Cover / Finish Problem

[ilikemusicsometimes]

So about a month and half ago I received my set of bare knuckle humbucker sized p90's (Stockholm bridge, Mississipi Queen neck) that I had ordered. I have to say, tone-wise these are the best pickups I've ever played bar none. The range of tones they produce is absolutely astounding, from a beautiful clean tone in the neck (and a nice twamg in bridge) to a flawlessly clear high gain lead tone.

However as you probably noticed by the thread title, I'm not really posting a review right now. I have a concern about the cover or finish. Some of the cover material has already completely chipped away on both pickups which is odd since I pick between them and never directly above. This is the first time this has ever happened to me with a set of pickups in the 5 years I've been playing and I'm really confused why this would only plague the most expensive set I've ever paid for. The pickups aren't even as close as they can be to the strings. It's purely cosmetic as far as I can tell but it's very puzzling. I attached a couple quick pictures I took with my phone. Anyone else experience this or have any tips?

[HTH AMPS]

I have a set of MQs in black and haven't experienced this problem and I gig mine every weekend.

As with all post-purchase queries, best bet is to contact BKP direct - they're a solid bunch of guys and I'm sure will listen to your issue with understanding.  I would also imagine they'd be keen to identify any 'finishing' issues that may have arisen on your particular set.

[ericsabbath]

the black finish gets chipped off very quickly

[Philly Q]

the black finish gets chipped off very quickly

I have heard this before.  It doesn't seem very hard-wearing.

I've never had a black-covered BKP pickup, but it looks almost like some kind of paint/enamel rather than plating? 

[JiD]

hej!
i'm sorry as this is not about your issue, but i'm about to get the same setup for my semi hollow and i would like to ask if you think i will be in trouble with such output pickups in a semi hollow guitar?

[FELINEGUITARS]

I have had this issue with some of the black finished BKPs
Some seem better than others - it is a coating  like paint rather than a plating like chrome and it seems to peel easily

Ask Tim and see what he has to say...

[James_B_K_P]

I've never seen this happen before. The chipping of the paint does seem to be in areas that would be affected by picking though. Like the other guys say, contact BKP and tell them your problem. They're really helpful!

P.S On a slight thread Hijack, could you post a full pic of your guitar? It looks like a really interesting finish!

[ilikemusicsometimes]

I've never seen this happen before. The chipping of the paint does seem to be in areas that would be affected by picking though. Like the other guys say, contact BKP and tell them your problem. They're really helpful!

P.S On a slight thread Hijack, could you post a full pic of your guitar? It looks like a really interesting finish!

I'll try to get a hold of them later on in the day. They've seemed like a helpful lot every time I've gotten a hold of them in the past. :)

And as for the guitar it's an ASG (Artist Series Guitar) signature model for the band Demon Hunter. I bought it a couple years ago because it was super cheap and I was more into metalcore and kept it around since it plays fairly nice, looks sharp on stage, and sounds awesome thanks to BKP. I'm looking to buy a Warmoth Tele once I get a job and save up but this guitar is doing a good job holding me over 'till then.

[ericsabbath]

that looks really nice
I think it will look even better when the pickups get more "battleworn", so I wouldn't be bothered with that at all

[James_B_K_P]

Ah, That's a cool looking guitar! Like Eric said, if you can't sort out the finish problem on the pickups maybe even chip them a bit more so they match the guitar?

[llJasonll]

What if you just used a little bit of grill paint, to cover it up?  That is what I use, and it does eventually wear off, but you can always re-paint it.

[Slartibartfarst42]

This has certainly come up before I'm afraid. There was a thread last year from a guy who was really unhappy about it and it didn't improve his mood when BKP refused to do anything about it! I don't remember the details but I did ask Ben about it before I ordered mine. He assured me the problem was solved and in the year I had that pickup it was always fine but your experience suggests I was just lucky. To me, your experience is just unacceptable on pickups that are so expensive. You pay for great tone but you also pay for great build quality and that should extend to the covers. BKP are the only brand I've ever used where I've heard of this problem so I don't know what they're doing wrong but I wish they'd fix it.

[Ian Price]

He assured me the problem was solved and in the year I had that pickup it was always fine but your experience suggests I was just lucky.

Or perhaps the OP was just unlucky? Just saying. I'm sure the BKP guys will be reasonable about it if contacted.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Yes, I accept that is a possibility. Perhaps the problem is fixed and he's just been unlucky but the fact that this has been an ongoing issue for some time and is now back again suggests there's not just luck involved here. However, I assume that if BKP are convinced they've fixed the problem properly then after less than 2 month it should simply be fixed under warranty.