Prototype Bare Knuckle Pickups with Quad Rails

[Emperoff]

Slartibartfarst, first let me say I really enjoyed what you did with the coastline of Norway.

Yes, Norway was one I was particularly pleased with. It won an award you know but I like it most because I simply love doing the little crinkly bits around fjords  :D

Tim isn't giving much away on this thing and I'll grant you, the end of the year seems a long way away. If I contacted Tim I don't see him saying 'Wait until the end of the year to get the Blackhawk' so it boils down to how patient I can be. I'd also like to see an alnico version with a more balanced EQ than the Warpig. I doubt I'd bother waiting for it if I knew it was only going to be available as ceramic.

Have you tried asking to him? Maybe he'll tell you if there's plans on alnico versions. That wouldn't actually tell much about the pickup specs, so it's worth a try.

[MAJ Meadows SF]

@MDV: come on dude! Sworn to secrecy I take it. No worries; I guess specs will follow someday. I'll be glad to hear some more clips in the future with different tunings, amps, and styles.

I couldn't help pointing this out or blowing the lid off, though I see someone did already blab the name. Blackhawk sounds cool; I'd love to know the name reference. I'm sure it's not the band, or the heli. We call those UH-60 crash-hawks. I would name a high output pickup after an explosive device or blast related action (IED, over-pressure, back blast, grenade, claymore, etc.) because I fancy anything loud, violent, and that goes boom.

Considering RSF, Periphery, and others are testing the Blackhawk it would be safe to assume at least the proper application for this beast, and the tone sounds very tight, modern, aggressive, but organic and not way over the top. But I was surprised at how awesome the Black Dog sounds at metal, and I've seen Schafer of Iced Earth use the Riff Raff live; massive tight sound. So, we will see! I'd kill for an Aftermath with the MM or C-Pig massive low end.

[Emperoff]

Considering there's already the Painkiller and the Aftermath, I really hope Tim doesn't focus that much on the "Djent" bandwagon and release something different...

But considering the guys that are testing it I highly doubt it :?

[MDV]

I think the djent bandwagon found tim to be fair, rather than the other way round.

The PK was designed for a raw british crunchy JCM800-in-a-pickup sound. The aftermath was designed for fast palm muted complex modern thrash. Those audience found aspects of them beneficial, is all.

And yes, I believe the helicopter was what tim was thinking of. Plus that it had 'black' in the name and sounded cool. There is no musical reference in it. Perhaps partly (pure speculation with ragard to the name, but its true that) tim doesnt want it pigeon holed into one genre.

Details? No. I was, in fact, sworn to secrecy and have likely said too much already.

Odd how these things get out (last time it was my fault :lol:, but hey, I think it was about a year ago I first heard the earliest ideas for the blade pickup spec, about 5 months for the name and spec: I'm surprised it took this long for it to get blabbed about!)

[PhilKing]

I know Tim was working on it last April/May, but he road tests everything before he lets it go to others, so that would be part of the reason it's been around for so long.

[MAJ Meadows SF]

I wouldn't worry about the Blackhawk sounding "djenty". Part of that tone is amp driven; and if you listen to Nolly's clip, it doesn't seem anything like a Painkiller or similar clone. There's a lot of pickups used for different tones you can achieve a djent sound with, however most of them are dogshite compared to BKPs. This one is "djunt" to me, very smooth, almost Lamb of God'ish. No Messhuggah tone there, but an obviously powerful midrange. You gotta realize most BKP's have a pronounced midrange anyways, which lends to the clarity. There's no doubt a plethora of uses for this pickup.

Ah and it says djunt on the top right of the clip. But it's partly Amp/effects/technique.

@ MDV: totally agree with djent finding Tim's creations useful. It's just chance. There are a couple awesome Stan Hinsley pickups Matt Sotello of Decrepit Birth uses, and they sound djenty out of an ENGL (those curious listen to him on "The Resonance" off Polarity). And as far as the helicopter goes, I will say they ride like a Cadillac which makes sense while hearing the smoothness of the tone.  And it's Misha's fault for showing them off on camera; I was waiting to see if a poison dart hit him and a hooded figure drag him off stage... At any rate we'll be eagerly awaiting you lucky dudes to post future info or at least sound clips in the future!

[Nolly]

And yes, I believe the helicopter was what tim was thinking of.

Noticed how many blades a Blackhawk has?

[Emperoff]

It's Misha's fault for showing them off on camera; I was waiting to see if a poison dart hit him and a hooded figure drag him off stage... At any rate we'll be eagerly awaiting you lucky dudes to post future info or at least sound clips in the future!

Seriously? That's the best thing that he could have done (if not intentional). I remember the avalanche of kids asking about the Aftermath (rumours of a tweaked Painkiller that seemed to be the ultimate djent pickup), which was custom made, as MDV knows. The hype grew and grew and now there's a couple of Aftermaths NPD every week on some forums.

This time, shown to public by Periphery (which is growing exponentially in popularity) may cause even a bigger impact.

[MDV]

And yes, I believe the helicopter was what tim was thinking of.

Noticed how many blades a Blackhawk has?

It really hadnt occured to me :lol:

[MAJ Meadows SF]

@Emperoff: Roger that. I was thrilled to see it, purposeful or otherwise it will make it popular. I'm just trying to find some footage of Misha using that Mayones. I just need to be freaking patient.

[ericsabbath]

I'd expect something somewhat in the cold sweat ballpark, but less aggressive in the upper mids, more "hi-fi" and twangy, like Joe Barden pickups or something (?)  :?

am I getting close?

[JacksonRR]

Nolly, I liked that clip. It reminded me a lot of Between the Buried and Me guitar tones. The chugs and especially the pinches. I would love to hear it doing other styles/different EQs. I'm really hoping he decides to give the HS and HSS players a matching "little buddy." He went through the trouble of providing a camo finish for SCs, but good design is harder than good clothing.

[bulb]

hey guys
i see a few of you talking about tim focusing on "djenty" pickups
keep in mind its all technique, certain pickups may be more condusive to that sound than others, but honestly its 95% technique

I doubt that Tim (or the original designer of the PAF pickups) was trying to get those pickups to sound "djenty", but i can make them get that metallic edge quite easily even though they are very low output and almost seem to be aimed at getting ridiculously rich clean and mid gain sounds. (to the point where im probably going to put a set in my Blackmachine B2 and my Carvin Holdsworth)

So just keep in mind that when im testing out new pickups/guitars/gear and whatever that there are far more criteria than "how djenty is it" that i (or other modern metal guys) use to judge how i like it.  Things like note definition, how well and evenly it reacts to complex chords and how musical it sounds with palm muted chords are way more relevant, as well as how tight it is and how well it reacts to stacatto riffing.

[juliangallows]

hey guys
i see a few of you talking about tim focusing on "djenty" pickups
keep in mind its all technique, certain pickups may be more condusive to that sound than others, but honestly its 95% technique

I doubt that Tim (or the original designer of the PAF pickups) was trying to get those pickups to sound "djenty", but i can make them get that metallic edge quite easily even though they are very low output and almost seem to be aimed at getting ridiculously rich clean and mid gain sounds. (to the point where im probably going to put a set in my Blackmachine B2 and my Carvin Holdsworth)

So just keep in mind that when im testing out new pickups/guitars/gear and whatever that there are far more criteria than "how djenty is it" that i (or other modern metal guys) use to judge how i like it.  Things like note definition, how well and evenly it reacts to complex chords and how musical it sounds with palm muted chords are way more relevant, as well as how tight it is and how well it reacts to stacatto riffing.

This is so true!!  If I had a pawn shop no name guitar with stock pup's running through my standard rig I could come close to getting the same sound I could with my BK's and my favorite axe, but the BK's make it so much easier to achieve the tone I am after.  IMHO, tone is 70% in the player, the amp, the guitar, the pickups are what get you 100% to where you want your tone to be.  

[bulb]

This is true, but what i was getting at is that when looking at pickups i tend to look at things that are more pickup dependant, for example you can change the way you hit and palm mute your strings to make it "djentier" but you cant affect a pickup's note definition nor how it responds to your pick attack, you cant affect it's note separation on a chord or how evenly it will ring out the notes.
And i was just saying THOSE are the criteria i use to assess how i feel about a pickup, not how "djenty" it is, because that is more technique than the pickup itself.