What next from BKP?

[Kiichi]

I agree with you, TV Jones makes those pickups great, but on the other hand like Slarti said in the BKP range most of the pickups are covered. We have EMGs alternative,  SD JBs, ect. Wouldn`t be nice to see how BKP would approach those particular pickups style while adding something extra, that genuine BKP sparkle into it :D?

I do not disagree at all, my point merely was that there are pickup styles that in my mind have a higher priority. Things like the firebirds, mini HBs and such are hard to come by in good quality and proper prices, meanwhile it is possible for the Filtrons, thus I would prefer to see BKP tackle those styles which are less available first. I was only commenting on the order of going about them.

[Lucas]

At the end of the day, there`ll be as many ideas as many people on this forum :D which is good, hopefully Tim will combine and blend them all into some next bad azz killer pickup set!

[Philly Q]

Humbucker-sized Firebird pickup.

Firebird-sized Firebird pickups.  And/or mini-humbuckers.

[Slartibartfarst42]

I hadn't expected quite as many different options coming up but they're all good ideas. I'm not sure I agree that the Juggernaut is a distinctive pickup that stands out for me but maybe that's because I just don't much care for that sound. It's always going to be subjective I guess and part of my reason for wanting a Super Distortion alternative (other than the fact that we're asked about it regularly) is that that's pretty much what I want next. The A-Bomb is on my potential shopping list but I keep wondering if I'm just trying to force a Bare Knuckle pickup to fit into a sound it's not primarily designed to do. As a result, I confess I am also talking to The Creamery about building me a pickup but I'm pretty sure that if BKP had a Super Distortion alternative, that conversation would never have had to start.

[Alex]

I think pretty much everything in the high-gain/high-output area has been covered; while the Super Distortion is an iconic character, between the Nailbomb, Warpig and others this is pretty much covered.

Admittedly, I never understood the popularity of the Super Distortion to begin with. I had one in a LP copy and thought it was good for rhythm, but nothing special, lacking the clarity and fluidity of other high output models, including DiMarzios.

For BKP 2014 I would like something such as a hot single coil that works great in the neck with high gain bridge humbuckers, and maybe with blades to suit the look.

I'd also like something that works great for Guns'n'Roses sounds; maybe the 10th anniversary model will become a regular model. I also know that there were some nice pickups made for the Steve Stevens Knaggs signature, so maybe we can see something new in the Vintage/Vintage Hot category. I think there's more options there to explore, like a darker PAF that works well with gain, but is more PAF than the Black Dog is.

[Slartibartfarst42]

I think pretty much everything in the high-gain/high-output area has been covered; while the Super Distortion is an iconic character, between the Nailbomb, Warpig and others this is pretty much covered.

Admittedly, I never understood the popularity of the Super Distortion to begin with. I had one in a LP copy and thought it was good for rhythm, but nothing special, lacking the clarity and fluidity of other high output models, including DiMarzios.

For BKP 2014 I would like something such as a hot single coil that works great in the neck with high gain bridge humbuckers, and maybe with blades to suit the look.

I'm not sure the Super Distortion is 'pretty much covered' by any means. The Nailbomb has too much top end and is way too hairy and aggressive while the Warpig has a more accurate looking EQ but is way too hot to be a credible alternative to a Super Distortion. The Aftermath is also often mentioned in relation to the SD but it's got a much more modern voice. To me, the Super Distortion is smoother than the Nailbomb but not as much as the Holydiver. It also has a bit of hairiness to it but nothing like as much as the Nailbomb and not as tight either. It's also a bit drier than the Holydiver but not as much as the Aftermath and while it has a bottom end, it's nothing like as prominent as the Warpig. Overall, there really isn't a credible alternative and while I accept your criticisms of the Super Distortion in terms of clarity and fluidity, that's exactly why I want a BKP alternative because a Bare Knuckle pickup won't have those flaws in the same way that a Holydiver doesn't have any of the flaws inherent in the JB.

For single coils I'd really love to see single coil sized humbuckers and I agree that more choice for a hot neck single coil to go with a hot bridge humbucker would be nice.

Finally, I love to see more really unusual ideas. The other guitarist in my band just acquired a set of Tele-sized hot P90 pickups for his Fender Telecaster and they are incredible. I've never liked Telecasters but this thing now has balls beyond belief!

[Brow]

I think pretty much everything in the high-gain/high-output area has been covered; while the Super Distortion is an iconic character, between the Nailbomb, Warpig and others this is pretty much covered.

Admittedly, I never understood the popularity of the Super Distortion to begin with. I had one in a LP copy and thought it was good for rhythm, but nothing special, lacking the clarity and fluidity of other high output models, including DiMarzios.

For BKP 2014 I would like something such as a hot single coil that works great in the neck with high gain bridge humbuckers, and maybe with blades to suit the look.

I'm not sure the Super Distortion is 'pretty much covered' by any means. The Nailbomb has too much top end and is way too hairy and aggressive while the Warpig has a more accurate looking EQ but is way too hot to be a credible alternative to a Super Distortion. The Aftermath is also often mentioned in relation to the SD but it's got a much more modern voice. To me, the Super Distortion is smoother than the Nailbomb but not as much as the Holydiver. It also has a bit of hairiness to it but nothing like as much as the Nailbomb and not as tight either. It's also a bit drier than the Holydiver but not as much as the Aftermath and while it has a bottom end, it's nothing like as prominent as the Warpig. Overall, there really isn't a credible alternative and while I accept your criticisms of the Super Distortion in terms of clarity and fluidity, that's exactly why I want a BKP alternative because a Bare Knuckle pickup won't have those flaws in the same way that a Holydiver doesn't have any of the flaws inherent in the JB.

For single coils I'd really love to see single coil sized humbuckers and I agree that more choice for a hot neck single coil to go with a hot bridge humbucker would be nice.

Finally, I love to see more really unusual ideas. The other guitarist in my band just acquired a set of Tele-sized hot P90 pickups for his Fender Telecaster and they are incredible. I've never liked Telecasters but this thing now has balls beyond belief!

If you want the sound of a Super Distortion then just get 1! :) I really like the 1 I have in my Firebird (1 of the few non BKPd guitars I have).

Also, if a BKP version got rid of the 'flaws' as you put it, it wouldn't be a Super Distortion anymore  :lol:

[Slartibartfarst42]

One might say the same about a JB but I'm still glad I have the Holydiver instead.

[Brow]

One might say the same about a JB but I'm still glad I have the Holydiver instead.

That's true, but I've never been able to make a JB work for me whereas I love the Holydivers in my Jackson.

[Slartibartfarst42]

Precisely, so you end up with a JB without the flaws and better in every area. Just what I want from a BKP Super Distortion.

[ericsabbath]

super distortion = twin coils, 43 awg wire, pretty hot, low mid heavy, fat compression
juggernaut = twin coils, 43 awg wire, pretty hot, low mid heavy, fat compression

that's not totally out of the ballpark at all, although an enamel hybrid pickup won't sound as hairy as poly + a thick ceramic magnet 
what we need is more clips of the juggs with real amps and NOT playing "djent" or whatever similar modern metal style that has standardized processed tones, then we can have real conclusions
it definitely doesn't sound like an aftermath at all, although the specs derived from it

but I do miss more poly wire models among the low and medium output range (I think the black dog is the only poly bridge model below 44 awg)
there's something about the midrange that seems to come out only with poly... I remember Tim mentioning something about poly making them sound hotter or something... actually I think it's more like a loss of detail and more mid compression

[Slartibartfarst42]

Yes, I agree there are some similarities but on every clip I've heard they sound completely different. Perhaps you're right and it's down to the clips but I'm still left sorely tempted by a Super Distortion and wouldn't touch a Juggernaut at all. The Juggernaut certainly sounds an awful lot tighter and more modern than the Super Distortion. Apparent similarities can be confusing. If you look at the Crawler and A-Bomb (alnico V, 43AWG and just 0.3 between them in DC resistance) they appear to be almost the same but are nowhere near the same in reality.

[darkbluemurder]

Agree on the mini-hums, Firebirds and F-Trons. To me these are the only food groups sitting exactly between single coils and humbuckers.

No idea whether the Juggernaut covers SD ground but a viable BKP alternative to the SD is also something I would be interested in.

Cheers Stephan

[Hendrix-HK]

more  custom cover ,

and SD P-rail type  P90+Rail PU  :shock:

[ericsabbath]

If you look at the Crawler and A-Bomb (alnico V, 43AWG and just 0.3 between them in DC resistance) they appear to be almost the same but are nowhere near the same in reality.

difference is actually the coil offset, and that makes a lot of difference on how they're voiced and also on the picking response
both will read anywhere between 15k and 16k, so 0.3k is irrelevant
a ceramic crawler should be quite interesting