Can anyone cross compare BKP with MCP??

[jack-2]

if anyone can compare the two brands and their sister models I'd be grateful (with tone/eq/etc differences)

 

[sswanson]

I can compare the BKP VHII's to the MCP Detroiters. To my ears the VHII's were brighter and more compressed, the MCP's are more "open" sounding and not as bright.

I've also had Afwayu's and Rebel Yells in one of my Les Pauls. Not exactly "sister models" but they seemed to have about the same output, the Rebel Yells were a little thicker sounding and could do PAF sounds more convincingly, the Afwayus are clearer and tighter and seem to clean up better.

All great pickups, you can't really go wrong either way.

 

[nbarts]

In my experience it's a midrange thing.
MCP seem to give overall darker sound, kinda dry yet clear hi mids.
BKP has a trademark bright high mid content modern hifi, you either love it or hate it.

 

[ericsabbath]

different models will always sound different, no matter what brand


couldn't try the motor cities very precisely, but all I can tell through my amp and shitty 1x12 is that the afwayu has a similar output to the nailbomb, similar bass response but a ton more upper mids

 

[ericsabbath]

II've also had Afwayu's and Rebel Yells in one of my Les Pauls. Not exactly "sister models" but they seemed to have about the same output, the Rebel Yells were a little thicker sounding and could do PAF sounds more convincingly, the Afwayus are clearer and tighter and seem to clean up better.

that sounds weird
the rebel yell is not as hot as the afwayu and it's thinner sounding
maybe that's related to pickup height

 

[sswanson]

II've also had Afwayu's and Rebel Yells in one of my Les Pauls. Not exactly "sister models" but they seemed to have about the same output, the Rebel Yells were a little thicker sounding and could do PAF sounds more convincingly, the Afwayus are clearer and tighter and seem to clean up better.

that sounds weird
the rebel yell is not as hot as the afwayu and it's thinner sounding
maybe that's related to pickup height

Nope, that's how they sounded in my guitar. The DC resistance on the Afwayu is higher but that doesn't automatically make it a higher output pickup. They kick in about the same amount of drive. Since they are all hand wound pickups they're all going to be a bit different from set to set so it's possible I had a particularly strong set of Rebel Yells and a particularly lower output set of Afwayus.

 

[nbarts]

the rebel yell is not as hot as the afwayu and it's thinner sounding
maybe that's related to pickup height

There has to be something wrong with your RY or the axes you have them in are very different, it's definitely NOT thinner sounding, it's actually a really really thick sounding pickup in my experience. My afwayu is made to be thicker sounding than the regular one & yet it doesn't sound thicker than the RY.

different models will always sound different, no matter what brand

True, yet every BKP I've tried has a definite vibe that only BKPs have, as well as every Duncan pickup I've tried has that Duncan vibe, so do Gibson pickups too.

 

[jack-2]

the rebel yell is not as hot as the afwayu and it's thinner sounding
maybe that's related to pickup height

There has to be something wrong with your RY or the axes you have them in are very different, it's definitely NOT thinner sounding, it's actually a really really thick sounding pickup in my experience. My afwayu is made to be thicker sounding than the regular one & yet it doesn't sound thicker than the RY.

different models will always sound different, no matter what brand

True, yet every BKP I've tried has a definite vibe that only BKPs have, as well as every Duncan pickup I've tried has that Duncan vibe, so do Gibson pickups too.

can you give tonal descriptions of all the bkp/mcp youve heard/tried/etc?

 

[nbarts]

I've tried BKP
Nailbomb
Painkiller
Rebel Yell
Warpig
Holy Diver
Emerald

MCP
Afwayu

Unless you have experience with at least one of them, I can't really help you. The amp you use with these is also a major factor. For instance Nailbomb sounds like heaven through a Herbert, but disaster with a VH4.

 

[jack-2]

I've tried BKP
Nailbomb
Painkiller
Rebel Yell
Warpig
Holy Diver
Emerald

MCP
Afwayu

Unless you have experience with at least one of them, I can't really help you. The amp you use with these is also a major factor. For instance Nailbomb sounds like heaven through a Herbert, but disaster with a VH4.

i have the ceramic warpig in a maple neck thru/mahogany wings. my rig is a 5150/v30/g12k100

 

[nbarts]

On my ceramic Afwayu I asked for more enhanced low mids. As a result it has the same dark attitude of the ceramic warpig with more cut. I would hesitate to use the Warpig live with a Diezel for instance or any non bright sounding amp for that matter, could possibly be fine with a Marshall. Now the Afwayu cuts like a knife, it has a very dry & relentless high mids, very pronounced, nothing like BKP's overly smooth feel. The only BKP I've had that had this kind of cut was the Painkiller, unfortunately nothing nearly as full sounding as the Afwayu in my experience. I find Afwayu, Warpig & Nailbomb (all ceramic) having similar output in real life. Nailbombs are nothing like the afwayu, cbomb seems to be full sounding from top to bottom, not overly pronounced anywhere, works great in the wood combo you have, very versatile.

I guess the question is what direction you wanna move from the cpig?

 

[ericsabbath]

Nailbombs are nothing like the afwayu

well I wouldn't say that
I gotta try it in other amps and cabs, but in my small rig it sounds similar and just as hot, but a lot middier (both being alnico 5)
that's why I can't see a rebel yell being as hot as the afwayu, cause it's definitely not as hot as the nailbomb
I understand ceramic models can be a lot different, specially considering they may use different ceramic magnet grades and of different sizes (my Cold Sweat has a C4 magnet, for example, but Tim usually uses C8 or C5)
and I never said the rebel yell is thin
I said it's thinner than the afwayu, which is very thick sounding

 

[nbarts]

RY doesn't have as much output. Like I said nb, afw & pig are similar in their output, but I disagree about thickness, as well as I disagree that afw sounds anything like the nb. To my ear ry sounds thicker than the afw. I hate talking about pickups, it makes no sense.

 

[sswanson]

Maybe I have a weak set of Afwayu's because the Rebel Yells pushed my amp just as hard in the exact same guitar. They just had a thicker more vintage flavored tone to my ears. I don't think DC resistance alone is the best indicator of a pickups true output.

 

[MichaelG]

I've been using both for a while now. It's really hard to compare specific models because IMHO they are quite different. Both product lines make great pickups. For me, I prefer the MCP because I just hear more magic in the tone. I will be replacing the BKPs with MCPs as soon as I`ve got a bit of extra cash.

 

[jack-2]

I've been using both for a while now. It's really hard to compare specific models because IMHO they are quite different. Both product lines make great pickups. For me, I prefer the MCP because I just hear more magic in the tone. I will be replacing the BKPs with MCPs as soon as I`ve got a bit of extra cash.

care to elaborate?

 

[MichaelG]

I've been using both for a while now. It's really hard to compare specific models because IMHO they are quite different. Both product lines make great pickups. For me, I prefer the MCP because I just hear more magic in the tone. I will be replacing the BKPs with MCPs as soon as I`ve got a bit of extra cash.

care to elaborate?

I'll try. My experience is only based on the BKP Holy Diver / Painkiller / Emerald vs the MCP Hell Baby / Solution / BB 2nd degree / Afwayu / (Detroiters in the works), so this is only FWIW. I hear more clarity in the MCP line and I prefer the character of the frequency response and low end. There just seems to be more life to the sound. It's kinda hard to describe so I prefer the term "mojo"

Not knocking the BKP pickups at all, my ears simply prefer MCP. I'd still like to try the Rebel Yells one day, a lot of guys really seem to dig those. I got excellent and prompt service from Tim when I was sent a neck pickup instead of the bridge that I had paid for.

 

[luxxtone]

PS: BKP pickup prices go up March 1st by around $15 per pickup. If you want one, get it before March 1st. It's BKP's first price increase since 2003, so I can't complain....that's almost 7 years without an increase.

 

[boltzthrower]

I just installed a BKP miracle man 7 today. It's just as people say, like a passive version of an EMG 81. So, compared to an EMG 81, it has less gain, a fuller low end, a bit more mids, and the highs are a bit less thin. So overall it sounds less scooped, and the low end isn't as tight. I personally prefer the EMG's for the pronounced pick attack and super tight low end, but there is definitely some trade offs. Cleans sounded way better through the miracle man.

 

[ericsabbath]

I just installed a BKP miracle man 7 today. It's just as people say, like a passive version of an EMG 81. So, compared to an EMG 81, it has less gain, a fuller low end, a bit more mids, and the highs are a bit less thin. So overall it sounds less scooped, and the low end isn't as tight. I personally prefer the EMG's for the pronounced pick attack and super tight low end, but there is definitely some trade offs. Cleans sounded way better through the miracle man.

I bet your preference will change within a couple weeks