Bare Knuckle Pickups

Tremonti said:
At half the price? Um no
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Not sure why I feel like biting onto this obvious bait, feisty day I suppose, I have many.

Oh really?! BK humbuckers retail as a set for $309-$384 that is approximately $150 and $170 each pickup.

Manlius, smits, BG, and MANY others hit the $80-90 mark depending on add one covers etc...

That is just short of HALF the cost. Maybe not EXACT math but TRUE.


Can you put your brand loyalty aside and think objectively?

If so now that the cost is out of the way would you like to discuss/debate the science of humbuckers?

Resonant peak, inductance, polarity, impedance, winding techniques, or metallurgy interest you?

Audio voltage source plus second order low pass?

There are MANY reason I believe BK brings no improvement simply more cost for American buyers.
 
Moltenmetalburn said:
Not sure why I feel like biting onto this obvious bait, feisty day I suppose, I have many.

Oh really?! BK humbuckers retail as a set for $309-$384 that is approximately $150 and $170 each pickup.

Manlius, smits, BG, and MANY others hit the $80-90 mark depending on add one covers etc...

That is just short of HALF the cost. Maybe not EXACT math but TRUE.


Can you put your brand loyalty aside and think objectively?

If so now that the cost is out of the way would you like to discuss/debate the science of humbuckers?

Resonant peak, inductance, polarity, impedance, winding techniques, or metallurgy interest you?

Audio voltage source plus second order low pass?

There are MANY reason I believe BK brings no improvement simply more cost for American buyers.
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Well, you may want to give the OP a few suggestions then, rather than that list. I cant imagine you have personal experience with all of them right? I think he's looking for personal experiences rather than a list of cheaper options. And whats wrong with brand loyalty? If he wants BKPs because he trusts their reputation and quality is there a problem with paying extra for it? You could spend a month looking at all these PUs, screw that, I'd rather just play on something I have hear of before and be comfortable.
 
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Moltenmetalburn said:
would you like to discuss/debate the science of humbuckers?
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LOL. WTF does science have to do with it? The OP asked for opinions on BKP from actual users. Do you have experience with Bare knuckles? No? Move along.

Moltenmetalburn said:
There are MANY reason I believe BK brings no improvement simply more cost for American buyers.
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Do any of these reasons involve your opinion based on actually playing/owning a guitar with these pickups? No? Move along.

I'm not trying to be overly argumentative. My point is that the OP had expressed an interest in a specific brand. I am pretty sure everyone knows that there exists a large selection of aftermarket pickups from major manufacturers (SD, Dimarzio etc.) to "boutique" type brands (Fralin, Lollars etc.) to small hobbyist entrepreneur pickup winders (my neighbor Tim). You can find many different options at different price points. Is any one better than the other? How the heck does one quantify "better"? In most cases I believe it can boil down to word of mouth and reviews from other users that a prospective buyer can somehow relate to because they have a similar guitar, gear, or are going for a particular sound where said pickups were used. For what it's worth if you had said that you have "used BKPs before and compared to SD, Dimarzio, blah blah blah, they sound like shite"...... Then I would not have responded like this.

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Just play the damn thing ;) Heck, so much great music was made when there were only a few pickup choices available.
 
Hey Man,

I highly recommend you send BareKnuckle an email, describing what guitar they will be going in, and what sound you are looking for.

I did just that, and his recommendations were not at all what I thought I wanted.

I wanted a Michael Romeo/Nuno bridge and a Petrucci neck. (this is somewhat vague, but I guess he knows)

For my Ibanez RGT220h (mahogany neck through maple) he suggested a Cold Sweat bridge
and a VHII neck.

Neither were what I had thought I needed, but I decided that he knows best.
...And I couldn't be happier!

I have changed out pickups in numerous guitars with DiMarzios and Seymour Duncans, but have never been this happy with the results!
Maybe my own fault for not realizing what I actually needed.....but still.

I love these pickups!

Send them an email!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
NeoSound said:
Wow!!! that list is overwhelming, I thought there were maybe a dozen manufacturers!?
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There used to be, up till around 15 years ago or so. I came into the picture early in 1998 and met Jason Lollar, who had published a pickup winding book. Later in '98 or so an online article was published about me from an Autralian E-zine, and the they started a forum for Jason and I that was originally intended so that players could ask the builders tip on choosing pickups, installation, or whatnot. It turned into the Pickup Maker's Forum, where the focus shifted from player>builder to want to build>builder. A large percentage of the winders you've seen pop up over the last 15 years came from the teachings and guidance of Jason and I.

RossE said:
Wolfetone pups are definitely worth a stop on this trail......I have the Legends and lov'em to pieces. Wolfe's customer service is in the same league as Fractal's. Rewind Electric too....check out the Creme Brule's.
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Hey, you!:eek:
 
Womac911 said:
There used to be, up till around 15 years ago or so. I came into the picture early in 1998 and met Jason Lollar, who had published a pickup winding book. Later in '98 or so an online article was published about me from an Autralian E-zine, and the they started a forum for Jason and I that was originally intended so that players could ask the builders tip on choosing pickups, installation, or whatnot. It turned into the Pickup Maker's Forum, where the focus shifted from player>builder to want to build>builder. A large percentage of the winders you've seen pop up over the last 15 years came from the teachings and guidance of Jason and I.
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Do you have a link to your work?
 
Regarding Bareknuckles:

I've experience with Warpigs, both their 6 and 8 string models, and Aftermaths.

The Aftermath is a little more tame than the Warpig, but still both are very niche pickups, suited to the modern metal sound and style. These pickups do not do clean as well as some other makes (DiMarzios, etc.), but other makes are not the subject of the OP. The Warpig can be very shrill in the wrong guitar (all maple body), very high in the midrange. The Aftermath is a little more bassy, a little more tame, but still seems voiced for that kind of sound.

In short, I wouldn't recommend either of them for anything except modern metal. However, for this (which is their intended purpose), they excel, especially comparing them to some others I have swapped out ( SD Blackouts, EMG81/85 set, DiMarzio Custom, DiMarzio Protrack, SD Custom, SD Jazz).

So, IMHO, approach BK explaining what you want. In my experience, they will deliver in spades.

Just my 2 cents.
 
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