Blackhawk issue

[asianaxeman]

Hi guys.. Just installed blackhawks but just wonder if the neck and bridge have been mislabelled. I have found the neck pickup louder and the bridge pickup considerably less bassy.

What's everyone opinion on the calibrated set.. As I was expecting shouldn't the bridge be slightly louder and bassier on heavy gain for rhythm??

[Dave Sloven]

Which version did you get?  I have the alnico version and it has a nice thick low midrange and plenty of bottom end in the two guitars I've put it in (both Schecter super strats, one mahogany with maple bolt neck and rosewood, FR, the other all mahogany set neck with ebony, TOM).

I have never used the ceramic one.  What guitar did you put it in?

You might have a wiring issue.  Are you familiar with BKP wiring?

On my Schecter C-1 Blackjack ATX, which has pickup rings, the pickups are set level with the pickup rings.  The bridge isn't set especially high, but there is sufficient clearance from the strings that if it was lacking bass I would have had to jack it up

In terms of resistance readings they are close but the neck should be slightly less.  Mine was tested at 8.0 neck and 8.6 bridge, which is in line with advertised spec.

I would also point out that the neck is generally considerably bassier, just because of where it is located.  The bridge position naturally has less bass and is weaker just due to its location, so it is generally wound hotter with bigger/more magnets.  Both Black Hawk bridge models have three magnets, one has three C8 magnets, the other has three A5 magnets.  The neck is generally not used for high-gain rhythm, rather just clean and lead tones.

[Dave Sloven]

Actually my bridge pickup was a bit higher but I loaned it to the lead guitarist in my band for our recent album sessions and he has this habit of hooking his finger under the edge of the pickup, which on a Black Hawk can damage the bobbin material (see photo below).  As the photo shows though the neck pickup protruded from the pickup ring more than the bridge pickup even as it was set initially.  I lowered it after installing this Gotoh 510FB bridge following the album guitar sessions.

The other photo shows the control cavity.  Besides the wire and the two treble bleed circuits everything was sourced from BKP.  White and green from each pickup go to the push-pull switch on the tone pot.  I also had to drill this guitar for a bridge ground wire as it was active (SD Blackouts) originally.  All hardware is Gotoh. Here's a link to the album.  All guitars were recorded on this one (right channel and solos) or the Stiletto 6-FR with the same pickups (left channel). https://slovendoom.bandcamp.com/  The lead section in the sample track is middle position, the rest is all bridge.

[Dave Sloven]

By the way, are you asianaxeman from YouTube?  If so I've seen your videos and they are tight ... also you seem to have a long experience with BKPs, I remember looking at a couple of videos back before I bought my first ones, back in 2013

[asianaxeman]

By the way, are you asianaxeman from YouTube?  If so I've seen your videos and they are tight ... also you seem to have a long experience with BKPs, I remember looking at a couple of videos back before I bought my first ones, back in 2013

Yeh that's me mate. Thanks for your input. It's my 5th set of BKP. I'm just a bit surprised that the bridge pickup hasn't got much bass. The nexk just sounds louder which is strange for me. I will fiddle with it. Articulation is unreal and lead notes are fat. I've put them in a Dean custom run V (flame Maple Top, Mahogany Body and neck, Ebony fretboard ) which had stock 'DMT' pickups which were slightly buzzy, as usual with BKP, even picking the first note u can hear the dramatic improvement in tone and clarity. I need to set this guitar up in my usual E flat with 10-52 and high action. It currently has 10-46 std strings in E standard. Soldering seemed straightforward, even though I bought 4 conductor wiring I was in a rush and wired them in without coil taps. Bare and black to earth, red to live (straight on to the volume pot). I think you will like the aesthetic, I went for aged gold radiators.

[asianaxeman]

I checked the DC resistance and they must be labelled correctly because the neck is slightly lower resistance. I'm gonna test again soon, clearly has less bass than all my other BKP bridges- HD, C-NB, MM, PK

[Dave Sloven]

It definitely looks like a great job on the install, which is what I expected given that you have a long experience with this.

Like I said, I only have experience with the alnico version.  Is this one ceramic?  The alnico probably doesn't have more true lows than the ceramic but it has more low mids and less top end, which makes it sound more bassy.  I have a MM bridge and I haven't noticed it being more bassy than my alnico Black Hawks, but then again it is in standard tuning and installed in an SG Standard that is not a bassy guitar at all.

I did put my neck pickup right down with my Stiletto, which has a Floyd Rose (Gotoh GE1996T) and hence not much of a neck angle.  The height difference is not much though.  I am using a lower tuning (C Standard) but I don't set my amp up especially bassy or anything.  Low is generally below noon, same with resonance, on both my 6534+ and JSX.

Here's a couple of photos showing the pickup heights in the Stiletto.

[asianaxeman]

Thanks. Mine is the alnico calibrated set. I've already got ceramic nb mm and pk and love them but love more open sounding alnicos with a fatter lead tone and less highs. For instance the holy divers are prob my fave. Amazing neck and bridge with so many harmonic overtones.