Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: richardjmorgan on September 19, 2014, 12:11:23 PM
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Well, after several years on and off dipping into this forum, and feeling like something of an interloper for not actually having a set of BKPs in any of my guitars, I picked up this 'un (in the middle) on ebay this week, after a semi-drunken Sunday Pub bid, featuring a set of Mules under the original pickup covers.
(http://i.imgur.com/a2lriwe.jpg)
Only had a chance for a quick play, not plugged in yet, but looking forward to giving it a crack over the weekend while I've got the flat to myself. Mules weren't really on my radar due to my being a metal idiot, but who knows, maybe this'll take me out of my comfort zone, which is never a bad thing. Initial thoughts on the rest of the guitar: seems solidly put together, lighter than most LPs I've played, and the neck's not too fat and round, which is another problem I've had before with LP-type guitars. So, initial reaction: pretty chuffed.
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That is a good looking geetar. I would think that Mules would be perfect in that. I'm not really a metal player (anymore) but I do find that BKPs are very versatile and many cope well outside their nominal tonal range.
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lovely Greco there! how old is she? love mine (a Flying V)
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lovely Greco there! how old is she? love mine (a Flying V)
'89, so 24 or 25. It's gone nicely yellowy. Really haven't had much time to get to grips with it but it seems really quite lovely on initial inspection. Itching to get back home and properly get stuck in. It'll be nice to have a Gibson-style guitar I can play sitting down too (cf the V on the left of that pic).
Andrew – that's exactly what I'm thinking. I'm by no means going to sack off the metal, but might make a nice change from trying to keep up with the high-output arms race. Too many indistinguishable guitar sounds going on in metal these days anyway, imo.
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Nice Greco and good choice. Mules can handle serious gain, but also have beautiful cleans.
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A 'white' LP is one of THE coolest looking guitars. Hope it sounds as good as it looks.
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Having had a bit more time to play this, I'm delighted with it. The pickups sound great; as far as my cloth ears can tell, just as clear and punchy under high gain as the EMGs in my V, maybe a little bit warmer, and I don't think I've heard a guitar sound as good as this clean. This was only through my Pod at home though so I can't wait to fire up the 5150 and give it a crack.
One thing I was mildly concerned about is that the previous owner replaced the bridge with one that seems to be wider spaced and the top string doesn't pass directly over the bridge pickup polepiece, but this doesn't seem to have negatively affected the string's sound as far as I can tell. Other thing I was initially unsure about was the "witch hat" knobs, but I'm totally sold on them now, both in terms of look and feel. Half tempted to try and source some to put on the V.
Anyway, chuffed to bits with this; sounds great and plays nicer than a lot of real Gibsons I've played. Once payday rolls round again I'll be paying Jonathan at Feline a visit to get it set up with some nice fat strings in the tuning I use for my main band (C# std.) – anyone have any thoughts on if the Mules are likely to have any issues with the lower tuning?
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I love the mules! They surprised me so much. I have them in my vigier excalibur. I play shred, metal and fusion. They can handle my 5153 gains no problem. The clarity is what really got me and that they don't get flubby. Enjoy them! :evil:
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Nice one :smiley:
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I think I might have a new favourite guitar. I feel like a traitor to the V. :undecided:
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I think I might have a new favourite guitar. I feel like a traitor to the V. :undecided:
You'll come back to the V eventually. And they do look even better with the witch hat knobs too :)
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Congratulations, looks like a nice catch - late 70s / early 80s Grecos I've played were all pretty good guitars, and as you might have found out by yourself now, the Mules are really amazing pickups from pristine clean to full-tilt modern hi-gain. If it has not already been done I suggest you try the 50s wiring mod, it really works great with Mules if you like to use your volume pot to go from clean to mean - and if not, that would be one more reason to give it a try, being able to control your gain level from the guitar makes a huge difference.
Anyway: welcome to the club, and beware: BKPs can be really addictive :evil:
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Yep, it's 50s wired already, with some nice fat paper in oil caps, although I've yet to check what sort. I'm not usually much of a volume knob user, but it's certainly nice to have the option.
Definitely going to try and source some witch hats for the V now. And I'm beginning to think it might look nice with some pickups with worn nickel covers in it. UH OH.
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Yep, it's 50s wired already, with some nice fat paper in oil caps, although I've yet to check what sort. I'm not usually much of a volume knob user, but it's certainly nice to have the option.
Definitely going to try and source some witch hats for the V now. And I'm beginning to think it might look nice with some pickups with worn nickel covers in it. UH OH.
With the witch hat knobs, I would suggest getting the AllParts ones. They look alot better than some of the cheap ones. A few ebay sellers stock them.
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And I'm beginning to think it might look nice with some pickups with worn nickel covers in it. UH OH.
Hint: raw nickel covers get the worned/aged look very fast.
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The question, of course, is which BKPs would best suit the V…
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Riff Raffs! Or a Riff Raff bridge with another Mule in the neck.
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Riff Raffs! Or a Riff Raff bridge with another Mule in the neck.
That would be the classic!!
I have the feeling something more metal may be in order though.?
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Yeah, maybe more metal. But I thought if the Mules in the Greco have gone down well, why not stay classic? :grin:
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Yeah, maybe more metal. But I thought if the Mules in the Greco have gone down well, why not stay classic? :grin:
guitar would certainly look brilliant in a classic way with those witch hat knobs in the conventional '67 triangle positions with rings and uncovered riff raffs, or delete the rings and some sort of silvery covers :cool:
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You can also go half way if not riff raff. I would imagine the Emerald should also work nicely in a V and has a load of that old school vibe while also being a modern metal favorite. As long as the V is not on the bright side of things....
Plus they are awesome with covers. ;)
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I was thinking rings AND covers; not a big fan of the big scratchplate, no covers look, hence having put some rings on already. But then my volume and tone pots aren't in the right place either; I moved them around to get the jack socket in a more convenient place. And the rest of the hardware's black. So god knows what it'll end up looking like.
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Here's my weird knob arrangement. (!) Makes it easier to loop my cable up through my strap without there being a massive bit running between the prongs. Still think witch hats would look cool though. Raw nickel covers with that black hardware though? Yeah, why not.
(http://i.imgur.com/n9Datit.jpg?1)
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Riff Raffs! Or a Riff Raff bridge with another Mule in the neck.
That would be the classic!!
I have the feeling something more metal may be in order though.?
RR can stand a huge amount of gain - at least as much as the Mules, and possibly more.