Tonerider pickups and a photo of my Bladerunner trem.

[triantobebrian]

I've put my AWarmoth project on hold for a few months - just paid off and received my Bladerunner trem and now to pay off my deluxe case...

But I'm upgrading a cheap plywood samick that I love - want it sounding good or recording on the road. I'm not putting a good guitar on a plane every week.

So I'm putting a Gibson burstbucker humbucker in it and a tone rider city limits in the neck/mid.

And yes. I've done a search. But a forum is for discussing so I'm starting a new one.


I guess what I'm really saying is that how far off a set of bare knuckles would they be in tone. (If they sound as good I'm going to be shattered)

Cheers

[darrenw5094]

But I'm upgrading a cheap plywood samick that I love - want it sounding good or recording on the road. I'm not putting a good guitar on a plane every week.

Plywood, seriously??

Not sure even a Bareknuckle can do it's job with plywood.

[triantobebrian]

Yeah it's funny you say tht.  By plywood I ean that chipboard material cheap guitars are made out of.
A luthier has said that if there's not a lot of weight in te body then there's nota lot of glue and that they can sound surprisingly good....

Time will tell...

[Philly Q]

I can't comment on the tone of your Samick, but surely you need a BKP humbucker with a burnt chrome cover to match that bridge?!

[triantobebrian]

The BKP fraternity said "don't do it!!!"  " don't out our awesome pickups on such a cheap guitar....!!"

So I didn't.......!!

Th trem is for the Warmoth project now into its 4th month of acquiring parts.  The Samick thing is a side project.

[Philly Q]

I don't agree with the BKP fraternity in this case - if you like your Samick and you think it sounds good now, it'll sound even better with a set of BKPs.

The only question is whether it's "worth" buying expensive pickups for a cheap guitar, and I'd say if you can afford it, it's worth it.  On the other hand, if you were scr@ping together every last penny of your savings to buy the pickups, I'd say keep on saving and buy a better guitar.... then a set of BKPs. 

[triantobebrian]

It's interesting how persuasive forums are....
If I'd received this reply when I first threw up the idea - I probably woulda gone ahead with the BKP option.

But I was coerced into not doing so..... So I've put in the tone riders.   Now I have my heart in my mouth that they're gonna sound better than my Bare knuckles.....  (Tim's gonna ban me from the forum in a sec)

To clarify - the samick is my first guitar and has travelled all over the country with me over the years.  Cheap guitar but irreplaceable.... So worth the $$$

[Philly Q]

I think Toneriders are good pickups at a very reasonable price - so in a way they're probably an appropriate choice for your Samick.

You won't know if they sound better than BKPs unless you try both in the same guitar!  :P

[Fourth Feline]

I have a pair of the Tonerider Alnico II pickups, that I was going to use instead of my B.K.P. Stormy Mondays - or Manhattans for my 'spare' Jazz guitar ; but they did not have enough detail / clarity / dynamics / 'air' in the sound for my needs. They were not harsh, just rather 2 dimensional . I play predominantly chord melody, and so they may be fine for overdriven Blues in a solid body guitar.

However ;  I can honestly say that even my 'Hot to trot' B.K.P (Alnico V ) Warpigs, give me much more subtlety and dynamics ( when used for clean / detailed / mellow / smooth Jazz tones ) than the Tonerider AIIs.

[triantobebrian]

Good comparison - thanks.  But I guess we really shouldn't be comparing the 2.
Jane wound pickups from the UK vs Chinese assembly driven jobs.....

[TheyCallMeVolume]

Now I have my heart in my mouth that they're gonna sound better than my Bare knuckles

I promise that won't be the case no matter how hard you hope or wish.