BKP in a Jazzbox?

[Keven]

I've been looking at my guitars and i think once i get done with a few stuff the next guitar to get a haul-over will be my crafter hollow body.

it's a nice guitar and the pickups themselves are pretty nice too, but i'm sure with a killer set of BKP this guitar will beg for me to use it.

it's a Full Hollow guitar, with rosewood bridge and brass tailpiece, 25.5 inch scale. spruce top and flamed maple back with mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard. I'll use it mainly for driven blues rock fusion. so again, a good vintage sounding humbucker is what i want, not too much high end though, acoustically speaking this guitar has already a very clear tone.  No splits or anything, I'll be going very traditional with this one, with covers and Vol-Tone for each pickup. good rockin' bridge and a soulful neck that'll be great for cleaner stuff. I'm thinking Mules, riff raff?

what do the powers that be say?

this won't be for a while but i'm curious to see the experiences people have had on Full Hollows with BKP. 

[WezV]

you really need to consider a manhattan humbucker sized P-90

its like a lower powered MQ with a custom designed 'art deco' cover- sounds very clear and articulate, almost acoustic like

it reacts well to a bit of drive but is generally the well mannered and softly spoken choice from BKP. maybe an MQ bridge/manhattan neck would be a good choice for a little more push if thats what you want.  Or mule/manahttan like my main guitar

[DavidRees]

curious - can't find any reference to the Manhattan on the main BK website - it sounds like just the right thing for my search for the right pickups for my electric slide SG500

regards

David

[WezV]

there is lots that isnt on the main site - bass pickups are another thing that is not even mentioned at all but BKP do them too

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1732.0
http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=15929.0

[Ivan]

I thought the Stormy Mondays were fantastic in a fully hollow thinline (Es-330 type).
Smooth, warm and articulate when clean.
A throaty growl when overdriven.

[Philly Q]

Derek (Fourth Feline) will probably drop in soon and endorse the Manhattans.   I know he loves them in his jazz box.

[Ratrod]

How about Stormy Mondays?

[Fourth Feline]

Derek (Fourth Feline) will probably drop in soon and endorse the Manhattans.   I know he loves them in his jazz box.

Yes,  ( Cheers Phil )  :)


For me the Manhattans are the pickup for a guitar of the  composition you describe, BUT for specifically playing Jazz or chord work.  Very warm - open sounding and clear / articulate.  The best way to describe them is your guitar's 'unplugged' sound but bigger , warmer and more articulate. Very 1950's Jazzbox sounding.

My concern here is that for the styles you are playing - a set of 'Mississipi Queens '  ( still fat warm, articulate P90 type single coil , but with more edge and muscle ) which I found heavenly in a 335 type guitar - would be more appropriate.

In fact, for maximum focus under drive conditions I would say instead an Alnico IV magnet set of Stormy Mondays   ( AII magnets will possibly leave the bass end a bit soft and unfocused or your style ) - or a Mule set.  The Riff Raff ( which I do not own , but have heard ) will be too sharp edged and aggressive.  The composition of woods / body shape on your guitar might only accentuating the treble content even further.

If yours is a completely wooden floating bridge, keep the wooden base - and put a ( metal ) tuno-o-matic top on it. It sharpens the articulation and seems to seperate the string timbres / attributes more. I like  the sound of a completely Rosewood / Ebony bridge for chord playing,  as it tends to blend the string vibrations together - BUT  as even in mellow chord melody playing, I like slightly sharper / resonant and more articulate melody lines between the chords, overall - a wood base / tune - o - matic top eventually got my vote. 

Meanwhile it's nice to hear of someone else ( apart from Ratrod ) that likes to play 'large items of furniture'.  :)

Exhibit A: Manhattans + Tune-o- matic topped floating Ebony(?)  bridge.



Feel confident that whatever 'vintage' B.K.P. you chose, they are great at allowing the character of a semi-hollow or fully hollow guitar to 'breathe'.   :D

[Keven]

I like variety, but the real goal of this machine is to get good at chord work so i'll probably keep the wooden bridge 'till it really wears out,.

I posted this thread with the idea of changing humbuckers for humbuckers... but i really like the idea of a p90 driven 335 type guitar. and when i was thinking of the issue of hum, i spoke to myself, are you -really- gonna use this box in high gain situations when you know it's asking for alot of feedbacks?

so yeah, set of MQ's it'll be. but first, i'll give my new 7 string some loving once it gets its BKP's... i tried it out at band practice yesterday, it's stock with EMG... i tried to like them, but i really didn't. i ended up screwing the pickups real far down into the body so i could tame it. waaaaay too much gain on these pups. give me real handwound passive pickups anyday over these kid's toys.

[Fourth Feline]

I like variety, but the real goal of this machine is to get good at chord work so i'll probably keep the wooden bridge 'till it really wears out,.

I posted this thread with the idea of changing humbuckers for humbuckers... but i really like the idea of a p90 driven 335 type guitar. and when i was thinking of the issue of hum, i spoke to myself, are you -really- gonna use this box in high gain situations when you know it's asking for alot of feedbacks?

so yeah, set of MQ's it'll be. but first, i'll give my new 7 string some loving once it gets its BKP's... i tried it out at band practice yesterday, it's stock with EMG... i tried to like them, but i really didn't. i ended up screwing the pickups real far down into the body so i could tame it. waaaaay too much gain on these pups. give me real handwound passive pickups anyday over these kid's toys.

As for hum, I do not play at high volume / gain anymore - but the complete nickel encasement of the M.Q. or Manhattan creates a perfect 'Faraday box' which has seemed ( for me ) to allieviate the usual suingle coil hum problems.  My M.Qs in a 335 copy where instant 'Larry Carlton' tone - and I hear they can get a lot 'ruder' when pushed.  :)

[Keven]

the only experience i've gotten with P-90 were a gibson P-94 which is part nickel-plastic, wasn't really that bad, a great neck pickups, plus i don't play with much gain, even for metal, i usually use a compressor to give me the sustain i need and let the amp's volume do the rest as far as drive goes. and two p-90's with RW/RP are a killer blues tone already so there's no need to discuss this anymore :D I'm sold on the idea.

looking at the shop i don't see many cover options for the MQ's...  i was thinking of getting a burnt chrome or even Camo covered pickup just to give this guitar a very mix-n-match look.... now, even if i'm new here, i've seen that Tim can make pretty much anything so with a little added charge do you think the cover i want would be possible?