With no effects and the clean channel selected on the amp, the first thing you notice with the neck pickup engaged is the amount of detail in the sound. All the tones can be heard but there is no clutter. The neck has a warmth to it that invites clean arrpegiated passages or quick, sharp rhythm slashes. Add drive to create a crunch tone and you are greeted with a sound that is best described as fruity. The tone is such that it invites you to take some extended solos. You just want to explore the sonic possibilities. I even like its rhythm tone, which is something I have ever been able to say of an overdriven bass pickup.
The bridge in relation is the perfect counterpart. Clean it is obvious that it has stronger midrange bark, but again with that detailed top end and strident bottom end that gives the pickup plenty of 'brang'. Add drive and suddenly you have a little beast that can cover many musical bases. Punk, blues, rock, country. It's all here. The sound certainly has that spite that P90's are famous for, but it's never unpleasant or unruly, always musical.
The mixed positions on any two pickup guitar have always represented a problem for me. I often find that the sonic qualities and the strongest pickup tend to dominate proceedings. I'm pleased to say that it is not the case here. Again the sound remains articulate and detailed, but the characters of each pickup blend to give a sound that is sharp with midrange growl, yet glassy and warm at the same time.
These pickups can also handle gain. Normally P90's can start to get very noisy or overly flabby in certain frequencies but these retain their definition at all times. The string balance in all positions is perfect and even at higher gain settings noise is remarkably absent (you get some obviously, but nowhere near as much as I was expecting).
When I first installed the pickups and tested them I thought that the bridge pickup sounded woolly. But I soon discovered that packing the cavity with a little extra foam to add a extra height resolved this problem. The wooliness was gone and the detail I expected was evident.
It’s also worth noting that your tone and volume controls seem to take on an extra dimension. At even the highest of gain levels you can back off the volume and the sound will clean up. The tone control can be used to colour the sound more effectively than many pickups I have tried. These pickups keep a simple guitar simple, but also make it a surprisingly versatile package.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Country, blues, rock.
Add to that the fact that the company genuinely *listens* to you about your requirements, the styles you cover, what you do and do not like about other pickups you have tried and what equipment you are using.
I've been playing 16 years and I have rarely experienced this level of customer service. It's obvious reading other reviews of various Bare Knuckle products that this is a consistent company geared to delivering what the end user wants. You even get a set of strings to complete the installation. A simple gesture yet one that is common sense!
I have read on some forums some apathy towards Bare Knuckle products particularly from the US. This is not meant to be a swipe at those users that frequent those forums but just because a product is not from the US does not instantly mean it's inferior (for instance.... Marshall!). Quality is quality irrespective of place of manufacture. If you are not sure if Bare Knuckles are for you drop your preconceptions and listen with your ears. The results can be enlightening.
I'm a convert and I think a set of Crawler's for my PRS and an Emerald for the bridge of my Strat will be purchased in the very near future.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value
Submitted by: March