What Bareknuckle for a Gibson Flying V?

[Badronald]

Motor City?

Something tight and crushing. Alnico, Ceramic?

Painkiller? Aftermath?

What size goes in a V? 50mm, 53mm? Long leg, short leg?

Thanks!

 

[peterc52]

50mm and long leg.

Aftermath.

 

[nigelpkay]

I've come around to appreciating Gibson pickups after a stint testing many boutique brands, including Bare Knuckle. I would stick with the 500T in there myself if that's what it is. You won't get that nice deep growly Gibson grind otherwise. Bare Knuckle are very modern and what I would call "flat" sounding. Great for certain new styles, but I'm starting to go back to the tried and true ones, Gibson, Duncan JB, EMG81, Dimarzio Super Distortion etc... Also just working with what I have with stock pickups and using amp eq and pedals. Got tired of pickup swapping

 

[headlessdeadguy]

500T

 

[Badronald]

Oh, I agree about the 500T and Dimarzio Super Distortion.

The guy that had it before me put a Duncan '59 in there and it is lacking (everything). Doesn't sound bad, but I agree that a 500T has more of everything that makes a V sound like a V. The '59 is a little honky and less aggressive.

Thanks!

 

[Steinmetzify]

You want something nuts? Just completely saturated and crazy beefy with that 6505? Try a Duncan Alternative 8. Those things are awesome. Grainy, beefy, saturated like you won't believe. Great pickup and a lot of fun to play.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

I've come around to appreciating Gibson pickups after a stint testing many boutique brands, including Bare Knuckle. I would stick with the 500T in there myself if that's what it is. You won't get that nice deep growly Gibson grind otherwise. Bare Knuckle are very modern and what I would call "flat" sounding. Great for certain new styles, but I'm starting to go back to the tried and true ones, Gibson, Duncan JB, EMG81, Dimarzio Super Distortion etc... Also just working with what I have with stock pickups and using amp eq and pedals. Got tired of pickup swapping

None of that ^ presents "tight and crushing"
I wonder what BKs you tried that were "flat"? You could criticize BK for lots of things, but flat doesn't seem like one of them.
I actually liked my stock 490/498 Gibson set, but then after 10 years of hard playing the bridge pickup sizzled out on me, giving me the excuse to get BK.
Ilove BKs; I currently have Miracle Mans, AfterMaths, and (2) Juggernauts.

All BKs I have present super fast/immediate attack, but these Aftermaths are king of this quality. Tracks extremely well and slices through a band mix like no other. Excels at fast single note runs. I've played it in Eb and it was solid, but Aftermath excels in detuning; doesn't have to be extreme, I usually hang around dropC. FWIW, a top pro recording studio (with national metal artists) has at least a half dozen guitars all equipped with Aftermath. The CON on these pickups is something in the highs, it gets a little ice picky/abrasive. A few times I thought about trying something else, but everytime I record or jam with a band I fall in love all over again. That high end slice actually is helpful in a band context. Not the goto pickup for cleans.

Juggernauts were developed by Misha as a taking the best of Aftermath and Blackhawks. He specifically mentioned how he wanted to smooth out the ice picks highs. Mission accomplished- it's a phenomenal pickup. Smooth highs that are never brittle yet still has plenty of attack. Signature tight crushing lows. Unique "hollow" mids that is super addicting. The neck pickup is based on the VHii which is genius. Added bonus- these pickups are fantastic at split coils and cleans. Keep in mind I HATED every split coil I ever played, but these are super inspiring.

There's a lot of variables on guitar types and woods, but that's my impressions. I may get a set of Blackhawks in my blue HP just to hear them, but the Juggernauts are easily my #1 pickup of all time for any tuning, any genre (but yeah, I typically stay drop C hi gain chugs, lol)

Happy hunting

 

[Sierra Voodoo]

My Gibson V is the only guitar that I have not changed the stock pickup in......500T all the way!

 

[Badronald]

I've come around to appreciating Gibson pickups after a stint testing many boutique brands, including Bare Knuckle. I would stick with the 500T in there myself if that's what it is. You won't get that nice deep growly Gibson grind otherwise. Bare Knuckle are very modern and what I would call "flat" sounding. Great for certain new styles, but I'm starting to go back to the tried and true ones, Gibson, Duncan JB, EMG81, Dimarzio Super Distortion etc... Also just working with what I have with stock pickups and using amp eq and pedals. Got tired of pickup swapping

None of that ^ presents "tight and crushing"
I wonder what BKs you tried that were "flat"? You could criticize BK for lots of things, but flat doesn't seem like one of them.
I actually liked my stock 490/498 Gibson set, but then after 10 years of hard playing the bridge pickup sizzled out on me, giving me the excuse to get BK.
Ilove BKs; I currently have Miracle Mans, AfterMaths, and (2) Juggernauts.

All BKs I have present super fast/immediate attack, but these Aftermaths are king of this quality. Tracks extremely well and slices through a band mix like no other. Excels at fast single note runs. I've played it in Eb and it was solid, but Aftermath excels in detuning; doesn't have to be extreme, I usually hang around dropC. FWIW, a top pro recording studio (with national metal artists) has at least a half dozen guitars all equipped with Aftermath. The CON on these pickups is something in the highs, it gets a little ice picky/abrasive. A few times I thought about trying something else, but everytime I record or jam with a band I fall in love all over again. That high end slice actually is helpful in a band context. Not the goto pickup for cleans.

Juggernauts were developed by Misha as a taking the best of Aftermath and Blackhawks. He specifically mentioned how he wanted to smooth out the ice picks highs. Mission accomplished- it's a phenomenal pickup. Smooth highs that are never brittle yet still has plenty of attack. Signature tight crushing lows. Unique "hollow" mids that is super addicting. The neck pickup is based on the VHii which is genius. Added bonus- these pickups are fantastic at split coils and cleans. Keep in mind I HATED every split coil I ever played, but these are super inspiring.

There's a lot of variables on guitar types and woods, but that's my impressions. I may get a set of Blackhawks in my blue HP just to hear them, but the Juggernauts are easily my #1 pickup of all time for any tuning, any genre (but yeah, I typically stay drop C hi gain chugs, lol)

Happy hunting

The Aftermath or a 500T sounds like the way to go.

 

[nigelpkay]

I wonder what BKs you tried that were "flat"? You could criticize BK for lots of things, but flat doesn't seem like one of them.
I actually liked my stock 490/498 Gibson set, but then after 10 years of hard playing the bridge pickup sizzled out on me, giving me the excuse to get BK.
Ilove BKs; I currently have Miracle Mans, AfterMaths, and (2) Juggernauts.

I'm just not into the modern djenty sound (tight and crushing), but I have Holydiver, Black Dog, Cold Sweat, and they all have this fuzzy spiky feel on top as you mentioned, and also a lot of mids that just makes the whole EQ sound flat. Good for certain styles but not the ones I'm into. They are super clear of course (I'm recording with the Holydiver right now), but sometimes lack a bit of punch when compared to others I've used when playing live. Not trying to knock them, just saying I think they lean towards a specific modern type of tone for certain music that ends up not being my cup of tea, and I keep going back to the older pickups.
Having said that, I'm recording with the Holydiver, and my live guitars have the Cold Sweat because they have more cut and punch.

 

[headlessdeadguy]

The only BKP I have tried was a Painkiller and I couldn't get it out of every guitar I tried it in fast enough. I've heard other guitars with BKP's and they just don't do it for me. Another pickup that sounds good in a mahogany V is the Duncan Distortion. My Gibson V is keeping the 500T tho. No doubt about it.


Edit: I forgot I had an Edwards V (great guitar btw) with a Suhr Aldrich set in it. Hated those too.

 

[crankyrayhanky]

I wonder what BKs you tried that were "flat"? You could criticize BK for lots of things, but flat doesn't seem like one of them.
I actually liked my stock 490/498 Gibson set, but then after 10 years of hard playing the bridge pickup sizzled out on me, giving me the excuse to get BK.
Ilove BKs; I currently have Miracle Mans, AfterMaths, and (2) Juggernauts.

I'm just not into the modern djenty sound (tight and crushing), but I have Holydiver, Black Dog, Cold Sweat, and they all have this fuzzy spiky feel on top as you mentioned, and also a lot of mids that just makes the whole EQ sound flat. Good for certain styles but not the ones I'm into. They are super clear of course (I'm recording with the Holydiver right now), but sometimes lack a bit of punch when compared to others I've used when playing live. Not trying to knock them, just saying I think they lean towards a specific modern type of tone for certain music that ends up not being my cup of tea, and I keep going back to the older pickups.
Having said that, I'm recording with the Holydiver, and my live guitars have the Cold Sweat because they have more cut and punch.

Interesting take on a bunch of BKs I haven't tried yet
I suppose that tight low end needs a lot of whallop on the amp side, like a rectifier
BKs Aftermath> 800 might be a poor combo

 

[spirit7]

BKP are the best. Bar none. Get a Ceramic Nailbomb and you'll be laughing with glee. Tight as fuck, but also organic.

-C

 

[nigelpkay]

Interesting take on a bunch of BKs I haven't tried yet
I suppose that tight low end needs a lot of whallop on the amp side, like a rectifier
BKs Aftermath> 800 might be a poor combo

You might be right, I'm a total Marshall guy and I feel like the EQs of these don't go with it as well as older pickups which were designed when Marshalls were the main game in town.

 

[nigelpkay]

So I dropped in a Dimarzio Super Distortion into one of my guitars and compared it to one I have with the BKP Cold Sweat. I definitely enjoyed the BKP more, way more open, very clear, smoother in the mids for soloing, less compressed, notes are punchy and jump out, doesn't fall apart with more gain. They are similar in output, but the CS is a bit less hot. One thing I didn't like was the the low mids are bit missing compared to the SD, but maybe that's where the clarity comes in. So there's a bit of give and take there.
The CS was much more early 80's Scorpions, while SD was Maiden/Dio. The CS is a similar take on the Gibson Dirty Fingers and 500T, but I've never tried either. I know that Gibson pickups have that special growl going on that you might miss in the CS. But I take back some of what I said earlier (BKPs are love/hate with me depending on the guitar) CS is a killer pickup.
I like it and the Black Dog better than a Holydiver in a Les Paul though. Holydiver belongs in a superstrat.
For a Flying V I would try Painkiller, but thats been a controversial pickup according to many. Best to try find a used one to experiment. As I said after trying the 498t I've really come around to Gibson's pickups.