Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: Dan42684 on April 08, 2007, 08:44:08 AM
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I've heard that tim does this, is this true?
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Custom orders are certainly possible, within limits. For example, you can't get green humbucker bobbins (I've asked!) and I don't know if Tim does more specialised items like Jazzmaster or Jaguar pickups (but you could get existing ones rewound).
There are so many different models in the range, one of them might already fit your requirements or at least be a good starting point for tweaking. It's probably best to contact Tim and take it from there.
Just out of curiosity, what did you have in mind?
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There's a huge amount of work and testing behind each BK model - even after their release -, so generally they sound best in their stock form. However, for your specific applications some specs might need to be changed - magnet type, polepieces, additional coil tap for singles etc. As far as I know, these mods are free but you should always consult Tim before placing such a custom order. He'll recommend you the best solution. :)
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Ummm, you wanted green humbucker bobbins?? :?
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Ummm, you wanted green humbucker bobbins?? :?
Yeah, I've got an Army Green SG (yes, it's ugly, but I love it) and I thought a green/cream or green/black zebra pickup would look good. I ended up with a chrome Riff Raff.
It's not that weird, Steve Vai has had more green pickups than I've had hot dinners.
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I imagine that if you were adamant about it BK would make you anything.
However their basic models are the result of extensive experiment and testing. If you just pick a wire guage, magnet, pole type and DC off the top of your head then youre probably going to get a rubbish pickup, even if it is made by the best.
On the other hand some adjusments of basic models are possible, for example I have a miracle man with double screw poles and wound to 23k. I didnt specifically ask for 23k though, I left it to Tims judgment.
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Ummm, you wanted green humbucker bobbins?? :?
Yeah, I've got an Army Green SG (yes, it's ugly, but I love it) and I thought a green/cream or green/black zebra pickup would look good. I ended up with a chrome Riff Raff.
It's not that weird, Steve Vai has had more green pickups than I've had hot dinners.
If you really want green pickup covers you can get bobbin toppers that fit over the top of stock pickups!
They are essentially stickers and could probably be made quite easily at home on a sticker printer if you have accurate bobbin dimensions.
http://www.universaljems.com/cart/bobbin.htm
Ugly things if you ask me - but if you really want green BKP's . . .
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Thanks Wez, bobbin toppers were mentioned at the time. Quite happy with the chrome cover now though! :D
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what difference do the double screw poles make to the sound?
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By default, more bass. But the relative height of the two screws for any one string allows some intrinsic EQing of the pickup string by string. I find it extremely usefull and my three main guitars all have double pole (alen and two screw pole) bridge pickups: warpig, CWP, overwound miracle man (which in the spirit of naming pickups after their vibe, and MHs new monsterous album, I've started to call 'The Blackening' :twisted: :lol: )
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does that mean that it is possible to change the hight of the screws of the pickup, aswell ad the pickup itself, or have i just missunderstood?
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Doesn't Ben (Twilight Odyssey) have all sorts of different coloured pickups?
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what did you have in mind?
well I got a project guitar in the works, it's a 7 string. I love Fear Factory's tone but I hate how sterile EMG's are so I'm looking for something like that without the sterile sound, Made for whammy abuse, harmonics galore, Clear and clean sounding on each note, Growly and extremely Crunchy, Aggressive without being harsh, tight bass response as well. I'm not worried about the color of the bobbins, I just go to UniversalJems.com and order bobbin toppers for my colored pickup needs.
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A lot of guys here on the forum have replaced EMG-81s with the Miracle Man. Am I right in thinking Fear Factory use(d) the EMG-707, which is more like a 7-string EMG-85? Not an area I know much about, but I think in that case you might want something a little more midrangey, maybe a Nailbomb, Warpig or Ceramic Warpig (MDV's the man to advise on those).
I believe the MM, NB, WP and CWP are all available in 7-string versions.
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does that mean that it is possible to change the hight of the screws of the pickup, aswell ad the pickup itself, or have i just missunderstood?
Exactly!
Both rows of screws: the higher the bridge-wards ones are compared to neckwards, teh treblier, and vice versa. Obviously this can be done for each string, and is very very cool. With BKs hight sensitivity it makes a huge difference!
Edit:
Warpig or Ceramic Warpig (MDV's the man to advise on those).
I believe the MM, NB, WP and CWP are all available in 7-string versions.
:drink:
Plenty of people round here know the score though! I mean Tim posts regularly!!!
All BKs can be made in 7 string versions for the same cost (awesome, if you ask me!)
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Are they gonna sound like I described? Also would they be good for Mahogany body, maple neck, ebony fretboard?
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Plenty of people round here know the score though! I mean Tim posts regularly!!!
Yeah, but I know you're one of the guys with in-depth knowledge of the extreme end of the BKP spectrum! :twisted:
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Plenty of people round here know the score though! I mean Tim posts regularly!!!
Yeah, but I know you're one of the guys with in-depth knowledge of the extreme end of the BKP spectrum! :twisted:
He he cheers philly. I do love the heavy BKs (and my Irish tours :lol: )
Dan,
"I love Fear Factory's tone but I hate how sterile EMG's are"
"harmonics galore, Clear and clean sounding on each note, Growly and extremely Crunchy, Aggressive without being harsh, tight bass response as well"
With those requirements and the refference of Fear Factory (philly is quite right, they use 707s, which are 7 string 85s, to all intents and purposes) I think you would be DELIGHTED with a ceramic warpig. Its supplies harmonics, clarity, tightness and aggression in droves. Mahogany will allow it to be utterly crushing and maple and ebony will allow its highs to really cut through. harmonics are gonna be leaping out. And its anything but sterile. For refference, I have my cWP in --I wrote a long description then remembered I could just show you this - http://www.legraguitars.co.uk/mdv602.htm - which isnt exactly a world apart from your woods (SA is the biggest difference, and I went for a dense peice of it for extra lows, so its closer to mahogany than a normal piece of SA). That guitar does all the things that you describe with aplomb (bar wammy antics!).
I think a normal warpig could do it, and you'd undoubtadly love it, but the ceramic version will give you the extra clinical precision that fear factories sound is full of. The A5 version is very powerfull and aggressive, but very organic with it. Great stuff, but a little further from FFs precision than the ceramic version.
I dont think a miracle man is powrfull enough.
By that logic, the nailbomb may be a little gentle too, but I;ve never played one, so I dont know. I understand its supposed to be more organic than the pig, too.
A replica of my overwound miracle man would also do the job brilliantly with more highs and a less in-your-face, smoother midrange. An innately shreddier pickup, no matter how powerfull you wind it.
I think a painkiller may suit you well, too, but I cant say much on that, other than from clips that have compared it with the cWP its less powerfull, but still got lots of juice, middier and similarly tight, maybe a little less aggressive and more open, less compressed. But I'm only going on clips that have compared it with a pickup I have there. There are a few people around here that have one, and I know Dakine has a PK and a cWP bridge, send him a pm, hes a very helpfull chap!
Edit: I'm listenning to Demanufacture right now, and I reckon a ceramic warpig will make you sound more like fear factory than fear factory. Do not pass go. Do not collect a 707. Proceed directly to the cWP :twisted:
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Doesn't Ben (Twilight Odyssey) have all sorts of different coloured pickups?
No - TO had a yellow cover on his Trilogy, and a green one on the Irish Tour, but these are single coil Strat pickups and you can change to any colour cover.
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hmmm sounds like Ceramic Warpig is where it's at for me then. :twisted:
Now for the Neck pickup, I'm thinking Cold Sweat. Something very smooth, expressive very much a lead oriented pickup.
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Do not pass go. Do not collect a 707. Proceed directly to the cWP
hahahahaha, pure GOLD! :lol: :lol: :lol:
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I'm also thinking cold sweat.
Can you tell us any more that you want from the neck tone? Just smooth leads?
P.S.
:drink: muzzzz.
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Lets see Articulate, very expressive, harmonics, cuts through the mix (can still hear it's tone through effects). pretty much a shred type of pickup.
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No doubt, cold sweat.
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Do not pass go. Do not collect a 707. Proceed directly to the cWP :twisted:
Anything with the name EMG won't get my business anymore plus I hate the idea of routing a guitar for their bass housed guitar pickups :evil:
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Dont be too hard on them :( I like EMG. You can get some great metal tones out of them if you play to their strengths: tightness, clarity, articulation, smoothness.
I think the bass housing sucks, too. Their business must hurt a fair bit from that. I dont know why they dont just make normal sized 7s. Theres surely enough market from cheap 7 strings these days to support the extra machining costs? I mean its like they think they're in 1995s market.
However, nonetheless, at the end of the day and when the chips are down and alls said and done BKP crush them for metal tones.
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well I think their 6 string pickups 81 and 85 are good, had them in a Jackson SLSMG but now I play 7 Strings strictly and don't like the 7 string counterparts.
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Actually, I never played the 707! I always just thought it was an 85 in a bass case so I never went out of my way.
I'm very familiar with the 81, 85, 60 and SAs. I hate the SAs (single sized humbuckers, really, and very lifeless, or so I realised after I changed them for Irish Tours) and never liked the 85 much, but 81s and 60s are great pickups. I had that combo around for a while even after I started using BKs. Sold it now though.
Still, you dont like bass housings (the 81 does come in 7 version, I think!) and cWP and CS will do the job better anyway.
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I tried the 707 I found it to be lifeless however I recently heard of the 18v mod to give mroe headroom so I may have to give it a shot. I have no doubt in my mind that BKP will outdo most pickups.