As already indicated in another thread here is my review of the Black Dog neck which I purchased from a forum member.
I first installed it in the neck position of my favorite Les Paul. The description on the BKP website does not mention whether it addresses the bridge or the neck pickup. Output wise it is good but more in the vintage than in the vintage hot territory which is perfectly fine for a neck pickup. The VHII neck has more output.
Tone wise I would not associate the Black Dog neck with being "vintage" - the VHII fits that category better. It's a rather modern tone but modern in this case is good. The Black Dog neck is very clear, has a beautiful airy feel to it and despite its low output it has very good punch and good midrange, too. With the tone control open it is not exactly creamy but turn the tone control down a bit and here you go. Nevertheless for those seeking a vintage tone out of a Les Paul the Black Dog neck would not be my first choice. Right now the VHII neck took the neck spot in the Les Paul and there it kills.
I then switched the pickup to my PRS Singlecut and bingo - here it is right at home. I like it even better than the VHII which worked really well in this guitar. The Black Dog neck is everything the PRS #7 Bass always wanted to be. It makes this guitar now excellent for delicate soloing on the neck pickup. Very clear, articulate and airy, yet it retains a beautiful warmth all over the fretboard, especially with the tone control turned down a bit. And - very important to me - no mud on the bass strings.
This guitar has currently an A-Bomb in the bridge and the balance between these two works well tonally but the A-Bomb is quite a bit louder. No problem though as I will be replacing it with a Black Dog bridge in the future!
Once again the Black Dog neck and VHII neck experiment has proven that different pickups perform differently in different guitars and it's the right match that does the trick.
Cheers Stephan
