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

[zimbloth]

Today we installed a set of Blackhawks in a PRS SE Mikael Akerfeldt guitar. We set the guitar up to C tuning to better analyze how it handled lower notes. I'll be posting clips and perhaps a video in a few days, but to get my initial thoughts, check out my post on the Axe Palace Facebook page.

 

[Levi79]

Hey Nick. I've tried mostly all of the higher output Bareknuckle humbuckers, but am after a totally different sound and I think some advice would be good. I'm building a semi hollow 6 stringer this summer. It's going to have a mahogany body with a flame maple top, a Purpleheart neck and either an Ebony or Maple board (haven't decided on this one). My whole idea for this guitar is to make it awesome for cleans, but not afraid to get heavy. So basically I want it's main focus to be clean jazz type stuff, but while retaining versatility. I'm going to be routing it for humbuckers, mostly just cause I know that's a safe bet for me, but I'm really interested in giving some P90's a go. So needless to say, I'm looking at your guys' humbucker sized P90's. Judging from the sound clips, I really like the warm yet clear clean one from the Manhattans, but I'm afraid they might be very lacking if I wanted to play anything heavier than classic rock on them. I was thinking a Manhattan neck and a Mississipi Queen bridge would make for a really nice set.
What are your thoughts? And sorry for the wall of text.

 

[wookie606]

Is it possible to get a set of bare knuckle aftermaths with pick-up rings for an 8 string?
(I am replacing a set of lame EMG808s)

 

[zimbloth]

Hey Nick. I've tried mostly all of the higher output Bareknuckle humbuckers, but am after a totally different sound and I think some advice would be good. I'm building a semi hollow 6 stringer this summer. It's going to have a mahogany body with a flame maple top, a Purpleheart neck and either an Ebony or Maple board (haven't decided on this one). My whole idea for this guitar is to make it awesome for cleans, but not afraid to get heavy. So basically I want it's main focus to be clean jazz type stuff, but while retaining versatility. I'm going to be routing it for humbuckers, mostly just cause I know that's a safe bet for me, but I'm really interested in giving some P90's a go. So needless to say, I'm looking at your guys' humbucker sized P90's. Judging from the sound clips, I really like the warm yet clear clean one from the Manhattans, but I'm afraid they might be very lacking if I wanted to play anything heavier than classic rock on them. I was thinking a Manhattan neck and a Mississipi Queen bridge would make for a really nice set.
What are your thoughts? And sorry for the wall of text.

I have a PRS Hollowbody and I opted for the BKP Mules. Sounds amazing for metal or anything frankly, as long as your rig has a decent amount of gain on tap. However given your guitar will be brighter, I'd recommend the Black Dogs. A bit more punch and warmth than the Mule, but similar tightness, clarity, and organic complexity. Can do anything.

The BKP P90s are great but I'd still recommend humbuckers on a hollowbody over P90s, if nothing else to keep the noise down. I have a semi-hollow Carvin with Holydivers and even that has zero feedback issues.

If you have any other questions feel free to email or call anytime. If you'd like to order you can do so here.

Is it possible to get a set of bare knuckle aftermaths with pick-up rings for an 8 string?
(I am replacing a set of lame EMG808s)

Yes, it is. We dont make the rings but I do know a company who does and we occasionally stock them.

 

[Levi79]

I have a PRS Hollowbody and I opted for the BKP Mules. Sounds amazing for metal or anything frankly, as long as your rig has a decent amount of gain on tap. However given your guitar will be brighter, I'd recommend the Black Dogs. A bit more punch and warmth than the Mule, but similar tightness, clarity, and organic complexity. Can do anything.

The BKP P90s are great but I'd still recommend humbuckers on a hollowbody over P90s, if nothing else to keep the noise down. I have a semi-hollow Carvin with Holydivers and even that has zero feedback issues.

If you have any other questions feel free to email or call anytime. If you'd like to order you can do so here.

Funny you recommend the Mules and Black Dogs. They're my back up plan in case I don't dig the P90's much But I was really interested in giving some P90's a go. Thanks for the opinion. I'll have to think on it some more.

 

[zimbloth]

Funny you recommend the Mules and Black Dogs. They're my back up plan in case I don't dig the P90's much But I was really interested in giving some P90's a go. Thanks for the opinion. I'll have to think on it some more.

The P90s are great, I especially like the Supermassive and Mississippi Queen. Just keep in mind they're still technically single coil pickups.

 

[zimbloth]

UPDATE: We now have Bare Knuckle 7-string single coils in stock. Models in stock so far are the Sinner and Trilogy. Both are black and should retro-fit in any Universe or similar situation.

 

[Matt_D_]

hey zim! glad you're feeling better post surgery (dont forget to rehab your core! get some pilates in ya! wish someone told me that after having the same surgery!)

couple of quick q's.
- whats the shipping cost of a set of BKP's from axe palace to australia?

- im going to be purchasing an RGD2127z shortly. what's the pickup of choice for those? im tempted to go aftermaths, but unsure if they'd be too compressed? and will they fit without dremeling either the base plate or the guitar?

- i've also got a schecter c7 custom and i'd like to upgrade the pickups in that too, but i'd like something a little less insane but still clear, perferably with a good clean sound? any suggestions? (and what will fit!?)

 

[zimbloth]

hey zim! glad you're feeling better post surgery (dont forget to rehab your core! get some pilates in ya! wish someone told me that after having the same surgery!)

couple of quick q's.
- whats the shipping cost of a set of BKP's from axe palace to australia?

- im going to be purchasing an RGD2127z shortly. what's the pickup of choice for those? im tempted to go aftermaths, but unsure if they'd be too compressed? and will they fit without dremeling either the base plate or the guitar?

- i've also got a schecter c7 custom and i'd like to upgrade the pickups in that too, but i'd like something a little less insane but still clear, perferably with a good clean sound? any suggestions? (and what will fit!?)

Thanks man

For an RGD2127 you could go in a few different directions. The Aftermaths definitely are a good choice. The Holydivers also work. Even some of the lower output ones like the Black Dogs and VH2s sound quite good also. The super hot ones like the Miracle Man, ceramic Nailbomb, etc works also. It depends on what sound you're going for, what tuning, what rig you use, etc.

As long as you get the uncovered ones, it should retro fit without any issues. Shipping to AU typically runs $13 for one pickup or $15 for two.

As for your Schecter, what are the woods on that? Mahogany body maple neck? They have a bunch of models that have great cleans and not over the top output, but still enough to deliver good metal tones when needed. The Holydiver comes to mind again, as does the Nailbomb, Rebel Yell, Black Dog, etc. The Aftermath definitely is a strictly metal pickup IMO, not as versatile as the others.

If you have any questions feel free to email/PM/etc anytime. You can find my BKP order form here if curious.

 

[JMP2203]

If you have any questions feel free to email/PM/etc anytime. You can find my BKP order form here if curious.

hey Nick i send you an email like 1 month ago and still waiting some responce

 

[zimbloth]

hey Nick i send you an email like 1 month ago and still waiting some responce

Okay perhaps email it again? or PM? Hehe.

 

[JaeSwift]

Just wanted to drop a line here and say that Nick is awesome. We had a problem with strings before but he more than made up for it. Put in an order for a set of Tyger covered Warpigs and can't wait to drop them in my axe

 

[jCo76]

How far do you guys generally have your BKP's to the strings? I just got myself a custom Omen-7 with a pre-installed Nailbomb in the bridge. While it does sound pretty good, I'm experiencing some weird feedback issues and it just generally sounds twangy and too hot. The pickups are pretty up against the strings but I can't seem to lower them any further without one of the end screws reversing out of the PU case once it hits a certain point. Are BKP's generally quite sensitive to pickup height, or could this be something else? Mine is about 2.5mm away from the strings but after a while of searching I've seen this to be considered "normal" for BKP's? Insight into this would be great!

 

[mniel8195]

I usually find that turning the mounting screw 1/4 of a turn at a time is what gives you the best result. For example i found on my holy diver 7 set that within a quarter of a turn the pickup became to compressed and the highs started to die off. A quarter tun back gave me less of a compressed sound with a little truer highs and better sustain. A quarter turn back again gave me a drop in power and the pickup became weak. I can always hear the difference between just perfect and a little to high. That tolerance is usually between 1/4 turn.

 

[zimbloth]

How far do you guys generally have your BKP's to the strings? I just got myself a custom Omen-7 with a pre-installed Nailbomb in the bridge. While it does sound pretty good, I'm experiencing some weird feedback issues and it just generally sounds twangy and too hot. The pickups are pretty up against the strings but I can't seem to lower them any further without one of the end screws reversing out of the PU case once it hits a certain point. Are BKP's generally quite sensitive to pickup height, or could this be something else? Mine is about 2.5mm away from the strings but after a while of searching I've seen this to be considered "normal" for BKP's? Insight into this would be great!

There's really no proper answer to that question I'm afraid. BKP's are very sensitive to pickup height. How to set it to that "sweet spot" really depends on the situation: the guitar, the amp, the tuning, the string gauge, and the pickup itself.

Examples

1) Let's say you have a bright guitar. If you have the pickup further away from the strings, it might sound a little more "dry" or bright. You'll notice increasing the height can darken things up and give it a little more juice. Especially with lower output pickups. For bright guitars or lower output pickups, I usually like to have the pickups closer than usual.

2) Let's say you have a warmer guitar. You may want to have the pickup height lower so you can keep the bottom end tight and crisp. When they get too close to the strings, it can get a little more spongey and saturated. There is always a middle ground.

Really hot pickups like the Blackhawk or Warpig I like to have backed down a bit. Medium hot ones like the Holydiver, Nailbomb, Rebel Yell, etc I like to have about medium height (perhaps a bit lower if using thick strings/low tunings). For lower output models like the Black Dog, VH2, Mule, etc I like to have the pickups closer to the strings.

There's no "right or wrong" but this is how I've been achieving the best results and my (and my customers') guitars. It is an important aspect that gets overlooked though. There have been several occasions when I suggested a customer having an issue with one of our pickup lower (or raise) the pickup height, and they'd call the next day saying "holy shit, what an improvement!". Worth experimenting with. Don't go by articles that give exact measurements, just use your ears.

 

[jCo76]

Thanks for the input. I've been tweaking my tone some more and I'm seeing better results, but there's still a sense of "scratchiness" in the tone. I think it's a combination of having to experiment with the pickup height and the fact that I'm so accustomed to my old Washy 7's stock pickups; naturally my go-to patches sound completely different given that the voicing on these pickups are so different, so there's loads of tweaking to be done.

Onto the other thing, how would I go about fixing the top screw in the pickup? Like I said, I can lower one side of the pickup just fine (side nearer to the high strings), but the other side I can only lower it a little until it reverses the screw out of its case. I'm guessing it's a spring problem, can anyone share some insight?

 

[Lorcan Ward]

Hey Zimbloth you have had a few K-7s. What BKPs would you recommend for Protest the Hero, Necrophagist, Unearth tones? I was thinking aftermath bridge with a cold sweat neck.

 

[zimbloth]

Hey Zimbloth you have had a few K-7s. What BKPs would you recommend for Protest the Hero, Necrophagist, Unearth tones? I was thinking aftermath bridge with a cold sweat neck.

Sure I can help. Mahogany body Japanese Ibanez 7s are always winners, I have a few myself. They sound amazing with pickup upgrades. I would recommend either the Blackhawk set, Miracle Man set, or ceramic Nailbomb bridge/VH2 neck.

I don't think the Aftermath fits in with what you're going for necessarily. Personally I also really like the Black Dogs and Rebel Yells in those types of guitars, but I feel the models I listed above are a safer bet if you're an Unearth/Necrophagist fan. The Miracle Man neck model is pure Necrophagist IMO. Insanely fluid and powerful. You'd like the Blackhawks a lot also, super powerful and aggressive, nice low-mid roar, tight, but full sounding. Cleans up very well in both positions. The ceramic Nailbomb is somewhat like the Miracle Man but with more midrange and more raw. The MM is fairly bright and polished, but insanely tight.

 

[Lorcan Ward]

Cheers for replying! I'm in luck so since I'm planning on taking the miracle man set out of my RG1527 to test out some other pickups. I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[mniel8195]

Is it possible to order Black uncovered pickups in more of that Lundgren satin material? Or what they make some of their tele pickups out of? Im also curious to see what the aged uncovered pickups look like