Tim Mills on the Knaggs Steve Stevens Signature Pickups

[Philly Q]

Not a question, just something I've read which might be of interest to those who don't buy (or hoard) guitar magazines.....

Both Guitar Player and Guitarist have reviewed the Knaggs Steve Stevens Signature guitar this month.  The latter also has a short but interesting interview with Tim Mills about Steve's pickups.

I'd been assuming the Knaggs' pickups, in their raygun covers, were Rebel Yells, but in fact they're totally different:

"With this guitar, Steve was aware that this is a signature instrument, but also that he wanted it to be a guitar that people could use in their own right.  He's a big classic rock player; he always refers to "Zeppy tone", really trying to nail that Jimmy Page-type vibe.  So that's where we decided to go with it, a traditional PAF kind of pickup.

"These days he predominantly plays unpotted pickups...... [but] we decided to use potted coils for the production guitars' pickups, as we've no idea who the end users will be - in that situation potted coils are always a safer bet.

"Steve decided on DC 8.2k for the bridge and DC 7.3k for the neck, with Alnico IV magnets, and the coils wound asymmetrically by hand with 42 AWG plain enamel wire.  Essentially it's a late-'50s PAF spec with a more open wind on the neck humbucker."

[Kiichi]

This is interresting, thanks for sharing.

I think we all assumed it was a RY in there.

[Slartibartfarst42]

So essentially, very close to being Mules.

[Kiichi]

So essentially, very close to being Mules.

Certainly seems so.

42 AWG plain enamel: check
Alnico IV: check
asymetrical: check
voiced for late 50s sounds: check                    (SS being late 50s and the Mule `59)
DC resitance withing 0.2k of each other: check

Yeah, from what we can see these two should be really close. Wonder how much difference in the wind and tone there is...

[Philly Q]

I suppose, depending on the wind, they could be somewhere between Mules and an Alnico IV, underwound version of the VHII set....

But yes, on the face of it they do sound very close to Mule specs, don't they?

However, I expect Tim's put some kind of little twist in there somewhere.  :)

[Kiichi]

However, I expect Tim's put some kind of little twist in there somewhere.  :)

I too am certain there is something in there in the parts we have no info on. Would be interresing to know what exactly it is.

He sais the neck on these is more open, so that could be one thing.

[Telerocker]

Interesting stuff. I'm also curious if this 'twisted' Mule will be eventually in the BKP-range.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Two questions leap to mind:

1) Why didn't he want to use Rebel Yells? Perhaps he's moved on since the Rebel Yells were introduced and they no longer represent the sound he now wants.

2) Given that they are so incredibly close to being standard Mules, would there be any point in having them in the BKP range?

[ericsabbath]

Two questions leap to mind:

1) Why didn't he want to use Rebel Yells? Perhaps he's moved on since the Rebel Yells were introduced and they no longer represent the sound he now wants.

2) Given that they are so incredibly close to being standard Mules, would there be any point in having them in the BKP range?

1) I think he always had different bkps sets, not only rebel yells

2) an excuse to buy another mule  8)

[Twinfan]

He says in the review that he wanted his signature guitar to appeal to a wider base of players, hence the Mule-like pickups.  Rebel Yells are a bit more specialised.

[JimmyMoorby]

Two questions leap to mind:

1) Why didn't he want to use Rebel Yells? Perhaps he's moved on since the Rebel Yells were introduced and they no longer represent the sound he now wants.

2) Given that they are so incredibly close to being standard Mules, would there be any point in having them in the BKP range?

I've read a few interviews with Steve Stevents recently.

With his Gibson Les Paul's he always used his Rebel Yell set but said when he did studio recordings he always used Mules.

He says his new guitar sounds noticably different from his old Les Paul's so had had new pickups to compliment the new guitar and he felt the Rebel Yells didn't suit this model as well.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me  :D

I'm still not convinced it would be worth having another Steve Stevens signature set when essentially you're buying a Mule set anyway.

[fhn_lopes]

Steve used (or still uses) a custom BKP in his charvel san dimas that ones said was a VHII but it wasn't... Something closer to a Riff raff (sym coils) than a VHII for that to say, with an extra push... is he still using them? I really dig that guitar's clips....

[Philly Q]

I'm still not convinced it would be worth having another Steve Stevens signature set when essentially you're buying a Mule set anyway.

Unless you particularly wanted the raygun covers.