Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: Nolly on October 12, 2011, 08:54:33 AM
-
Hi there lads,
Based off the success of the recent sevenstring.org interview with Tim (http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/artist-reviews-interviews/174097-sevenstring-org-interview-tim-mills-bare-knuckle-pickups.html), in which forum users got to have an input on the questions asked, Tim has agreed to go another round, this time with Bare Knuckle forumites asking the questions!
Go ahead and post any questions you'd like Tim to answer in this thread, and when there is a decent number I'll put them to him!
I should stress this is not the place for "what pickup should I choose?" questions (those should be directed through the regular BKP email channel as per normal), instead it is an opportunity to ask anything about the development of the company and the pickups, or to find out what goes on behind the scenes at BKP from the man himself, for example. See the linked ss.org interview above for examples of questions that were asked and answered.
Cheers guys, hopefully together we can make this into an informative and interesting resource for the forum!
-
Would you ever licence a "diffusion" line of mass market OEM pickups, possibly branded as "BKP designed" for use in a major manufacturers production guitars?
-
Which pickups in the range that are "hidden gems" - ones that are wonderful pickups but that players tend to overlook when choosing pickups and might later kick themselves for ignoring once they hear or try one out?
What are the biggest misconceptions about pickups or any one model in particular?
Are there any items of "internet folklore" about pickups that seem to get perpetuated that you would like to debunk?
-
Which pickup was the biggest challenge to design and why?
-
Your own preferences seem to sit with heavier styles (you even were sideman of Jon Schaffer in Iced Earth once). However your pickups, while being very popular in the metal scene, are also famous for vintage and clean tones. How do you manage to put so much passion into the development of these authentic and even improved vintage pickups?
-
When designing pickups, do you design the bridge pickup before the neck? And on the pickups in which you do design the bridge first; what is your process of making the neck pickup to calibrate it as a pair? Do you use the blueprints of the bridge pickup, or do you design it from scratch? And have you ever ran into a brick wall (not literally) when trying to calibrate 2 pickups?
-
How do you ensure consistency among pickups? It sounds like a very difficult thing to do considering that Bareknuckles are not only handwound, but also scatterwound. Is there some tolerance between individual pickups?
-
How do you ensure consistency among pickups? It sounds like a very difficult thing to do considering that Bareknuckles are not only handwound, but also scatterwound. Is there some tolerance between individual pickups?
Yes - i'm interested in that
how do you ensure that one Nailbomb or whatever will sound like the next one - especially considering the scatterwind
Is there a recipe for how the scatter or uneveness goes for each pickup?
-
What are the biggest misconceptions about pickups or any one model in particular?
That's a good question.
It's probably going into too much detail, but it would be good to hear more about individual pickup models and in particular how they compare with (and differ from) each other - over and above what the "product pages" tell us.
For example, there was a quote from Tim on a recent thread where he went into some detail about the VHII and the Riff Raff - the effect of magnets, the "offset" between coils, how much wire could be wound on each coil etc - it was nice (and unusual) to see somethng so specific.
-
Another question about designing calibrated sets (following on from Poetic Justice above):
Some sets seem to be designed to give a contrast between neck and bridge, whereas in others they're more like "variations on a theme", with a more subtle difference. How do you decide which approach to take for a particular set?
-
Great stuff chaps, keep them coming!
Don't be afraid to re-tread some of the same ground as the sevenstring.org interview - this is obviously going to be a completely separate, standalone article.
-
just how much do the non-metallic parts of a pickup (bobbins, spacers) add/change the sound of the pickup compared to the mass market?
-
I realise that commercial demand will drive decisions as to what products to develop first or next , and whilst I applaud the introduction of 8 and 9 string humbuckers to the range I was surprised that there would be so much demand for such , maybe compared to things like mini humbuckers, firebird pickups or maybe wide range humbuckers as you often see on thinline teles.
Have I missed a trend - is the 8 and 9 string market taking off?
Also how difficult is it developing & voicing pickups that have to deal with frequencies so low - especially when many amps will struggle to reproduce the sound particularly well?
-
^ Another bloody good question!
I've accepted the "is there a demand?" argument on minibuckers, Jazzmasters etc but now that I think about it, it does seem surprising that there are so many multi-string pickups available.
-
^ Another bloody good question!
I've accepted the "is there a demand?" argument on minibuckers, Jazzmasters etc but now that I think about it, it does seem surprising that there are so many multi-string pickups available.
I blame mothers making their unborn babies listen to "Whale-song" in the womb - they get a taste for those low frequencies.
Mind you - if you go far the other way in the frequency spectrum then you will make music that only bats will enjoy.....
Tim - do you ever have to take proposed scale lengths of the guitars into account when designing pickups.
Do you ever think that a 24" or 24.75" scale could do with an altered wind compared to a similar guitar that was 25.5" or more?
-
Would you be interested/pick up a Clients proposal to Make a Pickup in conjunction with Seymour duncan and DImarzio? i Mean half Bare knuckle. Half Dimarzio. Half Seymour duncan? a total Hybrid pickup. picking up the best characteristics from all 3 companies?
it would be an in interesting thing. and i myself would be the first to ask for such pickup.
8)
-
Would you be interested/pick up a Clients proposal to Make a Pickup in conjunction with Seymour duncan and DImarzio? i Mean half Bare knuckle. Half Dimarzio. Half Seymour duncan? a total Hybrid pickup. picking up the best characteristics from all 3 companys?
it would be an in interesting thing. and i myself would be the first to ask for such pickup.
8)
You'd be left with 1 and a 1/2 pickups there if you have half from 3 companies. Just thought I'd point out :P
-
How different is the magnet type and wind between 6, 7, 8 and 9 string versions of the same pickup? Presumably you have to cater for the lower (or possibly higher frequencies), and also the bobbin dimensions are different.
Will, for example, an 8 string Cold Sweat perform on the conventional six strings as a 6 string Cold Sweat?
What music do you listen to in the BKP workshops while you wind? :)
-
Would you be interested/pick up a Clients proposal to Make a Pickup in conjunction with Seymour duncan and DImarzio? i Mean half Bare knuckle. Half Dimarzio. Half Seymour duncan? a total Hybrid pickup. picking up the best characteristics from all 3 companys?
it would be an in interesting thing. and i myself would be the first to ask for such pickup.
8)
You'd be left with 1 and a 1/2 pickups there if you have half from 3 companies. Just thought I'd point out :P
(http://liveassets.rationalpathinc.netdna-cdn.com/usercontent/gear/2293339/p2_uwuhjccr0_so.jpg)(http://www.hamerfanclub.com/images/cherrybig.jpg)
-
Would you be interested/pick up a Clients proposal to Make a Pickup in conjunction with Seymour duncan and DImarzio? i Mean half Bare knuckle. Half Dimarzio. Half Seymour duncan? a total Hybrid pickup. picking up the best characteristics from all 3 companys?
it would be an in interesting thing. and i myself would be the first to ask for such pickup.
8)
You'd be left with 1 and a 1/2 pickups there if you have half from 3 companies. Just thought I'd point out :P
Yeah but that's still a humbucker with a single coil next to it, so it's still technically separate :)
-
Would you be interested/pick up a Clients proposal to Make a Pickup in conjunction with Seymour duncan and DImarzio? i Mean half Bare knuckle. Half Dimarzio. Half Seymour duncan? a total Hybrid pickup. picking up the best characteristics from all 3 companys?
it would be an in interesting thing. and i myself would be the first to ask for such pickup.
8)
You'd be left with 1 and a 1/2 pickups there if you have half from 3 companies. Just thought I'd point out :P
Yeah but that's still a humbucker with a single coil next to it, so it's still technically separate :)
WTF? Yeah, great design by committee always works... PDT_038
One man's work...
(http://www.lairweb.org.nz/leonardo/monalisa.jpg)
Committee:
(http://failuremag.com/images/uploads/articles/manalisa_moba.jpg)
-
i do believe Fender have just launched a guitar with a "triplebucker". all somewhat off topic though :(
-
The Mule was based on the Gibson PAF. You obviously researched (and have rewound) several original PAFs - how much variation did you find in the various examples and what would you define as a 'good' example?
-
(http://img3.photographersdirect.com/img/262/wm/pd535991.jpg)
another triple-bucker
-
Tim - is there an artist who you would love to make some pickups for to recreate tones that they had on an album that maybe they aren't currently getting when they play live.
-
Would you be interested/pick up a Clients proposal to Make a Pickup in conjunction with Seymour duncan and DImarzio? i Mean half Bare knuckle. Half Dimarzio. Half Seymour duncan? a total Hybrid pickup. picking up the best characteristics from all 3 companies?
it would be an in interesting thing. and i myself would be the first to ask for such pickup.
8)
Hmm .. sounds a good idea .. you're not a politician by any chance..(EU MP perhaps?) :)
"Hey Seymour..Tim here, I've just shipped 10,000 single coils over to you for assembly.."
"What the ***k - if you think Larry and me are putting your scatterwound c**p anywhere near our stuff ..... :rock:"
-
What to you is the most amazing pickup-thing you have ever seen or heard?
-
What to you is the most amazing pickup-thing you have ever seen or heard?
This is a good question!
-
This is more a request, rather than a question.
Regarding the Humbucker clips (I'm not familiar with the Telecaster/P90/Single Coil Clips), you said the clips you'd recorded where all done in a Les Paul. I was wondering whether you could record the same clips in a guitar that may suit the pickup more. For e.g. Record the Holy Diver in a Strat or something. Also mabye add an extra individual, or couple, songs for each pickup which really show it shine; rather than just having the pickups compared in the 'Hair Metal' and 'Modern Metal Clips'. I find after listening to a few, I forget what the other ones sound like, and before too long, it just loses all meaning. It would be great if each pickup had an instrumental song with it, in a guitar that really makes it shine, giving you a real insight to the pickup's individual voicing.
-
Good stuff guys, keep them coming
-
BKs are generally more versatile than most pickups occupying similar tonal target regions: I'd like to know how much about the different applications and musical contexts, even tonal characteristics in different circumstances, Tim learns from customer experience.
-
we all know Tim's favourite BKP is the Mule, and is often thought of as the most versatile.. its also a favourite of many forumers too!
what do you think it is about Seth Lover's original design that makes it so enduring and work well with so many styles? a happy accident, or a deliberate design?
-
How about a strat pickup with adjustable poles? :)
-
I'd also be very interested to know how consistency is maintained from pickup to pickup, especially since they are hand wound by multiple people.
Also, would Tim ever consider adding specific information to the website that explains how each pickup would generally sound in different types of guitars? For example, the pickup's page would say how it responds to being in a mahogany guitar, a alder/maple guitar, etc.
-
I can't find a straight answer on the net about what makes some single coils have more 'quack' than others.
Can I have your insight?
Also who would win in a fight, a penguin or a monkey?
-
Also who would win in a fight, a penguin or a monkey?
Best question so far. By a mile.
Tims (most likely) answer: The mule.
Tim, have you ever thought about doing soundhole pickups for accoustic guitars?
-
What are some of your most popular pickups?
Does a cover change the tone of a pickup? (humbucker or P90)
The fact that the Warpigs have been adopted for jazz by some players is a pretty well known story. What other unusual uses for your pickups have you heard of or discovered for yourself?
-
How do prevent that pickups with serious treble according to the eq-chart get icepicky? That's often a reason to change pickups. By example, I find the MM's in my ashstrat bright and present, but not harsh or annoying. What's the trick?
-
How do prevent that pickups with serious treble according to the eq-chart get icepicky? That's often a reason to change pickups. By example, I find the MM's in my ashstrat bright and present, but not harsh or annoying. What's the trick?
Have you ever thought about writing a book about pickup making, and your experiences? I think it would be good to hear about all the different kind of wires, how certain winds affect the tone, etc.
-
When is a pickup manufacturer ever going to produce a good replacement for (or copy of) the Fender Wide Range humbucker?
-
Do you have any rules of thumb regarding pickup models and guitar wood/construction types? in other words, does experience tell you not to mix certain PUPs with certain wood/LPs, Strats etc?
-
When is a pickup manufacturer ever going to produce a good replacement for (or copy of) the Fender Wide Range humbucker?
http://www.telenator.com/ (http://www.telenator.com/)
(Haven't tried 'em, all I know is they exist - and they're not cheap!)
-
Edit: What do you feel are the strengths/weaknesses of Strat style single coils, P90s, humbuckers, and telecaster pickups?
-
What effect, if any, does RWRP have on the tone of the pickup? Does it alter it in any way from the tone of the stock wound single coils?
-
Have you ever thought about writing a book about pickup making, and your experiences? I think it would be good to hear about all the different kind of wires, how certain winds affect the tone, etc.
I second this wholeheartedly. I would buy that book in an instant.
-
If you could ensure top quality of only ONE specific pickup component, what would it be?
-
Tim,
I found this in a guitar amp forum and I did post this on the BKP site, but it was recommended that I add this to your Q & A site.
Here are two excerpts from another forum stating that Tim does not wind BKPs that much anymore due to high demand for his product. Not to cause a huge issue, but is this true?
"I have a couple older Nailbombs and they are great. They work best in very bright guitars. Lots of harmonics, very full sounding, nothing frequency-wise that is scooped or spiked. Because they are so dynamic under distortion, they feel like they are high output, which they are not. If you could picture a more musical sounding, clearer, lower output Tone Zone you would be close.
The older BK pups are very special. The newer ones, not so much. Tim no longer winds these himself, and he has changed some of the components and materials used. With the exchange rate, Bare Knuckles can be very expensive.""Hmmm... I've got an Air Zone, it's not that.
You have to find one that's at least 3 years old, that's when the demand forced Tim to change everything. If you could play one that Tim did himself, you could see why the hype started. For a while, you could beg him to make your order personally, but he doesn't do that anymore. I'm happy for his success, but the product is not the same.
Just like Seymour, I remember in 1981 the humbucker he made for my Tele, it was awesome! But now, I really haven't found anything in the catalog I like, and a lot that IMO is just plain bad".
-
Right guys, Tim and I have discussed and agreed that the cutoff date for questions is going to be 20th November (next Sunday). After that he'll set aside time to answer and post his responses.
Cheers!
-
Tim, do you ever get wound up at work?
Here's my real question: Will you ever produce a single coil size humbucker?
BKs are my favourite pups and I have several, but my amazing no 1 custom tele type guitar currently has a dimarzio in the bridge. I like high gain sounds but I feel that the piledriver is going to give me too much hum. Also I like to be able to split the pup for a weaker, more trad tele type twang.
-
Tim, any plans for putting your pickups into production guitar like DiMarzio/Seymour Duncan?
Any plans for anniversary special editions? I love my Mule and I'd really like to buy a 'special' one when your first big anniversary rolls round.
Paddy
-
Many thanks for the questions. Toughest yet of all the Q&A's I've had to do - should have know they'd come from my own forum :lol:!
I'll do my best to get these answered before Xmas and reposted somewhere logical on the forum, hopefully with some pics too.