Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: fdesalvo on August 02, 2015, 09:14:57 PM
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I just finished wrapping up and posting my first Crawler based track in the Players area. While I was recording with it some things came to mind.
Firstly, this pickup has an outstanding lead voice. The Abraxas is my benchmark, but the Crawler's notes really have the most lovely decay I've experienced. As the notes fade, you can hear them breaking up into beautiful harmonics and if the amp is goosed a bit, the ensuing feedback is just fantastic.
Secondly, from a rhythm standpoint, I find it's pretty close to the Abraxas in most cases, but that mid-range growl that's been described really gives distorted chords this fat, velvety, and smooth texture with a bit of high end presence to give it some sparkle,. I honestly feel this is what DiMarzio was gunning for when they developed the Tone Zone, but in my mind, they stopped R&D much too soon. When I listen to rock music, my ears often gravitate towards the rhythm guitars in the mix. And when they are recorded in such a way that I get the sensation of a huge, velvety ocean tickling my ears, I know I've found the right sound.
When I was a young boy, my father was listening to some hard rock and the crushing sound of the guitars caught my ear for the first time. From that moment forth, my ears have always searched for that sound within music. The Abraxas and Crawler put the mids in just the right places for that ocean of sound to manifest.
Tim and the crew at BK have somehow found a way to create a driving pickup with a huge and organic voice. That can't be easy to do; so many have tried and failed. The more I play with this pickup, the more I appreciate it. I am finding that the MM isn't the best partner with this pickup in my particular guitar. I may have to investigate the Irish Tour for this one, as many of you have suggested.
I think part of my problem has been flawed logic. I wanted a guitar that could do everything to the utmost without compromise. I've just come to accept that it doesn't work that way. The guitar this Crawler will reside in will be a bit of a hot rod. I can deal with that. I can see this pickup as an inspiration, the likes of which I haven't had since falling in love with the Abraxas.
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Cheers Frank for this nearly poetic review. The Crawler in my swampashstrat is my secret weapon when it has to be huge and loud. Even Les Paul-players drop their jaw when they hear how big it sounds.
You will like the Irish Tours, they have just a bit more of everything compared to the Mother's Milk. More bass, more mids, a bit less topend though. You can still have that woody character when you turn the volumeknob down a bit. Instant RHCP. But it does heavier rock very nice too. When i play some SRV in my projectband the neckpickup smokes and screams. Love them.
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Thanks for the kind words, brother. I may give these ITs a run for their money. I'm really high on this Crawler!
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Please stop Frank or you'll be convincing me to replace my new Abraxas set with Crawlers.
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Get ITs. Now. =)
Good to hear such nice thoughts on the Crawler. I can echo them fully. Itīs a special one.
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Get ITs. Now. =)
Good to hear such nice thoughts on the Crawler. I can echo them fully. Itīs a special one.
I shall report back, sir!
Please stop Frank or you'll be convincing me to replace my new Abraxas set with Crawlers.
Nooooo. The Abraxas will get jealous! Both of these pickups deserve their own little home.
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I agree 100%. The Crawler is the best all-round Rock pickup I've ever tried and it was perfect in my PRS. Unfortunately, that job is now being done by my Gibson and I'm not convinced the Crawler will work quite as well in that guitar. A Gibson Les Paul to me, is all about a huge sound with real body and some aggression to it. The Crawler does that Les Paul sound beautifully in a non-LP guitar but I'm still mulling over what will do the job in my LP. I'm in no rush as I quite like the 498T but I'm unsure of what is the nearest BKP improvement. My gut tells me either A-Bomb or Black Dog or probably a combination of the two. I confess I'm tempted to buy a Strat or another PRS just to have a reason to buy another Crawler. It really was sublime.
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^I'd love to hear the Abraxas in an LP
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I believe they work really well in a Les Paul so it did cross my mind but I don't really see it as similar to a 498T as surely it will have a far more vintage voice and not have the same aggression. I know lots of people knock the 498T but I honestly like it. It's just about open enough to do Classic Rock well but has enough aggression for more modern tones with lots of gain. It's this that makes me think A-Bomb despite my poor experience of it in the past. I realise that was in a maple neck-thru and a LP is worlds apart but a poor experience will inevitably make you think twice.
This is my LP and I was thinking of going open-poled with double rows of gold scews.
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Nice LP.
Nothing wrong with the 498s if you diggem. I liked the way they pushed my amp's front end.
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I put RYs in my all mahogany Firebird on Tim's recommendation after telling him I wanted to improve on the 498/490 set. He was dead right.
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I like the way you move, Richard.
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I agree 100%. The Crawler is the best all-round Rock pickup I've ever tried and it was perfect in my PRS. Unfortunately, that job is now being done by my Gibson and I'm not convinced the Crawler will work quite as well in that guitar. A Gibson Les Paul to me, is all about a huge sound with real body and some aggression to it. The Crawler does that Les Paul sound beautifully in a non-LP guitar but I'm still mulling over what will do the job in my LP. I'm in no rush as I quite like the 498T but I'm unsure of what is the nearest BKP improvement. My gut tells me either A-Bomb or Black Dog or probably a combination of the two.
498T could be similar to a Holy Diver, no? I think that if a Crawler is too much / too tame, the HD could be the solution (I'm in the same boat)
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I've had a Holydiver and it's a completely different beast as the 498 is tighter, brighter and more aggressive, hence the A-Bomb and Rebel Yell seem more likely.
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I was under the impression that the Rebel Yell is brighter than the HD?
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Exactly, the Rebel Yell is brighter than the Holydiver and so is the 498T and the A-Bomb.
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Exactly, the Rebel Yell is brighter than the Holydiver and so is the 498T and the A-Bomb.
I haven't used a HD or a RY but I've had the 498T and A-Bomb in the same guitar and I can tell you that the A-Bomb has a lot more mids and treble detail (hair) than the 498T. It also has more clarity and string separation. Unless you want raspier mids than the 498T I would recommend looking elsewhere, maybe the ceramic NB or the CS. I have actually found the CS to sound closer to the 498T than the A-Bomb.
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That inherent hairiness in the A-Bomb did concern me. In many ways I find the 498T to be somewhere inbetween the A-Bomb and the Cold Sweat because it seems to be raspier than the Cold Sweat but nothing like the A-Bomb. Perhaps the Rebel Yell would be the answer if that raspy hairiness is tamed a bit.
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I think that the 498T sounds a bit 'thin' compared to the CS. However I suspect that the RY could be thinner again. It really needs a guitar with a lot of inherent bass. I think you are right though that the 498T has more rasp than the CS, but the CS has more edge, cut, and bottom than the 498T. I don't think there is much difference between the 498T and CS in terms of output though, whereas the A-Bomb seems to be a definite output increase.
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Mmmm, I never usually like 'thin' sounding pickups so it won't be the RY and I like that bit of rasp the 498T has so it sounds like BKP may not do what I'm after.
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Rebel Yells are NOT thin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qum0jkf-bZc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVSuYtrqzlg