Newly installed Painkiller 7 problem

[Darcy2386]

Hey forums :)

I recently had a painkiller 7 installed in my Ibanez rg 7321 ( basswood body ) and I am getting a lot of what I think is called microphonic pickup noise ? I play through a 6505 plus half stack and the gain is only around noon but the amount of feedback is crazy... It's a loud high pitch squeel that even persists while playing but is obviously much more apparent when I stop playing. I've also noticed that the pickup sounds kinda muddy and not very clear... I have also noticed that when tapping with a pic anywhere around the pickup on the body and on the pickup cover the taps can be heard loud and clear.  I feel like somehow the pickup is way hotter than supposed to be because I almost have no play with the gain while turning the volume knob on the guitar.... The pickup is not like regular passives i've used where it reacts with the tube amp when turning the volume down on the guitar, I cant get a slight crunchy / clean sound like on other pickups.

Can something in the electronics or pickup wired incorrectly cause a pickup to sound strange ? or take away from the quality of the tone ?


Thank you :)

[Dave Sloven]

I doubt that the pickups are significantly hotter than what your guitar came with.  While an aggressive pickup the Painkiller's output is no great than a Nailbomb.  I have a Warpig (much hotter) in one of my SGs and don't have any such issue.

I did have problems with a Stockholm due to a loose pickup mount.  This is probably the first place I would look.  Has the mounting system changed by fitting the Painkiller?  Did the Painkiller seat properly on the mount and fit the cavity well?

From what I can tell online this guitar comes with passive pickups.  If it had actives I would say that the wiring is the problem, as the active wiring will not work properly with the passives.  It might still be the issue if you have a bad solder joint where the pickup wires have been fitted.  I would look at the pickup mounting first through

If it is not the mount or the wiring then it is something in the pickup, possibly the potting, and you would need to send it back to BKP

Muddiness is probably you needing to adjust the pickup height

[darrenw5094]

The PK has so much mids, it can be muddy sounding. Pickup height adjustment might work, also scoop some mids on your amp. An external EQ pedal might help there also. I have the smaller brother, the Holy Diver, sound a tad muddy in the wrong setup.

[Dave Sloven]

Maybe lower the pickup a bit ... sounds like it might be too high.

If that doesn't clear up all the problems start looking at the other things I mentioned.

Unless your pickup is way too close to the strings I'm guess that there is something else causing this issue.

Muddiness is one thing, excessive output and squealing is another.

Also check that your pickup hot is connected to the right lug. If all else fails simply wire the bridge pickup directly to the output jack and test it then.  That way you can tell whether the issue is in the wiring or is definitely in the pickup.

[Darcy2386]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the responses. I actually contacted the store that installed my pickups and found out that because the pickup cover didnt fit the cavity properly the pickup actually came apart somehow and they had to reheat it. The store told me to bring it back because it will need to be repotted and this while fix the microphonic problem. As for the tone I guess I just have to work around it, I was looking for one of those tight Djenty type tones but again I dont have an axefx with the latest Periphery setttings lol.  Also this is my first 7 string guitar so I may also need to get used to the sound of the lower B especially when I tune it down to A.

I guess the only way I could explain how I feel about the pickup at the moment unpotted or potted incorrectly is an uncontrollable beast... It feels so hot and gainy and the amount of gain added at full volume on the guitar is crazyness... I thought I had the wrong pots or something was wrong with the wiring but I have 500k pots and the wiring looks simple enough

[darrenw5094]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the responses. I actually contacted the store that installed my pickups and found out that because the pickup cover didnt fit the cavity properly the pickup actually came apart somehow and they had to reheat it. The store told me to bring it back because it will need to be repotted and this while fix the microphonic problem. As for the tone I guess I just have to work around it, I was looking for one of those tight Djenty type tones but again I dont have an axefx with the latest Periphery setttings lol.  Also this is my first 7 string guitar so I may also need to get used to the sound of the lower B especially when I tune it down to A.

I guess the only way I could explain how I feel about the pickup at the moment unpotted or potted incorrectly is an uncontrollable beast... It feels so hot and gainy and the amount of gain added at full volume on the guitar is crazyness... I thought I had the wrong pots or something was wrong with the wiring but I have 500k pots and the wiring looks simple enough

Maybe the PK is not for you. RY, Mule and Riff Raff are lower gain and tight in the low end.

[Kiichi]

Then again if they screwed that up already I would not count out another screw up yet. Gotta see how it is properly potted though, but even if there still is an issue then they might have done something else wrong. Just be weary of that.

[Darcy2386]

Then again if they screwed that up already I would not count out another screw up yet. Gotta see how it is properly potted though, but even if there still is an issue then they might have done something else wrong. Just be weary of that.

I know for a fact the pickup needs to be repotted because of the screw up at the store when they installed it. I brought it to a Luthier today and hes going to repot the pickup for me. He also checked the wiring and it looked alright to him so maybe this pickup will just take some getting used to or some eq'ing

[darkandrew]

I don't think I'd be happy buying a hand-made,  premium pickup only to let some guy in a local guitar shop take it apart and muck about with it. I'm assuming you bought the pickup from the same shop that mucked up the installation,  in which case I'd be demanding a brand new pickup.

[Dave Sloven]

Yeah, whatever you do don't spend any more money with these tw@ts.

They have no idea what they are doing, they do not consult with their customers properly regarding the process, and they have voided the lifetime factory warranty on this pickup.

There is no way that they should have removed the cover because of a cavity problem.

In fact, I would be checking the underside of the pickup myself to make sure that they didn't swap the BKP cover onto another pickup if they are this bad ...

[Serratus]

Hmmm, the cover coming off will definitely be the cause of your microphonic feedback - a few years ago I took the cover off one BKP and installed it on another and I got microphonic feedback until BKP re-potted it for me. After that it was perfect again, so that should sort that problem for you.
I'd be surprised if you can't get the tone you want out of the PK - I have an Ibanez RG1527 with a PK in the bridge and it definitely djents! Tight, middy, etc, and still got that open dynamic passive pickup sound. Maybe you do just need to have a play with pickup height, etc after its been re-potted :)

[Kiichi]

Yeah, whatever you do don't spend any more money with these tw@ts.

They have no idea what they are doing, they do not consult with their customers properly regarding the process, and they have voided the lifetime factory warranty on this pickup.

There is no way that they should have removed the cover because of a cavity problem.

In fact, I would be checking the underside of the pickup myself to make sure that they didn't swap the BKP cover onto another pickup if they are this bad ...

Good points. The lifetime warranty is a big thing, so demanding a refund and ordering through other channels should be within your right. And once you find screwup shops itīs best to check everything. We have seen too many reseller stories around here.

[JimmyMoorby]

Definitely sounds like the store messed up.  It amazes me places have the cheek to charge you for some thing only to ruin it!  I've crudely removed a pickup covers or two before and never done any thing like that and i'm an amateur!

Any way some thing is definitely wrong the sound of a painkiller installed correctly is worlds apart from what you are describing.

I've tried lots of different pickups in my les paul the painkiller being one.  I've settled on black hawks but under hi gain the painkillers were the clearest.....very cool.

Dont let them mug you off 
 

[Dave Sloven]

I always give anyone working on my guitars or selling stuff the impression that I have a BIG MOUTH.

That way they know that if they look after me I will tell everyone I know.  And the same if they screw me over.  Seems to work.  Pickups though I have a go at installing myself and only take it to the shop if some some technical glitch turns up.  One thing for sure I wouldn't do is knock the cover off a pickup trying to get into a pickup cavity.  How they managed that I do not know.

[Yellowjacket]

I actually contacted the store that installed my pickups and found out that because the pickup cover didnt fit the cavity properly the pickup actually came apart somehow and they had to reheat it. The store told me to bring it back because it will need to be repotted and this while fix the microphonic problem.

Wait, WHAT!!????   SERIOUSLY!?  If anyone besides BKP pots that pickup, it voids your warranty.  You have to make some noise about this, don't take this BS.  Maybe you need to email BKP about it?  Tell them you want a new pickup or you'll email BKP about it.  This is absolutely unacceptable conduct on their part. 

My friend has a painkiller 7 in his Schecter and it's not ridiculously gainy.  It has output but it has a nice, organic feel to it and it is super tight, focused, and 'djenty' as you say.   (Of course, if you have your gain cranked, things will be ridiculous, but use come common sense and turn it down if this is the case.  I find 12:00 is a great starting point with a high gain head for more modern tones)

What amp are you plugging into?  I find that running a TS9 style boost in front of a high gain head can really tighten things up too.