Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: Exodus5 on November 29, 2016, 04:21:27 PM

Title: Anyone put Mules in an Alder/Superstrat guitar with trem?
Post by: Exodus5 on November 29, 2016, 04:21:27 PM
The mules (unpotted, it turns out) I have in my Les Paul have been the most absolutely impressive pickups I have ever used.  I have never had a set of pickups more fundamentally improve my sound than this set and I have had every Dimarzio/Duncan they make and several other more "boutique" brands as well.  I have tried other BK's in my Les Paul (Emerald/Abraxas) but only the mules have impressed me.  I recently bought a EBMM Petrucci JPX6 (alder w/mahogany tone block...Mahogany/Ebony neck) and I really don't love the Dimarzios in that.  I thought about trying to get something comparable from BKP, but I remembered how I didn't like the other BKPs and went ahead and ordered potted (high gain here) Mules for my JPX.  Has anybody here tried a set of mules in an Alder guitar with a trem?  I've seen a few references to strats have a bridge mule here and there.
Title: Re: Anyone put Mules in an Alder/Superstrat guitar with trem?
Post by: Telerocker on November 30, 2016, 05:17:28 PM
The mules (unpotted, it turns out) I have in my Les Paul have been the most absolutely impressive pickups I have ever used.  I have never had a set of pickups more fundamentally improve my sound than this set and I have had every Dimarzio/Duncan they make and several other more "boutique" brands as well.  I have tried other BK's in my Les Paul (Emerald/Abraxas) but only the mules have impressed me.  I recently bought a EBMM Petrucci JPX6 (alder w/mahogany tone block...Mahogany/Ebony neck) and I really don't love the Dimarzios in that.  I thought about trying to get something comparable from BKP, but I remembered how I didn't like the other BKPs and went ahead and ordered potted (high gain here) Mules for my JPX.  Has anybody here tried a set of mules in an Alder guitar with a trem?  I've seen a few references to strats have a bridge mule here and there.

In HSS-strats manufacturers often use a 250k pot for a bridgehumbucker with vintageoutput. In this setup a Mule works. I prefer 500k pots with something like the Abraxas or Crawler. A Mule with 500k could be on the bright side. It depends on the guitar. How dark/bright is the natural voice?
Title: Re: Anyone put Mules in an Alder/Superstrat guitar with trem?
Post by: Exodus5 on November 30, 2016, 09:51:58 PM
Acoustically I would call it "bright-sweet".  My Les Paul studio (which I have unpotted mules in now) is "Bright-Mid".  It has a custom wiring harness with CTS 500K pots and that is the sound I love.  Not sure if those descriptions will mean anything to you, though.

Title: Re: Anyone put Mules in an Alder/Superstrat guitar with trem?
Post by: Telerocker on November 30, 2016, 11:05:22 PM
Difficult. A Mule might work, but Abraxas would be a safer bet.
Title: Re: Anyone put Mules in an Alder/Superstrat guitar with trem?
Post by: Exodus5 on December 01, 2016, 03:51:55 AM
Difficult. A Mule might work, but Abraxas would be a safer bet.

I had the Abraxas in another guitar (PRS, I believe) and was not happy with them.  The Mules were much clearer, for lack of a better word.
I've already purchased the Mules....I'm just getting worried that they won't "hold together" through my Rectoverb.....I listened to a bunch of clips and now I'm thinking I should have ordered the Nailbombs...
I didn't order direct (used a retailer here in the US) so I won't be able to exchange them...
Title: Re: Anyone put Mules in an Alder/Superstrat guitar with trem?
Post by: ericsabbath on December 01, 2016, 11:28:31 AM
I sold a riff raff to a guy that installed it in a fender strat and it sounded amazing and very balanced
I'm pretty sure a mule in a JPX should sound even better
Title: Re: Anyone put Mules in an Alder/Superstrat guitar with trem?
Post by: gwEm on December 01, 2016, 11:45:10 AM
An A2 Mule was a popular thing on here for strats a while back. Maybe you can have a look into some of those old posts. There might be some clips too.
Title: Re: Anyone put Mules in an Alder/Superstrat guitar with trem?
Post by: Axe Palace on December 15, 2016, 09:21:38 PM
Abraxas or Holydiver would be my choice for a bright strat. Mule i think is better suited for set-neck guitars.
Title: Re: Anyone put Mules in an Alder/Superstrat guitar with trem?
Post by: Exodus5 on December 19, 2016, 02:32:10 PM
Well, the potted Mules were a bust.  The sound was similar to the LP with Unpotted mules but I didn't get the clarity/brightness of the LP/Mules.  I have already found a buyer for them, so that worked out.  Now I need to not make this mistake again.  I have determined that I definitely want to tame the upper midrange in my sound.  I can goof around with the knobs on my amps a bit, but this guitar is always less "sharp" than my others.  I played them all back to back and I think where I actually want the JPX to go is more toward the sound I get from my stock RG7620.  That is the New7 or Blaze Dimarzio (depending on who you ask).....Any recommendations for what BKP can get me there?
Title: Re: Anyone put Mules in an Alder/Superstrat guitar with trem?
Post by: Tahoebrian5 on December 22, 2016, 03:31:38 PM
Have you considered a VH2? Specifically designed for a super strat.