Bareknuckles: Why the high prices?

[barnesjd]

Right now, Arcane Pickups are my go to pickup. Rob over there has wound me a custom Alnico 8 Bridge pickup at around 13.4K for my lester and its the baddest rock/metal pickup I have ever played…and thats coming from 25+years of playing different shit.

Grab a manlius pickup. Great pickups great prices.

Very cool. I really dig hand-made in 'Merica stuff like my Granger amp. I'll give these two strong consideration. Especially Manlius since he's got that ceramic Anfield.

 

[barnesjd]

If they're too expensive, don't buy 'em.

Not that I'm sitting on a pile of money, but I am willing to pay out to get something I'm happy with. My intention on this thread was just to understand why they're considerably higher than most other pickups. If they have superior construction, sound, etc, then I'll buy some. For instance, I have decided to go with Callaham for my hardware. They're the most expensive I've seen, but they're also the only folks I've found that are manufacturing out of steel. In that case I believe I'm getting what I'm paying for.

 

[hunter]

The US exchange rate is really bad at the moment. I think for a local US citizen, 149$ for an Arcane 'bucker is pretty much the same effort as shelling out 117GBP for a UK citizen.

Not BareKnuckles fault, that 117GBP are like 195$ at the moment.

 

[RedRider]

I would bet manufacturing costs for Bare Knuckle is a lot higher also...not just the import fee's, shipping, etc... They arent that much higher than the Wagners, Wolftones, Tom Holmes....go look at the small manufacturers and you will see they are very much in the same ball park. I would consider Suhr very close to a mass producer such as Duncan and Dimarzio...they are paying a LOT less to produce their pups than the small guys...this is a LOT of what you are paying for...that you are getting pups from a VERY small shop, that more than likely isnt highly automated...more like comparing a Mexi-strat to a USA Custom Shop....one uses mass production techniques to keep costs to a minimum while the other relies totally on craftsmanship and skill to bring added value.

 

[Ventura]

I would bet manufacturing costs for Bare Knuckle is a lot higher also...

Have you seen the lil' cabin in the woods that they make these things at? It's pretty hilarious - very grassroots, humble, and intimate. Everyone's got their own spin station, magnifying glass, etc. Tim said the heat in the place is a bit hard to keep up in winter months; I tell ya, the guy has a passion, and that passion is communicated in the care and tone of their pups.

No, I don't work for them

 

[Deleted member 8761]

I have tried and liked many different pickup makes and I have many BKPs in different guitars.

Price is from UK small scale manufacturing + exchange rate + customs/shipping

What I find special about BKP, besides the excellent customer service and direct contact with Tim Mills, the owner, is that they don't just have a sound, but they have depth, extreme dynamics and versatility. Indeed a pickup must match a guitar, which is why I would always recommend to contact Tim upfront stating the type of guitar/woods, current pickups and what you don't like about them. He will recommend a set that usually is a great match - and if not he will exchange it for another set.

As for the pickups, they just sing. With production Duncans or DiMarzios, I find that they can sound great, but they sound the same on two notes or two chords if you hit them, whereas with a BKP, every micro change in pick angle or picking velocity will yield a slightly different voice. As a result, you can produce much more lively tones than with a mass production product IMO. Maybe it's a bit like the difference between a modeler and a real amp. There is just something to it that you feel and hear when you dig in that makes the real thing more desirable.

I was with you until the last part. Technique matters on any pick up. If you like to believe this, good for you but I respectfully disagree here.

Besides, it is not Tim who is answering the Phone all the time. Often you will get someone else. All have good knowledge.

In the end, I keep coming back to SD. Just what works in my guitars. And yes, I find BKP too expensive.

 

[Aristocat]

BK make absolutely killer pickups. As Reza said above, there are way too many variables surrounding pickups. Any electronic component is a sum of it's parts.

To be honest, I hated the RY at first. Reason why is that it is so dynamic and open that it's unforgiving. You cannot hide anything. It really made me step my playing up. A lot of guys can't gel with that so they blame the pup. I've increased my muting/attack two-fold since I popped the RY in my Lester and I'm thankful for that. Plus, although it's lauded as a high gain pup, it never over saturates or makes my amp muddy.

 

[RedRider]

I would bet manufacturing costs for Bare Knuckle is a lot higher also...

Have you seen the lil' cabin in the woods that they make these things at? It's pretty hilarious - very grassroots, humble, and intimate. Everyone's got their own spin station, magnifying glass, etc. Tim said the heat in the place is a bit hard to keep up in winter months; I tell ya, the guy has a passion, and that passion is communicated in the care and tone of their pups.

No, I don't work for them

LOLOL I actually meant they pay a lot more for the magnets, wire, etc.. compared to a shop buying in bulk...but I hear ya on the "construction plant" lol. Another one of the small winding company's, it was a 1 man operation for a LONG time and the guy literally wound by hand in his living room nightly while watching TV...and another guitar builder friend of mine started building his own pups, he ended up finding a company that built transformers that was going out of business and he was able to grab an industrial type winder that he now uses....its funny to see how guys make these crazy assed home made winders...go look at them on ebay...most look like a contraption I would have made in wood shop in 4th grade....but it just goes to show, its the end result, not how you got there.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

I love my BKs
I don't know about all the tech stuff, but I do know that they slay in clarity. A dream to record.
Not that other pickups won't do he job, but BKs do have a special quality

 

[mooncobra]

try the Duncan super v. real bad ass, sounds GREAT in a les paul. its rated as a high output, but feels and sounds like mid output. great thick tone, tight and articulate. least known bad ass pup out there IMO. I have had them in quite a few guitars and they worked well in all of them, but especially well in les pauls and a maple body super strat. sounded absolutely phenomenal in those. real, real, real good for rock, hard rock, 80s rock, and a lot more.I sold the maple super strat to a guy who swore by EMGs and he said the super v smoked the EMGs.

 

[JimmyBlind]

I owned a Miracle Man set on my Horizon & loved them. I currently own an Aldrich set & love the bridge but aint too keen on the neck.

BK make great pickups & they make them to order. Tim Mills is also a pretty cool & helpful guy.
Whether the scatter winding 'technology' or a choice of gnarly covers & poles justifies the 40 quid premium, is definitely debatable.

 

[parntz145]

I got the best deal from guitar asylum. I bought a set of the Rebel yells in zebra for $275 shipped

 

[steve_k]

If you think BK's are expensive, check out some Rolph's, Throbak's, Wizz, OX4 - hand wound and vintage PAF reproductions.

 

[SandyRavage]

Just my 2cents I've gone through and played a few sets of bareknuckles and the older ones truly have something special to them but IMHO. The news ones I've played (same models) just don't have the same bite to em.

I've been feeling my dimarzio and Duncan's more these days and sound really just as good.

 

[Anonymous]

If you think BK's are expensive, check out some Rolph's, Throbak's, Wizz, OX4 - hand wound and vintage PAF reproductions.

I paid about the same for my OX4 set as you would for a set of Bare Knuckles and the OX4 are FAR and away the best PAF clones I've ever played…

Steve

 

[metalmaniac93]

Grab a manlius pickup. Great pickups great prices.

I agree!! I would take these over BKPs any day!!!

 

[Stealthtastic]

I love BKPs. I put them in most of my guitars.

 

[steve_k]

If you think BK's are expensive, check out some Rolph's, Throbak's, Wizz, OX4 - hand wound and vintage PAF reproductions.

I paid about the same for my OX4 set as you would for a set of Bare Knuckles and the OX4 are FAR and away the best PAF clones I've ever played…

Steve

Check these out when you get bored.

http://www.wizz-pickups.com/

 

[spirit7]

Why the high prices? Because they are the best: full-stop. I challenge any other pickup manufacturer to match the clarity, percussiveness and character of BKPs.

-C

 

[Jofipe]

Why the high prices? Because they are the best: full-stop. I challenge any other pickup manufacturer to match the clarity, percussiveness and character of BKPs.

-C

This. Personally I can't get along with anything other than BKP now.

Also the ability to customize even pickup to your liking.. they have some really cool designs going on.