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BKs
Jul 9, 2014 16:51:20 GMT
Post by MDV on Jul 9, 2014 16:51:20 GMT
Used to like them. A lot. Don't really any more.
Also a true story.
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BKs
Jul 9, 2014 16:56:05 GMT
Post by Tony on Jul 9, 2014 16:56:05 GMT
I too used to really like them. I still like the Miracle Man.
More than anything though the insane price hike due to djent hype is what soured me to them.
That and the fact that they have become incredibly inconsistent. I've had a few Miracle Men that have varied so wildly it's insane.
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BKs
Jul 9, 2014 16:59:48 GMT
Post by MDV on Jul 9, 2014 16:59:48 GMT
The consistency and quality dropped a bit just before I stopped using them for bloody everything, about 3 years ago, and went back to mainly-EMGs.
They're harder to record than they really should be as well. There's a certain bloated low end and low mid, kind of 'clangy' high mid and tailed off high end to the family sound. (basing this off having dozens of them over about 5 years of them being my main pickups).
I do still like the aftermath a fair bit (grindy), but its not in any guitars at the moment, and out of the passives I have I'd use an HDN or distortion before it.
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BKs
Jul 9, 2014 20:17:58 GMT
Post by slartibartfarst42 on Jul 9, 2014 20:17:58 GMT
I've also used Bare Knuckle for many years and swore by them but times are changing. I think a lot of it was due to the fact that I was comparing them to DiMarzio and Seymour Duncan and in most instances, BKP are vastly superior, BUT, my recent experience with The Creamery and my friend's experience with Catswhiskers pickups has convinced me to rethink my position. Right now I have a number of issues with Bare Knuckle:
1) Price. I'm tempted by Mules and Black Dogs for my Gibson but I know I won't get them when I can get something of similar quality made to my own specific requirements for substantially less money.
2) The range is far too focused on modern djent style pickups. Aftermath, Juggernaut, Black Hawk etc. all leave me cold.
3) The range lacks a middle ground. All of the pickups I've liked tend to be a bit too polite for my tastes. The Holydiver and even the Miracle Man had this problem while the Nailbomb was far too aggressive. My Classic '83 from The Creamery is simply better in every way than the Holydiver except possibly versatility. The tone is more accurate, it has more aggression while being at least as smooth, it sustains longer, it's louder and it is the perfect reproduction of the 80s Metal tone I was after.
4) I'm completely tied to Tim's tastes. He doesn't like single coil sized humbuckers so I can't have one. He doesn't like A8 magnets so I can't have one. Other manufacturers are far more flexible. One of the pickups my mate got from The Creamery was a Tele sized P90 and I'll tell you, his Telecaster is now the most ballsy and incredible sounding Tele I've ever heard!
5) Price. I know I've said that one before but it's such a biggy that it warrants repeating!
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Post by Tony on Jul 9, 2014 20:21:47 GMT
I've also used Bare Knuckle for many years and swore by them but times are changing. I think a lot of it was due to the fact that I was comparing them to DiMarzio and Seymour Duncan and in most instances, BKP are vastly superior, BUT, my recent experience with The Creamery and my friend's experience with Catswhiskers pickups has convinced me to rethink my position. Right now I have a number of issues with Bare Knuckle: 1) Price. I'm tempted by Mules and Black Dogs for my Gibson but I know I won't get them when I can get something of similar quality made to my own specific requirements for substantially less money. 2) The range is far too focused on modern djent style pickups. Aftermath, Juggernaut, Black Hawk etc. all leave me cold. 3) The range lacks a middle ground. All of the pickups I've liked tend to be a bit too polite for my tastes. The Holydiver and even the Miracle Man had this problem while the Nailbomb was far too aggressive. My Classic '83 from The Creamery is simply better in every way than the Holydiver except possibly versatility. The tone is more accurate, it has more aggression while being at least as smooth, it sustains longer, it's louder and it is the perfect reproduction of the 80s Metal tone I was after. 4) I'm completely tied to Tim's tastes. He doesn't like single coil sized humbuckers so I can't have one. He doesn't like A8 magnets so I can't have one. Other manufacturers are far more flexible. One of the pickups my mate got from The Creamery was a Tele sized P90 and I'll tell you, his Telecaster is now the most ballsy and incredible sounding Tele I've ever heard! 5) Price. I know I've said that one before but it's such a biggy that it warrants repeating! The price hurts more everytime I remember that they used to be £79
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BKs
Jul 9, 2014 20:27:08 GMT
Tony likes this
Post by slartibartfarst42 on Jul 9, 2014 20:27:08 GMT
Exactly! A sinle Bare Knuckle pickup is now about £110 when I only paid £140 for a full set of Classic '83 pups. It's a no-brainer really. I still frequent the forum and I'll still help people with their choices but I don't see me buying any more from BKP.
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BKs
Jul 9, 2014 20:57:55 GMT
via mobile
Post by Blankplank on Jul 9, 2014 20:57:55 GMT
I had a Painkiller in my RGD when I first got it. The Blackouts that replaced it were better IMO. They're overpriced for what they are, but I still want to try the Black Hawk.
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BKs
Jul 9, 2014 21:38:36 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2014 21:38:36 GMT
I have an Aftermath in my Agile 8 string that works to a point (it's really work in the stupid tuning I have it in right now, but I don't like it much in 8-string standard). I also have a Nailbomb in my LTD M207, which when paired with my JVM and Zilla, is the perfect tone for my second band.
However for all other things I much prefer the D'Activators I run in practically every guitar I use now. The Blackouts in my Stealth are bloody awesome too. Different, but not in a bad way.
I think the love affair for me ended with them rather quickly the moment I got the Xiphos and had D'Activators with my rig for the first time. BKP just became another sound rather than "superior", and I don't find myself using that sound much.
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BKs
Jul 9, 2014 23:00:10 GMT
Post by MDV on Jul 9, 2014 23:00:10 GMT
For what its worth, Tims just gone along with the djent thing, because thats what his main promotional artists do.
The aftermath was designed for "Modern thrash", "Lots of fast palm muting", and named for a track by death metal band Origin (though Tim can't be blamed for that).
The painkiller, djent pickup of the month before the aftermath, was made for, drum roll please, 80s to early 90s british metal - it was meant to be like putting a hot rodded JCM800 in your guitar.
The blackhawk was basically tim just trying something different. I believe the goal was mid to high gain with lots of clarity and cut.
I doubt you'd find that more appealing, but it remains true that its unfair to say that djent is what they were for.
The juggernaut is to my knowledge the only one made for djent from the start.
It may seem a bit odd me defending them as I no longer like the product, but they are a good company, and these misrepresentations that get bandied around ought to be dispelled.
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BKs
Jul 10, 2014 7:37:54 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2014 7:37:54 GMT
Yeah, pretty obvious what the Painkiller was based around. In practice (or at least in the guitars I've heard them in), they sound very "Evo" like. However, I prefer the Evo in all cases.
To me, BKP are just a pickup company, not some holy grail to aspire to. The same as SD, Dimarzio, Lace, etc. It's just unfortunate that people throw around that they are what you need in a guitar and yet have probably never owned any or only owned one. For what I do, so far SD and Dimarzio fit me much better, and are a lot cheaper too.
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BKs
Jul 10, 2014 8:42:24 GMT
Post by Blankplank on Jul 10, 2014 8:42:24 GMT
Nah, I actually liked the Evo.
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BKs
Jul 10, 2014 12:26:36 GMT
Post by MDV on Jul 10, 2014 12:26:36 GMT
To me, BKP are just a pickup company, not some holy grail to aspire to. The same as SD, Dimarzio, Lace, etc. It's just unfortunate that people throw around that they are what you need in a guitar and yet have probably never owned any or only owned one. Yep. Its people listening with their wallet, not their ears. Like them more or less by all means, but trying to assert that they have outright automatic superiority just because is daft. Lemmie tell you a little story. You know I like EMGs, right? (I wonder how you know that?). I used them from about 2000 to 2005. 81 in the bridge in my main guitar. In 2005 I got my first BK. Between then and about 2011 I tried all their contemporary line plus a few in the bridges of maybe 15 different guitars. I used: Miracle man (multiple) modified overwound miracle man warpig c-pig nailbomb c-bomb (multiple) cold sweat painkiller (multiple) crawler aftermath (multiple) Holy diver neck Sinner Trilogies Irish tours In nearly all cases it was the set, and where applicable I've had double screw pole and normal versions of them all. If any of them were really right for me would I have tried so bloody many of them? Yet I kept going back. Partially because their service is excellent (and presumably still is), but also because I ate the hype and thought that they surely must make the ultimate pickup for me somewhere in there. Since about 2011 I've used other pickups, including BKs, but my main guitars have been 81 in the bridge or very briefly 85. I switched back because when the aftermath was actually released (I'd had one for about a year at that point), someone did an A/B comparison with an 81, and though it was a blind comparison (the only kind of comparison to do), I knew which was which with complete certainty, and the 81 made the aftermath sound like a bloody neck pickup. I thought I'd give the EMG a fair shake again, and sure enough, I got much the same results. That reminds me - ages ago there was a blind comparison between an 81 and a couple of BKs on the BK boards. I think it was miracle man and warpig. Doesn't really matter. What matters was when people didn't know what they were hearing, most people didn't have the balls to express a preference at all in case they got it 'wrong', and most of those that did reply liked the EMG best. Disclaimer - all the above is just my personal experience, opinion and observation. Everyone Like and discuss BKs to your hearts content. /rant.
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BKs
Jul 10, 2014 14:43:04 GMT
Post by Davemc on Jul 10, 2014 14:43:04 GMT
I have to admit I was slightly underwhelmed when I got the BKP set in my Legra. Don't get me wrong, they're good, and I think they're a step up from Duncan and the like (which I don't dislike as much as I used to, at least certain models), but based on what I'd heard I was sort of expecting to be like Thrillhouse, and I wasn't. I'm kind of like Mark, I sort of bought into the hype too (though I'm lazy/cheap and only got that one set). But yeah the prices have gone through the roof, and there are plenty of other handwinders who also have a good rep who are half, maybe even a third, the price. Which I haven't got as far as trying but which I hopefully will at some point. EDIT: Do we have no smileys here? I'm going to be speechless (not a bad thing, maybe...) EDIT #2: Ah we do. Crisis averted.
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BKs
Jul 10, 2014 18:42:45 GMT
Post by slartibartfarst42 on Jul 10, 2014 18:42:45 GMT
There's certainly a lot to like about Bare Knuckle and if anyone has the disposable income, I'd happily suggest they try them.
Service - Superb Quality - Excellent Range - Nice and broad Articulation - Fantastic Ability to take gain - Astonishing Options - Excellent
I only really have two issues with Bare Knuckle:
1) Price 2) They no longer do a pickup I want. They're either too djenty or too polite
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BKs
Jul 10, 2014 18:51:47 GMT
Post by MDV on Jul 10, 2014 18:51:47 GMT
I love the term 'disposable income'
It says 'that money you worked for, probably for many hours, quite possibly in a job and/or workplace you hate, if its not for bills or food, you can just throw that shit away'
It's an ingenious bit of linguistic programming to help make us buy more nonsense and drivel.
Sorry, went a bit off topic there. Stupid capitalism *shakes fist* lets all go be hunter gatherers. With guitars.
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