Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: AndyR on April 11, 2008, 01:34:01 PM
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It's about time to ask this question I think...
I've had my Baja tele for a couple of months now, and I'm actually quite impressed with the stock pups... But you know how you get the sneaking suspicion that tweaking your guitar just a little bit more might make it even better? :roll:
So... anyone? What did you put in? And what direction did the sound move in?
(Sorry for asking it like this - saves me waffling for hours about what I'm after, when I don't even know myself... It's the first real tele I've owned. "I want more of the tone I'm getting already" would sum it up at the moment...)
I've searched a couple of times, but couldn't find any threads about it.
Cheers
Andy
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I think we've all left them stock matey. I see no reason to change mine, it sounds like a classic tele should. Sorry Tim :oops:
( I have a set of VHIIs on order to make up for it though, plus I need a new neck pickup for an LP which will be a bKP :) )
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"never change a winning system" approach here ...
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Mine has been left stock too ( sorry Tim ) - just one of those very rare occasions when 'stock' = 'good'.
The only thing I might eventually change is the control plate and 6 way switching to a Callaham 'standard ' 3 way with big knurled control knobs. I bought the Baja for that incredibly playable neck, aesthetics - and existing tone - not for the multiple switching options .
The next BKP upgrade would be the Strat from Lace Holy Grails to Sultans or Appaches.
:D
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Thanks guys - I suspected that was what was happening, and also where I'm heading. Nice to have peer-group affirmation though!
Sorry Tim... sigh...
Oh well, frees me up to think about Apaches and MQs for my other geetars.
Actually, Twinfan (hijack my own thread here) - do I remember right, you got MQs a while back? have you got them in any of your SGs? I bought the Riff Raffs for my Epi SG, then the other week my wife foolishly bought me a Gibson Explorer...
I did some swapping, and the Riff Raffs are staying in the explorer for the foreseeable future - they work better for me there, in fact I'm having great time with them there.
I'm not completely decided, but I have this growing hankering after a set of MQs in the SG. I've never played P90s - but I grew up on strats and single coils. I've just got this feeling that the SG (which doesn't get played a lot, and seems a bit soul-less now with the Explorer's Gibson ceramic killers in it) might suddenly turn into something rather splendid and bluesy with 90's in it. Any thoughts?
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You're right - I had an MQ in my Gordon Smith SG-1. A great pickup, just in that particular guitar it was too much. Too hot for it and too fat. It's quite a fat sounding guitar, so I've gone low powered for the pickup and it's much better.
A set of MQs in an Epi SG would be great I think. Very Iommi :twisted:
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Just to chime in with the MQ suggestion, the neck MQ is godly. Seriously fat yet still clear, I love it. So much that I want a full set. Just need a home for my Holydiver if I go down that route...
As for the Baja, I guess it has some meaty pickups already in it, go meatier with the Piledrivers, I had a set and they were classic tele- yet fuller and slightly smoother and fuller. I'm gassing for more actually...
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ahha, so after 5 pages of google images, we find that baja=tele. No offense, like, but DUDE! Urgh!
:)
Roo
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It's about time to ask this question I think...
I've had my Baja tele for a couple of months now
Roo, I must say that was appalling, it was in his second line! :P
Although, according to Hunter, Baja's are also a little black and white aminal
:D
Hunter: I find it so funny, as I was pronouncing it the same... and couldn't work out what Mr Q was saying about your video (a disclaimer to not sound rude)
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Hunter: I find it so funny, as I was pronouncing it the same... and couldn't work out what Mr Q was saying about your video (a disclaimer to not sound rude)
Errm ... which Mr. Q? Which video?
I find this one is quite good representation of Baja clean tone: http://www.vanderbilly.com/system/myaccount/dataEntryUI.aspx?id=6625
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Your wife bought you an Explorer?!?!
Where did you get your wife? Were there any left?
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Your wife bought you an Explorer?!?!
Where did you get your wife? Were there any left?
he must have less than 10 guitars, otherwise the wife wouldn't do it ... my gf decided to ban guitar talk from our relationship - maybe that's why I'm talking to you guys ...
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You're right - I had an MQ in my Gordon Smith SG-1. A great pickup, just in that particular guitar it was too much. Too hot for it and too fat. It's quite a fat sounding guitar, so I've gone low powered for the pickup and it's much better.
A set of MQs in an Epi SG would be great I think. Very Iommi :twisted:
Ah! That's encouraging. The new Explorer is the "fattest" sounding guitar I've ever come across - I think maybe that's why I prefer the Riff Raffs in it. They were pretty good in the SG (first set of BKPs I installed) but the difference in the Explorer was quite surprising. It made me think that maybe Riff Raffs is not exactly what my SG wants.
Badgermark, it was your posts on the neck MQ in your tele that really got me going on the MQ the other day!
My current thinking for the SG is "add a different guitar sound to my arsenal". I have other bases covered already: an Epi LP (Mules), a Strat (ITs), the Baja Tele, and this Explorer (riff raffs) that seems to have taken over the SG's job for the moment. The obvious way to go (without stepping out into Gretsch/Rick territory, which I'd quite like to do sometime later) seemed to be P90s: SGs historically started out that way, and it's vaguely the same sort of construction as a Junior or Special.
But not having played P90s, I was a little worried that single-coil might lose me some of the stuff I like about this guitar. I know they're fatter than "fender" singles, but if you (Twinfan) thought too fat and too hot for a particular guitar - then I suspect my SG is waiting for them.
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Your wife bought you an Explorer?!?!
Where did you get your wife? Were there any left?
he must have less than 10 guitars, otherwise the wife wouldn't do it ... my gf decided to ban guitar talk from our relationship - maybe that's why I'm talking to you guys ...
Actually guys... sorry to make you all feel bad, I just counted - there are exactly 10 in the living room at the moment. Includes a bass, a standard flat-top, and a resonator. There's a couple more hiding (and one in pieces) elsewhere.
And to make it worse: she bought the Strat as well last year (on top of not moaning about the other gear acquisitions).
There's only one problem with her: "she WILL NOT learn to play bass..."
:evil: - she'll have to go!!
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Your demo of baja tele, Philly Q in a few posts remarked about the pronounciation of badger, which I couldn't follow :?
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Your demo of baja tele, Philly Q in a few posts remarked about the pronounciation of badger, which I couldn't follow :?
I think Indysmith actually started it when Hunter first got his Tele. I just kept going because I like running gags. Childish I know. :oops:
http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9564&highlight=baja
http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9756&highlight=baja
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But not having played P90s, I was a little worried that single-coil might lose me some of the stuff I like about this guitar. I know they're fatter than "fender" singles, but if you (Twinfan) thought too fat and too hot for a particular guitar - then I suspect my SG is waiting for them.
P90s are nothing like Fender singles. They're more like a humbucker, but big fat and with extra top end. You'll probably have to try them to see what you think of them.
I like them, but I only have them in one guitar as to me it's great sound for lower gain stuff. You may think differently though.
Give 'em a go :)
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I'm not completely decided, but I have this growing hankering after a set of MQs in the SG. I've never played P90s - but I grew up on strats and single coils. I've just got this feeling that the SG (which doesn't get played a lot, and seems a bit soul-less now with the Explorer's Gibson ceramic killers in it) might suddenly turn into something rather splendid and bluesy with 90's in it. Any thoughts?
Never tried MQs as such, but I have owned a couple of SGs with P-90s, and several LP Jr/LP Special types.
I agree with Twinfan, P-90s are great for clean to just-breaking-up tones. Very fat, but still with some single-coil character. With a lot of distortion they get too mushy, they simply don't have that tight crunch that humbuckers give for chords.
My LP Junior with a BKP-91 is one of my favourite guitars, but in the SGs I found there wasn't enough variation in tone between the neck and bridge pickups.
I'm toying with the idea of putting a MQ in just the neck position of one of my SGs, but not sure what humbucker to match it with. And then again, a vintage-output humbucker sounds so good as an SG neck pickup, I'm worried an MQ might be an expensive mistake - maybe I should stick to the ain't-broke-don't-fix-it approach. :?
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I think that's what my next set's gonna be then!
Before I got into this BKP thing, I was using Line6 Variax guitars (still do for recording accoustics) - so I have had experience of P90 modelling on those. However, the only direct comparisons I have of models vs real were on the strat/tele/LP types - the models are all fairly good, can't quite match the real thing though. The only exception is the strat model - just doesn't do the job properly for me (which is why the wife bought me a real strat and started all this middle-age-GAS!).
How you've just described P90s, though, fits and confirms exactly my expectations from using the line6 models.
Time to start estimating how much overtime will be in the pay packet at the end of the month!!
And BTW (Will, Philly, etc), I only recently found out that it was pronounced "bah-ha" - explains why the guys in the shops were giving me funny looks and sniggering when I was going "can I try that butterscotch badgah please?"
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Oh no! With Philly Q's reply (appeared while I was typing my decision) - am now filled with doubts again just seconds later!!!
That's partly why I don't ask too much advice on here - I can see people squirming with indecision with all the replies they get. I prefer watching others ask the question and seeing the debate...
Having said that - I am looking for a "different sound" to my other guitars, and clean to just breaking up is part of that territory, and I do very much like what Pete Townsend was doing with P90s in an SG back in the Tommy period - seeing the Live at the Isle of Wight video back in the 90's is why I bought the SG for the job I was doing in a band at the time.
No, doubts all gone now... :roll:
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Oh no! With Philly Q's reply (appeared while I was typing my decision) - am now filled with doubts again just seconds later!!!
Sorry, wasn't trying to put you off! :lol: Just putting in my two-penn'orth. And it's all just opinions of course, someone will probably say they love P-90s with tons of distortion. But yeah, P-90s will give you that Townshend sound (I just sold my PT signature SG!). And Leslie West of course!
That's partly why I don't ask too much advice on here - I can see people squirming with indecision with all the replies they get. I prefer watching others ask the question and seeing the debate...
I know what you mean! But the more you read, you can start to build up information, pros and cons. And as you get to "know" the individual people on the forum, you get an idea who's more in tune with the types of guitars/gear/music you like. It's a slow process, but it gathers momentum.
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I'm just back on after watching most of the Isle of Wight DVD - yep, we want that sound in our house (wife rules out the wall of HIWATTs though... :cry: )
No worries - not put off at all. In fact, I suspect that most of us on here can't really be put off once we've headed off down a certain track! All we're after is a little bit of confirmation from like-minded folks.
I agree totally over the "more you read" bit - that's how I've made all my BKP decisions so far, rather than asking Tim. I am really impressed with this forum - I don't think I've been on one that is so supportive or lacking in general "bad-vibes". With most forums, I've left by now because you seem to end up in pointless arguments, and life's too short for that. I always keep coming back to this one because I've had so much help here and I almost feel like I "owe" the community any help I can give myself.
Trouble is... the more I come back, the more pickups I buy!!! And guitars!
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am now filled with doubts again just seconds later!!!
Doubts are my arch-nemesis. I loathe them. :lol: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: