New member advice please.

[Wolf5150]

Hi folks.. newbie here.

I need help choosing a pickup please.

I've always loved the Duncan JB, but only with 250K volume and tone pots.

I have a warmoth build that needs a new bridge humbucker but it has a Tom Anderson wire scheme which allows the bridge pickup to see a 500k pot but the mid and neck singles to see 250.
In other words best of both worlds.

So my question is, can anyone tell me which BK would give the tone of the JB with 250k pots, but with 500k !

I love the lead tone and most importantly the split tones of the JB in this configuration.

I asked the same question of Duncan and they're only suggestion was a £200 custom shop version.  :?

[Alex]

No Bareknuckle is modelled after the JB, but the Holy Diver shares some characteristics.
I'm afraid for your very specific question there is no answer that would guarantee that you get exactly what you have in your mind. Maybe listen to the sample clips on the BKP website? I think your own ears can be most helpful in your search.

[Wolf5150]

Let me come at this a different way.

What do you guys think a Rebel Yell with a cover would sound like in a SuperStrat ?

Does the cover tame some of the highs ?

I'd think if they did, that would sound really good.

Here's the guitar it's destined for.

[darkbluemurder]

I understood that Tim compensates the winding slightly if a pickup gets a cover so ultimately the cover would not really tame highs. Admittedly I may not be the best person to answer this because I strongly dislike the JB and always have found it to be flat, muddy and punchless. From what I read about the RY I believe it would be too bright for what you want to achieve.

Have you asked Tim?

Cheers Stephan

[Wolf5150]

haven't spoken to tim but i did phone this morning. They suggested either the nailbomb or crawler. I don't want over bearing mid range so not sure about the crawler. Nail bomb sounds interesting but what a terrible name . . Lol.

[BigB]

haven't spoken to tim but i did phone this morning. They suggested either the nailbomb or crawler. I don't want over bearing mid range so not sure about the crawler. Nail bomb sounds interesting but what a terrible name . . Lol.

It all depends on what kind of tone you're looking for. But anyway, having both a Crawler and ABomb bridge:

The Crawler is far from having an "overbearing mid-range". It's a full, warm (*not* muddy) sounding pickup with a very definite vintage vibe and feel but tighter and hotter than a vintage PAF / PAT like.  Nice jangle in the highs, warm and rather fat mids, yet still sharp enough to cut thru the mix, and warm yet detailed lows. It's a very versatile pickup that works fine from pristine clean to heavy distortion, great for blues, reggae, classic rock, hard rock, and can even do metal with the right rig and player but if you're into modern metal you might find more appropriate stuff in the contemporary range. Ho, and it's said to split very well - didn't tried it split by myself for now but I can well believe it would work fine given it's tone and output level.

The ABomb is a very different beast. Just a bit hotter, but *way* more modern and aggressive, with brighter highs, a raspy, abrasive mid range and very very tight lows. Surprisingly, it's a bit more open sounding (-> less compressed) than the Crawler, but that may also come partly from woods and construction (cf below). It maintains full clarity and definition even at insane gain levels yet cleans up very well with the volume pot, to  more classic (yet with a modern edge) rock tones. Great pickup for hi-gain stuff, can do pretty good mid-gain tones too, clean tones are fine but not as rich as the Crawler. Not strictly a metalhead pickup - I'm not into metal FWIW -, but definitly more on the modern side, and while still more versatile than you could expect it's not as versatile as the Crawler.

Both have the usual BKP qualities - articulation, definition, clarity, and great tone when on the right guitar.

FWIW, I have the Crawler on a bright and tight going-thru maple neck / maple sides / rosewood fretboard japanese (Matsumoku) Vox from the early 80s, and the ABomb on a rather dark / full sounding 80's SG Standard, and the SG/Abomb is by far middier sounding than the Vox/Crawler one.

Also, it happens that the ABomb actually replaced an old JB(J), and I can tell you it's not sounding the same at all - the ABomb is way more abrasive and aggressive than the JB. I've not tried the Crawler in the SG (wouldn't work fine IMHO) nor the JB in the Vox, but if the JB you played have anything in common with the old one I have and given your pot's values considerations, I really think you'd be happier with the Crawler on this guitar (assuming it's in the usual strat range wrt/ brightness).

My 2 cents...

[K-Roll]

I'd wish for telecaster pickups in a 7string format (i am not sure if they do these, but it seems not) I'd like to ask my luthier to build a 7 string tele and I'd love to get some really top notch puppies  :)

[Roobubba]

I'd wish for telecaster pickups in a 7string format (i am not sure if they do these, but it seems not) I'd like to ask my luthier to build a 7 string tele and I'd love to get some really top notch puppies  :)

That sounds like a really bad idea.

Best use for a tele is firewood. Unless you want to look like a total knob. No offense, like.

[BigB]

I'd wish for telecaster pickups in a 7string format (i am not sure if they do these, but it seems not) I'd like to ask my luthier to build a 7 string tele and I'd love to get some really top notch puppies  :)

Actually, starting a new topic might have been a better idea, since your post has nothing to do with Wolf5150's question...

[mbchepburn]

I'd say the Nailbomb Alnico will be a good substitute for the JB.

[BigB]

I'd say the Nailbomb Alnico will be a good substitute for the JB.

Then either the only JB I've (knowingly) played is very different from every others JBs, or my ABomb is screwed - because they don't sound the same AT ALL in my SG.

[Wolf5150]

I actually bit the bullet and ordered a covered A5 Nailbomb.

Lets see if the hype is deserved  :D

[mbchepburn]

I'd say the Nailbomb Alnico will be a good substitute for the JB.

Then either the only JB I've (knowingly) played is very different from every others JBs, or my ABomb is screwed - because they don't sound the same AT ALL in my SG.

Of course they're not gonna sound the same. Tim doesn't make pickups that sound like others. I was merely saying that the Nailbomb would be a good replacement for A JB since both are usually bought to play similar types of music. Plus JBs are a pile of c**p unless they're custom shop. I bought a JB once upon a time when I played my mates custom shop wound JB (I didn't know at the time) and it sounded great, but when I ordered one it dint sound the same. I then discovered that the retail versions a machine wound, which is probably why Bare Knuckles sound sooo much better than the other brands :)

[BigB]

I'd say the Nailbomb Alnico will be a good substitute for the JB.

Then either the only JB I've (knowingly) played is very different from every others JBs, or my ABomb is screwed - because they don't sound the same AT ALL in my SG.

Of course they're not gonna sound the same.

That's an understatement, and given the OP's "specs" I'm note sure he's gonna be happy with a ABomb.

Tim doesn't make pickups that sound like others. I was merely saying that the Nailbomb would be a good replacement for A JB since both are usually bought to play similar types of music.

I don't know what JBs (nor NBs FWIW) are "are usually bought to play" - I just know the ones I've tried - in the same guitar - are very different. FWIW, while I still prefer the NB for their tightness and definition and overall quality, there are some things of this JB (or of the Crawler FWIW) I'm still missing, specially for lead work. OTHO, what I liked about the JB for lead work was probably what made it unsuitable for other uses, and I can get something approaching playing with the tone pot and/or going thru the middle position (Mule neck here). Now that's on rather dark and full sounding SG, not on a probably way brighter Strat-like, and based on this experience and my experience with Crawlers on a brighter guitar, I really think Wolf would have been happier with a Crawler bridge.

Plus JBs are a pile of c**p unless they're custom shop. I bought a JB once upon a time when I played my mates custom shop wound JB (I didn't know at the time) and it sounded great, but when I ordered one it dint sound the same. I then discovered that the retail versions a machine wound, which is probably why Bare Knuckles sound sooo much better than the other brands :)

As I said, the only JB I knowingly played is an old early 80s JBJ. From what I understood it's supposed to mean it was a handwound model and somewhat different from current production, but the informations I found where contradictory at best (and obvious guitar-forum tell-tale bullshitee at worst). Also, being handwound is certainly not by itself the only (and possibly not even the most important) factor in BKPs quality standard - it's a combination of design, hand/scatter winding, materials choice, attention to details, experience, good taste, and "eat your own food" philosophy (I don't think Tim would sell anything he wouldn't be happy to play himself, and *that's* possibly one of the most import points here).  And while I'm definitly what you could call a "BKP addict", as far as I'm concerned, I'm not into that "sound sooo much better than the other brands" fanboy attitude. I do enjoy my BKPs and even the ones that didn't cut it for me were obviously pretty good pups - just not what I was looking for -, but that doesn't mean no one else is making top quality pickups.

[BigB]

I actually bit the bullet and ordered a covered A5 Nailbomb.

Lets see if the hype is deserved  :D

Hope you'll be happy with it, but - as I explained in a couple other posts - I really think the Crawler would have been closer to what you were looking for.  Remember that you have 14 days to return/exchange them if they don't suit you (Also Nailbombs are famous for being very picky about the host guitar, so it's really difficult to predict how they'll react in your own guitar),

My 2 cents...