BK Country Boys VS Fender Texas Specials

[tim_miles]

heya guys,

I have looked at both of these pickups and don't know what to chose between!

i have a left handed MIM Telecaster and play through a Vox ad50vt and i want to change the pickups. I do alot of Country Music, mainly Keith Urban and Brad Paisly but some stuff like Jeff Carson comes in aswell.

Basically what i want is a pickup with lowest amount of noise possible and the one that would give my guitar the best sound. from that clean country to the Rock country sound. (noise isn't amazingly important as my guitars being sheilded)

http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/ZT-countryboy.html

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/options.php?id=12238

i can't decide between the two because i have heard good reviews on both.

basically i'd like to achieve this guitar sound:

http://music.download.com/jonmiller...ing_song_artist

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cf...iendID=31489997

if you listen to the lead guitar part in the song called "Consumed" on the first link thats the sound i'm wanting to achieve. On the second link i want to achieve the sound in the song called "Days Go By" and "Where the blacktop". I also prefer lighter gauge strings so i don't know which pickups work best with these.

thanks!
any help would be awsome!

[38thBeatle]

Hello and welcome to the forum. I have a set of Country Boys in my Mex Tele. I don't consider myself to be a Tele expert ( I play Strats) and nor am I a big country fan but I have great respect for some of the best guitarists on the planet who play country. With that said, I can only comment on the CB's I am afraid. They are very traditional Tele pups, at least to my ears. I played them head to head with a mate's very old stock Tele and mine was very very close. I couldn't tell much difference- my mate, a sound engineer says he could but that is another story. I am hoping to post a clip if my fingers are ok this weekend or early next week ( I suffered a stupid minor burn a few days ago and they are a bit tender at the moment)- it'll probably be a bit bluesy though I like clean tones so hopefully it'll be of use to you. I should think that Tim will pitch in at some point- he is "The Guru" and will give you an unbiased opinion. I have only used Texas Special Strat pups. I prefer my Apache Strat pups- maybe not as hot but much much "warmer".

[tim_miles]

thanks very much for the reply!

it helped!

im looking forward to hearing your clip. but let your fingers heal first! :D

[Tim]

The Fender Texas Specials are wuite a bit hotter than the Country Boy Tele set............the CBs are made with Alnico III and wound relatively lightly in Tele terms for a bell like twang(no ice pick!)whereas the TS are wound with Alnico V and quite a bit hotter.A better comp would be the Brown Sugar and Texas Specials.
Expect a very vintage tone from the CBs, plenty of cut and plenty of clarity and they're sweet too care of the Alnico III.

[dave_mc]

heya, tim (the miles one!), welcome to the forum!

Go with what tim (BKP guru) says, he makes them!


Man, I should start to get commission for all the guys i bring to the BKP forums from UG...

 :twisted:

[tim_miles]

heya dave, you should get commision! lol


when Tim says a comp between the brown sugar and the texas what does he mean?

[Tim]

Comparision............they're more comparible basically.

[dave_mc]

he means that you aren't really comparing like with like.

If you want the texas specials type of hotter sound, but you want to go bareknuckle, you should go with the brown sugar set, not the country boys.

EDIT: beat me to it, tim!

i suppose the next question would be, tim (BKP tim!), would he go with country boys or brown sugars for the tones he's after?

[tim_miles]

ahh ok i understand sorry!

i have one more problem....I looked at the Brown sugar pickups and am vry interested!

i how ever don't under stand the options it says

Options: covered neck pickup, nickel silver or brass bridge grounding plate, reverse wind/ reverse polarity. Also available singly

I'd have the nickel covered neck pickup (i assume this is the silver one) what is nickel engraved? what would be engraved on it?

and the other options i don't understand is reverse wind and reverse polarity? do these options come with it when you buy it or upon purchase do you have to choose what you want?

also what is brass bridge grounding

apologies for all the questions!

[dave_mc]

i don't know about all the brass baseplate stuff (it'll change the tone slightly, but i'm not sure how), but RWRP means that in the middle position on your tele (both pickups on), they'll be hum-cancelling, or noiseless.

[tim_miles]

ahh ok thanks!

so does this come standard with the pickups? the hum cancelling on the middle swtich?

or do you have to choose it as one of the options and pay more?

[Tim]

Both coils in a Tele set are single coils, if both have the same magnetic polarity and wind direction they are said to be 'stock', if one or other(usually the neck)is reverse wound reverse polarity  they're said to be RWRP.
Stock coils have a touch more volume across both coils and when on together have more quack but don't cancel hum.RWRP coils are humcancelling when on together and have a slightly scooped mid and a touch less volume when on together too.

Our baseplates are now all copper plated mild steel except for the Piledriver which is soon going to be offered with a slightly thicker vintage correct zinc plated grounding plate.

[Tim]

No, they're no cost options. 8)

[tim_miles]

thanks Tim!

so do your pickups "brown sugar" ones come stand with the reverse polarity thing or is that an option that i'd have to choose upon purchase?

also is the nickel cover the silver one?

and what is a bass plate?

very sorry im new to changing pickups and am learning!

[Tim]

Nickel covers are a silver colour.

You can choose between RWRP and stock....................at the moment most players are going stock on Teles.

Baseplate/grounding plate.......it's the metal plate that goes under the bridge coil to give it a touch more beef!