Well, I took the Bare Knuckle plunge.

[Mokaccino]

I've been doing a lot of experimenting with pups lately, bought a few brand new and a few on the used market. I got a couple of Dimarzios, one Duncan and I just snagged a BKP Nailbomb (camo distress, Alnico V), found it in local ads. I do my experimentations in 3 guitars: Ibanez Jet King II (I just love the look of that guitar, even though it's a "cheap" instrument, I think this guitar rocks just like my LP), a Warmoth "Super Strat" (with a wonderful birds eye maple neck) and another Ibanez, RG421. With the RG, the experimentation is almost finished, I got a Dimarzio X2N in the bridge and an Evo in the neck, that guitar slays and is perfect for my metal band, and even though it's supposed to be a "cheap" guitar, this thing gets bumped all the time but still stays in tune and is a pleasure to play even with that thin neck. So the Nailbomb comes in, I'm tempted to drop it in my Super Strat - in fact, I'll do it. Alder body with a maple neck. Then I got the Jet King II, all mahogany body, and I will drop the Nailbomb in there too. And finally, I just might remove the EMGs from my ESP Ltd M-1000 (mahogany, neck-thru) and put the Nailbomb there and find a matching pup for the neck. So many options. I have to mention that I use the Strat with my "softer" band - still need a bit of edge when needed, but not metal edge. Amp is in the sig, I use the amp with my homemade 1x12 cab (Eminence Delta Pro 12A).

Thoughts, opinions? I'm new to Bare Knuckle.

Other pups in my "tool box": Dimarzio Tone Zone (currently in the Jet King - not impressive), Dimarzio Super Distortion, Seymour Duncan JB. I'm lucky I found all those for cheap so I could experiment. And now Bare Knuckle.

Feel free to throw in your .2 cents

 

[Mokaccino]

I think I need a basswood bodied guitar to get my experimentations going, might be interesting tonewise.

So, really? No one has nothing to say?

It's cool, I'll experiment and report.

 

[technomancer]

I've got a Nailbomb in the bridge of a maple neck through / mahogany winged KxK... it's pretty good, but not my favorite BKP by a long shot. It is good enough that I haven't swapped it out of that guitar though lol

It's VERY sensitive to pickup height, I had it a tad too high and it was muddy as hell, dropped it a slight bit and now it sounds great.

 

[The Hoff]

I've tried both the warpig and the painkiller. The painkiller absolutely brings it! It can do anything and everything if you use the volume control on your guitar. I haven't experimented with different wood combinations with the painkiller but I have it on my LP and couldn't be happier.

 

[freeballinusa]

Yeah there "More Normal" Paf or hotter pick ups are astounding __ But the Nailbomb is its own thing __ Look forward to the report__ I think that there is a sound to the rest of the line but A few of those high output pick ups are singular

 

[Ventura]

Yeah there "More Normal" Paf or hotter pick ups are astounding __ But the Nailbomb is its own thing __ Look forward to the report__ I think that there is a sound to the rest of the line but A few of those high output pick ups are singular

Freeballin?? I use that term all the time to explain to peeps I don't wear any gaunch. That's right cats, commando. If you love something, set it free.

Cool... Hung to dry
V.

PS - as my late great friend/mentor Shane McConkey used to say "no matter how much you shake or dance, the last three drops, go in yer pants" (RIP!!)

 

[Mokaccino]

For those awaiting reviews, it'll be during the weekend, I'm pretty busy right now with the Easter break. I gotta say that camo distress looks badass!

 

[Anonymous]

I put Bare Knuckle Painkillers in my Edwards Sykes LP recently and now I'm afraid of my own guitar.

Steve

 

[King Loudness]

I hope their humbuckers are better than their single coils. I had a set of Trilogy Suites that was, without question, the worst sounding set of Strat pickups I've ever had. Way too overgained and muddy... no definition or dynamics whatsoever. I haven't tried their humbuckers though... I'd hope they're a different story!

 

[duodecim]

[...]
So, really? No one has nothing to say?
[...]

Attaboy! Go for it.

I'm waiting for the result, really.

 

[Mokaccino]

[...]
So, really? No one has nothing to say?
[...]

Attaboy! Go for it.

I'm waiting for the result, really.

Don't worry duodenum, I'll make a special pdf report - in many pages - just for you. Wanna have it pm'ed?

 

[Inca Roads]

I put Bare Knuckle Painkillers in my Edwards Sykes LP recently and now I'm afraid of my own guitar.

Steve

THIS!^^^
I put a Painkiller in the Bridge of my
Les Paul Custom and I'm
scared too! The Painkiller really works
well with Mahogany body guitars.
I used to be an EMG Man.....Not anymore.

 

[BeZo]

I'll be honest, when he said "Bare Knuckle plunge", I had something completely different in mind.

I wanna hear some Bare Knuckle pickups myself, but I don't really want to drop the coin. I'm just going to wait for one of my clients to get one and have me wire it into their guitar. That way I can experiment and make money instead of spending money.

 

[Mokaccino]

I'll be honest, when he said "Bare Knuckle plunge", I had something completely different in mind.

I wanna hear some Bare Knuckle pickups myself, but I don't really want to drop the coin. I'm just going to wait for one of my clients to get one and have me wire it into their guitar. That way I can experiment and make money instead of spending money.

Well I got it fairly cheap from a dude that keeps on doing experiment with pups, so at $90, I thought it was a "steal", that thing was installed for minutes and he didn't like it.

 

[Mokaccino]

Well,the Nailbomb rules in every guitar I did put it in. Clear, not overly aggressive, defined, awfully well balanced, I'm sold. Stays clear even at highest gain settings. I'm impressed. Not very noisy, very surprising pickup.

 

[Ventura]

I put Bare Knuckle Painkillers in my Edwards Sykes LP recently and now I'm afraid of my own guitar.

Steve

Ya, they're kinda like that....

V.

 

[troublehead]

I have yet to find a better pickup than the Dimarzio Super Distortion for my LP needs. It has the perfect balance of everything in my setup. Ive tried a ton including these...BKP Emerald, WCR Godwood, MCP Detroiter, Duncan Custom/Custom 5/Distortion, etc...

 

[travis bickle]

I put Bare Knuckle Painkillers in my Edwards Sykes LP recently and now I'm afraid of my own guitar.

Steve

THIS!^^^
I put a Painkiller in the Bridge of my
Les Paul Custom and I'm
scared too! The Painkiller really works
well with Mahogany body guitars.
I used to be an EMG Man.....Not anymore.

Same here. I originally threw in a ceramic warpig in the bridge of my lp studio and it was total overkill. I then swapped the wp for an aftermath and am in complete tonal heaven. I wont sell the emg's (haha, just in case) but im a convert as well. Id love to try a painkiller and the holy diver.

The warpig sounds better balanced in my jackson sl2h. Sounds much better in a brighter guitar.

 

[Ventura]

I put Bare Knuckle Painkillers in my Edwards Sykes LP recently and now I'm afraid of my own guitar.

Steve

THIS!^^^
I put a Painkiller in the Bridge of my
Les Paul Custom and I'm
scared too! The Painkiller really works
well with Mahogany body guitars.
I used to be an EMG Man.....Not anymore.

Same here. I originally threw in a ceramic warpig in the bridge of my lp studio and it was total overkill. I then swapped the wp for an aftermath and am in complete tonal heaven. I wont sell the emg's (haha, just in case) but im a convert as well. Id love to try a painkiller and the holy diver.

The warpig sounds better balanced in my jackson sl2h. Sounds much better in a brighter guitar.

What can you tell us about the AM...??

I'm sizing up another guitar conversion, this time my ESP FR-II from active EMGs to either Nailbombs or Aftermaths.

Peace,
V.

 

[freeballinusa]

Yeah there "More Normal" Paf or hotter pick ups are astounding __ But the Nailbomb is its own thing __ Look forward to the report__ I think that there is a sound to the rest of the line but A few of those high output pick ups are singular

Freeballin?? I use that term all the time to explain to peeps I don't wear any gaunch. That's right cats, commando. If you love something, set it free.

Cool... Hung to dry
V.

PS - as my late great friend/mentor Shane McConkey used to say "no matter how much you shake or dance, the last three drops, go in yer pants" (RIP!!)

HA!


!!!(IMO)
Yeah, I love the Bare Knuckles Pickups I had 2 late 50's gold tops and one burst next to my 1979 Dean ML with BK's in it after trying sntiquity and fralin humbuckers then fralin uneven coils etc. the BK sounded remarkabely close to the 16 orig PAF's in my test and their apache strat set is f'n close too--- having said that the apaches will sound better then 30% pre-cbs strat pickups and 85-90% as good as the better ones...

Now the Humbuckers sound even closer.. I had a Crawler in the Bridge and a Black Dog in the neck---- the BD in the neck was bright and glassy I balance I much prefer to the usual dead and dark neck calibation...

Having said that I tried a second bD in a different guitar neck position sounded Totally different checked and it WAS the pickup............. Tried a higher gain EVH??? can't remember in the bridge while good it lost the warmth of the crawler So I am a little confused as to the consistency etc.

Also Does anyone know what the closest current PU is to their now discontinued Crawler? The bitch sounds closer to a PAF then anything else I have ever heard...

Now I wish they would make Jag and T-bird PU's haha Lipstick too