New site!

[Tim]

Of course huge thanks to all who took part in the EQ chart excercise(as mentioned in forum news before xmas) - I did score them all myself and then ran through the scores with MDV - out of all the scores MDV had been able to assemble we were either 0.5 out or bang on the nail when we compared each others results which was extremely encouraging!

Re: over producing the clips - as Nolly will no doubt chime in, that couldn't be further from the truth, they were recorded as straight as possible. The idea behind each clip was to demonstrate each pickup as most players would perceive it to be used and also for the use that it was designed for. There's no point centering on modern metal clips for Stormy Monday humbuckers or jazz clips for Sinner coils etc - while some players will undoubtedly find uses outside the norm which is fantastic, the function of the sound clips is to show the pickups in their best light and enable players to cut to the chase quicker when deciding on appropriate pickups for their given style of playing. We also tried hard to provide comparative clips within any one given type of pickup making it easier to compare, for example having all the contemporary humbuckers doing a similar modern metal clip. Where appropriate, if a pickup also had uses outside it's usual remit we would offer up that clip too. For example the Riff Raff humbucker has both classic rock and modern metal clips demonstrating either end of the rock spectrum as it's important to show that it is capable of both. In the future we will look to expand on that more and add even more clips where appropriate.

[Martial]

Great job! This new website is awesome.

BKP 2.0 ftw !

[gwEm]

clearly the new site is immeasurably better than the old one, looks professional and high-end.

on the other hand, i think some positive aspects of the old site have been lost. when i first got a set of BKPs - Riff Raffs - the thing I liked about the BKP site was the simple descriptions of the pickups and the tones one might expect. i thought it was different to the dimarzio or duncan site and i was happy about it.

after years of playing around with dimarzio with occasional success i learnt that that kind of technical description with EQ curves can be very confusing, and even wrong when you actually plug into an amp. i was also very much of a tone n00b at that stage (and still have much to learn) and the easy going descriptions gave me more confidence that i was buying the right "flavour" if you like.

now i'm more advanced, the new site does suit me better, but never the less i know really well what its like to be bewildered by a lot of EQ curves and talk of wire gauges and coil offsets. an example: comparing the brown sugar to the boss, the brown sugar has more mids according to the EQ curve.. now in a real situation the drive of the amp would affect things so the treble of the brown sugar actually masks the fact it has more mids and it sounds thinner.. so with a boss loaded guitar plugged into the same marshall and setting the EQ up in a tasteful way you do actually get more punch despite what the EQ curve may suggest. (true: this is what the audio clips show for these 2 pickups)

if it were me, i'd think about ways to try and make things more appealing to less technically minded players still. (maybe the BKP phone number on each page?)

by the way, concerning the boss, i think the BKP team is missing a trick - i think its absolutely ideal for hard rock, it might be its "Pièce de résistance" so to speak

edit: though i must say, some of the descriptions are more easy to 'get' than others

[Tim]

The one criticism of the old site that I had fired at me time and again was that the product descriptions were rhetorical and didn't describe the pickups at all. I hope I have now addressed that properly while keeping it simple and to the point. You don't have to take any notice of EQ curves if you don't want to - I personally don't like them at all but again,included them after coming under intense pressure to do so - they are intended as a comparative between pickups only and do not in any way reflect the response when moved from one guitar to another as no EQ chart could ever show that. For those that find them useful, they've been included as well as some general applications and suitability suggestions. I still prefer to talk customers through detailed requirements personally as no website can cover every eventuality and this is something BKP will always continue to due - the new site is not meant to substitute that, it is to provide additional information.
As I said in my earlier post, there will be more clips added over the coming months as and where appropriate. Adam and I could have gone on for weeks recording but we had to draw the line somewhere and I feel that what has been accomplished provides a very good representation of what the pickups can do.

[gwEm]

The one criticism of the old site that I had fired at me time and again was that the product descriptions were rhetorical and didn't describe the pickups at all. I hope I have now addressed that properly while keeping it simple and to the point. You don't have to take any notice of EQ curves if you don't want to - I personally don't like them at all but again,included them after coming under intense pressure to do so - they are intended as a comparative between pickups only and do not in any way reflect the response when moved from one guitar to another as no EQ chart could ever show that. For those that find them useful, they've been included as well as some general applications and suitability suggestions. I still prefer to talk customers through detailed requirements personally as no website can cover every eventuality and this is something BKP will always continue to due - the new site is not meant to substitute that, it is to provide additional information.
As I said in my earlier post, there will be more clips added over the coming months as and where appropriate. Adam and I could have gone on for weeks recording but we had to draw the line somewhere and I feel that what has been accomplished provides a very good representation of what the pickups can do.

naturally i was only attempting to offer some thoughts on what i thought was the positives of the old site. the fact is it seems like i have most of your range now :)

maybe what i'm trying to say is the new site reflects the fact that BKP is a mainstream player in the pickup world now, with a professional quality website like that it creates a really good impression!!

but what attracted me to BKP was the friendliness, and with the well deserved growth in your business and product range it would be nice to somehow find a way to continue putting across this open/personal touch to casual vistors. we all know on the forum about it very well of course, i was just trying to think about what I would think if I saw it for the first time.

[Antag]

Just adding my 2p worth:  LOVE the new site.  Absolutely superb.

FWIW, I think you've struck exactly the right balance with the clips (the number of them, length, production etc), the descriptions, tech detail & eq curves: it's enough information to make a reasonably informed decision, but not so much that you get analysis paralysis.

[MDV]

Of course huge thanks to all who took part in the EQ chart excercise(as mentioned in forum news before xmas) - I did score them all myself and then ran through the scores with MDV - out of all the scores MDV had been able to assemble we were either 0.5 out or bang on the nail when we compared each others results which was extremely encouraging!

Missed that! Most welcome, happy to help

FWIW the clips dont sound overproduced to me at all. They sound well produced. They do have a common 'axe-fx-y' sound to them all that is somewhat 'processed' to my ears, but it does sound pretty dry and un-manipulated.

Glad to see that as BK grows you still provide advice on a customer to customer basis, in conversation, Tim; a laudable and to me, invaluable practice.

[With Full Distortion]

Of course huge thanks to all who took part in the EQ chart excercise(as mentioned in forum news before xmas) - I did score them all myself and then ran through the scores with MDV - out of all the scores MDV had been able to assemble we were either 0.5 out or bang on the nail when we compared each others results which was extremely encouraging!

Re: over producing the clips - as Nolly will no doubt chime in, that couldn't be further from the truth, they were recorded as straight as possible. The idea behind each clip was to demonstrate each pickup as most players would perceive it to be used and also for the use that it was designed for. There's no point centering on modern metal clips for Stormy Monday humbuckers or jazz clips for Sinner coils etc - while some players will undoubtedly find uses outside the norm which is fantastic, the function of the sound clips is to show the pickups in their best light and enable players to cut to the chase quicker when deciding on appropriate pickups for their given style of playing. We also tried hard to provide comparative clips within any one given type of pickup making it easier to compare, for example having all the contemporary humbuckers doing a similar modern metal clip. Where appropriate, if a pickup also had uses outside it's usual remit we would offer up that clip too. For example the Riff Raff humbucker has both classic rock and modern metal clips demonstrating either end of the rock spectrum as it's important to show that it is capable of both. In the future we will look to expand on that more and add even more clips where appropriate.

Yah! thats what i meant. and not. ahahahah
i liked the way each pickup was demoed and the styles YOU choose to give the sound examples.
what i questioned is just the specific subject of the Too much production (by that i mean drums,2 guitars and guitar lawyers etc.) that can be a tricky to figure out the real tone or vibe of the pickup.  a clip with only one guitar for the rhythm and 2 guitars for the solo would match it completely.
Btw i think that the HAIR METAL CLip is the one that can show 100% of the pickups voice, tone and vibe , out of all the soundclip examples. except , of course, the clean ones. ahahahah q: )
what i meant is that Too much production can be deceiving. Like dimarzio pickups. I cant really judge the tone of the pickups based on their soundclips. they are too produced you cant identify separated tones and etc.
and i have a question(but i didnt read the entire post here) :
Did you use tube amps only or software to get the Distortion out of the guitars?
some clips sounds like digital modeling and some like mic'd amps.
Hails and thanks for the site improvement.
q: )
I hope my comments werent offensive. it was just Constructive criticism from a surgical mind. Cause i want BKP to be Huge and Awesome. more than its becoming actually. Q; )
JP

[Tim]

Every clip was care of the Axe FX Ultra - we stuck to 3 or 4 amp types to make it as objective as possible. As I said before, it is a comparative study of pickups not a study of recording or different amps.
Re:over produced - we recorded them with drums, bass etc on purpose to show exactly how the pickups perform in a real mix. We did, however drop the drums and bass back in the mix to allow the guitar tracks to be heard clearly but not so much it spoiled the vibe of each clip.

[Johnny Mac]

Great looking new site. Very informative and well laid out. I love the sound clips, they're grrrrreat!

[Keven]

I really like the new site. the clips are very well done. i can definitely hear my pickups in the clip. the black dog is right there but still creamy, the cold sweat is a bit too scooped just like i'm feeling it is in my guitar, and the riff raff bridge is spot on what i was looking for! after all these emails asking tim questions about RR vs CS and High versus low output, i can really hear what he meant by 'more focused' and 'punchier'

thanks alot tim and co for such a nice new shiny website!

[gordiji]

don't forget that there"s a boatload of clips in the 'players' section recorded in a myriad of ways with all kinds of amps for anyone wanting more than is available on the home page.

[With Full Distortion]

Every clip was care of the Axe FX Ultra - we stuck to 3 or 4 amp types to make it as objective as possible. As I said before, it is a comparative study of pickups not a study of recording or different amps.
Re:over produced - we recorded them with drums, bass etc on purpose to show exactly how the pickups perform in a real mix. We did, however drop the drums and bass back in the mix to allow the guitar tracks to be heard clearly but not so much it spoiled the vibe of each clip.

I understand and partially agree with you guys. in fact I Agree and thats the correct way to do things.
its just that i perceive things different.
q: )
JP

[FernandoDuarte]

Following the thread about the new BG, Tim, which pickups have changed the specs? There is a big doubt about the new P90s, if they're the same with new name or new specs...

[Tim]

All of the P90s have been completely revamped top to toe so they're all new. The Blackguard Flat 50 has changed to become the Flat 52 making way for the new Broadcaster/Nocaster spec Flat 50. All the others are exactly the same as they've always been with the exception of the new pickups obviously: PAT Pend Strat Series, Stockholm HSP90, P and J bass, Aftermath humbuckers and the whole P90 range.