Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: Nolly on May 13, 2010, 12:05:59 PM
-
I've had a set of Cold Sweats in my Blackmachine B2 for about a year and a half now, and they have done me very well indeed. Recently, I've been playing around a lot with my other BKP-equipped guitars, and I started falling in love with the slightly lower output alnico pickups Tim makes. I decided to try swapping out the pickups in the B2 to see what happens.
So, after some careful consideration I ordered a Rebel Yell for the bridge, and a VHII for the neck (the latter is probably my favourite neck pickup ever!).
Onto why BKP rocks: I ordered the pickups on Tuesday, and they got here this morning :eek: Bearing in mind the pickups are handwound to order, that is absolutely ridiculous service, nothing less that what I've come to expect from Tim and the team.
Anyway, I'll be fitting them over the next couple of days, then I'll do some comparison clips of the new pickups vs. the old!
Here's a few pics I quickly snapped:
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/Nollythegreat/BKPs/VHII2.jpg)
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/Nollythegreat/BKPs/VHII3.jpg)
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/Nollythegreat/BKPs/VHII1.jpg)
Can't wait to try these beasts out!
-
I've never been particularly tempted by the distressed/camo covers, but for some reason they look excellent with the double rows of polepieces! :D
-
I was gonna say "Yep, excellent service, as usual... pity he fobbed you off with some old covers from the skip, though... :wink:"
But it turns out I'm with Philly on these - they do look good like that :D
-
I LOVE the look of those double pole piece distressed camos! Can't wait to see these installed and hear clips! :)
Roo
-
sweet :D :D :D
Tim is the only guy on Earth that could outgreat Nolly
-
Looking very much forward to comparison clips... :D
-
VHII for the neck ... probably my favourite neck pickup ever!
Yep, mine too. It's fantastic & IMHO is just as good a match for the higher gain BKP bridge models as the Cold Sweat.
Happy NPD!
-
Cheers for the comments guys, I'm definitely looking forward to getting them in. I love the camo covers Tim did - I asked him to select a particularly "busy" patterned set, and he absolutely nailed the look I was hoping for!
-
OK, so I've got the pickups installed now!
I took a few shots while I replaced the pickups, unfortunately it got dark halfway through, so the great reveal will have to be done tomorrow when i get some pics in the light:
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/Nollythegreat/BKPs/5.jpg)
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/Nollythegreat/BKPs/2.jpg)
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/Nollythegreat/BKPs/3.jpg)
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/Nollythegreat/BKPs/4.jpg)
First impressions: I love them! The Rebel Yell is smoother than the old Cold Sweat with slightly less low-end, which makes it seem tighter (in this case alnico beats ceramic it would seem!). With my current recording tones, the CS cuts through a little bit better since it is much brighter, but some EQing will sort that. The RY definitely keeps up with the CS for clarity, which is a surprise since the CS has always been my benchmark for that.
I've spent less time with the VHII, but I'm hearing all the things that I love about the VHII in my Kramer. It's juicy and warm, but at the same time very clear and defined.
I'm looking forward to properly auditioning them when I can really crank the volume and put in some playing hours.
I've just done a very quick couple of clips.
First you'll hear the new Rebel Yell, then the old Cold Sweat (it's quite obvious when it changes):
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/790683/RY%20vs%20CS%20%28Recovery%20riff%29.mp3 (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/790683/RY%20vs%20CS%20%28Recovery%20riff%29.mp3)
Note that the tone was dialled in with the CSs, so the RYs might sound a bit dark in comparison. I prefer the sound of the palm mutes with the RYs, and I reckon that with a bit of extra presence on the amp I'd get the best of both worlds.
An interesting one is the B2 with the new pickups versus my other Blackmachine, the B6, which has a ceramic Nailbomb in the bridge. The riff is from Architects Early Grave, and is played badly, so apologies for that. The guitar changes are much quicker. Just once around the riff with the B2 then once with the B6, then the same deal, but with drums and bass:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/790683/Early%20graves%20B2%20vs%20B6.mp3 (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/790683/Early%20graves%20B2%20vs%20B6.mp3)
More clips to come tomorrow!
-
ew. a mac :S
Btw how much does a blackmachine cost? I really love the look of those guitars.
-
Grabbed some pictures of the B2 this morning!
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/Nollythegreat/BKPs/LastImport-1.jpg)
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/Nollythegreat/BKPs/LastImport-4.jpg)
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/Nollythegreat/BKPs/LastImport-0.jpg)
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/Nollythegreat/BKPs/LastImport-2.jpg)
All was going well until this guy decided he was ready for his close up:
(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh76/Nollythegreat/BKPs/LastImport-5.jpg)
Cheeky li'l bugger
-
Nice axe, kinda like it though its a bit body thin for my tastes. I had a slsmg once a really felt like playing on a feather lol. Sounds good too, nice mid push on the RY.
But Im still curious, you always have very middy p'ups, guitars, and some amps simulation on axe FX like 5150 is also middy.
Aren't those guitars too bright on gigs or rehearsals ?? Im fond of the KSE alike tone you get out of the swamp ash ones but Im still wondering :lol:.
-
nice clips and pics :)
-
I'm quite surprised by how aggressive it is.
Remember, as I'm sure you do, that your double screw pole version will inantely have more bass, and that the general ballance between low and high end can be tuned (clumsily) for each string with the relative height of the two screws; raise the neck-wards one for more low end and vice versa. I suspect this is why you got it DSP (its why I used to get all my bridges DSP), but just making sure - you may be able to find screw heights that let you use the same settings for all/both guitars.
-
what a gorgeous beast. (the cat is pretty, too.)
Nolly, just wondering what you think of the Nailbomb. I know Misha favors the Cold Sweat as well, those clips sound pretty fantastic to me (forgive me, what rig are you playing through?) I understand the lower output is to maximize the articulation and definition.
Just got a Nailbomb put in a strat with an all maple neck, and it helped to "organi-cize" the overall brightness of the guitar.
Just seems like there are so many options with woods and such. The nailbomb sounds great to me (in that guitar)...what would you recommend for Mahogany/ Maple/Rosewood?
you are a fantastic player, btw, your SiKth youtube clips are just stellar! (as are any clips you post, for that matter).
-
But Im still curious, you always have very middy p'ups, guitars, and some amps simulation on axe FX like 5150 is also middy.
Aren't those guitars too bright on gigs or rehearsals ?? Im fond of the KSE alike tone you get out of the swamp ash ones but Im still wondering :lol:.
Nah dude, never had a problem with over-brightness. The RY is also considerably darker in the top end than the old CS I had in there, so it's even less of an issue.
I'm quite surprised by how aggressive it is.
Remember, as I'm sure you do, that your double screw pole version will inantely have more bass, and that the general ballance between low and high end can be tuned (clumsily) for each string with the relative height of the two screws; raise the neck-wards one for more low end and vice versa. I suspect this is why you got it DSP (its why I used to get all my bridges DSP), but just making sure - you may be able to find screw heights that let you use the same settings for all/both guitars.
Yep, me too. The RY is giving me literally the best metal tone I've had, I'm absolutely smitten.
And yeah, I order DSP for that very reason :)
what a gorgeous beast. (the cat is pretty, too.)
Nolly, just wondering what you think of the Nailbomb. I know Misha favors the Cold Sweat as well, those clips sound pretty fantastic to me (forgive me, what rig are you playing through?) I understand the lower output is to maximize the articulation and definition.
Just got a Nailbomb put in a strat with an all maple neck, and it helped to "organi-cize" the overall brightness of the guitar.
Just seems like there are so many options with woods and such. The nailbomb sounds great to me (in that guitar)...what would you recommend for Mahogany/ Maple/Rosewood?
you are a fantastic player, btw, your SiKth youtube clips are just stellar! (as are any clips you post, for that matter).
Hey dude, thanks, glad you enjoy the vids/clips :) I'm using a Fractal Audio Axe-FX for the tones.
I love the Nailbomb, it's a great pickup! The original alnico version is very organic and open, while the ceramic is grindy and saturated, with lovely top end bite and tightness.
Misha is using the Cold Sweat in a couple of his guitars (he got those in his Blackmachines on mine and Doug's recommendation), but he's experimenting with a few different ones. I'm definitely going to get him to try the Rebel Yell, and I know he's keen to check out the Aftermath too.
For your guitar, if the stereotypes are true you should have a fairly open choice to make, you just have to decide on the voicing you want. I can highly recommend the RY as an awesome pickup to try, but you could hardly go wrong with any of the range.
-
Duly noted, now you got me curious about the RY! (as well as a C-Bomb...and a C-Pig......jeez...good thing I have enough guitars to put all these pickups in :P)
How does the RY compare to an A-Bomb, in terms of YOUR ears? Tonally what has been working for me (up to this point, at least) was Duncan SH-13's (Dimebuckers) in a couple of Ibanez S series (Mahogany/Maple/Rosewood)....
I went with the A-Bomb in the maplenecked strat to try and get a similar thing, and it appears to have worked (albeit I am smitten with the Bomb, it's way more articulate than the Dime). I'm using Line 6 stuff, I have a Vetta HD with the 2.5 software (the Powerball model is my fave) , and an XT Pro (funny how the models don't sound anything like each other...that really pissed me off...the PBall in the Vetta is way better sounding than the XT).
I also got a Diver for another maple necked guitar, it sounds good with some patches, but has a little less output than I thought it would. I'll leave it for now, but will most likely get another A-Bomb for that guitar.
Would you suggest trying a RY in one of my Ibanez's?
-
Your cat looks alot like mine! *thumbs up*
-
Duly noted, now you got me curious about the RY! (as well as a C-Bomb...and a C-Pig......jeez...good thing I have enough guitars to put all these pickups in :P)
How does the RY compare to an A-Bomb, in terms of YOUR ears? Tonally what has been working for me (up to this point, at least) was Duncan SH-13's (Dimebuckers) in a couple of Ibanez S series (Mahogany/Maple/Rosewood)....
I went with the A-Bomb in the maplenecked strat to try and get a similar thing, and it appears to have worked (albeit I am smitten with the Bomb, it's way more articulate than the Dime). I'm using Line 6 stuff, I have a Vetta HD with the 2.5 software (the Powerball model is my fave) , and an XT Pro (funny how the models don't sound anything like each other...that really pissed me off...the PBall in the Vetta is way better sounding than the XT).
I also got a Diver for another maple necked guitar, it sounds good with some patches, but has a little less output than I thought it would. I'll leave it for now, but will most likely get another A-Bomb for that guitar.
Would you suggest trying a RY in one of my Ibanez's?
Sorry dude, I never saw this!
I've not directly compared the RY and A-pig in the same guitar, but my expectation would be that the A-pig was significantly darker and more saturated. The RY seems tighter and clearer, and has more upper-end harmonic interest to my ears.