion]

Yeah buy nice or buy twice. I'ma firm believer in this. But if you plan on buying twice ANYWAY, different story...

 

[Despised_0515]

Don't settle. Keep saving. If the Blackhawks have the sound you want, go for it.
I'm never pulling the Painkiller out of my bridge. I'm absolutely in love with the damn thing just as much as when I wired her up for the first time.

 

[DavidLopezJr]

Don't settle but if you do, the Pegasus from Duncan while not the SAME exact thing will bring you similiar vibes.

 

[Fred the Shred]

I'm a firm believer of not "settling" - if you truly believe a set of Blackhawks is the sound you're looking for, then it's the set you should get. It's one thing to fiddle with stuff in a similar vibe to see which appeal to you the most, but in this specific case, I'd just be patient and save up a tad more.

 

[Alpenglow]

Wait, you have two Carvin customs and you can't swing an extra hundred dollars for BHs? Just save a little more or borrow some money from a friend.

Yeah, I am ordering another Carvin but I don't currently have two.

It's just I have to save for a long time to buy them. But thank you to everyone who answered, I'll guess I'll just work extra or something and get BHs for both of them. I guess I was just seeing if there was a cheaper option.

 

[Lorcan Ward]

I've never played a pickup similar to the Black Hawk. Its very different to every other BKP/dimarzio/SD/EMG I've tried.

 

[Jonathan20022]

The Blackhawks/Cold Sweats/Nailbombs/Miracleman pickups are very unique sounding, I honestly think they're the only BKP's worth spending the amount of money they cost to have them.

To answer your question, the pickup that reminds me of the Blackhawks the most are the D-Activators. Had the chance to try them both out since a friend ordered a pair for his 7, compared it to my RG927 with the D-A's. They have similar ideas and qualities, but the BH's just sound smoother across the EQ, nothing particularly spikes or stands out. But it's evenly voiced, which I'm guessing the rails design contributes to.

 

[Symbol]

Would say go with Liquifire and D activator NECK for the bridge. Have almost the same combination as your carvin. Tight, Warm and awesome.