Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: cschneider154 on March 04, 2014, 09:02:14 PM
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I bought a B.C. Rich Bich NJ made in 84. I cant seem to find a whole lot of information about the specs of this guitar, other than that it was made in Japan in 1984. I dont know what wood the body is, but i want to replace the pickups since i just replaced the strings. I found a Chrome PRS JUNIOR Tune-O-Matic Bridge on ebay and im thinking of buying that to replace the bridge. I definitely DO NOT want a floyd rose. I want to put pickups that are good for metal (metalica, led zepellin, slayer, korn, etc..) but can also play jazz, blues, pop etc... I know that sounds like im asking for a perfect pickup but i did not list EMG 81-85's on here because i feel they are more geared towards metal and not much versatility. I am leaning towards the EMG 81/60 set. I have been reading around and heard the following are good pickup sets. i would prefer if people suggested sets:
1- SD JB in the bridge but idk what in the neck? maybe SD Jazz?
2- EMG 81/60 set
3- SD blackout AHB-1 in the bridge but idk what in the neck?
4- Bareknuckle holydiver in the bridge but idk what in the neck? i was suggested a coldsweat
5- Dimarzio Liquifire/Crunchlab
P.S- i posted on an other website too and im getting a lot of "put black winters in the bridge". What about the neck? Im suggested pairing the black winter with a 59 in the neck. Thoughts? or the full black winter set? Also does anyone have any experience with the bareknuckles?
P.S.S- The amp i plan on using is a VOX VALVETRONIX AD30VT 30 WATT GUITAR AMPLIFIER
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i'd probably suggest either a nailbomb or a holy diver bridge. both seem to be pretty versatile. not sure about the neck though. and both of these sort of depend on the wood.. which you dont know. the HD may be the safer choice.
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The Cold Sweat set is very versatile in the right guitar. Unlike a lot of sets it works well in SGs. It likes middy guitars.
Emerald is apparently a better neck pairing with the Holy Diver than a Cold Sweat. I agree that in most guitars that combination (Em/HD) would be very versatile.
Nailbomb set can also be very versatile but it is the opposite of the CS set. It doesn't work in middy guitars.
The Rebel Yell set might work really well in the Rich Bich if it is quite bassy. That set loves Explorers, which like the Bich have a lot of wood behind the bridge. If the wood is mahogany I'd definitely suggest that set as an option. If it is a middy wood like basswood maybe go for the Cold Sweat set
Don't forget that the alnico and ceramic options on the NB can be quite different.
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Tell us a bit more about the acoustic properties of the guitar. A picture might help as well, I'm not familiar with that model.
Also, you're amp isn't really the ultimate in terms of tone. You'll get more out of the pickups by upgrading the amp. While it might not be something you can tackle right away, you should keep this in mind mid- to long-term.
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http://www.bcrich.com/shape/bich/guitars-and-bass/5 (http://www.bcrich.com/shape/bich/guitars-and-bass/5)
Seems like currently they tend to be mahogany, except the cheapies, which are nato.
I'm guessing that the old ones were all mahogany.
From memory a lot of them were neck-through. I can't remember the neck construction but I do remember some that had several woods in the neck.
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So it has a Floyd and you are going to convert it to a fixed bridge? When you are in there, confirm if the wood is Mahogany. It may be cheaper to get a Tremol-no or similar device. Or another guitar.
Also no pickup set (or guitar) in the world will give you both Led Zeppelin and Korn. IMO, you need to be a bit more focused or you'll end up with a guitar that does many things ok-ish but does nothing great.
Just my two cents.
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I think it's probably got a wraptail, most of these Rich Bich model guitars seem to have those.
We had a recent discussion here of the Graph Tech ResoMax NW1 and NW2; those are available on ebay for US$105 plus postage. I just ordered one myself this week for my SG Junior. You would need to check the measurements but I am pretty sure it might work.
The thread on them is here: https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=31514.0
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The Abraxas might do it.
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So it has a Floyd and you are going to convert it to a fixed bridge? When you are in there, confirm if the wood is Mahogany. It may be cheaper to get a Tremol-no or similar device. Or another guitar.
Also no pickup set (or guitar) in the world will give you both Led Zeppelin and Korn. IMO, you need to be a bit more focused or you'll end up with a guitar that does many things ok-ish but does nothing great.
Just my two cents.
i have no idea what the bridge is. I sent an email to bcrich last night with pics and the serial number and havent heard back yet. Also i plan on getting a new amp i plan on upgrading to a PEAVEY VYPYR 100 MODELING GUITAR AMP 2 X 12 SPEAKERS 100 WATTS.
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well i also have a acoustic/electric ibanez so i guess ill have that for the led zepellin and focus this to be more towards korn.
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You can post a pic here, that would help.
My vote goes for the Cold Sweat or the ceramic Nailbomb then. I supose you are going to tune low?
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Yes, and if you can post a pic of the inside of the control cavity if there is any wood showing there I could probably tell you what it is.
If the bridge looks anything like the ones in the BC Rich link I posted above, that's a wraptail. A tune-o-matic - which I doubt would work on this guitar without extensive routing to covert it to a string-through-body design - either has a separate tailpiece or the strings fed through the body. If the strings feed through the bridge and then wrap over the top then that's a wraptail, and the ResoMax or a Pigtail would be the best bet as a replacement. Again if you post a pic I'm sure me or someone else here can tell you what it is.
I'm a fan of Peavey amps - or at least their better tube amps - but I've never had any luck with modelling amps. Make sure you try it out well before you buy to make sure it has sounds that you like.
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(http://i62.tinypic.com/ao2nfb.jpg)
(http://i59.tinypic.com/245ha8y.jpg)
(http://i62.tinypic.com/sw8vwx.jpg)
(http://i62.tinypic.com/2gua8vc.jpg)
(http://i59.tinypic.com/5dnjpf.jpg)
(http://i59.tinypic.com/262qlhw.jpg)
(http://i61.tinypic.com/25zkv3l.jpg)
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Good luck with that bridge conversion :/
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Yeah, I wouldn't try fitting a wraptail or tune-o-matic to a guitar that has been routed like that.
You might want to look into a Kahler.
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That guitar would be worth a few quid. A bridge conversion will probably devalue it, but it's your guitar, so you can do what you want with it.
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ok so as a noob pretty much what do you guys suggest i do just keep the bridge? how do i got about polishing it up to clean it and stuff then? Also i heard get a kahler? ill look more into the Graph Tech ResoMax NW1. i dont know too much about those ones.
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There are some better quality vintage tremolos available, you could look into that. If you have the nut looked at, locking tuners on it and a new bridge, the performance should be very stable. I think I had a Wilkinson tremolo on the ESP strat I had a while and I was quite amazed at the tuning stability when using the tremolo.
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what about Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2?
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what about Alnico II Pro Slash APH-2?
Wow......a non BKP opinion. :o
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The Alnico II Pro pickups are very nice but I don't know if I would consider them "metal" pickups.
Now this is simply my opinion, don't lynch me. I've had very good experiences mixing bright amps like Marshalls with dark guitars / seymour duncan humbuckers. Generally the thicker woolier tone really gives a lot of girth and chunk to the more brittle and defined tones.
My love affair with Bare Knuckle pickups is that they mate so incredibly well with Mesa Boogie amps, amps that start to quickly become dark and muddy with dark guitars / seymour duncans. The clarity and detail really contributes to the overall tone of a boogie which is also very detailed / complex.
So, consider your amp. For Metal / Non metal, I think it's more an amp thing. I discovered that Nailbomb + Les Paul + Dual Rectifier = really modern tones. Electra Dyne + Les Paul + Nailbomb = wicked warm (Brown) and more vintage crunch tones.
Marshall JCM 2000 + Mahogany guitar / Bolt On Neck (Godin LG) plus Custom Custom in the bridge = wicked thick and bright metal tones and killer rock crunch.
Oh, Rebel Yell set is also awesome. It can do metal like tones but it's different than a Nailbomb. More mids, more open highs, and cleans up even better with the volume pot.
Maybe try recording your guitar unplugged to get an idea of its overall tonality? I've been doing this now to help with my pickup selection.
Here is my document for reference. #1 Godin LG. Very scooped guitar with really phat low mids and a bump in the low treble / high mids around 4 - 5k.
Mahogany neck bolt on, rosewood fingerboard, mahogany body.
#2 Gibson Les Paul. A thick but clear lows, more than adequate low mids, a present, round midrange up until abound 2k. Very even high mid and treble response.
Mahogany set neck, rosewood fingerboard, mahogany weight relieved body with a maple cap. This guitar sounds much like an acoustic guitar unplugged.
#3 Godin Redline. Hard maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, soft maple body with poplar wings. Bolt on neck. Big lows and low mids but definitely much more mids, especially 500 - 1000Hz. A bump between 3 - 4k. It's strat like, brighter than the other two guitars, but very balanced. Dark for a strat.
#4 Peavey Predator AX. Strat Copy. Maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, bolt on neck. Not sure what the body is, but most likely poplar, alder, or swamp ash. This guitar was the brightest for sure, with a lot more mids than the other guitars. The upper harmonics were particularly present, from about 6k up to like 10k.
I recorded these samples with a condenser mic around the neck pickup on the instrument. This little experiment has been really helpful for me when I was attempting to choose pickups.
Happy choosing.
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Holy Diver and Nailbomb come to mind as the versatile options.
Black Dog if you want less output and a foot in the classic rock camp.
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what about dirty fingers?
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Played my Cold Sweat SG Standard today and yes it still sounds amazing.
The best guitar for metal I've had and the best pickups for metal out of the BKPs I've owned - and that includes Warpigs and Nailbombs!
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Cool looking axe bro.. 8) its got all of the old flavour.
I see the MPC1000 as well. Do you use it together with your guitars? Is there example production of yours we can hear?
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yeah i do use the mpc 1000 with my guitars. right now all my gear is this:
AKAI MPC 1000
ALESIS MULTIMIX 8 USB FX
AKAI MINIAK
BC RICH BICH NJ-1984 with cobalt strings
YAMAHA FD02 with Elixir strings
CASIO PX350
Samick Malibu Greg Bennett Strat
and the only amp i currently own is a silvertone 10 watt but i have another forum asking people what amp i should upgrade too so ill be getting a better one soon. I was borrowing a buddys line6 but now i have to get my own. :p
Im currently editing the sample production. I have some Michael Jackson production on the MPC right now and im editing a lamb of god sample i played on the BICH. Im a noob on here how do i link a song? just put the link to the youtube or soundcloud?
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Yes, that will do:)
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I have a BC Rich Mockingbird from the early 80's. It has a Badass bridge, so you could look at them as a replacement. I put a set of Cold Sweats in it and it works really well. The phase switches and preamp/varitone all work really well with them.
(http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af302/philking/DSCF1235_zpsdcffbbc0.jpg)
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anyone play a Bill Lawrence L-90 in the neck and a L-500 in the bridge.? i listened to some videos and it seems the rebel yell sounds very 80's to me. Its cool and all, but it doesent sound like it could play modern metal at all. ill admit i liked that you could get them with a laser gun etch lol
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Cold Sweats will give you anything from Judas Priest to Pantera to Slayer and Celtic Frost.
They do not have an EMG type sound though - if you are looking for that go for a Black Hawk or Miracle Man.
Rebel Yells do sound quite '80s, very Ratt or Randy Rhoads
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Cold Sweats will give you anything from Judas Priest to Pantera to Slayer and Celtic Frost.
They do not have an EMG type sound though - if you are looking for that go for a Black Hawk or Miracle Man.
Rebel Yells do sound quite '80s, very Ratt or Randy Rhoads
what do you mean they do not have an emg type sound? is there something the emg has that they are lacking?
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No, just that it's a specific sound. For example, Suffocation, '90s Slayer, and most death metal from '89 onwards tended to use that pickup. I don't especially like it, but it works in some situations. The MM and BH are closer to it in sound and output than a Cold Sweat, which sounds more like the hot passive humbuckers of the '80s. The A-Bomb has a more '90s metal sound, but really you could also see it as a '80s hardcore sound.
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anyone play a Bill Lawrence L-90 in the neck and a L-500 in the bridge.? i listened to some videos and it seems the rebel yell sounds very 80's to me. Its cool and all, but it doesent sound like it could play modern metal at all. ill admit i liked that you could get them with a laser gun etch lol
Nolly has been big on the Rebel Yell for years, and all his Red Seas Fire stuff (IIRC) was recorded with a Rebel Yell in the bridge.
http://youtu.be/1QUUajNPb5g (http://youtu.be/1QUUajNPb5g)
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i had a rebel yell set in my LP for 5 or 6 months and while i think it could definitely hit that 80s tone, its definitely much more than that. its quite versatile. i have some videos on my channel showing it off a bit. let me find some
Bare Knuckle Rebel Yell Pickup / Gibson Les Paul review (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65zOouArFDo#ws)
Riff. Full Version (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaCA4x2dVas#ws)
Comparing Bare Knuckle Pickups - The Mule, Piledriver, Rebel Yell, Stockholm (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geVjMQDqxjM#)
(3rd guitar in this video)
Testing my new Peavey 5150 4x12 Cab (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63AmIgFjo4o#)
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No, just that it's a specific sound. For example, Suffocation, '90s Slayer, and most death metal from '89 onwards tended to use that pickup. I don't especially like it, but it works in some situations. The MM and BH are closer to it in sound and output than a Cold Sweat, which sounds more like the hot passive humbuckers of the '80s. The A-Bomb has a more '90s metal sound, but really you could also see it as a '80s hardcore sound.
now im super interested in the MM and BH haha, im gonna check out some videos. Ill check out those rebel yell videos posted above as well, although i keep seeing videos of the rebel yell playing great but still none of the videos show the rebel yell playing modern or really heavy metal lol, so im still convinced its a pickup stuck in the 80's. The nolly video was cool but i would of liked to have a video of him by himself.
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ill admit im a noob. what does it mean when you go to buy a pickup and the choices are 2.0H, 2.8H, 4.0H etc?
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No, just that it's a specific sound. For example, Suffocation, '90s Slayer, and most death metal from '89 onwards tended to use that pickup. I don't especially like it, but it works in some situations. The MM and BH are closer to it in sound and output than a Cold Sweat, which sounds more like the hot passive humbuckers of the '80s. The A-Bomb has a more '90s metal sound, but really you could also see it as a '80s hardcore sound.
now im super interested in the MM and BH haha, im gonna check out some videos. Ill check out those rebel yell videos posted above as well, although i keep seeing videos of the rebel yell playing great but still none of the videos show the rebel yell playing modern or really heavy metal lol, so im still convinced its a pickup stuck in the 80's. The nolly video was cool but i would of liked to have a video of him by himself.
I think pickups do something to shape tone but equally important is the axe they're in and the amp they're being played through. It's a bit narrow minded to classify a pickup as one sound / style era when tone is influenced by so many other factors as well.
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Please describe the EMG sound.
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so after making myself look like a jackass i have concluded that the rebel yells are not stuck in the 80's. I think i might actually put a rebel yell in the bridge but was considering a emerald or vhii in the neck. would that work for what i want? or should i wait to hear back what kind of wood the guitar is? To be honest im a little sold on the rebel yell because i really want that ray gun sketch lol but after watching some nolly videos on other rebel yell videos it seems like you can play metal on a rebel yell seeing how nolly did it with his band but he only had a rebel yell in the bridge.
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I would take a closer look at the Rebel Yell neck before ruling it out, especially if you want the rayguns.
It is one of the best pickups in the BKP range, described as being between the VHII and Cold Sweat in character. It is a little brighter than the CS and not quite as hot, but can do the same things, if that makes sense.
I really think that the RYs would be very well suited to your guitar simply because of the similarities between it and an Explorer, where the RYs are the stand-out pickup choice because of the large mass of wood behind the bridge, which provides a lot of bass but can get muddy with a pickup that lacks the RYs tight bottom end.
BTW, the main guitarist I think of when I see a Rich Bich is Mappe from Candlemass, who used one on all of their classic albums from the '80s for that huge rhythm sound.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiAhhY1B3GE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiAhhY1B3GE)
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The Rebel Yells are interesting pickups. They're very 3 dimensional and they have really lively harmonics that just growl and chirp like crazy.
The soloing / lead playing in particular is really really fun. It may take some getting used to but once you learn how to manipulate the different tones with your pick, you'll never go back. There is a depth to the expression that I really love.
I find that the bright high mids really go well with dark / modern amplifiers, as these pickups retain clarity and string separation even under ludicrous amounts of gain. The trick to getting a great sound with a RY is finding the most appropriate piece of wood for them. Any axe that is more scooped sounding with a lot of lows and low mids will provide this pickup with a monstrous tone overall. Having put it in an all mahogany guitar, it's absolutely enormous sounding and it growls like an angry chainsaw.
:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
for days!!!
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yellowjacket you put the set or just a bridge RY in the all mahogany? how would they handle other wood type?
agentorange- Badass video man, you pushed me a step closer to the RY. He wouldent happen to actually be using RY pickups in that video is he?
also i just checked is it really worth the extra $150 to get RY instead of a black winter open set? or a blackout set? AKA i just need some more pushes to buy RY lol
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The black winter are Duncans if memory serves? I like to be fair here and not put duncans down. The can work really well. Hey, a lot of classic and great sounding stuff has been recorded with them. I do however think that, yes the extra money is worth it here. I am not talking specific pickups, just general BKP vs others.
Paying more for high end gear is a thing, sometimes it is worth it, sometimes you are paying for name or mojo. I have gear from a lot of companys. All good stuff, but there are three that really feel like they rise above the rest for me. Feline Guitars, our own Juansolos pedals (not even a buissiness), and BKP. The quality, the heart, and really just (pardon my french) the f*ck these people actually give. It is a term thrown around often, but when it feels right it just feels right.
So would I recommend you to try BKPs? Hell yeah. The guys are really cool, probably the best customer service I have seen on such a scale. In this day and age that counts for a lot in my book. What would it be without good product? Nothing. What BKPs can deliver however can be hard to describe. Yes, they are really open, dynamic, touch sensitive, defined, musical, etc. All words which are good, I like words, heck I study them currently, but you can only really take it on faith and try it yourself.
And if you somehow happen to not like it there is always either the wonderful BKP customer service with 14 day return policy if bought directly and if all goes wrong pretty good resale value.
Sh*te I am sounding more and more like a sales guy for BKP. I have been here too long. xD
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yellowjacket you put the set or just a bridge RY in the all mahogany? how would they handle other wood type?
agentorange- Badass video man, you pushed me a step closer to the RY. He wouldent happen to actually be using RY pickups in that video is he?
also i just checked is it really worth the extra $150 to get RY instead of a black winter open set? AKA i just need some more pushes to buy RY lol
Dark / Bass heavy guitars are best because they make for a beefy and balanced sound.
[Edit] I was typing this out very quickly so I didn't fully answer your question. I apologize. I had the RY bridge in a LP Standard, so Mahogany / Rosewood fingerboard / Set Neck / Maple cap. It tends to get brighter and quite mid rangey and can sound a bit thin at lower gain settings. Once again, a dark and bass heavy amp (Like a Dual Rectifier) will compensate for this quite easily. I've not tried the RYs in a properly bright guitar but they're very bright pickups so I'd imagine this sort of configuration would quickly become overbearing.
Generally I like BKP with dark and thick amps like Mesas that tend to get muddy. I prefer Seyour Duncans with bright and thin / midrangey / clear sounding amps like Marshalls.
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[quote author=Kiichi link=topic=31565.msg406035#msg406035 date=1394499319
The black winter are Duncans if memory serves? I like to be fair here and not put duncans down. The can work really well. Hey, a lot of classic and great sounding stuff has been recorded with them. I do however think that, yes the extra money is worth it here. I am not talking specific pickups, just general BKP vs others.]
the only negative ive heard of bareknuckles so far is that they can be "Scatter Wound" which means that the winds are not guided and not uniform. so the tone will be different.
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agentorange- Badass video man, you pushed me a step closer to the RY. He wouldent happen to actually be using RY pickups in that video is he?
Definitely not. BKP has only been around for ten years. That video is from 1990. I'm guessing the bridge pickup was a DiMarzio Super Distortion, which was quite common in BC Rich guitars back then, but it's hard to tell from the clip. Or it might have been a Duncan Distortion. I know he later went to ESP Vipers with EMGs. He pretty much always uses the bridge, never the neck. Several of his guitars have no neck pickup.
Speaking of Di Marzios, heres a Rich Bich with a D Activator. Not sure what the BKP equivalent is.
Dimarzio D Activator pickups in an import BC Rich Bich. Great pickups (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rcl9sgvda7o#)
EDIT: I just remembered that this video has a C-Pig in a Rich Bich.
Bare Knuckle Sinner vs Ceramic Warpig vs EMG 707 || Toontrack Metal Guitar Gods Tone (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9larPyGh8FE#ws)
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the only negative ive heard of bareknuckles so far is that they can be "Scatter Wound" which means that the winds are not guided and not uniform. so the tone will be different.
Scatterwinding is a technique that makes the tone more complex. If the wind was more uniform, more frequencies would be cancelled out. I don't know that BKPs actually sound much different within the same model, no matter if a pickup is machine or hand wound a person still has to make sure it's been wound a certain number of times.
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the only negative ive heard of bareknuckles so far is that they can be "Scatter Wound" which means that the winds are not guided and not uniform. so the tone will be different.
Scatterwinding is a technique that makes the tone more complex. If the wind was more uniform, more frequencies would be cancelled out. I don't know that BKPs actually sound much different within the same model, no matter if a pickup is machine or hand wound a person still has to make sure it's been wound a certain number of times.
It also opens up the high end in an airy way and helps definition. I think that was about the scatterwinding reducing the internal impedance of the coils.
Bottom line: Scatterwinding is a pretty good thing.