NPD BKP Juggernauts(incl. D-Activator comparison samples)

[Scottckr]

Hello!

I finally got my hands on some Bare Knuckles after craving them for a while, was considering the Aftermaths or the Black Hawks but eventually ended up getting the Juggernauts because I really liked the fatness I heard in various clips of them.
I fitted these in my LTD AW-7 (Alex Wade from Whitechapel signature) yesterday, but before that I made sure to record some samples with the old DiMarzio D-Activators to compare with the new pickups.
Had to do quite some filing for the pickups to fit in the pickguard but it ended up pretty good, some edges did not end up too well though but they can't really be seen unless you're looking really close.
You can hear the samples here, it's a bit sloppy played but this is just to get a feel of how they sound:
https://soundcloud.com/scottckr/aw-7-dimarzio-d-activator-vs

I think the difference is most evident on my high gain sounds but they sound almost the same to me on the clean sounds, it's basically just a bit more of the low mids with a slight boost in the bass from what I can hear, also a small increase in output, have a listen and let me know what you think

Oh, right, PICTUREZ!

 

[Tyler]

i think this is the first demo of hearing them I actually enjoyed so far. Love the aw7 too

 

[Mike]

They both sound good man. The difference is subtle, but it's there. I'm an Aw-7 owner myself, so I agree this is a good representation of the D Activators. What I hear is a bit more treble in the D Activator. The Juggernaut seems to be a little tighter and has a more pronounced low end. I'm sure there probably is quite a difference in the overall feel though.

 

[Silence2-38554]

Interesting that you felt there was a slight increase in output. When I replaced my D Activator with BKP Aftermaths, I saw a notable decrease in overall output. Misha even says that the Jugg is a mid/mid-high output PU.

But anyway, yes, I agree that the difference is subtle, the most audible difference is that the low mids are thicker sounding. What you'll probably notice as well is that the individual note separation of chords is much better.

Enjoy!

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

Thanks for the comparison! As everyone is saying, not much of a difference coming through the recording, other than perhaps more treble in the DA's and a slight bit more bass from the Juggs.

Just curious, are your DA's and Juggs both F-spaced?

 

[Alphanumeric]

D-activator is tigher, more output as well, more shrill hi end and very present hi mids. Jugg is more growly mids and low mid bigness, softer high end, more clarity overall.

 

[Ikiharmaa]

Just curious, are your DA's and Juggs both F-spaced?

7-string pups aren't made in two different spacings like 6-string pickups

 

[Scottckr]

Interesting that you felt there was a slight increase in output. When I replaced my D Activator with BKP Aftermaths, I saw a notable decrease in overall output. Misha even says that the Jugg is a mid/mid-high output PU.

Might just be the increased mids that make me feel like there is a higher gain on the Juggernauts.

 

[Lorcan Ward]

Palm mutes sound better with the Juggernauts. More low-end that give it more body and chunk instead of a scratchy sound.

 

[Eclipse]

I like it.

 

[Sdrizis89]

Been debating on doing the same to my aw-7. Do u feel it's an upgrade? I'm on the fence about the da bridge and def don't like the da neck. Jugg, cl, or something else....hmmmm

 

[captcoolaid]

Cool run through. I liked the bottom end of the Dactivator but the BK to my ears had way more articulation.

 

[witeter]

What i would like to know is how do the pickups compare to you in feel? my Aftermath sounded great recorded but i just didnt like how it felt to play in that particular guitar. Thanks and congrats!

 

[Scottckr]

Been debating on doing the same to my aw-7. Do u feel it's an upgrade? I'm on the fence about the da bridge and def don't like the da neck. Jugg, cl, or something else....hmmmm

I definitely think it's an upgrade, the bridge and neck pickups actually sounds a lot alike, the neck pickup is a bit warmer and is more dynamic, overall I like them a lot.

 

[Scottckr]

What i would like to know is how do the pickups compare to you in feel? my Aftermath sounded great recorded but i just didnt like how it felt to play in that particular guitar. Thanks and congrats!

The feel isn't too different from the D-Activators tbh and I liked the feel of them, there is a bit more dynamics on the Juggernauts which I like a lot

 

[lewstherin006]

Nice bro! you even got the covered ones!!!

 

[mnemonic]

Nice! I've always thought that the bigger difference between pickups comes from how they feel when you play, so its always hard to get it across in clips.

Also, unrelated, but is your guitar missing the saddle screw on the low B? Or is that just lighting trickery?

 

[DeathPaupiette]

HNPD and nice demo, it's really easy to hear the difference between the two with distortion, but with that much effects the cleans sound the same :/ Still awesome anyway, but what who be even more awesome would be a lead sound comparison, on both bridge and neck PU :3

 

[Scottckr]

Also, unrelated, but is your guitar missing the saddle screw on the low B? Or is that just lighting trickery?

Hah, yea, it's missing, it fell off sometime a while back, haven't been arsed to get a new one, the intonation is still pretty good though

 

[bcolville]

They do sound different, but not like one is better than the other. I really don't know which I like better.