Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: fdesalvo on May 24, 2019, 07:38:56 PM
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I've had about a dozen high end single coils in my various guitars including some from the BK line (Apaches, MM, 63 Veneer) in search of "that" Strat sound. I came so damn close with the Pat Pend 63's and the Rocketfire Total 60's, which were my fav all time pickups for their tones' respective eras. The 63's are hugely expressive, fat and woody, giving me an early 60's vibe. On the other end, the Total 60's are more bold and gutsy, capturing the late 60's vibe like none other. But these....
These 59's have the woody organic tones of the 63's, but are much more clear. The neck is bubbly and throaty and the in betweens are perfectly hollow (FINALLY!!!!) - and there's a glassy timbre throughout all positions, but instead of it being as hard and strident as the other pickups I've tried, the feel is more compressed and buttery. It's literally affecting the way the strings feel under the fingers. It's silly to say, but it's like butter on top of ice on top of warm, rich soil. It makes no sense, but that's the feel I get from them. Every switch position is magical and iconic. On a side note, I’ve got these fairy low, with the covers just above the mounting screws on the pickguard and I’m not even curious about adjusting them further. It was setup and go with minimal tweaking. Who knows what other tones lie within? Finally a new guitar that sounds old.
Someone posted some exquisite samples of these here doing the SRV/Mayer thing and they nail that, but without the exaggerated EQ of other pickups that claim to do the same. Through this BF Vibrolux clone, they are that sound, but so much more BC these players merely exemplify the sounds of the late 50's/early 60's Strats and their music has become inextricably linked to this iconic tone as a result.
I cannot offer higher praise for a single coil set. I cannot. I've been mistakenly chasing the late 60's sound, but that's behind me now. How a pickup can be glassy, yet smooth and earthy at the same time is beyond my comprehension, because I've only had one or two of these traits in the others prior. I'm sure my guitar is part of the equation, but these pickups are exactly what needs to be in it. These pickups are truly representative of the old ones and they Knopfler, SRV, Mayer, Jimi, and so much more like nobody's business.
..and damnit, these Rotosound strings! Of the 6+ sets of BK's I've run through this is my first time using these strings - I have an Elixir endorsement. I think these strings are the finest uncoated strings I've ever played in my life.
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Thanks for this review. I’ve been thinking of trying the 59’s for the longest time for my Ruokangas VSOP, which has a tweaked version set of Haussel ST Classics, but I was worried they might not have enough push for overdriven tones given their output. I tried the 63 before in an Edwards Strat and while they are nice pickups, I would want a clearer tone. I actually prefer the Apaches over the 63 for the clarity but I want a crisper and more detailed bass attack which I only found in alnico V pickups. It seems the 59’s would have the best characteristics of both pickups.
It’s not that the Haussels are bad, they’re actually one of the nicest pickups I tried, but I just want a more buttery feel without losing the definition found in lower output pickups.
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The 59’s are definitely powdery and buttery in feel and on the top end. Classic strat tone with a really sweet overtone.
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I just got my first strat. Rosewood board mexi which tends on the bright side. I have absolutely no idea what I want out of it
I rather like the stock pickups for what they are and I also liked the Fender Yosemite pickups that I tried.
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Leave it be. Strat pickup sets are one hell of a deep hole to slide into lol.
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Ya, I made a mistake. Started checking out demos.
Of all of the BKP demos, I liked the Slab Board 59's and the Mother's Milk the best.
My strat is a rosewood board mexi. I almost like the Slab Board 59's a little more? Not sure.
The Mother's Milk are also great. Toss Up between the two for me.
None of the other clips sounded as good but those two literally blew me away!
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Ha! Had em both! The 59’s have a softer feel to the attack. I felt the MM were about stiffer feeling. None of that makes sense lol.
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Nice review Frank. The differences between the Slab en the Mother's Titties are subtile. We're talking shades of nuances.
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Thank you sir.
They are subtle indeed. More of a feel thing under the fingers. It’s those subtle nuances that drive us nuts.
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Have you tried the Mother's Milk or Slaboard 59's under high gain?
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Yah. For really high levels, the MM held up a bit better. In my application they were brighter than the 59’s.
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The Mother's Milk can handle quite some gain, but I tend to use my Irish Tours for heavier sounds. They are a bit fuller and chewier, where the MM's are glassier and woodier.
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Strat pickups truly are a HUGE rabbit hole. Geez, I am peering over the edge in fright!!
I plugged my mexi strat into my revv generator 120 and started getting some super sick tones out of it. Great cleans, and great dynamic blues and rock tones.
I feel totally disoriented. I have no idea what pickups come stock in my 2013 mexican S S S Strat.
Of the pickup demos I checked out, I still prefer Mother's Milk as well as Slabboard '59s. The more modern tones don't appeal to me. (Which is funny considering all my humbuckers are contemporary voiced and I have very specific ideas of the tones I want with them) The point of this guitar is to cover tones I don't have. Otherwise it would be H S S pickguard with warpig bridge and sinner M and N.
I thought about boot camp old guard or boot camp true grit. Or true grit bridge and old guard N and M. Dunno. I liked Fender Yosemite pickups. Tried them in guitar center when we were visiting the states.
Ya. No idea. I KNOW BKP kill everything because I have them in all my other guitars. But I have no idea what I would even want in a strat. No idea....
Ya. Confusion.
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Might have Tex—Mex pickups in there, which do sound good!
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I have no idea how to find out what it has.
My amp also sounds really good so that helps as well. My Mesa is a little more honest so I can try it there as well
My biggest qualm about upgrading is that I paid approx 290USD for the guitar. Aside for a name scratched in the back near the neck joint plate, the guitar is pretty music mint with almost no fret wear.
And I have no preference in terms of what I want due to inexperience with strat tones.
I still love Mothers Milk and Slabboard '59 clips.
But would I want noiseless B and M with a mini hum bridge? Would I want slabboard 59 N and M with a slightly higher output bridge? Who knows...
And yeah, maybe this guitar has good stock pickups because it sounds good and my ear is good
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Based upon that, I’d be inclined to leave them alone. You may end up on a very expensive quest to get the same sound from more expensive pickups. If I could go back in time, I’d keep what I enjoyed and focus my time on practicing.
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Ya. The slabboard '59s are pretty much the exact tone I want from a strat and I know I'll like them. I just don't want to spend money and I had hoped to leave the guitar stock when I got it. The trouble is that my tech recommended a pickup upgrade and he is a strat cork sniffer. He was honestly so excited that I finally got one.
Now there is just a nagging question.
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I think the next step may be to record the guitar as is.
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I think too they're Tex-Mex. Older Mex strats have ceramic single coils which are quite hot, good for blues(rock), not so for John Mayer. The Tex-Mex has way more vintage flavour. When I remember well Fender developed the Tex-Mex in collaboration with Jimmy Vaughan. Says something. I would play the guitar as stock. Changing pickups is always an option in the future.
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Is there anywhere to find out what pickups it has? Just curious. I could see my guitar tech hating ceramic pickups in a strat (but he loves juggernauts, strangely enough) so I could see him wanting to switch out those things.
The pickups in my strat are currently set quite low but they sound great. Beautiful cleans and dirt tones. Very, VERY bright but the revv is also a very bright amp. All the fun.
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Is there anywhere to find out what pickups it has? Just curious. I could see my guitar tech hating ceramic pickups in a strat (but he loves juggernauts, strangely enough) so I could see him wanting to switch out those things.
The pickups in my strat are currently set quite low but they sound great. Beautiful cleans and dirt tones. Very, VERY bright but the revv is also a very bright amp. All the fun.
Tex-Mex are bright...
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Ya. I am wondering if they are ceramic. The Strat is a 2012 and the specs say 'standard fender single coil' but I don't know what model this is.
How I would describe the tone: aggressive, gnarly, dirty, grindy, stringy, and articulate. The tone is also simple. It is not layered and complex like BKP.
The cleans are bell like.
The pickups are set quite low, which is nice since I don't hit them with my pick.
I like that the toned are raw and unrefined. Not pretty.
Keep in mind that I am primarily a high gain player and I play punk, hard rock, alt rock, and metal. So, I don't want pretty.
I think my revv Generator 120 is a contributing factor here. The two instruments play very nicely together.
I still have to play it with my Mesa, where it may sound like hot garbage. It is a good amp but it really likes expensive pickups.
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How are the cleans on the REVV ?
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Not unpleasant. They're very glassy and uncoloured with lovely overtones. The lows are rich but not overpowering.
I'd say it is a great pedal platform / metal type clean.
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I have been spending time with the new gitbox.
As I have listened to lots of strat pickup demos and played more with the guitar, I can hear better what it is doing and I am identifying its shortcomings.
Basically, it is bright as in it has lots of treble and the pickups can be characterized as somewhat thin sounding so they don't transition into breakup very nicely. But they sound pretty raunchy with high gain which is fun.
While they are bright, they are missing that strat sparkle.
I have had thoughts of things to try.
Fender: Tex-Mex, Yosemite, Noiseless, or Texas Special. I really liked the Fender American Performer with the Yosemite pickups that I tried at Guitar Center.
Fishman: The single width seem cool because of the hum canceling and gain boost. I've played some fishman before so I am not unfamiliar with them. The feel is just kind of off to me but I still like the idea of them and the tones are legit.
Bare Knuckle: Slab Board '59s or Mother's Milk sound awesome to me. The demos are legit. I also have thought of pairing N and M with something just a bit hotter in the bridge for more push and gain.
Seymour Duncan: A Mini JB bridge and a couple of noise canceling pickups for N and M would also be cool.
Thinking.. Thinking...
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I talked to my friend who loves Fishman and he says the Strat pickups feel a bit stiff. EW.
I raised my Fender Standard Single Coils to recommend factory height. Aside from hitting the middle pickup, the sound is better. Warmer, more compression, and it breaks up better.
The guitar is warm for a strat. My Ibanez RG7421 is definitely a brighter instrument with considerably less bass. I think my strat is similar to my Redline III in terms of the balance between low and high. This indicates to me that Slab Board 59s or Mother's Milk would both sound excellent in this guitar.
I probably wouldn't want to go warmer like Yosemite pickups. Brighter is better. This removes some options at least.