FS: Bare Knuckle Pickups (Painkiller, Nailbomb, Warpig, etc)

zimbloth

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Hello Nick!!

I would need some help! I have recently purchased a 6 strings Ibanez Prestige with ash body, a 25,5" maple/walnut neck and rosewood fretboard and fixed bridge equipped with Dimarzio Fusion Edge pickups which don't sound clear and have a very "ugly" bassy sound to my ears and no clarity.

I play Death metal (B standard tuning) and I'm looking for a powerful sound with enough mids (because I want clarity) and not too trebly because ash body tends to be bright. What would you recommend me? I'm almost convinced that Ceramic Warpig would be the best for this guitar but I don't know if with a 25,5 scale in B tuning the sound will have enough clarity. What do you think? Any other pickup recommendation?

Thanks in advance Nick!

Hi. I assume you're referring to the RGR652AHB? In that guitar I would suggest the ceramic Warpig indeed, or perhaps the Rebel Yell if you want something a bit snappier that also works for B.

Nick!!!! The Mules are sick man. Thanks so much!

You're welcome!

hello Nick, long time no speak my friend lol. I am looking for a pickup suggestion because Ive searched far and wide and still cant get enough info to really help me make an informed decision. I have always been asking how to achieve the tone of mahogany+Sh-4 JB with a basswood guitar, but what Ive really shouldve been asking is this particular songhas the particular tone im looking for, and i have a X-wood guitar, which pup is the right choice for me. So i wanted to run something by you:

The sound/tone Im looking for can be heard on the the Breaking Benjamin songs "Evil Angel" and "Close To Heaven".
Ben runs PRS Cu24 baritones, that are mahogany back/maple top, most likely stock PRS pups for the customs.I havent seen any articles where he's said that he swapped his PRS pups out for other ones. He does run ESP baritone customs now, but they are very similar in setup with the pickups being Duncan SH-4 JB and SH-1 '59. tonewooods are the same.

What I would like to know is how to achieve this tone/sound with my current RG2770Z (mahog body/maple top) but with a better quality pickup than the JB. I was hoping there would be a Bareknuckle bridge pup that would have the right voice in the guitar because while the JB hits the frequences i like, its very noisy and loose. i currently have a JB in it, but since im using a bolt on maple neck instead of a set mahogany neck like him, ive got too much highs and it makes your ears feel like theyre gonna bleed any second.

My secondary question would be, is there a way to achieve the above desired tone in a Basswood bodied guitar? I know there are a lot of amazing Bareknuckles, and Ive seen a few recommendations for basswood and BKP, but none of those suggestions spoke to a specific desired sound. If I could achieve my desired tone from a basswood RG then I could save myself lots of money and heartache trying to get a perfectly spec'd mahogany RG.

In my experience the Holydiver model crushes in basswood Ibanez guitars, I think it would work great for that. The ceramic Nailbomb is also a great choice :)

Hi Nick,

I've ordered a Skervesen Raptor 7 a few months ago, so it's nowhere near finished yet, but was wondering if you could give me some input on pickup selection.
I've gone for a swampash body, burl poplar top, ebony fretboard, wenge/bubinga neck (neck through body construction), and a 25.5" - 27" scale length. Jarek from Skervesen suggested going for Juggernauts, and based on what I've read and heard online, that seems to be a cool choice.. but I have never heard them through a guitar with my (approximate) specs.

Any thoughts suggestions? I am going for a modern sound with lots of clarity and dynamics - nothing super high gain, doesn't have to sound like a Les Paul, I designed this beast to be a shredder / modern prog metal axe. Considering they're still working on the neck, I don't think they've put in the pickups yet, so I figured there's still time to go for a different pickup.

I think you might like the Juggernauts in that for sure, although you may want to look into the True Grit model also. ITs medium hot but REALLY aggressive and clear.

Maybe time to close this thead?

Nah I check in from time to time. Obviously its better to PM or email me these types of questions as that way I can check more often, but I am happy to help people here too :)
 
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cardinal

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@zimbloth hey man! I need a BKP like the Duncan Custom. Which one is that? Alnico Nailbomb?

I need an 8-string in an active housing, so I can’t just order a Duncan. The Duncan Distortion is just a bit brighter and tighter than what I like, for what it’s worth.

Guitar has a Mule at the bridge right now but it just doesn’t have enough mid saturation or grunt for what I want.

Thanks!
 

zimbloth

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@zimbloth hey man! I need a BKP like the Duncan Custom. Which one is that? Alnico Nailbomb?

I need an 8-string in an active housing, so I can’t just order a Duncan. The Duncan Distortion is just a bit brighter and tighter than what I like, for what it’s worth.

Guitar has a Mule at the bridge right now but it just doesn’t have enough mid saturation or grunt for what I want.

Thanks!

Happy to help. I would suggest the Black Dog. Sounds perfect for what you're looking for. Its got more angry mids and grind than the Mule, and a touch more output, but still has that wonderful clarity that low output BKPs give. If you'd be so kind, you can order one up here: https://axepalace.com/pickups/bare-knuckle/bkp-order-form/bare-knuckle-humbuckers-covered.html
 

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cardinal

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Happy to help. I would suggest the Black Dog. Sounds perfect for what you're looking for. Its got more angry mids and grind than the Mule, and a touch more output, but still has that wonderful clarity that low output BKPs give. If you'd be so kind, you can order one up here: https://axepalace.com/pickups/bare-knuckle/bkp-order-form/bare-knuckle-humbuckers-covered.html

Thanks man! I think it’s that clarity that’s getting on my nerves since I’ve started using a Super Lead; bright amp with super clear pickups has just too much jangle and chime. So I’m wondering if what I want is something wound hotter and more compressed, which I fear is not the Black Dog?
 

zimbloth

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Thanks man! I think it’s that clarity that’s getting on my nerves since I’ve started using a Super Lead; bright amp with super clear pickups has just too much jangle and chime. So I’m wondering if what I want is something wound hotter and more compressed, which I fear is not the Black Dog?

Well this is the age old problem with 8-strings. You need something clear and tight enough to handle the low end, but doing so without sacrificing the higher strings is a challenge. This one of many reasons why I stick to 7-stings :p But the Black Dog is one of your best bets, for sure. If you want something a bit hotter and thicker though, with less "clicky" low-output attack, then I would look into the ceramic Warpig or Ragnarock.
 

Yianni54

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Hey Nick,
I have a PRS Custom 24 Wood Library swamp ash bosy flame maple neck and ebony fretboard. I was thing cold sweat neck/painkiller bridge but also thinking juggernauts. I mostly play thrash metal/90's metal. Thanks
 

zimbloth

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Hey Nick,
I have a PRS Custom 24 Wood Library swamp ash bosy flame maple neck and ebony fretboard. I was thing cold sweat neck/painkiller bridge but also thinking juggernauts. I mostly play thrash metal/90's metal. Thanks

I would suggest the Nailbomb/Cold Sweat in that guitar. I think the PK would be a bit too bright for a swamp ash PRS. The Juggernauts would be cool, but not really an ideal thrash metal sound. The Nailbomb would be my choice, or also the Warpig would be excellent.
 

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Hey Nick,
I picked up a set of Silo's from you to put in an all mahogany PRS Standard 22 and I still am on the fence of whether or not I like them. The guitar is definitely quite dark. The bass isn't boomy but it's almost too much for me, and they also have more of a single coil pick attack that sits weird with me. I have an Aftermath bridge/Coldsweat neck in an SE24 that I love. Definitely like the punch and aggression of the Aftermath. If I wanted to go more aggressive than the silo, what are some alternatives to the Aftermath you'd recommend? I was thinking Painkiller or Ceramic Nailbomb.
 

zimbloth

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Hey Nick,
I picked up a set of Silo's from you to put in an all mahogany PRS Standard 22 and I still am on the fence of whether or not I like them. The guitar is definitely quite dark. The bass isn't boomy but it's almost too much for me, and they also have more of a single coil pick attack that sits weird with me. I have an Aftermath bridge/Coldsweat neck in an SE24 that I love. Definitely like the punch and aggression of the Aftermath. If I wanted to go more aggressive than the silo, what are some alternatives to the Aftermath you'd recommend? I was thinking Painkiller or Ceramic Nailbomb.

Sorry for the super late repy, I dont get notifications from SSO anymore so I miss some of these. Feel free to email me at sales@axepalace.com anytime tho for a speedier response! To answer your question though:

1) Try lowering the pickup height on the SILO, that should help clear things up nicely.

2) A more aggressive Silo would be the Warpig, the ceramic one specifically. The Nailbomb and Painkiller are awesome but quite bright. The C-Bomb would definitely be my choice among those 2 though.
 

AngstRiddenDreams

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Thanks for the reply Nick. I seemed to have solved my issue with the Silo's. I lowered the pickups a tad and went down a size in gauge with my strings and it actually made quite a noticeable difference in tone. The thickness is no longer overbearing and the pick attack is more aggressive and snappy. They sound fantastic.

I'll keep the C-Bomb in mind for future guitars. I like bright pickups, the Cobra bridge in my strat is probably one of my favorite sounding pickups ever for metal.
 

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@zimbloth Hi Nick! I have new Strandberg Standard 6-string coming in and i’m already preparing for a pickup swap. Looking for a bridge pickup for that dry and bity modern metal tone, without getting overly harsh and icypicky on higher strings. If that’s achievable. Basswood body, quilted maple top and roasted maple neck/fretboard. I ho between drop C and Drop A.

I feel like blackhawk could work, but i’ve also heard good things about ragnarok and juggernaut. Maybe some alnico variation? You have any recommendations?
 

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@zimbloth Hi Nick! I have new Strandberg Standard 6-string coming in and i’m already preparing for a pickup swap. Looking for a bridge pickup for that dry and bity modern metal tone, without getting overly harsh and icypicky on higher strings. If that’s achievable. Basswood body, quilted maple top and roasted maple neck/fretboard. I ho between drop C and Drop A.

I feel like blackhawk could work, but i’ve also heard good things about ragnarok and juggernaut. Maybe some alnico variation? You have any recommendations?

I emailed bkp and they strongly recommended holy diver, being slightly darker and thicker than the ones i listed above. HD sounds pretty perfect fit so i probably go with that.

I just bought a second hand Schecter banshee7 and looking for pickups for it aswell. Kinda torn between c-pig and c-bomb, to pair with cold sweat in the neck. Alder body, maple neck and ebony fretboard. Tuning to drop G# with 10-64 strings. Playing mainly through neural dsp Nolly and Cali.
 

zimbloth

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I emailed bkp and they strongly recommended holy diver, being slightly darker and thicker than the ones i listed above. HD sounds pretty perfect fit so i probably go with that.

I just bought a second hand Schecter banshee7 and looking for pickups for it aswell. Kinda torn between c-pig and c-bomb, to pair with cold sweat in the neck. Alder body, maple neck and ebony fretboard. Tuning to drop G# with 10-64 strings. Playing mainly through neural dsp Nolly and Cali.

Holydiver is a great one for sure, just not typically ideal for low tunings. In the Banshee the Warpig would be great.
 

cardinal

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Hi all,

I'm in need of a passive-sized, open-coil 8-string pickup. The guitar is too resonant and doesn't drive an amp as hard as my other guitars with the same pickup.

Right now it has a Dimarzio Super Distortion 8 and it is not enough output or oomph.

So I'm looking for something very high output. Tight. And very saturated.

Any suggestions for a Bareknuckle pickup?
 

cardinal

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Tell us more about your guitar, amp and prefered tone please

Thanks for trying to help but I don't know what else to tell you. The specific 8-string guitar has a spongy/resonant thing going on, and I'd like something tighter with more output than the Dimarzio SD, which I generally like in other guitars (hot, saturated tone).

For amps, mostly a Marshall 2204/Boss SD-1. But I have a 5150 and Tremoverb and AC30 and honestly use the Axe FX versions of those most of the time.

Of the Bare Knuckle range, which ones are going to be rather hot and tight but also saturated. That last part is key: I've tried a few Bare Knuckles before (Mule and Holy Diver) and found them too dry.

Dimarzio doesn't seem to offer what I would since since the SD itself isn't working. The Duncan Distortion 8 might work. Ideally I'd probably want the Fluence Modern but this guitar is routed for open-coil passives.
 

KnightBrolaire

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Thanks for trying to help but I don't know what else to tell you. The specific 8-string guitar has a spongy/resonant thing going on, and I'd like something tighter with more output than the Dimarzio SD, which I generally like in other guitars (hot, saturated tone).

For amps, mostly a Marshall 2204/Boss SD-1. But I have a 5150 and Tremoverb and AC30 and honestly use the Axe FX versions of those most of the time.

Of the Bare Knuckle range, which ones are going to be rather hot and tight but also saturated. That last part is key: I've tried a few Bare Knuckles before (Mule and Holy Diver) and found them too dry.

Dimarzio doesn't seem to offer what I would since since the SD itself isn't working. The Duncan Distortion 8 might work. Ideally I'd probably want the Fluence Modern but this guitar is routed for open-coil passives.
painkiller sounds up your alley, though they work best in darker sounding guitars (as they're extremely bright/icepicky in the wrong guitars).
8 strings are hard to balance out sound wise ime. Have you asked tim or the guys at bkp yet?
 

cardinal

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painkiller sounds up your alley, though they work best in darker sounding guitars (as they're extremely bright/icepicky in the wrong guitars).
8 strings are hard to balance out sound wise ime. Have you asked tim or the guys at bkp yet?
No, I haven't asked them yet.

I'm totally happy with the sound of my Schecter 8s (all three of them, but they're essentially the same guitar). But this one, I think the bridge pickup is too close to the neck, which is making it sound too round and with too many overtones.

I wonder if I should just have the builder make a new body and shift the pickup back 5mm or so. Not sure if that's the difference maker here or not. But it's definitely about 5mm closer to the 12th fret.
 
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