Emerald N Abraxas B combo?

[ptgold]

WCR Godwoods have Alnico Vs standard.  They feel somewhat hot, with about 10k resistance.  To me they're the quintessential LP pickup

Im guessing the BlackDogs might be the most similar in the BK range looking at the specs but I could be wrong.

Im hoping to be just as blown away by the Abraxas as the hype on BK pickups is the clarity which is something I love about the Godwood.

[darkbluemurder]

I am not sure whether the Black Dog and the WCR Godwood really have the same specs as I don't know what wire gauge the Godwood has. Going by DC resistance it cannot be AWG42, so most likely AWG43. I am aware that Jim changed the specs of that particular model during its life cycle. Mine has 9.5k DC resistance.

Tonally it's quite different from the Black Dog: less bass, a lot middier and recessed highs. The midrange it has does make it sound fat - instant Duane Allman tone. It seems that WCR is going for that tone in a lot of their models.

The Abraxas bridge will have more output and more bass as well. The mids are there but not as dominating as in the WCR. Nevertheless, if the overall sound with the Abraxas bridge is too thin, it's not the pickup.

Cheers Stephan

[ptgold]

I am not sure whether the Black Dog and the WCR Godwood really have the same specs as I don't know what wire gauge the Godwood has. Going by DC resistance it cannot be AWG42, so most likely AWG43. I am aware that Jim changed the specs of that particular model during its life cycle. Mine has 9.5k DC resistance.

Tonally it's quite different from the Black Dog: less bass, a lot middier and recessed highs. The midrange it has does make it sound fat - instant Duane Allman tone. It seems that WCR is going for that tone in a lot of their models.

The Abraxas bridge will have more output and more bass as well. The mids are there but not as dominating as in the WCR. Nevertheless, if the overall sound with the Abraxas bridge is too thin, it's not the pickup.

Cheers Stephan

Thanks for the info man!  Seeing as you have experience with the Godwood, can you give a more detailed comparison with the Abraxas?

[darkbluemurder]

As I said the Abraxas has more output, more bass, less mids and more treble compared to the Godwood. Both clean up well and have good articulation.

Going by my description you would guess that I generally liked the Abraxas better. However, in that particular guitar the GW worked better because that guitar has a boomy bass acoustically which did not work well with any humbucker with an output greater than vintage or vintage hot. The Abraxas was already too hot for that guitar. Still I found the GW had too much midrange in that guitar.

Cheers Stephan

[darkbluemurder]

Here is another Abraxas B Emerald N user:

https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=30608.msg395453#msg395453

Cheers Stephan

[firejack018]

I've had the Holy Diver, Crawler, Black Dog and Abraxas bridge models and the Abraxas is my fave of the bunch.
Something about the Holy Diver's mids and bass always ends up grating on me; I've owned 3 and always end up selling them off.
The Crawler just doesn't give me the attack that I need.
The Black Dog is nice, but can become too much for me sometimes with it's very prominent mids; much like the Painkiller if you know what I mean (but much lower output and also far less percussive).

The Abraxas bridge is just right.
It's thick and juicy, but also very punchy.
And it's got nice mids; not overbearing like the Black Dog or Holydiver, but still enough that the pickup has a mean growl to it.
Very under-rated pickup.

The Emerald neck should suit your needs.
I find it a bit too thin for my taste as I prefer fatter and hotter neck pickups like the Aftermath and Painkiller neck models.
But I still kept the Emerald neck in my G&L Legacy USA as it's a nice change for me every so often.

[ptgold]

Im currently loving what im hearing from the set but i dont want to put out a full review until the honeymoon is over and ive had some time with them. I specifically dig how the neck is responding. Almost like i have 2 bridge pickups on the guitar...very cool