thanks for the replies, and i'm sorry to say Tim is right, they're not bareknuckles! over the weekend i took out the bridge pickup, and it has two stickers underneath, one with a Kent Armstrong logo and the other saying Sky pickups, made in korea! the thing is, they really don't sound bad. but it shows how much your perception can be coloured by such things, once i knew they were korean, i suddenly became more critical of their sound.
as i say they don't sound bad, but maybe someday i'll want to try some bareknuckles in there anyway. i already have a couple in an Epiphone Les Paul, and i'm considering a pair of missisippi queens for another guitar, so i've been beaten in this round, but i'll be back!