Another forum discussion on BK

[jt]

I had some of the Timbuckers that are very popular on the LPF and they are indeed very nice PAF repros, the best I've tried in fact (also had Seth Lover, Antiquity, 57 Classic, Virtual PAF, '59, T-Tops).  I sold them recently though as I'm playing stuff which is alot heavier and I need a pickup to translate that style.


I've also tried the WCR Fillmores - don't know if I had a dodgy set but both pickups were thin and weedy (on par with those cr@p humbuckers that Gibson were loading in their LPs during the late 80s/early 90s).  

As for hotter pickups, the DiMarzio AirZone is a really under-rated pickup - huge bass response that's great with alot of gain.

With the current £-$ exchange rate, its unfair to compare prices - you have to price to your domestic market.

 :twisted:

:guitar4: Utter bullshitee !!
the exchange rate between the dollar and the pound means that U.S based P/U manufactures should be supplying there P/U`s for a fraction of what there actually charging for them !!  :shock: You shouldn`t be charging more or less for your P/U`s based on wether your British or American. Maybe we should charge more for products to players that come from Newcastle and charge half the price to those of us that come from the south !!? :?:
Do you think that`s fare ?? :?:

[HJM]

.

 :twisted:

:guitar4: Utter bullshitee !!
the exchange rate between the dollar and the pound means that U.S based P/U manufactures should be supplying there P/U`s for a fraction of what there actually charging for them !!  :shock: You shouldn`t be charging more or less for your P/U`s based on wether your British or American. Maybe we should charge more for products to players that come from Newcastle and charge half the price to those of us that come from the south !!? :?:
Do you think that`s fare ?? :?:

That sounds like petrol pricing.....just paid 92p a litre - what the hell's going on....  :o  

The really anoying thing is that, IMHO, prices should reflect the exchange rate variances, after all, if the £ dropped against the $, damn sure that we'd see price increases.

I know several retailers that are moaning about people importing gear from the States, but why not!? They could put presure onto distributers to drop prices if they all wanted too.

On the other hand,  it's the dealers that take the largest cut of the profits, by the time the distributer has taken a share, you can place a safe bet that the manufacturer makes the least profit out of the chain....

BKPs aren't cheap, but the price is great for the quality you get. Considering the fact that out of all boutique pickup manufacturers BKP have the highest content of vintage correct parts and bespoke tooling. Really BKP are worth every penny. How many times have you bought Lindy's, Duncans, Gibsons etc and been dissapointed? - I have.

[The amazing Phil]

There's nout wrong with importing from the states, it's what I'm doing with the Warmoth, except for the pickups (Bare Knuckle all the way) and case that is. If people here want me to buy from them instead of from the yanks then they can adjust their prices to a more competative rate.

That said, the Ibanez AFS77T I'm gonna try and get hold of (shouldn't have clicked that etched cover thread :lol: ) is £298 or $399.95, and it's about $1:80 or $1:90 to the pound at the moment, after shipping and tax, that would be pretty much the same, maybe more.

I guess it's luck of the draw or whatever, those Ibanez guitars seem like pretty good bang for the buck, I'm hoping it'll smoke by the time I get around to hotrodding it with some new hardwear and some BKPs.

[jt]

There's nout wrong with importing from the states, it's what I'm doing with the Warmoth, except for the pickups (Bare Knuckle all the way) and case that is. If people here want me to buy from them instead of from the yanks then they can adjust their prices to a more competative rate.

That said, the Ibanez AFS77T I'm gonna try and get hold of (shouldn't have clicked that etched cover thread :lol: ) is £298 or $399.95, and it's about $1:80 or $1:90 to the pound at the moment, after shipping and tax, that would be pretty much the same, maybe more.

I guess it's luck of the draw or whatever, those Ibanez guitars seem like pretty good bang for the buck, I'm hoping it'll smoke by the time I get around to hotrodding it with some new hardwear and some BKPs.

:guitar4: Right on there Brotrhers  :!:  :!:
Your right if the dollar rises you can bet your ass that prices will rise and i completly agree with you about importing gear if the Shops want me to buy it of them then they have to lower there prices !! :evil:As for BK there not the cheapest but there the best and there only slightly more expensive than D******Ns i`m more than happy to pay a good price for something that is HAND MADE & gives me the sounds i hear in my head.

[Ratrod]

Can't agree more. I too order a lot of stuff from the states. Example: The EMG-25 set I had in my LP are being sold here for 500 Euro's! Got 'em in the US for less than 250 Euro's, including shipping, taxes etc. THAT'S HALF!

I'm gonna get my Levi's from the states as well; 80 Euro's here, 35 there! If you're gonna buy a top of the line American guitar you could save yourselves up to a 1000 Euro's! BTW customer service is way better in the US than overhere (generaly speaking of course)

[HTH AMPS]

jt, calm down man - get a cold beer and chill out  :roll:

How can you say it's shitee that products are not priced to their domestic market - it's FACT, I'm not making this up.  

For the sake of illustrating my point, I can get the Zakk Wylde EMG 81/85 set from the US for $159 (£84) all day long - I'd be adding another £100 to that price to get the exact same thing in the UK.  I understand that there's a distributor involved so we pay another markup but the pricing difference is still night and day.

That's just my opinion and I'm well entitled to it thankyou very much.  btw, you southerners SHOULD pay more for your pickups - you earn more  

 :twisted:

[38thBeatle]

Steady on there Heavier. Lets not get a North vs South thing going eh? If you had to buy a house down here you'd have to earn more just to eat
( & buy gear which is far more important). Most of my pals in the North have far more disposable income than me and are on the same money and bloody good luck to them I say. It means they can buy more gear and that has to be good. The only thing I'd add to the rate of exchange debate is that I think that  prices ought to be coming down for US gear but it aint. With one or two exceptions, the savings are not being passed onto the consumer so who can blame anyone for buying direct. If the £ was weak against the $ I just know what would happen to prices. Oh, there is also duty to be paid and VAT- so the government gets a cut for doing nothing- no change there then.

[HTH AMPS]

38thBeatle, the north/south thing was said in jest - hence the 'winking' smiley.  

From my expereinces of London, it seems that cost-of-living prices are pretty similar to Newcastle in all honesty (with the exception of property of course). Transport also seems pricey - the Tube ain't cheap by any standards.

 :twisted:

[HJM]

38thBeatle, the north/south thing was said in jest - hence the 'winking' smiley.  

From my expereinces of London, it seems that cost-of-living prices are pretty similar to Newcastle in all honesty (with the exception of property of course). Transport also seems pricey - the Tube ain't cheap by any standards.

 :twisted:

At least there is public transport,now where's that bus....

[Tim]

Ditto...........in fact what does public mean? PDT_004

[PhilKing]

I am lucky in a way with living in both the States and England, so I can take advantage of the exchange rate at the moment.  I think that Tim is making a great product at an incredible price, though I know in the States the pickups are a lot more relatively, but you are getting a different animal to the generic mainstream pickups.

Just check the picing on the original PAF that was posted a while ago.  I know Tim's pickups sound just as good - I have a Patent number with PAF coils and let Tim work on it to give me the sound I wanted.  Same with my original strat pu.  I also swapped out the PRS Artist pickups for a set of VHII's.

I will be moving back to the States to live in a couple of months, but I will still be buying more of Tim's pickups.  At this point he is supplying the last link in my tone chain, and with the personal service, I can get the tone I want for each guitar.  This is the best custom making service I ever found.  I don't know any other pickup maker that gives you this (Lindy Fralin used to 15 years ago, but not anymore, and Seymour will if you are a star!).

I hate to say this, but I would pay more for this custom service, because if I have a guitar or amp made to my spec's then I expect to pay more for it.  The fact that Tim does this for free is great.

Tim has already made me several non-standard pickups (the newest 2 are a coil tapped h/b sized p-90 and an EMG shaped strat p/u [to fit into a custom guitar with EMG sized pickup cavity]).  To get these anywhere else I would have to pay a lot more.

Of course after the guitar show I am sure I will have lots more ideas for non-standard pickups :lol:

[PhilKing]

btw.  I have a Nailbomb with 2 sets of screw coils.  This gives more mottom end in the pickup.  Perhaps this could be an option for a less bright sound?

[jt]

I am lucky in a way with living in both the States and England, so I can take advantage of the exchange rate at the moment.  I think that Tim is making a great product at an incredible price, though I know in the States the pickups are a lot more relatively, but you are getting a different animal to the generic mainstream pickups.

Just check the picing on the original PAF that was posted a while ago.  I know Tim's pickups sound just as good - I have a Patent number with PAF coils and let Tim work on it to give me the sound I wanted.  Same with my original strat pu.  I also swapped out the PRS Artist pickups for a set of VHII's.

I will be moving back to the States to live in a couple of months, but I will still be buying more of Tim's pickups.  At this point he is supplying the last link in my tone chain, and with the personal service, I can get the tone I want for each guitar.  This is the best custom making service I ever found.  I don't know any other pickup maker that gives you this (Lindy Fralin used to 15 years ago, but not anymore, and Seymour will if you are a star!).

I hate to say this, but I would pay more for this custom service, because if I have a guitar or amp made to my spec's then I expect to pay more for it.  The fact that Tim does this for free is great.

Tim has already made me several non-standard pickups (the newest 2 are a coil tapped h/b sized p-90 and an EMG shaped strat p/u [to fit into a custom guitar with EMG sized pickup cavity]).  To get these anywhere else I would have to pay a lot more.

Of course after the guitar show I am sure I will have lots more ideas for non-standard pickups :lol:

:guitar4: Hi Guys just for the record i am chilled out !!! :P
i agree that there is a pricing fraud going on my responses are based on the fact that i don`t like being ripped off !! :shock:

[chris o'donnell]

For what it's worth, I think BKP's are a bloody good investment.

Remember that these pickups are handmade, and in many cases bespoke.

£90 is alot of money to me, but it's all relative. I get the tone I want and direct feedback from the guys that make them.

£90 also covers the cost of a trendy pair of jeans from Diesel.

If you dont like the product, please keep all critisisms constructive, as this allows Tim and Co to enhance their product. Shopping  elsewhere is always an option in a free market economy.

A final word.

I give my support to the guys who treat the end user as a person, not a commodity. And if they make a profit in doing so, then that's what they deserve.


Cheers

Chris.

[willo]

I give my support to the guys who treat the end user as a person, not a commodity. And if they make a profit in doing so, then that's what they deserve.

All very, very true. I have grown to dislike big companies who surf on their name and brand rather than actually caring about the people. BKP have been a refreshing change!  :D