Hey all, I'm Hamish, and I'm a BKP-aholic. This is the story of my most recent experience with BKPs.
I used to own a set of BKP Mules in a Les Paul Custom, but I recently sold that guitar (with those phenomenal pickups still in it) and bought a '59 Les Paul replica. It's a phenomenal guitar, but as soon as I bought it I knew I'd be putting a set of Bare Knuckles in it (after my first experience, through which I was thoroughly converted). My style and tastes had kind of changed since when I'd been using the old guitar - I used to play classic and blues-based rock (which the Mules were great for), but recently I'd been progressing more towards older hard rock stuff. I needed something like a PAF on steroids - a 'classic' rock sound with a touch of modern, which would push my amp just a little bit harder without being over the top. I was looking at the 'vintage hot' category, and unable to make a decision, I decided to ask Tim himself what pickups I should get. I described some of my main influences (Slash, Gary Moore, John Sykes, Doug Aldrich, Brian May, Joe Perry, etc) and the sort of range of tones I was going for, and he immediately suggested the new Steve Stevens signature Rebel Yell set.
When I'm not playing guitar, I'm an undernourished university student, so I was a little reluctant at first to put down $450NZD (New Zealand Dollars) on a set of pickups I knew so little about statwise and soundwise. However, I was able to listen to the clip in the players forum (played by Steve himself!) and having been so impressed by my first experience with Bare Knuckle Pickups, I decided to just go for it and put my trust in Tim.
Well, I'm glad I did. If I was impressed by the Mules, I was absolutely jaw-dropping-on-the-ground astounded by the Rebel Yells. These are simply *the* best rock pickup I have *ever* heard. From my experience and from what I've read and heard, all BKPs are articulate and have brilliant string definition and clarity, but the Rebel Yells are even more so. I wouldn't describe them as bright so much as 'punchy' - they have really nice (but not spiky) prominent upper-mids which add presence and really help cut through the mix in a band situation, without being trebly. They're medium hot, pushing the tubes of my Marshall a little harder - perfect for the hard rock stuff I'm playing. They're well-balanced, and the harmonic content is amazing. The bridge pickup gives incredible crunchy rhythms and cutting leads, and the neck absolutely sings. I'm running out of adjectives, but you get the idea. I'm stoked.
Anyway, a big thanks to Tim for both making such a high quality pickup and making it available to us players, and also for recommending it to me - you really hit the nail on the head on this one.
To all the other Rebel Yell players out there - if you find time, post a review on Harmony Central, and let others out there know how good these pickups are. Since there's not a lot of information on these pickups to go on, I'm sure our experiences would be useful for those who are considering buying Rebel Yells but just aren't sure.
Anyway, I've spent too long already away from the guitar - I'm getting withdrawals. If anyone has any questions about these pickups, I'll do my best to answer them.
Peace,
Hamish.
