Bare Knuckle Pickups Irish Tours
Submitted at: 10:25, 8/2/2005
Product Info
Pickup features: PAssive single coils
Impedence or other specs: Prewired to a pickguard, flat profile Alnico V magnets
Price Paid: £ 217
Purchased from: Bare Knuckle Pickups Online Shop
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Fender Mexican Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock single coils
Other pickups on guitar: -
Artists using this pickup: -
You musical style(s): Blues-Rock (with this guitar)
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickups were starting to sound boring... Needed more punch and clarity.
Sound
Perceived output level: Enough output to drive my amp nicely. Definitely hotter than the stock pickups.
Tone: Balanced and way more clearer tone than compared to the stock pickups.
Sonic evaluation: Mounted to a Fender Mexican Stratocaster and used with a 15-watt Vox Pathfinder amp. MXR ZW-44 Overdrive used as a boost mainly for solos.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues-Rock. I'm able to get a great Texas Blues sound for SRV stuff.
Overall Rating
Comments: I've been playing for a 5 years or so and these single coils are great for the stuff I play with my Strat. Great for that Texas Blues sound that I mentioned above and also for Rory Gallagher's songs. I also love to play Hendrix stuff with my Irish Tours, these pickups definitely give it another edge.
These pickups do have that "bite" if you know what I mean, and great dynamics even when I'm playing softly. Altough when played softly these pickups tend to sound like you're really beating the shit out of your guitar (maybe I'm exaggerating, but that's what I sometimes feel) and that isn't necessarily a bad thing as I love it. These pickups are hot! With these pickups I've found "the" sound I want for my blues playing.
Another thing worth mentioning is the great customer support and service you get from Tim Mills, the guy behind all these great sounds. He really knows his shit and helps you choosing pickups or with any questions that you may have. Very nice guy to deal with. I'm looking forward to buy more BKP products in the future.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value
Submitted by: Teemu <kurki@welho.com>
Submitted at: 12:31, 6/4/2005
Product Info
Pickup features: Passive Single Coils
Impedence or other specs: er.....
Price Paid: GBP 165
Purchased from: Bareknuckle
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: 2003 USA Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: don't care
You musical style(s): rawk : )
Reason for pickup change: Stocks didn't have as much of the strat character as I'd like. In fact, I would have said they were a bit 'weedy' Also, the bidge had far too much of that 'icepick in the ear' type vibe. Also wanted more power.
Sound
Perceived output level: Def more output than the stocks.
Tone: Mids are much more in evidence across the board but still nicely balanced
Sonic evaluation: I use the strat with a Vox Tonelab SE, the power amp stage of a JCM900 and a Laney LC15R.
I really love these pups and I've found that I'm using the strat far more now than before. I've had them about two months now so the honeymoon period is over. Thats why i waited a bit before posting a review - I wanted time to be sure and now I am.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock and blues type rock. Aiming for decent Gilmour tones without going active. Also wanted a better 'Edge' type tone and better general single coil clarity
Overall Rating
Comments: Fantastic pups - no doubt about that. One of my mates was so impressed, he bought a set of Mules from Bareknuckle to replace the stocks in his LP Studio (they really did suck) and he's over the moon as well. The service is second to none - small firms always kill the big ones when it comes to looking after their customers. Tim took the time to listen to what I wanted then advise me on what I needed. He was also big enough not to rubbish the (bigger) opposition, leaving me to make up my own mind. He really made me feel at ease. My mate, who doesn't venture into the interweb, also said the same of one of Tims colleagues (didn't get the name).
I was a bit (read VERY) worried about having to wire the pups in but Tim offered to do it for me. All I had to do was remove the pickguard, snip 4 wires and send the whole lot to Tim. He then wired everything in for me and sent the whole lot back. I only had to solder/attach for 4 wires back in. I love that kind of attention to service. He also put, at his suggestion, an extra 250 winds on the bridge to up the output - I'm glad I took his advice.
I checked out the usual suspects but I wanted to try Brit pups. I 've now the tone I was looking for - in buckets!!!
Other gear is 2001 LP std, a cheap as chips Yamaha 120s (tele type but with hb's - great guitar - wouldn't part with it), a Vox Concert 501, and bunch of pedals and rack gear.
If someone stole them, I would find them and slap them like a red haired step-child. I will be buying from Bareknuckle again - guaranteed.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value
Submitted by: Glenn <bundog@btinternet.com>
Submitted at: 13:27, 5/23/2005
Product Info
Pickup features: Single Coil
Impedence or other specs: 7.65/6.5/6.5k
Price Paid: GBP 165
Purchased from: Tim at Bare Knuckle Pickups
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Fender Rory Gallagher Tribute Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Fender Custom 60's pickups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Gwyn Ashton
You musical style(s): Blues-Rock
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickups were actually very good - I was surprised. I really missed the Joe Barden Strat Deluxe pickups I had in another Strat & I wanted to get the classic tone with a higher output.
Sound
Perceived output level: About 40 % more output than stock
Tone: Gritty, classic Strat sound with a LOTmore bite.
Sonic evaluation: I use a Stephenson LJ-10 & a '72 Fender Deluxe Reverb that's been blackfaced. Both amps are Killer!
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues-Rock & classic Rock. These pickups are perfect for what I play.
Overall Rating
Comments: I can't rate these pickups high enough! They are perfect & exactly what I hoped they would be. I checked out all the reviews of different pickups manufacturese on HC & all the great reviews about Bare Knuckle are true! Tim at Bare Knuckle is great to deal with & you get quality personalized service. In keeping with Rory's set-up he advised me to keep the middle pickup with stock polarity & to go with the vintage staggered hand bevelled magnets. He left the pickup covers off so I could have my guitar tech use the reliced covers that came with the Strat. I like these pickups way more than the Joe Barden's; they have a lot more character to them and more output. These pickups will stay in this guitar & if I have any more pickup needs I will be going back to Bare Knuckle! I'd be happy to answer any questions regarding these pickups; just send me an email.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value
Submitted by: Todd <dablues@sasktel.net>
Submitted at: 4:20, 5/22/2005
Product Info
Pickup features: Single Coil
Impedence or other specs: Fully mounted on deluxe pickguard with pots, switch, knobs etc.
Price Paid: UK Pounds 237
Purchased from: Bare Knuckle Online Shop
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Custom made AllParts strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Fender Texas Specials
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: n/a
You musical style(s): Texas Blues (SVR, Grissom, Duarte)
Reason for pickup change: I was looking for a better sound for rhythm/chord work. The Texas Specials are great for single note lead, but I find them a bit muddy and undefined when playing multi note stuff.
Sound
Perceived output level: Output level is slightly less than the Texas Specials, but plenty of level to drive my amp.
Tone: Tone is very well defined and full. The balance across strings and across pick-up combinations is perfect. Pleasant "bite" makes the notes stand out clearly.
Sonic evaluation: Mounted on a Strat made of Allparts stuff. Alder body/Rosewood neck, .12 strings, tuned down ½ step. Amp is 72 Fender Twin Reverb and Mesa Boogie Mark IV.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Texas Blues in style of SVR, Chris Duarte, Jimmy Vaughn, David Grissom
Overall Rating
Comments: I have been playing for 20+ years. Over the years I have used pickups from DiMarzio, Seymour Duncan, Tom Anderson and Fender Custom Shop.
My main guitar is a Fender Custom Shop 1994 strat with Texas Specials. After I exchanged the Texas Special for the Bare Knuckle Pickups on my All Parts Strat I actually prefer this guitar for the following reasons:
- Sound is more well defined, especially for multi note stuff
- The balance across strings and pickup combinations is the best I have ever had. In a live situation this really helps
- The sound has "bite" in an organic/pleasant way
- Great dynamics, playing hard, playing soft, the notes stand out clearly, great flexibility to drive the amp or to get the clean sound
- I slight woody character of the sound - you can hear the character of the guitars wood - I just love it!
The pickups are a little more noisy than I am used to - not a big problem - it acually ads some single coil authenticity. But I will try to work with the shielding of the pickup cavities to try to reduce noise.
I bought the Pickups via the Bare Knuckle online Shop as there are no dealers in Denmark where I live. The deal and delivery went perfectly with nice communications along the way.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9
Submitted by: Chris <cd@angulus.dk>
Submitted at: 2:07, 8/9/2004
Product Info
Pickup features: Single Coils
Impedence or other specs: Unsure - check http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/ZS-irishtour.html
Price Paid: £ 210
Purchased from: Bare Knuckle Pickups directly
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Fender USA Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Standard USA Stratocaster Pickups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock / Blues / Progressive / Anything really...
Reason for pickup change: For a more classic strat tone, SRV / Hendrix style, with a slightly hotter output.
Sound
Perceived output level: Hotter than standard USA pickups
Tone: Perfectly balanced - A georgeous sweet biting tone.
Sonic evaluation: Fender USA Stratocaster - Marshall Silver Jubilee 50/25W Combo. These pickups have to be heard to be believed. They embrace everything my original USA pickups had, but then some! It's really hard to describe, but the tone is punchy, biting and really sweet - NO HARSHNESS! NOT SHRILL! Totally addictive - positions 2 & 4 nail SRV/Hendrix, the neck position is full, rounded, thick, and the bridge pickup is a god send - the bridge pickup has georgeous trebly harmonix but is not like an ice pick - it roars and wails. You will have an instant "guitar face" when playing on this pickup.
I really recommend these pickups - to Joe Public, they may not notice much difference, but if you play week in, week out, you will notice the difference straight away. They only way I can describe it, is that it has a tone you want to bite, chew and savour. It make my Strat sound more like a Strat should sound, and my Marshall now is a perfect hybrid between a Fender and a Marshall - totally lush.
I phoned / emailed Tim from Bare Knuckle Pickups - he is a totally sound guy, who loves his music, and his job! It's so refreshing to speak to someone who is generally interested in YOU the customer - I really recommend Bare Knuckle Pickups - if only more companies adopted their attitude and quality of work/service.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock, Blues, Progressive, Christian Worship - very versatile - at home I can wail hendrix type leads, and at church I can get a U2 type chilled tone.
Overall Rating
Comments: I would by them again. I wished the Bare Knuckle Pickups web site had sound samples (coming soon I think), but the conversation with Tim Mills was more than I needed. He really helped me narrow down my quest for pickups that would have THAT sound. Irish Tours are pure Stratocaster heaven....
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value
Submitted by: Sam Davis