NBKPD (Blackguard 50)

[Ratrod]

Oh happy day. Yesterday (monday) my Blackguard 50 arrived for my Squier Classic Vibe Esquire.















This pickup had the challenge to beat the pretty good stock pickup. The stock pickup was an 8K+, AIII pickup, copper (plated?) base plate. Very clear and transparant, good midrange. However, it needed to be far from the strings to sound good and had loads of highs and presence. I needed to switch off the bright switch and roll the treble back a notch.

I measured the Blackguard at 7.27K, mind you it was pretty warm in the room. AV magnets, zinc plated base plate. After installing I realised this was a very different animal. I started with setting the pickup height at the recommended Fender vintage style pickups (6/64" bass side, 5/64 treble side). A bit overwhelming and it picked up alot of side noises. I lowered the pickup untill it sounded right to my ears. I ended up with 8/64" bass side and 6/64" treble side.

With it's pine body and gloss finished maple neck and fingerboard and this pickup it should sound exactly like an early Esquire. And it does! I set my amp like I do when playing my Gretsch and hooked up the RE-20 Space Echo. Immediately I got that 50's Tele/Esquire tone that has dominated the songs recorded in the famous Sun Studio. i put it through it's paces playing a variety of classic and contemporary rockabilly. I ended with playing the intro and solo of Johnny Cash's 'Folsom Prison Blues' (origanally played on a 50's Esquire) and it nailed it dead on. It did it so right it was scary!

I also played some Status Quo licks using the Box Of Rock Clone. Less compressed but very convincing.

The Bare Knuckle Blackguard 50 has that definitive 50's tele tone. Extremely well balanced. A very open, blooming sound with nicely rounded and warm highs.

[lulusg]

Congratulations!!!!!!! Enjoy!!!!

[AndyR]

Yeah, it's a class pickup isn't it?

Possibly spoiled me for all other tele pups :roll:...

I have managed to bond with my newer Yardbirds as well now - but the only way to do it was to put away my two Blackguarded teles and play the Yardbirded tele exclusively until I found out what it could do for me :lol:

[WezV]

excellent - i have one for myself i will be wiring in soon!!

[gingataff]

Looks great and I hope you can get some clips together for us soon  PDT_003

[tomjackson]

Yeah, it's a class pickup isn't it?

Possibly spoiled me for all other tele pups :roll:...

I have managed to bond with my newer Yardbirds as well now - but the only way to do it was to put away my two Blackguarded teles and play the Yardbirded tele exclusively until I found out what it could do for me :lol:

How are the Yarbirds different from the BG's Andy?

[ailean]

grats dude. I love the BlackGuards, great tele sound.

[FernandoDuarte]

Looks bad ass! 8)

[Philly Q]

I don't know why, but I love the look of a Tele pickup with a fibreboard top and flush polepieces.

They look wrong with raised poles and/or plastic tops.

[dave_mc]

awesome. I really have to get off my ass to try those classic vibes. I'm holding out (and have been holding out) for an MIJ tokai, but if those classic vibes are good enough, and i can get a decent price...

[Ratrod]

Thanks for the comments. I'll probably be spending some time fine tuning the pickup height to find the absoluter sweet spot.

I might try the so-called Eldred mod too.

[Twinfan]

I'm using the Eldred mod in mine, but with a 0.015 cap in place of the 0.0047.

And Philly, my non-BKP has the look you like too  ;)

[Philly Q]

I'm using the Eldred mod in mine, but with a 0.015 cap in place of the 0.0047.

And Philly, my non-BKP has the look you like too  ;)

It looks good!

I think I'd probably copy your wiring or maybe even use a 0.022 cap.  0.0047 just doesn't seem like it would have a dramatic enough effect.

[AndyR]

Yeah, it's a class pickup isn't it?

Possibly spoiled me for all other tele pups :roll:...

I have managed to bond with my newer Yardbirds as well now - but the only way to do it was to put away my two Blackguarded teles and play the Yardbirded tele exclusively until I found out what it could do for me :lol:

How are the Yarbirds different from the BG's Andy?

They "feel" lower output to me - whether or not this is true, I don't know.

Of the two sets, I am UTTERLY in love with the Blackguard 50 bridge and...
... UTTERLY in love with the Yardbird neck :lol:

I suspect one could pair the BG bridge and the YB neck in the same tele and make oneself very happy.

Overall, the Blackguards seem warmer and "thicker" sounding to me. The Yardbirds seem less thick and "sweeter".

What the Yardbirds do, in spades, is 60s-pop guitar stuff - they are killer for this, both pickups. Think jangly 60s guitars, think boom-chick 60s guitars - it's all fab, and I've never been able to sound convincing on this stuff before. They are also better at the type of rock guitar sounds that grew out of the late 60s pop. I'm working on something that uses the Yardbird tele exclusively (and I will be posting it eventually). Aside from a single guitar part that would have been better suited by the thicker BGs, the BGs would have ended up far too "fat" for the sounds I was after - the individual parts wouldn't have cut through.

The BGs are great for the style of blues, rock and roll, and blues rock I like noodling with all the time.

I got it(!) -
They both clean up nice, can be sweet and warm, blues, jazz, country, rock, depends what flavour of each you want - they cross-over each other's territories with their own distinctive take on it. But the real difference (in how I use them):

Blackguards - "bad boy" rock and roll
Yardbirds - 60s pop and "art student" rock
:lol:

Yardbirds when you need to record walls of guitars and hear them all (-ish) :roll:
Blackguards when you have a guitar part that says "less is more - there's only me, listen to me and my lovely tone you f*ckers"... :D

[Twinfan]

I'm using the Eldred mod in mine, but with a 0.015 cap in place of the 0.0047.

And Philly, my non-BKP has the look you like too  ;)

It looks good!

I think I'd probably copy your wiring or maybe even use a 0.022 cap.  0.0047 just doesn't seem like it would have a dramatic enough effect.

0.022 was a bit too dark, not quite enough highs.  The 0.015 I have now is just right to my ears.  I think the 0.0047 might be a bit honkier but less sweet.....