Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: Weezel on December 27, 2009, 09:53:28 AM
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Bare with me folks, Im new to Bare Knuckle Pickups. I just recently heard about them!
I play metal: Death Metal, Thrash metal, Speed metal, some Grindcore...Just balls to the wall brutal stuff, I love it. I dont play any nu-metal or metal-core stuff that you hear now-a-days. Thats not metal to me. I play EMG's, I like the sound I can get out of them. I know there are other pickups just as good or even better and Thats why im here. I've read for my style of playing that I can choose between: Miracle Man, NailBomb, Warpig and PainKiller. QUESTION- If I were going to have an EMG 81/85 setup, which of these BareKnuckle Pickups would take the EMG 81/85 place?
Feedback would greatly be appreciated as I really do want to buy myself a set.
Just for your information I play out of an b-52 AT-100 head & AT-412 cab + my distortion pedals.
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Hi, and welcome...
I'm not at all into metal in any form (unless you considr the 3 first BOC to be 'metal' - FWIW, it was labelled as such when I was a kid), so I'm probably one of the least qualified persons to answer your question... But anyway: this "which BKP to replace emg 81/85" topic is somehow reccurrent here, so using the search you should be able to find some relevant informations (from a very quick look it seems that the answer usually imply Miracle Man and/or Warpigs).
Now, keeping in mind this reference to EMGs, there might be some better way to (re)phrase your question, which would be explain more exactly what kind of tone you're after, what you like and dislike with the EMGs, and possibly what guitar (make / model / woods / etc) you're going to put these pups in.
Hope that helps...
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Hello Weezel, welcome to the BKP forum! Just echoing what BigB said, describe the tone you want and there's bound to be someone here who can advise you. Maybe post some sound samples?
Anyone else think the main BKP website needs sound samples on the pages with the pickup info? It's really difficult for people to dig through the forum and find a good sound clip, needs fixing really.
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if you just want to crush some bone and tear some flesh i can kindly suggest you to try the Ceramic Warpigs!!! :twisted:
yes, they do the ol' good death metal sound really great, much better than EMGs that are much more nu-gaycore oriented in my opinion... they sound much more alive and personal. and dirty. nailbombs are too melodic for your needs, painkillers too snappy and direct, and more suitable for modern styles (they're great expecially for thrash death a-la At The Gates, anyway), miracle men are too... well, i don't know what MM tonal feature doesn't suit too much my playing style but something doesn't.
i'd go for the C/Pigs.
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Just throw in some a c-pig bridge PK neck and make sure no one in the vicinity has a heart condition.
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Just throw in some a c-pig bridge PK neck and make sure no one in the vicinity has a heart condition.
+1!
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Thanks Alot, I appreciate all of your feedback! I have another QUESTION if it may be answered.
C-Pig/PK setup makes sense. Before I buy them I want to make sure its the right setup.
Which would you prefer, The C-Pig/PK or The C-Pig/A-Pig?
Like I said, Im knew to this and im just trying to find the best possible setup.
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Thanks Alot, I appreciate all of your feedback! I have another QUESTION if it may be answered.
C-Pig/PK setup makes sense. Before I buy them I want to make sure its the right setup.
Which would you prefer, The C-Pig/PK or The C-Pig/A-Pig?
Like I said, Im knew to this and im just trying to find the best possible setup.
it really depends on what kind of neck tone you're after. neck WP is very warm and round, neck PK is brighter and has a completely different, very percussive attack, maybe because it's ceramic too... in my last guitar i used this exact setup (C-Pig/PK) and they complement extremely well.
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I know I repeat QUESTIONS alot but its helps for my understanding.
Alright so the C-Pig/PK setup will replace my 81/85 setup. Now im Just throwing this Question out there just to make sure I fully understand. The painkiller isnt going to resemble the sound of a EMG 60 in anyway is it? I dont know anything about BKP, Im just making sure since I already have an EMG 81/60 19v mod setup.
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No. it doesnt sound like a 60.
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Thanks again for all of your help, I really appreciate the feedback.
Im a total noob at this and I just want to try something new other then duncan and EMG's.
So I guess my purchace is going to be C-Warpig/Painkiller set!
Im kinda excited to get them and hear what they have to offer!
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Hi,
be sure to replace the other electronics too, if the guitar currently has EMGs. They use whole different value pots.
500k is typically used for passive humbuckers.
-Zaned
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I did not know that! The guitar that Im going to be putting the BKP in currently have Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB/SH-2. Do I really need to replace all my electronics before I install the Warpig/Painkiller?
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I did not know that! The guitar that Im going to be putting the BKP in currently have Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB/SH-2. Do I really need to replace all my electronics before I install the Warpig/Painkiller?
The SH-4 and SH-2 are passive humbuckers so you theoretically shouldn't have to change the pots and caps - just make sure that you have 500KOhms pots and 0.022uf caps (these are standard values for humbuckers).
This being said, if you have cheap ceramics caps, it might be worth replacing them with PIO (paper in oil) ones - sounds better, and make the tone pots much more usefull. You can find russians PIO caps on ebay for a reasonable price tag.
HTH
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Once again, Thank you for the info!
I Appreciate your help, ALOT!
I ask alot of questions and like I said before, Im new the the Bare Knuckle scene and I just want to make sure everything is going to be done right!;)
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Im new the the Bare Knuckle scene and I just want to make sure everything is going to be done right!;)
Then do it the RightWay(tm) - specially if you're unsure about your choice : before you purchase anything, AskTim(tm). The guy really knows it's stuff, and I'm starting to believe he has some kind of mind-reading superpower. I just installed today my second BKP set, both following Tim's advices, neither was what I first planned - and for this second one, it was really far away from my first choice -, and both are exactly what I really wanted/expected.
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Alright, So I finally talked with "Tim" and he recommended the Painkiller calibrated set.
Before I make my purchase, which is going to be most likely friday! Does anyone have last minute suggestions?
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I Stick with my original suggestion... C-wp + pk. But Who am i to speak against the Master(tm)? ;)
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Yeah dude, I mean im really curious about those C-WP! I hear so so much about them and I have heard sound samples and sheesh..they sound killer dude!! straight up Skin blistering Mind altering Tones!! but like you said, who is to speak against the Master!?
This is what he told me:
"Personally I would go with Painkiller calibrated set, the WPC would be too bottom heavy and lean more in a super saturated stoner vein. The PKs produce an awesomely crushing metal tone - tight bass, punchy mids and clear highs with great coil split tone too and very useable clean tone"
OH!! Duh, Stupid me!! I think the reason why the PK calibrated was recommended was because its going into one my geetars that have a "Split coil tap"
Last minute suggestions? I gots 2 more days :) before I get the set. hahaha
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i love painkillers too... i own 2 calibrated sets and a neck unit, and Tim's advice makes sense for sure... warpigs split very very well too (sost of a tele-like spanky tone...). the fact is that
1) PK and C-WP have got a completely different tone, attack and feel, the Wp being more "dirty" and sludgy and the PK more refined and "hi-tech" sounding (don't get me wrong, it's very organic too, but i didn't find another way to say it...). talking about death metal tones i'd say that warpigs make me think about that thick stockholm sound and painkillers are more modern and precise... let's say, entombed vs scar symmetry... :)
2) they've both got a wide midrange, the PK being more focused on hi-mids and more definite on low tunings and the C-pig more harsh on highs (without being harsh at all) and with a thicker bottom.
what's your guitar? is it dark or bright?
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Dude Entombed!!! clandestine and left hand path are some of my favorite albums!!
Never heard of Scare symmetry and after listening to them, I kind of see the point your trying to make. That sound is someting I would play more on my thrashy side. Dude, decisions decisions...can drive somebody nuts!
Body:Mahogany
Neck/fingerboad: Mahogany/rosewood
Bridge: tonepros thru body
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decisions decisions...can drive somebody nuts!
Body:Mahogany
Neck/fingerboad: Mahogany/rosewood
Bridge: tonepros thru body
talking about guitars, i dealt with the problem buying A LOT of them! :)
on paper your axe seems a bit dark, acoustically judgement is up to you! i've got a bridge A-WP in a epi les paul that's made of the same combinations of wood and it doesn't sound too dark at all. C-WP has got a brighter high end - or at least that's what i know, i've got mine in a guitar that's too different to make direct comparisons... my LTD EC1000 (again made of similar woods but with ebony fingerboard) sounds very thick and powerful with Painkillers.
i know this won't help you a bit! :)
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I have an ec-1000 too but with rosewood($200 price difference between Rosewood and ebony) I have the 18v mod with its 81/60, I love it!! Its rare you find a difference in the sound, like 98% of the time I cant tell the difference between ebony and rosewood, but thats just my opinion. So you like the PK in that baby, huh?
as far as my other guitar(Schecter by the way)you still stand by your original suggestion, the C-pig/Pk?
also on a whole other forum, some dude recommended CS/MM set, whats your opinion on that?
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saying that my C-WP equipped guitar is completely different i wasn't talking about the EC... it's a neckthrough made in wenge with ash wings and ebony fretboard!
but yes, i can tell the difference between ebony and rosewood, maybe not much in general tone, but the attack is very different. ebony is very "snappy"...
i love bridge PK in the EC, BUT:
1) you should ask for allen bolts instead of screws, it adds a bit of presence and - from my experience - you should need it.
2) i'm not so enthusiastic about the neck PK. i love it in my ibanez S and in the neckthroug (along with the Cpig), but it doesn't sound dramatically different from the bridge in the EC. don't know why, maybe that's because pickups are very near... even so it sounds very good but i expected something a bit different... if you get allen bolts on bridge pickup and regular screws on neck i think it should work better than my all-screws-set.
to be honest i think they're both excellent choices for both guitars... if you love your EMGs (i didn't liked the 81 and after a while grew tired of the 85 i swapped it with too) you should keep them, but whatever your choice, you could get the other set for the EC in the future... ;)
i haven't got decent bridge painkiller clips, but here's one made with the C-pig+PK. not exactly the kind of things you want it for, but maybe it could help... first solo is the pig (second is a rebel yell), main lead line is played with the neck PK on right channel and neck RY on left channel.
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=17994.0
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Hey dheim, you've been very informative and I appreciate that. after saying that, the nemesis instrumental is pretty sweet; impressive man! Hats off to you. After hearing that its like "wow, umm what do I want now" haha
Damn, Honestly I just want to buy every set and mess around mix and match and see what suites me! Thats what it seems like im going to have to do dude, sheesh!(only if I had the money) but on a serious note, Im most likely going to buy both the calibrated warpigs and Painkillers and take it from there and if the pigs do sound too bottom heavy I have a basswood I can throw those things in! ;)
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Hi,
IMHO it depends on the amp and pedals too. For example, if you play Stockholm sounds (Entombed, Dismember, Bloodbath), you certainly use a HM2 fuzz pedal so most of the grind compressed tone is here, then you probably should get a PK set to get a clean fast attack on low tuning.
Hope not to confuse you more :?
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Just for everybodys information I play out of a B-52 halfstack: AT-100 head & AT-412 cab along with a Seymour Duncan Metal Mayhem Pedal(Has great old schooL death metal distortion and has a killer Thrashy sound as well) and Dunlop MXR 10 BAND EQ! and I know what your talking about with the fuzz and PK combo and as much as I dig the sound its just doesnt suite my playing style(but I am curious now after you mentioned it, i'll definitely be looking into that sometime) dont get me wrong I do listen to those bands mentioned and I love how they sound and play. I have albums from each of those bands but My sound and playing style are more on the lines of Cryptopsy, Gore guts, Exhumed and even Pig Destroyer and Sodom(Yeah I know It is a broad selection but hey, Those are the closest I can relate my style and sounds, Like I said im into Grindcore, death and thrash)