For those who played Bareknuckles Nailbomb pickup...

[jangoux]

Tell me your impressions. I am decided on getting rid of the 81/85 on my PRS-copy-ish Cort (it sounds muddy with both of 'em) so I am looking for something to replace it. Tim from BKP recommended me the Abraxas and the Riff Raff pups, but I listened to some clips on the forum, and it sounds really punch-less. Nice tone, but not aggressive enough for modern rock / metal. So, listening to the clips on the site, I fell in love with the Ceramic Nailbomb. For those who had played it, what were your impressions?

Cheers
Ivan

 

[drew_drummer]

I have a spare one lying around which I'd probably sell. It's best in the bridge position.

I have two of them in my Les Paul, with coil taps. They're fucking lush. Nice mids.

 

[jangoux]

I have a spare one lying around which I'd probably sell. It's best in the bridge position.

I have two of them in my Les Paul, with coil taps. They're fucking lush. Nice mids.

How much do you want for it and what cover? Ceramic or A5?

 

[drew_drummer]

Ah. I'm pretty sure its A5 actually. I'd want about £70 for it. It has a camo cover.

 

[Trevoire520]

I have Nailbombs in my Ibanez SZ and I really like it. Not got the tightness of an EMG so you have to work a bit harder with your playing but it's got a very nice musical quality to it. Fantastic clean sound too.

Though to be honest if you're finding an EMG81 muddy then a passive pickup is likely to make things worse unless it's exceptionally bright.

 

[Josh Burgess]

Yeah... the EMG 81 is the least muddy humbucker I've ever played. No BKP is going to sound clearer/tighter than an 81.

 

[JeffTD]

I absolutely hated the Nailbomb (Alnico) I had, was in an RG1527. I ended up replacing it with an 81-7 and was MUCH happier; the Nailbomb was undergained and super muddy for my tastes, just didn't sound good and was not at all what I was expecting based on what they have on the website.

 

[drew_drummer]

*shrugs*

I adore mine.

 

[jangoux]

Oh gosh, and I thought I had a winner ehhehe

 

[JeffTD]

*shrugs*

I adore mine.

This doesn't surprise me - you play a style of music far different than most of the forum will be dialing in tones for.

That said, I'm not exactly sure what style/sound Ivan is going for, so a Nailbomb could very well work for him. If he's looking for tight, clear, and defined, though... definitely not the pickup he wants.

 

[jangoux]

Jeff, I want something that actually sounds good on this guitar. I tried both 81 and 85. The later feels better, but it is muddy as fuck, and the former sounds better, but congested, choked, and also kinda muddy. Too much crap around 300˜400hz - crap I can't get rid off no matter what. Unlike my Gibson SG with a Rebel Yell. I can get much more usable tones quickly just because it sounds brighter / more open sounding. The guitar is also a better guitar, but not night and day better. I LOVE this Cort for playing live, it feels awesome, despite weighing a ton (it's heavier than a Les Paul Custom I had - loads and loads of mahogany with a thin maple top. That explains the muddiness). Btw, i removed the tone control from it and the tone opened up considerably.

That being said, I don't particularly play metal, just occasionally, and most stuff I play and record is modern rock, regular rock, screamo, melodic hardcore..stuff like that. So I am looking for whatever makes this guitar sound better than with the 81, sounds good for rock, but that can occasionally do metal. If EMG had a more open sounding, trebly pickup, I'd be screaming like a little girl in excitement, but they don't so I need to look for something else.

 

[Bekanor]

Poo, fart, it's over.


$300 a pickup is a fool's errand best left to SS.org. Better results can be had at a third of the price.

The miracle man was ok, but again, a lot of money for pickups that really don't do anything you can't get out of a much cheaper alternative.

 

[Bekanor]

If EMG had a more open sounding, trebly pickup, I'd be screaming like a little girl in excitement, but they don't so I need to look for something else.

Better get your pipes warmed up then.

 

[JeffTD]

So I am looking for whatever makes this guitar sound better than with the 81, sounds good for rock, but that can occasionally do metal. If EMG had a more open sounding, trebly pickup, I'd be screaming like a little girl in excitement, but they don't so I need to look for something else.

You know, there are a couple Duncans that might fit the bill. the Screamin' Demon comes to mind, as does the Parallel Axis Distortion pickup. Full Shred bridge might be cool, as might the Custom.

Failing that, I know that DiMarzio has a few higher-toned pickups that might fit the bill!

An EMG 81X might also work, although the low end is probably bigger than the normal 81. 18v could work, I'd try it before switching pickups at least!

 

[Harry Hughes]

Poo, fart, it's over.


$300 a pickup is a fool's errand best left to SS.org. Better results can be had at a third of the price.

The miracle man was ok, but again, a lot of money for pickups that really don't do anything you can't get out of a much cheaper alternative.

This really.
Everyone goes ape shit over BKP at SS.org, but I'm not convinced they are any better than any of the big 3 (EMG, Seymour Duncan and Dimarzio, and I own a set of pickups from all those 3 names) which offer pickups for way less coin.

 

[drew_drummer]

They're not necessarily better, and no-one ever said they were.

 

[Crunch Master]

You should at least give the 85x a try, I like mine a lot!

 

[jangoux]

mine is running @ 18v.

DOes the 81/85x really sound THAT different? I read at the EMG forum (it was said by a EMG employee) that the 'x' don't actually clip as hard as even the 81/85 running at 18v, so if that is the case, I might really try one.

Btw, as for BKP, I actually like how they sound. Never liked Dimarzio, kinda liked Duncan, but the BKP pickup I have actually gave me a different flavor - on the Cort it didn't work quite well, but fit the SG perfectly. I am quite curious on a few Duncan models (but not for this guitar, tho'). The Alternative 8 and one 'customized' they did at the forum, mixing the coils of a 59 and a Custom seem intriguing.

 

[drew_drummer]

Tbh, I'd say if you don't play out and out melodic death metal then EMG's are going to be too brittle sounding. The reason I like my Nailbombs is because they sound full in the low end, and smoothed out on the high-end. But the mids are barking and with the wrong amp can potentially be a little too much.

EMG's sound like a digital pickup, if that makes sense. Almost like there is quantization noise in the high-end frequencies. Don't like them really.

 

[ACEvilmuffin]

I've had the bkp nailbomb, warpig, painkiller, miracle man and the mule.

The mule is the only one I have left. Great pickup, but to vintage for metal.
The warpig had to much low end, so did the nailbomb. The painkiller was good, but IMHO not better than some SD's or dimarzio's.
The miracle man was a great pickup. I liked it a lot, but I sold the guitar, cause I had too many...