Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: ventura on January 31, 2010, 05:47:50 PM

Title: HELP!! New to BKP and have a GOAL!!!!
Post by: ventura on January 31, 2010, 05:47:50 PM
 :P  Hello Everyone and thanks for this most awesome forum...

I've been checking out BKP's for a long time now since they were mentioned on my most visited forum, rig-talk.com - I'm Ventura over there too, so come on by and say hi...

I need some PRO or SEASONED advice here.  My goal is quite simply, to get the tone IN MY HEAD, out to my PLAYING and EARS.  I have a number of amps, all high gain monsters.  I do have this brilliant lil' Peavey Classic 30 which has just undergone a serious facelift - Genalex Gold Lion EL84's, Tung Sol 12AX7's, and get this, a beauty new Celestion Alnico Gold 12".  It's only a 1x12 combo right now, and may stay that way - but I may build a 2x12 extension, this isn't material to my question though.  Although THIS is THE amp I'll be using to GET the tone I'm speaking of...

I have an older Hamer Archtop Studio, circa early 90's.  Great guitar - solid mahogany back and neck, quilted maple top, decent poly lacquer finish, rosewood fretboard.  It plays ultra easy and is one of my all time "go to" guitars.  I am wanting to rid the guitar of its old/tired pups, and want BKP's in there.  But here's the rub:

I'd like 2x humbuckers, both will be coil-tap able via the 2 volume controls on the guitar (2 vol, 1 tone)

The humbuckers in the single coil config need crisp, vintagy, sparkling cleans right down to dirty OD sounds (think Jimi/Clapton/Beck style tones)

The humbuckers in the dual coil (natural) config need that brown, vintage, dirty overdriven Zep sound right over to Zappa-esque tones (due to his numerous tones, lets just say his real articulate, overdriven, dirty stuff found on "Shut up n' Play".

The reason I mention the guitar wood and the amp its going through is because that's all part of the chemistry.  A classic Alnico based cone with tube driven power stage is critical IMHO.  I'd like to know, WHAT BKP's are the ones that I can most likely GET this style of set up?  I've listened to SO many of the clips off this site, and although the Mules are up there, I own 3 LPC's that have Gibson's versions (again, IMHO) of Mules stock in them already.  I was thinking the Black Dogs or Cold Sweats or a combo of the two, 1 neck (Cold Sweats) and 1 bridge (Black Dogs).

I'm staying away from the contemporary pups as I have an arsenal of hi-gain style guitars and amps.  This lil' Alnico/Hamer/BKP project is to breathe life into a tone that's been dead for decades...and I want to be the guy who has it back on tap.

ANY INFO OR ADVICE FOR THIS NEWBIE WOULD BE SO GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!

V.
Title: Re: HELP!! New to BKP and have a GOAL!!!!
Post by: ventura on January 31, 2010, 09:58:06 PM
Thank you, Tim Mills for addressing my questions in such a prompt and professional manner.

V.
Title: Re: HELP!! New to BKP and have a GOAL!!!!
Post by: gwEm on January 31, 2010, 11:47:48 PM
cold sweat bridge is ceramic
Title: Re: HELP!! New to BKP and have a GOAL!!!!
Post by: ventura on February 01, 2010, 12:59:27 AM
Well, thank you...  Pardon my ignorance but is there a reason this is something that is of seeming importance?

V.
Title: Re: HELP!! New to BKP and have a GOAL!!!!
Post by: Philly Q on February 01, 2010, 01:04:56 AM
Thank you, Tim Mills for addressing my questions in such a prompt and professional manner.

Welcome to the forum.  :)   What did Tim suggest?
Title: Re: HELP!! New to BKP and have a GOAL!!!!
Post by: ventura on February 01, 2010, 05:50:28 AM
Riff Raffs...  And from what I could conjure up on this forum, they really are the shiznit of what I'm looking for...

I'm stoked   :mrgreen:

V.
Title: Re: HELP!! New to BKP and have a GOAL!!!!
Post by: MrBump on February 01, 2010, 11:12:12 AM
Riff raffs sound appropriate.

I like my Mules personally - and I'd stay away from Cold Sweats, if it's vintage clarity that you're after.

And yes - welcome!

Mark.