IRs York Audio Master Thread - Newest Cab Pack: KW 412 M25-SH

Third-party impulse response pack
Your timing on this subject is perfect since I've been going pretty deep down the pickup rabbit hole lately. I recently got a 1990 Les Paul Standard that might be the best LP in my collection. I put a Thornbucker+ set in it and it sounded great. However, I've heard a lot about the Bare Knuckle Mule pickup and bought a set to try in that Les Paul... it was phenomenal! More clarity, liveliness, complexity, and punch. The Thornbucker+ was softer and smoother when A/B'ing both sets through my looper pedal. They both sounded great, but I kept going back to the Mule.

I reached out to BKP for some recommendations and bought three different sets that are arriving today that I'll put in two Les Pauls and an SG, so we'll see how that goes.

As far as the Thornbucker II, I still have them, but I swapped the A2 magnet for A4 and liked it much better.
Oh, cool! I actually have a set of Mules in a Les Paul Traditional (essentially a standard) and they are really great! It’s funny; at first, I thought they sounded bland, and in a matter of minutes, I went from “these sound a little bland—I don’t know if these have character—that sounded really complex and rich—that sounds very vocal—that sounded very musical—these sound great!” Hahaha

You said you A/B’d the thornbucker plus to the Mules in the same guitar?

I find it interesting that you mention “punch” too. My strat build that has a Thornbucker +, in comparison to my Tele build which has a Friedman classic plus humbucker, sounds and feels like it has less punch than the Friedman (different magnets), so I’m gonna try an SSV in the bridge to see how that sounds. I have the feeling it will pair better with the V60LP single coils regarding punch and transient response.

Which other Bare Knuckle pickups are you trying out? Also, did the Mules that you got have covers, or were they uncovered?
 
Justin have you tried the 3rd power Mag Frags they are close to you in Nashville I believe
Also curious what 3 sets of BKP you bought I have been looking a a few of theirs
The Peacemaker and Rebel yell
I haven't heard of the 3rd Power Mag Frags, but I'll have to check them out.

I have sets of the Mule, VHII, Abraxas, and Emerald... but I need to get the Rebel Yell. My friend has a guitar with those that sounds amazing and I didn't know the model until after I ordered the other sets.

Oh, cool! I actually have a set of Mules in a Les Paul Traditional (essentially a standard) and they are really great! It’s funny; at first, I thought they sounded bland, and in a matter of minutes, I went from “these sound a little bland—I don’t know if these have character—that sounded really complex and rich—that sounds very vocal—that sounded very musical—these sound great!” Hahaha

You said you A/B’d the thornbucker plus to the Mules in the same guitar?

I find it interesting that you mention “punch” too. My strat build that has a Thornbucker +, in comparison to my Tele build which has a Friedman classic plus humbucker, sounds and feels like it has less punch than the Friedman (different magnets), so I’m gonna try an SSV in the bridge to see how that sounds. I have the feeling it will pair better with the V60LP single coils regarding punch and transient response.

Which other Bare Knuckle pickups are you trying out? Also, did the Mules that you got have covers, or were they uncovered?
Yeah, I have a Boss Looper pedal I use to compare two sets of pickups in the same guitar. I record a riff with a set of pickups, swap the pickups, and then record the same riff with the new pickups. This lets you hear both sets back to back in real time through the same amp without the acoustic volume of the guitar you hear when playing it.

All of the BKP sets I got have nickel covers.

I'm going to do some more testing today, but the VHII set already sounds pretty incredible in another Les Paul.
 
I haven't heard of the 3rd Power Mag Frags, but I'll have to check them out.

I have sets of the Mule, VHII, Abraxas, and Emerald... but I need to get the Rebel Yell. My friend has a guitar with those that sounds amazing and I didn't know the model until after I ordered the other sets.


Yeah, I have a Boss Looper pedal I use to compare two sets of pickups in the same guitar. I record a riff with a set of pickups, swap the pickups, and then record the same riff with the new pickups. This lets you hear both sets back to back in real time through the same amp without the acoustic volume of the guitar you hear when playing it.

All of the BKP sets I got have nickel covers.

I'm going to do some more testing today, but the VHII set already sounds pretty incredible in another Les Paul.
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the Abraxas. Been tempted by those a few times. They do that David Grissom thing, and his pickups are my favourite humbuckers I’ve ever used.
 
I haven't heard of the 3rd Power Mag Frags, but I'll have to check them out.

I have sets of the Mule, VHII, Abraxas, and Emerald... but I need to get the Rebel Yell. My friend has a guitar with those that sounds amazing and I didn't know the model until after I ordered the other sets.


Yeah, I have a Boss Looper pedal I use to compare two sets of pickups in the same guitar. I record a riff with a set of pickups, swap the pickups, and then record the same riff with the new pickups. This lets you hear both sets back to back in real time through the same amp without the acoustic volume of the guitar you hear when playing it.

All of the BKP sets I got have nickel covers.

I'm going to do some more testing today, but the VHII set already sounds pretty incredible in another Les Paul.
Another one you may want to look at is the Peacemaker it’s a lower output , it’s the sig pickup of Chris From Black Stone Cherry and it’s supposed to be very balenced
 
I put a set of Abraxas in a PRS Custom 22, because I didn‘t like the split-sounds of the stock pickups. Now they are great and the humbucker sounds are pretty fat. But still nice, not too fat.
 
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the Abraxas. Been tempted by those a few times. They do that David Grissom thing, and his pickups are my favourite humbuckers I’ve ever used.
I'm still getting used to all of the pickups and their character, but these are my initial thoughts having them all installed in Les Pauls:

The Mule - My favorite bridge pickup of the bunch by a mile. It's clear, open, sounds punchy and aggressive with high gain, and plays nicely with cleans. It's the best at conveying the guitar's natural personality so far. The neck pickup is a little too warm and loose for me personally, by I might throw an A5 magnet in it to tighten and brighten it a bit.

VH II - Best neck pickup IMO. It isn't woofy at all and sounds magical by itself or in the middle position. The bridge pickup is tight and aggressive with great pick attack. I wouldn't be mad if it had a little extra body to it though. Overall, it's a great pickup set.

Abraxas - Less note clarity and top end with more mids compared to the Mule. Probably better suited for players who do more lead work and a want a smooth vocal-like tone with single notes. It can sound great, but I haven't really bonded with that set yet.

Emerald - Tighter bottom end and punchier/more aggressive in the mids than the VH II bridge. It's on the hotter side, but doesn't make things cloudy like your average high output pickup. The tight lows, present mids, and brighter highs make me want to try them in a baritone. I bet it would give you great control even with low-tuned guitars.

I think I'm going to put the VH II neck in my main LP with Mules if the A5 magnet swap doesn't do the trick.

I'm also going to order a Rebel Yell bridge pickup. My friend has one in a baritone Les Paul and it's easily the best sounding high output pickup I've ever tried. Curious to hear what it sounds like in a standard tuned guitar.
 
I'm still getting used to all of the pickups and their character, but these are my initial thoughts having them all installed in Les Pauls:

The Mule - My favorite bridge pickup of the bunch by a mile. It's clear, open, sounds punchy and aggressive with high gain, and plays nicely with cleans. It's the best at conveying the guitar's natural personality so far. The neck pickup is a little too warm and loose for me personally, by I might throw an A5 magnet in it to tighten and brighten it a bit.

VH II - Best neck pickup IMO. It isn't woofy at all and sounds magical by itself or in the middle position. The bridge pickup is tight and aggressive with great pick attack. I wouldn't be mad if it had a little extra body to it though. Overall, it's a great pickup set.

Abraxas - Less note clarity and top end with more mids compared to the Mule. Probably better suited for players who do more lead work and a want a smooth vocal-like tone with single notes. It can sound great, but I haven't really bonded with that set yet.

Emerald - Tighter bottom end and punchier/more aggressive in the mids than the VH II bridge. It's on the hotter side, but doesn't make things cloudy like your average high output pickup. The tight lows, present mids, and brighter highs make me want to try them in a baritone. I bet it would give you great control even with low-tuned guitars.

I think I'm going to put the VH II neck in my main LP with Mules if the A5 magnet swap doesn't do the trick.

I'm also going to order a Rebel Yell bridge pickup. My friend has one in a baritone Les Paul and it's easily the best sounding high output pickup I've ever tried. Curious to hear what it sounds like in a standard tuned guitar.
This is really cool stuff to hear! I always value your experience with tone because you have a great ear! The interesting thing with Bare Knuckle Pickups too is that they are very sensitive to height changes, seemingly more than other pickups. I have a Nailbomb that I used which was cool for higher gain stuff, but I'm curious about the Rebel Yell as well for that application. I have a set of the Black Dog's, and I think they are really cool pickups, but I swapped them out for Friedman pickups, which I think I'm gonna swap out to try some Suhr SSV's. I used to really dig the sound of the Black Dog's (still do) and their output range, etc., but they're a little hotter than I like. Another I have interest in is the Stormy Monday set for my 335. I hear Mules can work good in that application too, but for whatever reason, I keep thinking about the Stormy Monday's for that guitar. Have you considered the Nolly pickup set for a little higher gain sound? I guess they have great versatility.

Do you think you might do some sound clips and comparisons of these pickups at some point?? Asking for a friend...... :tearsofjoy:
 
I'm still getting used to all of the pickups and their character, but these are my initial thoughts having them all installed in Les Pauls:

The Mule - My favorite bridge pickup of the bunch by a mile. It's clear, open, sounds punchy and aggressive with high gain, and plays nicely with cleans. It's the best at conveying the guitar's natural personality so far. The neck pickup is a little too warm and loose for me personally, by I might throw an A5 magnet in it to tighten and brighten it a bit.

VH II - Best neck pickup IMO. It isn't woofy at all and sounds magical by itself or in the middle position. The bridge pickup is tight and aggressive with great pick attack. I wouldn't be mad if it had a little extra body to it though. Overall, it's a great pickup set.

Abraxas - Less note clarity and top end with more mids compared to the Mule. Probably better suited for players who do more lead work and a want a smooth vocal-like tone with single notes. It can sound great, but I haven't really bonded with that set yet.

Emerald - Tighter bottom end and punchier/more aggressive in the mids than the VH II bridge. It's on the hotter side, but doesn't make things cloudy like your average high output pickup. The tight lows, present mids, and brighter highs make me want to try them in a baritone. I bet it would give you great control even with low-tuned guitars.

I think I'm going to put the VH II neck in my main LP with Mules if the A5 magnet swap doesn't do the trick.

I'm also going to order a Rebel Yell bridge pickup. My friend has one in a baritone Les Paul and it's easily the best sounding high output pickup I've ever tried. Curious to hear what it sounds like in a standard tuned guitar.

This was great to read! Did you happen to split any of these neck pickups? I have a Cold Sweat neck that feels a bit too bright and scooped when split, and I'm looking to swap it out sometime, since I use the neck pickup in split mode a good 80% of the time, as opposed to as a full humbucker.

Or maybe I should look at swapping it out for some sort of pickup that excels primarily at single coil sounds and can occasionally mimic the humbucker sound?
 
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