Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: Jeengy on September 20, 2013, 03:23:00 AM
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I am planning on buying some black hawks for the guitar I absolutely love, but I have never bought pickups before. I am looking for suggestions on what configuration as far as alnico and ceramic.
My biggest influence is Between the Buried and Me, which has very heavies as well as some cutting highs. I read that you have to kinda match your pickups with what type of guitar you have (bright or warm) but I don't really know. I believe the guitarist uses alnico for neck and ceramic for bridge, and the fanboy that I am, I am leaning towards that.
Any thoughts?
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Hi and welcome.
I am just gonna assume you are already set on the BH, which is a great PU, but should you have any doubts please tell, weŽd gladly help out (and probably confuse the heck outa you xD).
Firstly, the alnico ceramic choice is never there for the neck. Infact all necks but one (the painkiller) are alnico.
As for the bridge think about this: Alnico is warmer, more organic, little more growl in the mids
ceramic is tighter, smoother in the mids, more cutting in the highs
For all out metal ceramic tends to be the better option, but alnico delivers more versatility and you should never think that it is not tight enough or such.
Oh, and of course: http://youtu.be/2qacdnnbe2k (http://youtu.be/2qacdnnbe2k)
Lastly, when you get the BH set be sure to install a splitting posibility, well worth it with that PU.
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Thanks for the response, I appreciate it. I prefer versatility rather than straight metal and it seems like alnico is the way to go. I re-read over his setup and it says that he chose to opt for the alnico bridge; I remembered incorrectly when I created the post I suppose.
As far as how "tight" they may compare to the ceramic, I feel I should read up a little more.
As far as slapping these pick ups into my specific guitar, is there anybody who has a similar set up or can provide input? My guitar is a 2006 C-1 Classic. The cleans are beautiful and with gain sounds surprisingly good as well, but I would like more umph. Hopefully I will not lose versatility as I enjoy playing BTBAM and Dethklok stuff in the low c tunings with big ol strings, as well as jazzy cleans and what not.
Any input is appreciated!
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Well the alnico one should have all the tighness you need. Every BKP is pretty tight (Crawler least so, but still capable of classic metal and has other qualitys) and this is one of the more modern / metal models so no fear.
I do not really know how well the BH neck really holds itself for jazzy cleans. It is supposed to do that well with that modern feel (bit like an active after all), but I do not know how much people agree with that. Certainly a split wiring always helps improve cleans. CanŽt expect something like a Stormy Monday or Manhattan in sound of course, but I think as far as modern neck PUs go this should be one of the best for jazzy stuff.
Hard for me concidering to recommend another neck, not only for the optical missmatch, but also for the sound / power difference which I cannot really make a good guess about.
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It's tricky to do anything with a Black Hawk other than fit a calibrated set because no other pickup really matches it. You could always look at an alnico Nailbomb instead, which is insanely tight and aggressive for an alnico pickup. I found it to be both tighter and more aggressive than even a Miracle Man or Cold Sweat, which are both ceramic. If you had an A-Bomb in the bridge you could put any humbucker you like in the neck and it would be visually fine. Just a thought. Try asking Tim.
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I did a review of the black hawk once and really should edit it to the following
'Sounds like an EMG but without batteries'.
Just my opinion.
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I did a review of the black hawk once and really should edit it to the following
'Sounds like an EMG but without batteries'.
Just my opinion.
I disagree. It is far juicier sounding than EMGs and a lot more dynamic.
It has all the good qualities of EMGs, though. VERY fast (and loud) bass response and attack and excellent clarity.
The Blackhawks do jazz extremely well, too. They are very hifi and modern sounding but it leads to beautiful, shimmering cleans. It's one of those pickups that excels in the both ends of the musical spectrum (Jazz & Metal) but isn't as suitable for the styles in between (blues, rock, etc.)
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I've just done a review of the blackhawks and youre free to disagree of course but theyre my findings and im sure theyre fine for jazz after all emg's were initially aimed at jazz musicians.
I dont find it dynamic at all but maybe in the hands of someone else it could be.
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Pharmacy school has been kicking my ass. I have done a little more research and found that the alnico would probably be a better choice for my guitar since it is fairly bright. I was almost ready to pull the trigger before I thought "it probably isn't as easy as dropping them in and soldering."
I have never done any kind of pickup work and am hoping no other parts are needed to slap these in my c-1 classic. I don't mind taking it to a tech to do the work, but I am wondering if anything else has to be replaced in replacing the SD JB/Jazz combo to the new black hawks.
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Pharmacy school has been kicking my ass. I have done a little more research and found that the alnico would probably be a better choice for my guitar since it is fairly bright. I was almost ready to pull the trigger before I thought "it probably isn't as easy as dropping them in and soldering."
I have never done any kind of pickup work and am hoping no other parts are needed to slap these in my c-1 classic. I don't mind taking it to a tech to do the work, but I am wondering if anything else has to be replaced in replacing the SD JB/Jazz combo to the new black hawks.
If you have a JB/Jazz combo and the harness is wire rather than a printed circuit board (open the back up to verify this) then it really is just a case of unsoldering the old pickups and soldering in the new ones. You can of course change pots and caps but if you have found the existing ones to be fine with the JB/Jazz setup then it's worth trying a simple pickup swap.
It's when you have active pickups and switch to passive that things get complicated.
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Yep, as Agent Orange said. Only thing you have to watch out for is that the wires of BKPs follow a different color code, so have a look at those (FAQ section of the website) and do those minor mental adjustments. If you can handle a soldering iron though and the rest of the electronics is not bad it should be pretty darn easy as far as wiring jobs go. Exchanging the pots and caps for high quality ones like the BKPs would not hurt, but is in a lot of cases not nececary.
So if you have no complaints with the electronics so far, just look up the color code and drop em in. Choosing a PU is much harder than installing them =)
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I doubt that SD pickups would be connected to a PCB, but if that's the case get back to us. You need to either install a custom harness or solder the same sort of connectors that you have on your existing pickups to the ends of the correct wires on the BKP if that's the case.
I think they are mainly in Gibsons and Epiphones at this point.
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Thanks all for the responses, I really appreciate it. I am ready to pull the trigger and was wondering if anybody had any suggestions on where to order from (I am in the US). I found an order form from axepalace.com and wanted to get you guys' input as well, also there were two options that concerned me.
String Spacing:
"50MM -- ideal for most fixed bridge guitars" what I chose
"53MM -- Ideal for most tremolo guitars, but works in anything"
If I end up getting another guitar will the second option work for both guitars or not really?
Leg Length:
"Short Leg -- reccommended in 99% of guitars" Seemed like a safe bet to me
"Long Leg -- recommended in guitars with deep cavities (Ie: Les Paul)"
So, any experience with ordering from axepalace?
Thanks!!
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I just realized there is a Buy Online button on the main BKP website, is that the way to go?
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I just realized there is a Buy Online button on the main BKP website, is that the way to go?
That's how I do it here in Australia. The 20% VAT comes off the price but you may have an import duty to pay, depending on US policy.
On the leg length, spacing etc the best way is to remove the pickups and have a look. You don't have to disconnect the wires, just lift them up enough to look at the legs. Otherwise someone here might have this guitar and can tell you what they had. 53mm is Fender spacing and is common on super strats and anything with a floating FR type tremolo system. You can measure this.
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It's not a trem or floyd and I measured 50mm so I went ahead and placed the order; I am not sure how long I should be expecting to wait but I will definitely post a follow-up once they are in the guitar.
Thanks all so much for the input, I really appreciate it!
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What difference would the spacing be on the Black Hawk which has blades?
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What difference would the spacing be on the Black Hawk which has blades?
No option there as the blades make this obsolete. Since the spacing refers to how far apart the pole pieces are, which can be important so they line up with the strings, this is no issue with the BH as those pole pieces are under the strings at all times anyway.
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I guess the option under the axepalace.com order form isn't applicable for this pick-up, but nonetheless I guess I learned something new.
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I guess the option under the axepalace.com order form isn't applicable for this pick-up, but nonetheless I guess I learned something new.
No, that is a small mistake on their side. If you look at the BKP shop you see that there is no such option there. Well if you are gonna make one mistake as a shop website that is kinda the most understandable on to make.
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Hey fellas, I did some digging and am starting to think I will have to buy some pots. Is there a way to physically see what kind that I have? From what I understand I should have 500k and only need to replace them if they are 250k yes? How can I tell what I have? Will the new ones fit if I do need them?
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250k for single coils and 500k for hummers. Should be engraved on the base of the pot if you look inside.
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Cool, I have 500k pots already. I just got a shipping notification; i'll post a follow up with some pics. Thanks so much for all the help guys.
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Yeah, in this case I would take a 'suck it and see' approach with regard to your existing wiring harness, just solder the pickups in and then decide if it sounds amazing or, alternatively, if it could be tweaked this way or that. I'm guessing that the pots will be fine. You might decide eventually to try different capacitors on the tone pot, but only the other hand what's in there already might sound great.
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Hey fellas, I have an update.
The install went smoothly and the new pickups sound great, however I feel there may be something wrong. There is noise that is somehow related to the tone pot; the noise is most apparent when I play in the bridge pickup with the tone at 100%. What does this mean? Bad soldering, bad pot, bad cap? What do I need to replace?
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Probably a bad solder joint. I would try melting that joint and doing it again.
Also make sure your bridge ground wire is connected properly.
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Alrighty I will open this up right now and post a follow up.
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No luck, but I am starting to feel it may be two other problems: I run through a pc interface and it's possible it is some kind of PC noise interference or something, or 2. I am being super anal about it. Everything sounds incredible but when the sounds die down I hear the noise and crackling bleeding through the signal.
Any input?
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Sounds internal. Did you go direct into an amp?
Still sounds like a solder joint needs fixing, probably a ground wire soldered inside somewhere.
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I don't have an amp here in my apartment, but I triple checked that the ground connection to the back of the pot is good, i'll check again on the ground that goes to the pickup switch after my meat is off the grill. Any other possibilities?
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I don't have any solder braid or a solder sucker to clean it up, but that is what the ground joint looks like. There was more than enough from before and I didn't really need to add any more, but everything didn't exactly look spotless before I got to it.
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Although you probably didn't do any soldering there, all that tugging around and stuff might have loosened up a weak joint somewhere else. Check the all the connections on the pots, and drop out the jack and check the connections on the back of it. Also, make sure that none of your connections are touching the walls of the cavity and that there are no solder blobs around that might be causing shorts when you hold the guitar a certain way (there might be some scope for wires to 'flap about' when you move).
I had some kind of solder blob somewhere once that cleared itself out. I pulled the guitar apart a couple of times but I'm sure all of my tests had less effect than the fact that I opened the back and shook things around a bit
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I re-did the ground solder joint once again and it is a lot better. I would have to use an amp to rule out the other half of the setup here.
Anyhow, I have been playing around for a while and am ready to give a final followup on the upgrade.
Surprisingly, I like the cleans better than my old pickups. I didn't think this would be the case, but I guess the older ones had a twangy quality that struck me the wrong way. The cleans are very clear and crisp, and I absolutely love it. I am really surprised because I wanted pickups that were more suited to heavy stuff like opeth or btbam that I have really been into lately. I like to play mainly in the bridge under heavy stuff but both pickups on clean really sounds phenomenal now. These pickups make me regret doubting the quality of my guitar; clean sounds are just so beautiful.
The heavies are definitely better. Again, crisp and tight, and palm mutes actually have power to them now! No muddiness on the lower side and long open opeth chords sounds clear and defined even under ridiculous gain.
Overall, I think these pickups are perfect for me. I don't excel at any one style and really enjoy having an instrument that I love sound good at most applications. I have been converted to BKP for sure.
I cannot express how grateful I am for all your help, I couldn't have done it without you guys and I really appreciate it.
One question though, can anyone out there enlighten me on pickup height for these kinds of pickups? I have mine almost flush with the black plastic pickup cover and they sound great, are they too hot to bring up closer to the strings?
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Just wind them up high until they sound awful and woofy, then lower then by half a turn until they sound really good, then lower them a bit more so they don't sound so good, and then raise back up to where you liked them.
That's how I do it.
Some people take notes and stuff but I get too confused by all that. What I've said above is good enough for an initial setup. When you have the low string side set up right then tweak the high string side, checking it by playing open chords (G major, C, major, E minor, etc) on clean. Check that both pickups sound roughly the same volume, if the neck sounds a lot quieter or louder move it up or down a bit more. Set the bridge up first as that's the one you'll use most.