Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: marshall powered on October 06, 2013, 03:56:34 AM
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Hello,
I want to replace the pickups in my Warmoth Strat clone with all Bare Knuckles, but I'm not sure which models to try. my Strat has these specs:
Alder body
Maple neck and fretboard
Stainless-steel frets
No tone controls, just a single volume
Bladerunner floating Strat trem, with brass block and Graph-Tech saddles
Earvana nut
My favorite guitarists and influences are Ritchie Blackmore, Uli Jon Roth, Yngwie, James Byrd, Joe Stump....the usual suspects of Strat rockers :)
I've tried both the DiMarzio HS and Seymour Duncan YJM Fury models, but want to try some true single coils.
What Bare Knuckle models should I try first?
Thanks!
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Uli & Yngwie and given what you have said regarding previous pickups I'm going to guess that a stock wound set of Trilogy Suites might be recommended for you, although there are more 'vintage' sounding ones on the list you might find these suit you best.
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Trilogies for a modern rocksound. Slowhands if you want powerful vintagehot-pickups that still have that classic stratty chime.
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I have a Trilogy Suite neck and middle in a ESP Mirage. They are fairly modern voiced. I'd say they're pretty good for Malmsteen and Uli Jon Roth. I also like their clean tones but it's a very modern -- definitely not your classic strat sound. For Blackmore-like sounds though I believe that Mothers Milks are the best for Blackmore, but the Slow Hands also do a very good job. Slow Hands might be the middle ground.
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you're going to be happy with the trilogies. They are more in the modern side, but clean up really well in the volume pot. Plus, I can get some nice blackmore tones of them through my plexi. For an ash/maple strat (that is probably on the bright side) they are a good choice to balance things out... the slow hands also are good for what you want, but more in the vintage side... if you choose the SH, maybe you'll need an od pedal to push things for a malmsteen tones (depending on your amp).
I would not get into the mother's milk territory though... maybe too bright for what you want.
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you're going to be happy with the trilogies. They are more in the modern side, but clean up really well in the volume pot. Plus, I can get some nice blackmore tones of them through my plexi. For an ash/maple strat (that is probably on the bright side) they are a good choice to balance things out... the slow hands also are good for what you want, but more in the vintage side... if you choose the SH, maybe you'll need an od pedal to push things for a malmsteen tones (depending on your amp).
I would not get into the mother's milk territory though... maybe too bright for what you want.
I could never get Blackmore's mids quite... I own a Marshall Major and I've played it through a cabinet that Richie Blackmore used to own before but the TS's have a little extra mids and never capture the rawness of Blackmore's tone.
It's still a very acceptable sound for playing Blackmore, however.
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Well depends on the era too, and other factors... Thinking of the famous albuns such as machine head and so, they were recorded with a Vox AC-30 and vintage pickups... the trilogies are more close to the seymour era of RB, but they can do some nice overall DP tones IMO.. I run then in an ash/maple strat with a veneer rosewood board through a plexi with greenbacks and the tone is very very good. I boost the mids with a boss GE-10 too.
With the Major, Blackmore used to "boost" the signal with a tape recorder on the chain... that was famous to add mids to his tone... maybe you're lacking a nice preamp boost... Badger does some nice tape preamp pedals (EP3, tape recorders, etc) that worth cheking out...
http://www.badgereffects.com/badger1011D.html (http://www.badgereffects.com/badger1011D.html)
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Well depends on the era too, and other factors... Thinking of the famous albuns such as machine head and so, they were recorded with a Vox AC-30 and vintage pickups... the trilogies are more close to the seymour era of RB, but they can do some nice overall DP tones IMO.. I run then in an ash/maple strat with a veneer rosewood board through a plexi with greenbacks and the tone is very very good. I boost the mids with a boss GE-10 too.
With the Major, Blackmore used to "boost" the signal with a tape recorder on the chain... that was famous to add mids to his tone... maybe you're lacking a nice preamp boost... Badger does some nice tape preamp pedals (EP3, tape recorders, etc) that worth cheking out...
http://www.badgereffects.com/badger1011D.html (http://www.badgereffects.com/badger1011D.html)
I actually have a Java Boost by Keeley electronics, a treble booster that's fairly authentic to what they used back in the day. Most vintage style pickups always get me pretty close to the Blackmore sound around Machine Head/Made in Japan. However I'm scared to use it because I did once and cranked it up and it literally melted a tube into the socket. Cost me $350ish to get it back up and running again. I know Richie Blackmore used to go through a set of tubes a night back in the day as well on his Major. I have to say it did sound absolutely amazing though... like I had to change my pants amazing and the neighbors had to buy an extra set of ear plugs amazing lol!
I picked up a higher gain head after that...
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WOW I wonder how loud that thing is!!! :lol: :lol: Do you attenuate it?
Well... The majors are different from plexis in some points, maybe that's why I can't complain about mids, but bear in mind that the major blackmore had was modified to a somewhat cascaded preamp back in the day (you probably know this too as I can see you really like him as much as I do 8))
Maybe the slowhands can help you better in the midrange thing...