I just installed a BKP Cold Sweat pickup in the bridge position of my Dean USA Professional Series ML, and I thought I'd share my impressions.
First off, if you’ve been reluctant to try the Cold Sweat bridge because of its purported similarity to a Duncan SH-5 Custom, let me assure you that the CS is both hotter and more organic than the Duncan. It also has a deliciously nasty midrange snarl, a trait that sets it apart from both the Custom and the reissue Gibson Dirty Fingers. (I haven’t tried the original DF, so I can’t comment on it.)
Compared with the Duncan SH-6 Distortion (which I use in the bridge position of my Hamer Phantom), the CS is slightly less powerful but has a much warmer, more musical-sounding top end. The lows aren’t quite as tight as the Distortion’s, but they’re plenty crunchy for achieving the John Sykes rhythm sounds this pickup was designed for. Roll back on the volume knob a bit, and the CS does ‘70s classic rock like a champ.
Perhaps most surprising is how well the CS responds to even the most extreme levels of distortion. Whereas the SH-6 can have trouble maintaining note separation under heavy overdrive, the CS remains crystal clear, regardless of how far you twist the gain knobs. While I haven’t sampled any of the other BKP offerings (yet), I suspect you’d be hard pressed to find a better pickup for high-gain shred soloing in a rock, metal, or thrash setting.
I would appreciate a hair more harmonic sensitivity (SH-6s are, after all, tough to beat in that regard), but that’s being overly picky. If you’re looking for a hot-but-versatile pickup to cover a wide range of heavy-rock styles, you could do far worse than the Cold Sweat bridge.
