Does every BK pickup have a specific inspiration (band or song) behind it?

[littleredguitars2]

seems like most of the names of the pickups are songs based around the tonal characteristics of the pickup itself but i'm curious what if they ALL have one.

Black Hawk -
Rebel Yell  - billy idol i take it
Cold Sweat - thin lizzy?
Aftermath
Crawler
Nailbomb
Painkiller - judas priest
Juggernaut - periphery i assume. new album is going to be called juggernaut
Holydiver - Dio
Miracle Man - ozzy (wylde)
Warpig - sabbath?
VH II - early van halen tone?
Black Dog - Zeppelin?
Emerald - thin lizzy again?
Abraxas - santana?
Stormy Monday
PG Blues
The Mule
Riff Raff - ACDC?

and thats just the humbuckers

[Kiichi]

What I know:

Cold Sweat - Thin Lizzy
Emerald - Thin Lizzy
Aftermath - Origin
Rebel Yell - Billy Idol
Nailbomb - Nailbomb
Warpig - Sabbath
Abraxas - Santana
PG Blues - Peter Green
The Mule - Gov´t Mule
Riff Raff - ACDC
Black Dog - Led Zeppelin
Black Hawek - cause it got the blades like the chopper
Holydiver - Dio
Stormy Monday - T-bone Walker
VHII - Van Halen (second album)
Miracle Man - Zakk Wylde

Irish Tour - Rory Gallager
Sultans - Dire Straits
Trilogy Suite - Malmsteen
Slowhand - Clapton
Mothers Milk - Red Hot Chilly Peppers

Mississippi Queen - Mountain
Stockholm - Muse
Supermassive - Muse

Brown Sugar - Roling Stones
Yardbird - Yardbirds
The Boss - Bruce Springsteen


So I am missing:
Piledriver - Arctic Monkeys???
Sinner - Judas Priest???
Country Boy???
Manhattan???
Nantucket???
Juggernaut???
Crawler???
Apache???

[Andrew W]

Country Boy - Country Boy (Albert Lee)
Nantucket - Nantucket Sleighride (Mountain again)
Crawler - It's Geoff Whitehorn's pickup I think.
Apache - Apache (The Shadows)

[Philly Q]

This has been discussed a few times if you search old posts in the forum. 

Nearly all the older BKP models take their names from particular songs or albums, although they're not copies of those artists' pickups.

Many of the newer models are different, they just have dramatic-sounding names (like the Black Hawk) or slightly boring descriptive names (like some of the Strat and Tele models)


Piledriver - Status Quo (yes really!)
Sinner - Judas Priest
Country Boy - Albert Lee
Manhattan - I think that's just a hip-sounding name....
Nantucket - the mighty Mountain again, Nantucket Sleighride
Crawler - Crawler, Geoff Whitehorn's (occasional) band, which started out as Paul Kossoff's band Back Street Crawler
Apache - the Shadows
Stormy Monday - the Allman Brothers Band

(Edit:  Andrew beat me to some of those!)

[Kiichi]

Stormy Monday is a T-Bone Walker song, right? But the pickup is named after the Allman Interpretation? Just wondering. I mean it sounds very plausible.

[Philly Q]

You're absolutely right about the song, but the BKP pickup name is inspired by Duane and Dickey's bright-but-sweet Les Paul tones on the Allman Brothers Band version, from At Fillmore East.

At least, that's always been my understanding.

I think T-Bone himself mostly played a Gibson ES-5 with P-90s, for what it's worth. 

[Telerocker]

The Manhattan can refer to jazzclubs in Manhattan and the Manhattan Jazz Quintet. Also there are loads of songs with 'Manhattan' in it, like Back to Manhattan by Norah Jones, Café Manhattan (Lady sings the blues) and many artist did a song with the title Manhattan.

Further:
- Blackguards refer to the blackguarded early fifties tele's. One of the few exceptions in the BKP-naming.
- Yardbirds has been mentioned. Refers to Claptons tele in his Yardbirds-era.
- Pat Pend = Patent Pending, refers to the late fifties, early sixties Fenders with rosewood slab fingerboards and the thinner veneer rosewood boards.
- Half Note refers (I think..) to a American jazzlabel which was started by (read next line)
- Blue Note - Blue Note Jazz Club in New York: the club created the Half Note-label. Dizzy Gillespie launched records on Half Note. And many others.
- Pig '90 - is a P90 version of the Warpig = Black Sabbath.
- Sinner = Judas Priest

I think we've got them all.

[littleredguitars2]

interesting. nice job guys!

[braintheory]

I thought the Manhattan was named after Eric Johnson's song Manhattan

[Telerocker]

I thought the Manhattan was named after Eric Johnson's song Manhattan

We should ask Tim. Loads of people have a song Manhattan. Eric Johnson plays mainly strats though.

[FELINEGUITARS]

Manhatten is a nod to all the New York Jazz guitar builders - the name hints at that jazz heritage and the art deco look of the pickup kind of reinforces that

[Alex]

Isn't the Rebel Yell really a Steve Stevens signature pickup, who happens to be the guitar player for Billy Idol? Strictly speaking, isn't it more the way Steve wanted it than modelled on the song Rebel Yell?

[Kiichi]

Isn't the Rebel Yell really a Steve Stevens signature pickup, who happens to be the guitar player for Billy Idol? Strictly speaking, isn't it more the way Steve wanted it than modelled on the song Rebel Yell?

Yes, that is true, but he his famous for Billy Idol and Rebel Yell is the signature song there, which the pickup obviously has to nail. I would assume that it also was modeled after some sounds Steve used to have.

So yeah, you are right, but effectivly...and stuff...you know?^^

[darkandrew]

Isn't the Rebel Yell really a Steve Stevens signature pickup, who happens to be the guitar player for Billy Idol? Strictly speaking, isn't it more the way Steve wanted it than modelled on the song Rebel Yell?

Yes, that is true, but he his famous for Billy Idol and Rebel Yell is the signature song there, which the pickup obviously has to nail. I would assume that it also was modeled after some sounds Steve used to have.

So yeah, you are right, but effectivly...and stuff...you know?^^

As much as I love my Rebel Yell set, I actually find that a hard driven Mule is more reminiscent of the guitar sound found on Billy Idol recordings of that era. In fact I remember seeing an interview with Steve Stevens about the gear he uses and his studio guitar features a Mule in the bridge and a P90 in the neck.

[Exodus5]

Tons of great info here.  Maybe too much...