Recent Posts

81

Pickups / Re: Polypaf info..Tim/Nolly

« Last post by rbg on October 31, 2024, 05:30:10 AM »

The PolyPaf uses the same unoriented (isotropic) Alnico v magnets as the Peacemaker, so you'll feel some similarities in how they respond - less edgy and immediate compared to the Nailbomb or Black Dog, which both use regular anisotropic Alnico v - but the coil build is very much different, more similar to a vintage P.A.F, using 42AWG enamel wire for a brighter chime and trimmed bass, plus we have worked in some different alloys in the slug poles, using a higher carbon content slug under the wound strings, which both slightly alters the string balance for a little more presence in the mix for the plain strings, but also brings out a richness in the mids.

In summary, and in answer to your question, the PolyPaf is less powerful, a little more delicate and has more bias towards the higher frequencies than either the Black Dog or the Peacemaker. It is less muscular and, as a result, more open and chimey.

Thank you! Without revealing all secrets is it possible to expand a little bit on "partially potted", is it like only coils, but not between bobbins and covers? Or it is just spending less time in the wax -> less wax penetrates the coils? 

82

Pickups / Re: pickups recommendation for death metal and melodic death metal

« Last post by timmy_pix on October 28, 2024, 11:22:36 AM »

The short answer is whichever pickups you like best in your guitars 

There is no one answer, everyone has different tastes and every guitar is different. A more helpful starting point is: what are you hoping to achieve by changing the pickups in each of these guitars? You say you like to use each guitar for certain applications, so do they even need the pickups changing? What's wrong with how they're currently performing those applications? Otherwise you're just going blindly into a rabbit hole.

Changing pickups for the sake of it is fun, don't get me wrong, but at that point you don't need anyone else's input than your own as you're just experimenting. That you've asked the question suggests you're after something specific rather than experimentation.

83

Pickups / I want to turn my PRS Piezo SE into an Epiphone Casino

« Last post by alexwong0702 on October 26, 2024, 12:41:19 PM »

Could anyone advise on the HSP90 options?

I have a PRS Piezo Hollowbody SE which is almost fully hollow apart from a small block under the bridge. The 2 PRS Humbuckers are ok, but it's a bit lacking in character. I want to try to get some 60's Brit invasion sounds from it and maybe try some humbucker sized P90s. Kinks/Beatles stuff. Paperback writer, All Day and All of the Night etc.

Which HSP90's the one for the job. :)

84

Pickups / Re: Polypaf info..Tim/Nolly

« Last post by ericsabbath on October 26, 2024, 12:27:12 AM »

Now you guys got my attention 
My absolute favorite bridge model is the Riff Raff
How does the bridge Polypaf differ from the Riff Raff?

85

Pickups / pickups recommendation for death metal and melodic death metal

« Last post by shalev98732 on October 25, 2024, 01:30:09 PM »

so i have 3 guitars
an e-ii eclipse i mainly use for carcass, because bill steer uses singlecuts.
and a jackson kelly i like to use for at the gates mainly and brandon ellis stuff.
and my prs custom 24 (this one was exclusive to a local store i belive because i never seen an hardtail custom 24 in other places) i like to use for in flames.
what pickups would work best for me?

86

Pickups / Re: BKP/CTS Pot Tapers

« Last post by Piplodocus on October 24, 2024, 01:58:40 PM »

FYI - I emailed instead. Apparently the original pots are most like the 10 % ones for the record and anyone searching the forum. And they recommended those for smoothest apparent tone changes for the tone pot.

87

Pickups / Re: Polypaf info..Tim/Nolly

« Last post by timmy_b on October 24, 2024, 01:07:40 PM »

The PolyPaf uses the same unoriented (isotropic) Alnico v magnets as the Peacemaker, so you'll feel some similarities in how they respond - less edgy and immediate compared to the Nailbomb or Black Dog, which both use regular anisotropic Alnico v - but the coil build is very much different, more similar to a vintage P.A.F, using 42AWG enamel wire for a brighter chime and trimmed bass, plus we have worked in some different alloys in the slug poles, using a higher carbon content slug under the wound strings, which both slightly alters the string balance for a little more presence in the mix for the plain strings, but also brings out a richness in the mids.

In summary, and in answer to your question, the PolyPaf is less powerful, a little more delicate and has more bias towards the higher frequencies than either the Black Dog or the Peacemaker. It is less muscular and, as a result, more open and chimey.

88

Pickups / Re: HSH wiring and narrow SC baseplates question

« Last post by Piplodocus on October 22, 2024, 02:02:40 PM »

Back again!

Actually, I would like an answer to question 1 after all. I'd come to the conclusion it was probably going to be very tricky. But Guthrie Govan's Charvel does it, so maybe it's not that hard: https://www.charvel.com/gear/shape/san-dimas/style-1/guthrie-govan-signature-mj-san-dimas-sd24-cm/2925414588

I was looking at that "pickup switching tab" and the mini-toggle switch seems to still use the full humbuckers in position 1 & 5, but does "single coil simulation". Anyone got any idea what that is? Clearly seems to be showing the full pickup being on, so is that a weird way to put some kind of series/parallel switching or is it probably switching in a tone circuit or something? I'm curious because it's pointing towards what I was thinking of: 5-way auto-coil split, but with middle being both outer pickups (albeit those are split), and instead of whatever "single coil simulation" he was going for with his single mini-toggle, I was going to have 2 separate mini toggles to coil split each of the HBs.

89

Pickups / Polypaf info..Tim/Nolly

« Last post by skolphy on October 22, 2024, 02:03:38 AM »

Gents,
Have enjoyed many guitars with BKPs over the years...my favorites are the Abomb bridge and the Emerald nexk...although my new guitar with Peacemakers is chipping away at the Abomb.

Can you provide some insight on a comparison of the new Polypaf with the Black Dog and Peacemaker?

Thanks!

90

Pickups / BKP/CTS Pot Tapers

« Last post by Piplodocus on October 21, 2024, 12:28:04 PM »

So it's rewiring and hence pot choosing time...

I'm not clear with the descriptions given of Taper A being "fast roll-off", vs J's "more control". More control lower down so you can get more variation of low gain when your amp is cranked, or more control in the highest gain bit so there's a load of fine tuning of high gain, but you're unlikely to get much variation of low gain sounds before it suddenly disappears to nothing?

Also, I don't remember there being different tapers available before. So how do these compare to the old BKP 550k pots I already have in various other guitars of mine? Which is the closest taper?

Volume
So am I right in thinking with a high gain amp setting:
Taper A/Fast/10%: Gain drops quickly to medium gain, but then you get a lot of lower gain variation
Taper J/Slow/30%: Gain slowly drops to medium gain, but then will quickly disappear to nothing
(BD is somewhere in the middle)

Or have I misunderstood and that's the other way around (fast = fast roll-off from the middle to nothing/slow=more control of higher gain area)?

Tone
What about using them for tone pots? (in my brain I'm thinking it may be the other way around if using the other half of the pot wiper)

Does A mean it gets dark quick with a lot of variation of dark, vs J is lots of brighter variations with it only getting dark at the end? Or is that the other way around?

Any experience of each and why you prefer what?

Thanks.