The EMG doesn't even have that much output, it's more the voicing that makes it hit the amp hard than actual output.. (what MDV says about the mids)
I have a great dislike for anything EMG, they're great in Les Pauls for gain tones and clean with a lot of chorus.. but that's about it imo. A lot of people like them because they exclude some of the guitars tone, which is nice if you don't like your guitar..... but that's just plain stupidity isn't it? If you don't have the right guitar.. don't try to make it right with different pickups.
The mV measurements are OK if you have very tightly controlled conditions for one line, all the tests done exactly the same way. Same string gauge, distance from strings, same pick attack (try and measure that one! You just need a good consistent player, but its SO variable) - BK, or anyone else could do it, but comparison between tests would be meaningless. I suppose you could make a rig to do it easily enough, but there isnt one to my knowledge.
The WP and the PK are actaully quite close. The WP clearly takes it, but the PK is maybe 15% (my subjective assesment, same guitar, same string gauge (two new sets), within 20 min, same amp, same settings etc) behind - so close due to big magnets and that the human ear hears the push of the mids quite a bit more.
Ah right, that would be slightly hard to do, on the other hand...
- A pendulum with a pick on the end, released from a standard height
- Tuners and nut on one side, with a gap for the "fretboard", and then a stand for the pickup on which it can be mounted, followed by a simple hardtail.
Then just hook up the equipment and swing away :) You could even measure dynamics from hard and soft picking by releasing the arm from higher or lower. I can do mythbusting me!
How does Dimarzio do it then? Is it a calculated number or estimate or something?
Does the PK actually have a lot more mids than the WarPig? Because then we're back to the amp story. ;)
@Chris R:
I'm so sorry I completely missed your post, you are one great man to go and listen to things to help someone :) (and sell a pickup but since it's between two from BKP I like to think it's helping :D)
Don't get me wrong I like the Nailbomb a lot, it's a great pickup, but I'm afraid it might be too lose, too middy and too low output (went for some wrong english to keep it going there:P).
I have listened to a lot of clips of all of these pickups, but the problem is the clips are very different, most warpigs are recorded with downtunings, scooped amps and that sort of stuff, and although it sound very cool this gives me no fair comparison to the nailbomb's clips with e-tuning and normal eq-ing.
You have struck something there though... would a ceramic magnet maybe make my nailbomb? Tighter, clearer and a bit more power?:D Again I do have to whine: what happens to the mids then?
Edit:
I've just thought of something, a store in my neighbourhood has all of the Bare Knuckle's and one of those Gibson testguitars, I could ask them if I could compare the Nailbomb, Painkiller and WarPig, that would get a lot of the questions out of the way :D
My apologies for not thinking straight earlier and think of it ;)
