I do have a couple of thoughts about the forum and it is based on my own experience so perhaps it's not entirely accurate. Firstly, I have to confess that I've been away from the forum since the end of August and only came back a week or so ago but that had nothing to do with the forum, it was because I've now moved to the Falkland Islands where internet access is very limited, very slow and very expensive. As for the forum itself, it is, without doubt, my favourite guitar forum because I never read silly comments from kids and the knowledge and friendliness here is without equal in my experience. There are, however, a couple of issues:
1) I think Feline is spot on that too many of the new pickups are focused on one particular genre or more accurately, one end of a genre. I never even bother looking for new products from BKP and news of a new pickup never excites me because it seems a foregone conclusion that it will be aimed at a Djent-style market. The whole range is biased towards that end of the market and I don't see why that particular style requires so much choice because it's not like the genre is the last word in tone!
2) When I started to use BKP they were something of a bespoke manufacturer so if I wanted a variation on a particular pickup or even something made to my own specification, it could be done. This hasn't been the case for a long time as now I either buy something off the shelf or I can't get it, other than perhaps some very minor alterations. BKP were special but now I see them as more of a mostly higher quality Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio. This perception undermines their USP so, for me at least, their appeal diminishes.
3) Over the years it has irked me a little that with some areas of the market, BKP simply stick their heads in the sand and I'm referring to noiseless singlecoils here. I appreciate the argument that their tone isn't the same as a true singlecoil but you know what, I really don't care. Sometimes I want a Strat-sized pickup that doesn't sound like a true singlecoil and even if I did, something like the Area series from DiMarzio are superb at giving the true tone of a single yet are completely noiseless, which is what I use now. There are also some magnets that BKP simply don't seem to want to use like A8 or some of the new exotic options and I can't see why. The bridge pickup in my PRS is very similar to a Juggernaut but uses an A8 flanked by two A5 magnets. It was built specially for me, to my ears sounds a lot better than the Juggernaut (personal preference I know) and cost a fraction of the price. In the old days I'd have come to BKP for these things but as they won't do what I want, I went elsewhere.
4) To a degree, this forum has been too successful with me because I've learned so much over the years that I'm now perfectly comfortable ordering something to my own specification. I would have been perfectly happy to give BKP this business but their business is no longer flexible enough to do that and it's also very expensive when there are a lot of other alternatives out there. It is certainly true that BKP are a lot better than Seymour Duncan and also a lot better than most DiMarzios but there are also now a lot of other people out there, offering handwound pickups that can be made to order. The set I bought for my Les Paul were made entirely to my specification, were a completely bespoke design, they're every bit as good or better than any BKP I've tried and cost me half the price! The one I have arriving later this week is the second time I've bought this model because for less money it's noticeably better than a Holydiver. When I started with BKP this never would have been the case so the forum had built-in loyalty because nothing else out there was as good.
This sounds like I'm very anti-BKP but I'm not. Tim's a great guy, the pickups are excellent and I'm happy to keep suggesting ideas to people on here because I know they're getting a great product but I'd have to be honest and say that I haven't personally bought a BKP product in some time and I have no intention at all of doing so in the future. The world has changed over the last few years and BKP are no longer the unique proposition they perhaps once were. They still make great pickups and I'm sure the business will continue to do well but these days there are plenty other people out there who can make something completely bespoke as well as offering their own designs and their product is at least as good as BKP for less money. This commercial reality is bound to have an impact on the number of people loyal to the BKP forum. I've spoken to quite a few people who used to regularly post on here but no longer contribute as they've moved away for similar reasons to me. The difference with me is that I still contribute to the forum even though I've personally moved on. I suppose one reason I stay around is that I'd LOVE to come back to BKP in the future but they'd have to offer a more flexible product and they'd have to be more competitive on price. I think the forum has died a bit because the more seasoned musicians who really appreciate tone and quality aren't naturally obsessed with Djent or anything like it and they are knowledgeable enough, like me, to know about alternatives. I don't have an issue with the format of the forum at all, I think it has more to do with the fact that the market most of the pickups are aimed at now is too young to have much loyalty to a forum or depth of knowledge. The problem with having so much of the range aimed at this style of music is that it's a young market that will eventually grow up and, to a degree at least, grow out of Djent. When I was a young guitarist it was all about Metal, distortion, volume, speed and tightness but I grew up. My tastes evolved and I want more from my pickups now and more from my music. BKP would go a long way to improving the forum by improving their product range, returning to a more flexible production model and being more competitively priced.
