Most Versatile BKP Strat Single Coil Set

[Kitty]

I play just about any style on my '07 American Deluxe Fender Stratocaster, with a 9.5"-14" compound radius rosewood fretboard and an alder body. I tend to lead more towards classic rock, full chord strumming to single note solos.

On my own research I have narrowed it down to the Irish Tours or Mother's Milk (any other suggestions you folks might have I'm open to hear :)), I wrote to BKP and they recommended Mother's Milk, I believe because I have a rosewood board.
I like the tone of the MMs I've heard on the clips, but i wonder if I will miss the extra juice I would get from the ITs when I want to rip into a blistering lead. Or if the ITs will be bright enough for my RW board.

Thanks

K

 

[Telerocker]

I have both IT's and MM's. Both are great, it's a matter of preference if you like the woodier, glassier character of the MM's, or the grittier and fuller approach from the IT's. I  think IT's are bright enough for a rosewood board. You can get close to MM's by turning the vol.knob a tad back.

[Kitty]

Hi Telerocker!

Thanks for your response.

Do you find that both the ITs and MMs are equally suited to any style where a good classic "strat" sound is desired?
I am not at all shy about using my volume to dial in a tone, i.e. I generally go about 65-%-80% for full chord strumming.
In fact it was a review on Harmony Central that first piqued my interest in BKPs. Where the reviewer said that when strumming full chords on the ITs, every note was clear and well defined. I'm paraphrasing, but this sounded like what I was looking for.
My concern is the mention of the ITs having a "darker tone", and BKPs suggestion that ITs are better suited on guitar with a maple board, mine being rosewood.

This is my only electric, currently with stock SCN N2s, recording becomes a problem when overdubbing with the same instrument.
The lack of clarity is amplified and it quickly turns into a muddy mess.
I hope I'm being clear. :lol:

It is interesting to me that the ITs are recommended for maple boards, when the players whose tone is mostly associated with them, all used guitars with rosewood fretboards, at least primarily; Gallagher, SRV, Mayer(shudder), Hendrix used both.

Telerocker, any chance of getting a sound file from you comparing the two in the circumstances I've been writing about? :D

Are your boards RW, Maple or other?

Thanks

K

[AndyR]

ITs and maple board? Where does it say this? I've always been under the impression they're kind of aimed at rosewood boards.

I don't see why they shouldn't work with maple (although I have read on here some saying that they're too bright), but I'm surprised to hear BKP might be recommending them now for maple...

I have ITs, Apaches, and Sultans. I understand that ITs are slightly thicker than MMs. I wouldn't describe them as "dark" though. I've found that in a darker guitar they don't have as much clarity as they do in a brighter guitar - but that strat "darkens" and "rounds" most pick-ups I've tried in it! :lol:

However, you mentioning over-dubbing, I do know exactly what you mean (my experience is in telecasters - a nice ash/maple tele with Blackguards is great for single guitar work, an alder/rosewood with Yardbirds is superb for over-dubs on multi-guitar work, multiple tracks with the BG can lose the clarity)...

So, I believe that MMs (or Sultans) would be a better choice than ITs if the strat is to be used for layering guitar parts. In my experience, ITs are great for "I'm the only guitarist, and I expect to be centre-of-attention in the mix" tones. They'll do parts, but I have other guitars that might do it better, depending on what I'm after....

EDIT: And welcome to the forum, btw :D

[juansolo]

Disappointed that there's no Afgan Dave option to this poll.

[AndyR]

Disappointed that there's no Afgan Dave option to this poll.

:lol:

In case the OP doesn't get this comment - someone ran a poll the other week with an Afghan Dave option (AD is one of the regulars on here, known for his, well, er, stuff...). As the options on that poll were otherwise very difficult to choose, the pollster ended up with a lot of votes for Afghan Dave...

You've possibly got a similar problem with your poll - probably why you have very few votes last time I looked. I know what you're trying to find out. And personally I suspect the answer you need is indeed Mother's Milks - but I can't vote that because a) I haven't tried them personally and b) they won't be able to do the "classic strat" sound that Apaches do for me :lol:

All BKPs are versatile, extremely so. And there are lots of "classic strat sounds". But I think, for you, that MMs would be heading towards the "classic strat" you're after, and they'd probably be more versatile than some others would be. (Also, if BKP recommended them, I'd go for that! :lol:)

[frankus]

not many votes :( I was expecting some insight :D

[Philly Q]

Of the Vintage Hot models, I always thought of ITs as the "rosewood board set" and Slow Hands as the "maple board set".  Similarly, for the Vintage models, MMs and Apaches respectively.  Although I wouldn't worry about using any set with any board, personally.

Anyway, I haven't actually tried many BKP Strat pickups so I can't really give a useful answer, but I suspect (from my years reading the forum) that MMs are indeed the ultimate all-rounders.


(Your John Mayer comment made me laugh, by the way.  :lol:  )

[TheyCallMeVolume]

I'd say IT's

[Telerocker]

My IT's are in a swampash strat with exotic top and ebony fretboard, but as I said they go well with rosewood too. They're bright enough, don't worry. Compared to MM's they have a bit more push and bass, which I like for the styles you mentioned. The MM's are a bit cleaner and slightly leaner to my ears. The neck-MM is georgeous. Btw, all BKP's have tremendous clarity, dynamics and stringseparation and at first you have to get used to that and tweak your amp when you're coming from stockpickups.
Sorry, I have no recording tools at the moments besides an I-Phone and I wonder if you will hear the real difference with it.

[gordiji]

I.T's can do anything expected from a strat; country, blues, rock, funk.Mine are in a maple/alder and are plenty bright
which can easily be darkened to taste with eq.
I wouldn't argue with the other venerable members as to what is best for you but i'm speaking from my experience with the one set i have.(i've never heard a 'bad' sounding strat pup but some are more alive than others eg IT's)

[38thBeatle]

The problem with voting, for me, is that I have only experience of three sets of BK Start pickups- namely my Apaches&  Slowhands and very limited Mother's Milks via a friend. Therefore I cannot answer the question.

That said, I rate Apaches very highly. I don't necessarily go along with the Rosewood/Maple division. By those standards, I have them in the wrong guitars as both of my Strats are Rosewood. The Apaches particularly cover just about any ground I want - I play blues and a bit of old time rock and I love them.  The Slowhands have a bit more in the middle but not by any great degree.

[Kitty]

Hi all!

Thanks for the great responses. :D

I am currently residing on the corner of No and Where, Anytown U.S., so getting my hands on a set to test is difficult.
I thought that some of our U.K. friends might have more access through local retailers, to do side by side comparisons.

Telerocker, when you turn your vol. down to get "close to" MMs; what would you say is the main distinction tonewise, from that of the ITs?

AndyR, on the BKP site, to the right of the pups description: "SUITABILITY
Brighter Alder and Ash body Strats, maple boards or any Strat that would benefit from a fatter vintage tone with more control in the high-end."
Not a rule per se, more of a guideline me thinks.
I also like to use piano in my songs, have you recorded with piano, and which set do you find, or think, would be most compatible to a fuller spectrum instrument; ya know, without mudding up the mix.
I am a firm believer of eq'ing minimally.
Thanks, I like it here so far, good maturity/intelligence level; ya know, for musicians. :lol:
Do you think I should add more voting options?
I thought I covered all of BKPs single coil strat sets, which is what I've narrowed down my search to.
What do you suggest I do? :(

Frankus, I specifically did not add an ending time to this poll; perhaps over time we will see more votes.
I realize it is subjective issue, but everyone has opinions, and the more these they sell, which based on the reviews I've read, should be plenty, we can expect to be inundated with feedback. (no pun intended) :flak:

Philly Q, I think my neck and body might produce a darker, less shimmering tone. Although it's hard to know for sure as these N2s are the only pups she's ever had. All I know is that it's the lack of brilliance(the tone, not my playing) and definition that I would like to overcome with a new set of BKPs.

Gordiji, what kind of amp(s) do you play your strat through?
What is, generally speaking, the line-up of other instruments you're playing along with?
Live or recording or both?

38thBeatle, you have me giving the Apaches another look also the Sultans from AndyR.
I am a fan of the tones created on the fab four recordings; are there any Beatle specific tones that the Apaches nail?
I am well aware that the majority of those electric guitar tones came from, Ricks and Epis, but I also know there are a few fender moments here and there; Gibson as well.

So many great choices, so hard to decide without firsthand knowledge.

I plan to run these pups directly into my soul.
So, yeah, it's that important. 8)

Thanks again.

Cheers

K

[38thBeatle]

Hi, don't let my forum name influence your choice. The Beatles didn't use Starts that much.Where they do appear then yes I can get the tones but overall with Apaches, they provide the warm clear classic Start tones that take me where I want to go. Now here is the problem when it comes to describing pickups. I can say the same about the Slowhands. My preference for one over the other is as much to do with the guitar that they are in.My Apache Strat is also my oldest USA made guitar that I have had since I was in my late teens and therefore is like a comfy old pair of shoes. Having said that, the installation of Apaches "completed" the guitar inasmuch as the pickups before (EMG's) didn't really suit it.The original pickups were quite nice too-not that much wrong with them but I would say a little shrill
( they are in a box somewhere ).The Apaches rendered the guitar into the tone beast I always knew was there. The neck pup tone is beautiful and I never get fed up with it. But even the middle pickup gets used far more than the previous occupants of that space ever did.

[AndyR]

From what you describe about "darker and less shimmering" from the guitar, I'm leaning even further towards the MMs.

I have ITs, Sultans, and Apaches. I also have a "darker and less shimmering" strat that has had all three in them. I was originally trying to get it to do "all-rounder", which for me includes brighter and "more delicate" strat tones. Didn't really work out with the three I've tried - Sultans seemed closest though. I'm fairly certain that, when I was doing this a couple of years back, I should have gone for MMs for this guitar. It has Apaches at the moment, I've embraced the mellow/rounded tone that it generates naturally! I can do this because I have two other strats that give me different stuff.

On the recording front - yes, I do often have piano (and organ) parts knocking about. To be honest, I've just realised that I often don't use any of the strats when this is going on :lol:. My most versatile recording guitar at the moment is a tele with Yardbirds in... That always seems to fit the track, clean, dirty, whatever. And it layers really nicely.

If I really want strat tone for mixing in or embellishment, the one that currently has the Sultans in (could be one of two) is the most effective. If I want a "main guitarist playing a strat", then my IT'd or Apache'd guitars come into their own, depending on what style we're talking about.


This thread (and others) is really making me think about MMs though. I suspect the "dark and less shimmering" strat I have could become like the Yardbirded tele if I put MMs in.