BK Rebel Yell vs. Wolfetone Marshallhead

[ChurchHill]

[...] either straight in cranked up a bit or pushed with the new Timmy I got for xmas.

Those Timmys are amazing pedals!

If you like the Rebel Yells and want less output but want to keep the clarity and articulation of the Rebel Yell then the Black Dog would be my suggestion.

You beat me to it! I was considering adding it to my list of alternatives last night, but decided to keep it off in an attempt to not muddy the waters... (Yeah, bad pun... LOL)

MetalHeadMike, to add to the above comparisions...
Wolfetone Marshallhead (A5 @ 9.0k) +/- BKP VHII (A5 @ 8.9k)
Wolfetone Marshallhead (A5 @ 9.0k) < BKP Black Dog (A5 @ 9.4k)

I'd think the VHII would be brighter than the Black Dog but maybe closer to the Riff Raff. I can get anything from clean blues to Zakk Wylde out of the Black Dogs. They, along with the Mule, the Crawler, and the A-Bomb are my favorite BKP bridge humbuckers.

The Crawler is a higher output pickup (A5 @ 15.4k) that doesn't really sound like it. It's warm and organic, too, but is a touch more compressed than the Mule. I'd suggest the Crawler, too, but I'm not sure it's really what you're looking for.

If you were going to go with BKPs, I'd recommend either the Mule, the VHII (which I think is closest to the Marshallhead), or the Black Dog. Personally, I'm still pretty intrigued by the Marshallhead, though. In any case, I don't think you're going to go wrong with any of these choices or any others mentioned in this thread.

 

[MetalHeadMike]

Good info from everyone, Thanks! I do really like the focused and articulated character of the BKPs but the vintage/raw descriptors you guys keep using have me curious. Gonna think on the various choices mentioned throughout the thread here and see where it leads me.

BKP
Wolfetone
OX4
Wiz

Much to ponder.

 

[the4thlast1]

Have not tried the Marshallhead but have tried most of the BK line

Rebel Yell - very tight bass, lean in the low mids, a good deal of upper mids, cutting highs. It's a bright tone and somewhat open. Can be a bit thin in a superstrat , will suite a les paul type of guitar better IMO.

Mule- Since others mentioned it I would say that judging from what I've heard about the Marshall head the Mule is probably closer to it than the Rebel Yell. I had the Mule in a guitar for a bit and it's a really good organic , thick , open sounding rock type pickup. More balanced than the Rebel Yell but not as hot and not as tight in the bass.

 

[RockyStar]

What you also need to consider in all of this is what type of guitar was the pickup maker using to invent the pickup. the VH2 pickup and the Black Dog are similar output wise but the original intent of application is vastly different. There are indeed no "rules" but there were some developmental guidelines in their making. It isn't only an output game....you must consider magnets, wire type and winding, and of course the guitar type it was originally intended for in its inception. When all of that lines up you have a much better chance at getting the sound you wanted in your selection of pickup. It can be done the other way but you may not be so quick to get a positive result.

I advise you to go to the BKP website and listen to all the pickups and their various descriptions, graphs and sound samples and get a feel for what they all do.