Boot Camp True Grit humbuckers: anyone tried them?

[johnny_rock_it]

I just installed the bridge in a HSH strat, the True Grit humbucker sounds similar to a black dog but with beefier mids and higher output. It's similar voicing as the BD, but pushes the gain easier and more compressed.

I had the Silo set prior, but the bridge humbucker was too trebly for my tastes. The output is surprisingly about the same (13.7 k ohms on true grit and 15.7k ohms on the silo). And the silo pick up is not a bad pick up at all, it's definitely got a voice and does it's thing well.

Between the two I prefer the TG, although it's still a hot pick up, it's easier to tame for versatility if that makes sense.

[greham]

The Silo being too trebly? Seems to me Silos are the second most Lows heavy pickup after the Warpig...

Anyway. I just received a set and I'll post an update soon to compare it to the Abraxas set I have in my PRS S2 24. Been chasing the ultimate Opeth pickups and my Abraxases are almoooost there, just a tad too polite. But Rebel Yells, Cold Sweats etc have all been way too hot for that demanding style.

[greham]

Sorry, after playing with these a couple hours.

Not really hotter than the Abraxas, a bit more aggressive in the highs, and where the Abraxas is breathing and purring really openly, the True Grits are fattier and juicier. One could say they are more modern indeed. They have this chunkiness in the low-mids but the lowest of the lows are actually quite tight. I don't love them more than the Abraxas (which truly are a gem of a pickup), but they are going to stay in for a while until I find a guitar that will be their final home. Probably going to stay on a full mahogany guitar, been eyeing getting a Gibson V for a while.

Anyway, due to their more compressed character, though slightly weaker output, I would definitively say they sound more modern than the Rebel Yell. They have more tighter lows, more low-mids and more aggressive trebles when the RY has this small but round low end, big open hairy push in the mids and high-mids, and more vintage trebles.

Hopefully this small review will come fatten Google results and help with the lack of True Grit and Bootcamp reviews around here.

[Ventanaman]

Sorry, after playing with these a couple hours.

Not really hotter than the Abraxas, a bit more aggressive in the highs, and where the Abraxas is breathing and purring really openly, the True Grits are fattier and juicier. One could say they are more modern indeed. They have this chunkiness in the low-mids but the lowest of the lows are actually quite tight. I don't love them more than the Abraxas (which truly are a gem of a pickup), but they are going to stay in for a while until I find a guitar that will be their final home. Probably going to stay on a full mahogany guitar, been eyeing getting a Gibson V for a while.

Anyway, do to their more compressed character, though slightly weaker output, I would definitively say they sound more modern than the Rebel Yell. They have more tighter lows, more low-mids and more aggressive trebles when the RY has this small but round low end, big open hairy push in the mids and high-mids, and more vintage trebles.

Hopefully this small review will come fatten Google results and help with the lack of True Grit and Bootcamp reviews around here.

I agree 99% with this review. My only difference is I find the TG slightly hotter than the Abraxas, but it could be related to slight mismatches in pickup height.

The TG humbuckers are fantastic for the price point (Abraxas and Polymath are still my faves). I did decide to keep the TG in my 86 Charvel #4 and it fits that guitar wonderfully.

[greham]

You're right, it is slightly higher output but it's hard to feel it because the expanded dynamic of the Abraxas gives it a more rock and roll baby feeling.
With pickups that compress a lot, you always have that feeling that it's "contained", which I'm not a fan of. But it does push your amp harder.

I see that setting the TG a bit further away from the string does help a lot making the grain hairier, opening up its sound.

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on how the TG and the Polymath compare.

[CLund]

True Grit is a great pickup...  I have used it in a few guitars, and liked it, but they ultimately got switched out for something different.   Of the standard line pickups, I think the Abraxas comes real close to the output and growl of the true grit, but retains some of the PAF vibe.    I absolutly love the Abraxas in my PRS CE24.   It had a polymath in it at one time, but ended up going to the Abraxas because it matched better with the Mississippi Queen HSP90 I have in the neck (which is one of my all time favorite pickups, and will never leave that guitar).

[Ventanaman]

True Grit is a great pickup...  I have used it in a few guitars, and liked it, but they ultimately got switched out for something different.   Of the standard line pickups, I think the Abraxas comes real close to the output and growl of the true grit, but retains some of the PAF vibe.    I absolutly love the Abraxas in my PRS CE24.   It had a polymath in it at one time, but ended up going to the Abraxas because it matched better with the Mississippi Queen HSP90 I have in the neck (which is one of my all time favorite pickups, and will never leave that guitar).

I agree 100%. I find the TG has a tad more output and bite than the Abraxas, but both are great. I am also a huge Polymath fan.

[Chris Rowberry]

The original idea for the Bootcamp series was to be a starting ground for people getting into pickups. With our main range there are so many models and options and sometimes even shops have a hard time knowing what to recommend to their customers.

So Tim brought out the Bootcamp range to really simplify this for anyone just getting into pickups.
The Bootcamp range is made with the exact same materials and the exact same way as our other ranges. But by having them available in limited options meant we did not need to build to order and could production wind and build them thus making them more time efficient to wind/build saving on labour costs, which is reflected in their cheaper price.

They were never intended to be compared, just to stand out on their own and sound great at the area of tone they target.
The Old Guard for blues, jazz through to classic rock.
The True Grit for hot blues through to progressive rock.
The Brute Force for high gain application, thrash, and extreme metal.

I hope you all find this helpful and, of course, feel free to always contact us.

[rcuthriell]

I have True Grits in a Les Paul and I think they sound great. There's a wonderful touch sensitivity to them. They growl too! For similarities, I really like a Seymour Duncan Custom SH-5 in a bridge too. They both have similar playability and tone in that they are like PAFs on steroids.

[greham]

True Grit is a great pickup...  I have used it in a few guitars, and liked it, but they ultimately got switched out for something different.   Of the standard line pickups, I think the Abraxas comes real close to the output and growl of the true grit, but retains some of the PAF vibe.    I absolutly love the Abraxas in my PRS CE24.   It had a polymath in it at one time, but ended up going to the Abraxas because it matched better with the Mississippi Queen HSP90 I have in the neck (which is one of my all time favorite pickups, and will never leave that guitar).

The Abraxas is really an interesting pickup. I've been playing a cover of Death Certificate of Carcass for fun, and they sound exactly in place there, especially on the solo. They can really hit hard for old school metal.