BKP Painkiller vs Duncan Distortion ?

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thegame

thegame

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The Painkiller by all accounts seems to be one of the most lethal pups out there. Give me the scoop on how it compares to the Duncan Distortion.

Output, feel, saturation, lows/mids/highs ratio, etc.

Anything else out there comparable to the Painkiller as far as high mid focus ?

Thank you kindly :)
 
I had both in the exact same guitar through the exact same rig, and the Duncan Distortion sounded better in my one Horus for whatever reason. The Painkiller was a bit more clear, but the midrange had this weird "stringy" kinda sound that I couldn't dial out at all. No matter what settings I had on the amp, it wouldn't go away, and it was pretty obnoxious. The Duncan Distortion sounded more natural in the guitar. Some people absolutely love the pickups, though. YMMV.
 
I really like both those pickups actually. For some reason, with both of them, I prefer them in mahogany bodies. The bigger the better. I really like how the lowend stays big but controlled and percussive, and the highend cuts without getting brittle. For me, the PK took some of my favorite qualities of the DD and juiced them. The PK has a ripping midrange grind and clarity to it that I really dig, with a lowend that stays very modern sounding. The DD is one of my favorite mass produced pups though.

If the guitar is brighter like an alder body/board, I am really liking the Holydiver. Has it's own thing going on, with a controlled bottom and topend. The HD seems to really tame some of the brightness, and the mid/upper mid grind is outrageous, they really seem to emphasize that from the guitar. Not quite as big and modern sounding lowend as the PK IMO, but very controlled and can still be percussive and give some depth to the guitar. I really love how they work for lead lines too, probably my favorite pup I've tried so far for leads. They split really well, and clean up really nice with the volume for cleans too. If there was one drawback for me with the PK, the cleans are pretty sterile IMO.
 
I am a huge SD Distortion fan, have used them for many years. However, I got into Painkillers a year or so ago and have never looked back. Tighter and thicker sounding and a lot better balance across the eq spectrum.
 
It does boil down to playing style, to be frank. The Painkiller was too trebly for my personal taste, in spite of good mid content, but I'm more of an Aftermath / Alnico Naibomb guy, as I prefer a smoother base tone that I can dig into if I need more aggression - if you're set in the BKP range, give those a listen as well, mate. I do love the Painkiller in the neck position, though. Nolly did a few great demos of the pickups in BKP's site. In spite of the obvious camera limitations, my B7 has a Painkiller neck and an Aftermath bridge, and here she is:
 
Code001":1p1upkvs said:
I had both in the exact same guitar through the exact same rig, and the Duncan Distortion sounded better in my one Horus for whatever reason. The Painkiller was a bit more clear, but the midrange had this weird "stringy" kinda sound that I couldn't dial out at all. No matter what settings I had on the amp, it wouldn't go away, and it was pretty obnoxious. The Duncan Distortion sounded more natural in the guitar. Some people absolutely love the pickups, though. YMMV.
Click to expand...

I like hearing alot of string to string detail ringing out when using high gain, so I may like that very quality you dislike.

Thanks for the info :thumbsup:
 
Fred the Shred":1ikamfqi said:
It does boil down to playing style, to be frank. The Painkiller was too trebly for my personal taste, in spite of good mid content, but I'm more of an Aftermath / Alnico Naibomb guy, as I prefer a smoother base tone that I can dig into if I need more aggression - if you're set in the BKP range, give those a listen as well, mate. I do love the Painkiller in the neck position, though. Nolly did a few great demos of the pickups in BKP's site. In spite of the obvious camera limitations, my B7 has a Painkiller neck and an Aftermath bridge, and here she is:
Click to expand...

That Aftermath sounds tight as hell in your clips. Killer playing too. I'm still inclined towards the Painkiller for maximum nastiness. Thanks !
 
killertone":1jk3dyjo said:
I am a huge SD Distortion fan, have used them for many years. However, I got into Painkillers a year or so ago and have never looked back. Tighter and thicker sounding and a lot better balance across the eq spectrum.
Click to expand...

You made quite a few great sounding clips with the Painkillers so I'll probably give them a shot. Thanks.
 
Fred the Shred":1ogd2jsu said:
It does boil down to playing style, to be frank. The Painkiller was too trebly for my personal taste, in spite of good mid content, but I'm more of an Aftermath / Alnico Naibomb guy, as I prefer a smoother base tone that I can dig into if I need more aggression - if you're set in the BKP range, give those a listen as well, mate. I do love the Painkiller in the neck position, though. Nolly did a few great demos of the pickups in BKP's site. In spite of the obvious camera limitations, my B7 has a Painkiller neck and an Aftermath bridge, and here she is:
Click to expand...

dude killer chops, any more videos? :rock: :cheers:
 
thegame":3vtafgn8 said:
That Aftermath sounds tight as hell in your clips. Killer playing too. I'm still inclined towards the Painkiller for maximum nastiness. Thanks !
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's REALLY dependent on playing style - you can see I play really hard but I dig a more "flutey" vibe if I'm doing more laid back passages, so the Painkiller wasn't my thing in the bridge position at all, whereas the Aftermath has extreme tightness but a more rounded lower midrange I could easily bring to the top. An absolutely stellar guitar also helps, of course!

Also, thanks for the compliment, mate! :)
 
thegame":zur8lupb said:
killertone":zur8lupb said:
I am a huge SD Distortion fan, have used them for many years. However, I got into Painkillers a year or so ago and have never looked back. Tighter and thicker sounding and a lot better balance across the eq spectrum.
Click to expand...

You made quite a few great sounding clips with the Painkillers so I'll probably give them a shot. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I would be surprised if you didn't like the pickup, it really is excellent.
 
killertone":f72qvofr said:
thegame":f72qvofr said:
killertone":f72qvofr said:
I am a huge SD Distortion fan, have used them for many years. However, I got into Painkillers a year or so ago and have never looked back. Tighter and thicker sounding and a lot better balance across the eq spectrum.
Click to expand...

You made quite a few great sounding clips with the Painkillers so I'll probably give them a shot. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I would be surprised if you didn't like the pickup, it really is excellent.
Click to expand...
Gotta say, I was a bit put off by them for the first little while in my ESP NT-II. They came under strict recommendation of Tim Mills, and I believed in his product from previous purchases. Anyway, got 'em, started working with 'em, but they didn't work with me - so I thought. I then started using them in different amps, and man, that was it. Slight EQ change, volume up, these things SING!!! And they've got snarl to them like I'd never heard.

My next set is a set of Nailbombs in my FR-II. Will keep y'all posted. More than likely ceramic bridge :D

V.
 
Code001":1u6v9ucm said:
I had both in the exact same guitar through the exact same rig, and the Duncan Distortion sounded better in my one Horus for whatever reason. The Painkiller was a bit more clear, but the midrange had this weird "stringy" kinda sound that I couldn't dial out at all. No matter what settings I had on the amp, it wouldn't go away, and it was pretty obnoxious. The Duncan Distortion sounded more natural in the guitar. Some people absolutely love the pickups, though. YMMV.
Click to expand...

agreed!

I have had both, and stuck with the Duncan.

The painkiller was TOO clear for my style :doh: :lol: :LOL:

Would of liked to try it with other amps etc but didn't as i was happy with my set / sound - just wanted to see if a PK would be better than a Duncan as i had heard good things / clips !!

so, after all of that, there is probably no useful information there for you :lol: :LOL:
 
glpg80":3f2dkruj said:
Fred the Shred":3f2dkruj said:
It does boil down to playing style, to be frank. The Painkiller was too trebly for my personal taste, in spite of good mid content, but I'm more of an Aftermath / Alnico Naibomb guy, as I prefer a smoother base tone that I can dig into if I need more aggression - if you're set in the BKP range, give those a listen as well, mate. I do love the Painkiller in the neck position, though. Nolly did a few great demos of the pickups in BKP's site. In spite of the obvious camera limitations, my B7 has a Painkiller neck and an Aftermath bridge, and here she is:
Click to expand...

dude killer chops, any more videos? :rock: :cheers:
Click to expand...

Oh, only saw this now - thanks, dude! :cheers:

I have a few more vids in my channel, mate - one of them even crept in here because of me torturing the Diezel Hagen with my 8-string. :lol: :LOL: Here it is, anyway: http://www.youtube.com/user/FredtheShred - I'll be uploading more stuff soon, mind you. :)
 
killertone":13br6n6n said:
I am a huge SD Distortion fan, have used them for many years. However, I got into Painkillers a year or so ago and have never looked back. Tighter and thicker sounding and a lot better balance across the eq spectrum.
Click to expand...
THIS!!
 
Devilinside":qh7f639u said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnjets93CmE&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Click to expand...

sounds great !!

will check rest of links later on
 
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