Bare Knuckle Pickups Miracle Man
Submitted at: 6:32, 8/15/2005
Product Info
Pickup features: humbuckers,passive
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: £sterling 180
Purchased from: manson's guitar store
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: gibson les paul standard
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock gibson bursbucker pro's
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: not sure? but they ought to
You musical style(s): rock mainly
Reason for pickup change: wanted a pickup with clearer definition at high gains.with strong output,and even response across the tonal range.
Sound
Perceived output level: excellent strong output
Tone: very well balanced
Sonic evaluation: gibson les paul standard running into different setups.no1 a marshall 89 jcm800 2205 with a marshall jfx-1 in the loop an sd-1 boss s/overdrive and bad horsie wah in the front end.no2 a marshall el84 20/20 poweramp with overdrive coming from a ada-mp1 preamp and effects from a lexicon mpx200.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play mainly rock music ,non of the modern metal though.mainly 80's based.ozzy,kingdom come,john sykes...etc
Overall Rating
Comments: been playing for 15 yrs,been through all the retrofit pickups,seymour,dimarzio,emg...etcnon of the come close to these.exactly the output and sound ive been searching for.no need to drive the gain button on your amp anymore,as these pickups help you do that,so you can get a nice balance between pre and power amp overdrive.i chose these pickups as im also from devon in which these pickups are made,so i thought id give them a try.i also have a les paul custom in which ill now get some more of these installed very soon.tim mills is a great guy,and certainly knows his tone.i wish him and bare knuckle all the very best for the future with many years success.give them a try.you'll never use another pickup.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value
Submitted at: 7:00, 5/2/2005
Product Info
Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 17.5
Price Paid: GBP £50 used
Purchased from:
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Avon SG copy.
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock cheapo single coil in a humbucker housing.
Other pickups on guitar: Stock cheapo single coil in a humbucker housing!
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Mostly rock / blues.
Reason for pickup change: BK pickups are very highly regarded.
Sound
Perceived output level: High. You'll need about 50% less gain on the amp than you had before!
Tone: Clear. Good bass, not much treble but a lot of midrange. Clean, it almost sounds like a half cocked wah pedal.
Sonic evaluation: I use my SG copy through a Marshall AVT 275 and a POD 2. Played clean, it's something of a one trick midrange pony, although it's not unpleasant. Overdriving the amps is where it will get interesting. This is a really powerful pickup, and you won't need a lot of gain on the amp to get crunchy. With higher gain, this pickup is very focused, with good harmonic overtones. It rarely gets feedback, so you can play loudly without fear of squeals and whoops. It's tight and articulate, so palm muted chugging is always crisp and widdly leads are always accurate. With the tone control turned down, blues stuff sounds very nice indeed.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is a rock pickup, but for bluesy stuff it still cuts the mustard. Those of a rock and metal persuasion should try these as soon as possible.
Overall Rating
Comments: This pickup is great. Jazzers should look elsewhere, but rockers and metallers should invest very soon. It's perhaps limited, in that it's quite midrangey and very powerful, but it does this with finesse. It isn't a jack of all trades but for what it does, it shall receive a high rating.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9
Submitted by: Nick Botfield
Submitted at: 10:25, 4/6/2005
Product Info
Pickup features: humbucking, passive
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: GBP 90
Purchased from: Soho Soundhouse
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Peavey Vandenberg
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio FRED
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock / Metal
Reason for pickup change:
Sound
Perceived output level: Sublime
Tone: Focused
Sonic evaluation: Vandenberg -> Morley + DFX -> Marshall
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:
Overall Rating
Comments: The best way I can describe this humbucker is dynamic yet totally focused. Let me clarify, when I say focused please do not confuse that to mean limited.
Trust me, the other rave reviews here are totally spot on so I won’t go back over the same ground.
The tone is pier-less and precision crafted, harmonically both rich and powerful. As each pickup is handmade, yours will be unique and this adds yet more to the magic of owning a bareknuckle pickup.
Before you start thinking I'm too evangelical about this pickup let me just agree with some other reviewers and confirm that the Miracle Man is not too comfortable with being played clean. This pickup truly shines when dirty.
To give you a ballpark reference tone, I'd say between George Lynch and Zakk Wylde though this really doesn't capture it all.
The limitations of this ceramic magnet pickup should be clear but that's much like considering the limitations of the British SAS special forces - I wouldn't consider them as the ideal UN peace keepers but when things get dangerous and dirty they are exactly what you wish for.
I can't say enough about the high level of customer service offered by this company - I've talked to Tony both via email and on the phone since purchasing the Miracle Man and he has given me some great advice and insight into where to go when choosing more bareknuckles for my other guitars. (I've got a Warpig on order with more to come ASAP).
To sum up - I would suggest that when you feel (as I do in this case), that this product is so good that you almost don't want other people to know about it, that's a sure sign that the company must be doing everything right.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: No Opinion
Submitted by: Afghan Dave
Submitted at: 15:28, 11/5/2004
Product Info
Pickup features: Humbucker matched with a MULE in neck position
Impedence or other specs: SCATTER WOUND!!! SCATTER WOUND!!! SCATTER WOUND!!!
Price Paid: N/A
Purchased from: Bareknuckles Website
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: ESP Kirk Hammet MII Custom Shop
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: EMGs
Other pickups on guitar: Bare Knuckles Mule
Artists using this pickup: Not enough
You musical style(s): Rock, Hard Rock, Metal Death
Reason for pickup change: All other pickups I tried sounded boring and lifeless.
Sound
Perceived output level: Just right. I use the amp to generate volume. When I started using Bareknuckles, specifications did not matter anymore to me.
Tone: Perfect -- harmonically rich and thick without being muddy, bass strings sounded tight and treble strings sounded presency but not thin. No harshnsess what so ever. Tightest sounding humbucker I heard has a nice scoop to it.
Sonic evaluation: A great sounding ESP Super Strat into a modified TS9 and into a Soldano SLO100 driving a 2X12 Orange Cabinet with 2 Vintage 30 speakers. That simple and with Bare Knuckles it sounded like heaven.I and my guitar luthier were floored with the overtones BK pickups generated -- when we strike a note on the higher register; it generates a lower note overtone and vice versa. Simply Amazing because it contributes to depth, sustain and thickness (not
artificial thick but really overtone thick) to the soundstage. Its is not only the overtones that are great but Tim Mills seems to have identified the correct and pleasing EQ curve. The Highs are sweet, the Mids are not muddy and the Bass is bell like. Both pickups are balanced in their respective positions. Despite the different model of pickups, the Miracle Man and the MULE sound good in the inbetween position on the bolt on and the set neck guitar. On the ESP Kirk Hammet with Floyd, we could generate Les Paul tones more authentic than an actual R8 Gibson Les Paul Historic we had on hand -- shocking given that the ESP had a Floyd Rose with Alder body and maple neck with 25.5 scale!!! When we backed off the volume, the ESP generated strat tones. The clean tones just sounded heavenly and defined -- more strat than a lot of Fender Strats both vintage and modern. On the Japanese Les Paul clone, the BK pickups helped the guitar maintain its 3D quality by helping duplicate the inherent overtones generated by the guitar. We can dial anything from Gary
Moore type STILL GOT THE BLUES intro to a Santana type lead line through a Mesa Boogie Studio Caliber 22 1X12 with a Tone Tubby speaker.
Here is a summary of pickups the Miracle Man set went up against:
1) R8 Gibson Les Paul Historic with Voodoo 60 (cover removed) at the bridge and replaced with 1970s Gibson Magnets and a genuine 1960 Gibson Humbucker at the neck: Voodoo 60 sounded too gnarly and thin. Though the 1960 Gibson Humbucker was bigger in soundstage than the Miracle Man pickups, it had boomy Bass and was not clear and defined.
2) Japanese Gibson Les Paul Standard Knock-off with Voodoo 59 pickups (cover at bridge removed) with replaced 1970s Gibson Magnets: Voodoo 59s in both positions were not sweet. Though it had depth it, it did not have the pleasing lower overtones that the Bare Knuckles pickups generated.
3) Japanese Gibson Les Paul Standard Knock-off (we suspect it to be a Greco which is my pride & joy) with Seymour Duncan Antiquities in both Bridge and Neck position with genuine 1950s Gibson ALINICO magnets: My original pickups sounded one dimensional compared to the BK set. There were no overtones. Plus the Antiquities had too much unpleasing mids. The Bare Knucles Miracle Man set had a sound curve with hollow mids and pleasing Bass and Treble.
Played through clean amps, all the pickups mentioned above do not have the kick and life of Bareknuckles pickups. Bareknuckles pickups don't need any booster or unity gain device to drive amps when played clean. On overdrive, the pickups are so transparent -- that is the tonal/timbre character and pick attack of the guitar really gets through. On distortion, the pickups produce squeals and screaming harmonics ANYWHERE on the neck. The sustaining note through the BK
pickups have this subtle oscillation similar to a WAHWAH that thickens the sound. The Bass notes have a BONG sound to it that keeps on ringing. On ordinary pickups, there is only one sweet spot or note to generate harmonics but on the BK pickups, I can generate it anywhere with my picking hand. One thing we also noticed that the BK pickups give perfect balance to both the left hand on the fingerboard and on the right hand with the pick. Most of the pickups mentioned above lost the right hand pick attack. The pick attack seemed to be drowned. The Pick Attack on the BK pickups come out with
the tone control on the Les Paul backed off. It even had more defined pick attack compared to the Voodoo 59s with the Tone Control on full!!!
There is no doubt that the Miracle Man pickup set is supreme. When it was installed on my ESP Kirk Hammet driving a Soldano SLO100 head, it was the only pickup set that could drive the soldano to produce a thrash metal/death metal sound. I would normally use a Bogner Uberschall head or VHT Ultralead Pitbull but I am so happy that I can also get a similar sound from my Soldano.
BK pickups are also very reactive to boost,drive,distortion to pedals. This is simply just amazing because any movement on the adjustment knobs on the FX really changes the timbre/color of your instrument. I was so shocked that I now regret getting rid of FX that I did not like prior to my purchase of Bare Knuckles. The pickup set just add news dimension to FX. Now, I can use my modded TS9, DS1, OD1, SD1, MT2, RAT 2, Vintage RAT, etc. with the set and generate different voicings.
Finally, Tim Mills really has top notch customer service. Period -- the best in the world. But, I believe more than customer service, what you are buying from Tim is his ability to translate sounds into pickups and produce harmonically rich, clear and defined pickups that just keep playing and playing -- no ear fatigue what-so-ever.
BK PICKUPS ARE AMAZING!!! WHY ARENT THE BIG GUYS USING BK PICKUPS?
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: All styles.
Overall Rating
Comments: I am sold on Bareknuckles. Trying a guitar without Bareknuckles is just really bad. You get used to it such that you can immediately identify that it is lacking in any other guitar. I love the pickups so much that I want to buy ALL his sets but I just dont have enough guitars for all of them. I strongly recommend you try a set.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value
Submitted by: oasgomez <oasgomez@zpdee.net>
Submitted at: 12:32, 10/11/2004
Product Info
Pickup features: HUMBUCKER
Impedence or other specs: AROUND 17
Price Paid: £170-00 FOR A PAIR
Purchased from: DIRECT
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: LP STANDARD
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: STOCK ITEM
Other pickups on guitar: MULE
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): ROCK
Reason for pickup change: DO YOU NEED A REASON TO SOUND GREAT
Sound
Perceived output level:
Tone:
Sonic evaluation: LES PAUL STANDARD THROUGH A LINE 6 VETTA
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:
Overall Rating
Comments: THESE PICK UPS ARE JUST SUPERB WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH JUST BUY EM AND TRY EM YOU WONT REGRET IT A SUPERIOR PICKUP AND THEY MAKE ME SOUND GOOD NO MEAN FEAT
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value
Submitted by: PAUL .L. LEE <paul@lee186.fsnet.co.uk>
Submitted at: 6:58, 7/23/2004
Product Info
Pickup features: Scatter-Wound Passive Humbucker (Open-poled / Zebra)
Impedence or other specs: 17.5 for bridge
Price Paid: £85 (As part of set)
Purchased from: Direct from Tim at Bare Knuckle
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Studio (2004)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Gibson Stock Bridge PU (498T)
Other pickups on guitar: The Mule (Neck Position)
Artists using this pickup: N/A
You musical style(s): Although I play various musical styles I bought the LP specifically to play heavier music (rock and grunge etc).
Reason for pickup change: I wanted a hotter PU than the stock unit in the bridge position (498T just wasn't hot enough), however I wanted the PU to balance well with the Mule in the neck.
Sound
Perceived output level: A lot more output than the Gibson 498T.
Tone: Tight Bass response, bags of mid range and treble, abrasive and punchy, pinched harmonics scream with this thing. The Miracle Man also balances surprisingly well with the mule.
Sonic evaluation: Les Paul Studio à Tech 21 TRIAC à Tech 21 Power Engine 60. The Miracle Man suits heavy riff based music perfectly (RATM etc) and for solos it cuts through the mix well but retains its balls and doesn't sound thin and weedy at all. The combination of the Miracle Man (bridge) and Mule (neck) gives the LP Studio a lot more versatility than I had expected and with some experimentation with the guitars PU selector and tone controls you can dial in a whole range of sounds from Jazz to full on Thrash.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play Grunge, Punk, Rock, Blues, Jazz, and Funk etc but as I said at the beginning of the review I use the Les Paul specifically for the heavier stuff. I think that the Miracle Man on its own is best suited to heavier riff based music however as stated earlier if you use it in conjunction with the Mule they make a versatile combo.
Overall Rating
Comments: This PU delivered everything I was looking for and more. It all started when I bought the LP studio and was disappointed with the stock PU's, My 1st choice was Seymour Duncan (like most people) but a friend of mine recommended Bare Knuckle and then I read the article in guitar buyer. So I contacted Tim at Bare Knuckle and explained what guitar I had and what sound I was looking for, he made some recommendations PU wise, I made the purchase and I have to say the PU's are exactly what I was looking for. Hand wound, in the UK, easy to deal with, friendly. What more can I say other than my Strat will be next!
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value
Submitted by: Mark Frith
Submitted at: 9:41, 4/2/2004
Product Info
Pickup features: Scatter Wound Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 17.5k
Price Paid: £
Purchased from: BareKnuckle Pickups.com
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Yamaha Pacifica 112
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: BareKnuckle Trilogy Suite single coils
Artists using this pickup: None I am aware of.
You musical style(s): Whatever I feel like playing.
Reason for pickup change: Bass response was flabby and treble was piercing.
Sound
Perceived output level: Hotter than stock.
Tone: Well balanced
Sonic evaluation: Yamaha Pacifica 112>Cry-Baby Wah>Keeley modded Boss SD-1 and DS-1>Small Clone chorus>Marshall AVT20.
All tones sound so much fuller now. I run the Marshall on the OD channel with a little gain (about 3-4), using the pedals as clean boosts and getting different flavours from each.
With just the amp, the tone is big and warm, think AC/DC. The SD-1 pushes the amp into a lovely Van Halen style overdrive. Chunky, defined chords and nicely rounded lead sounds. With the DS-1 the tone becomes slightly more abrasive without ever being harsh. Power chords are huge and crisp, but it can still clean up quite nicely.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It's perfect for anything I've thrown at it so far.
Overall Rating
Comments: Been playing for 9 years and am finally almost happy with my tone. I wouldn't hesitate to buy this pickup again and Tim at BareKnuckle is particularly helpful and easy to deal with. Great price too!
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9
Submitted by: Iain Veitch <iainv@hotmail.com>
Submitted at: 7:21, 1/20/2004
Product Info
Pickup features: PASSIVE HUMBUCKER
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: POUNDS 90
Purchased from: ONLINE SHOP - BAREKNUCKLEPICKUPS.CO.UK
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: GIBSON LES PAUL STUDIO
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: SEYMOUR DUNCAN ALNICO PRO 2, GIBSON ORIGINAL
Other pickups on guitar: DUNCAN SCREAMIN DEMON
Artists using this pickup: NONE AT MOMENT - DESIGNED FOR A ZAKK WYLDE KINDA SOUND
You musical style(s): HARD ROCK / HEAVY METAL
Reason for pickup change: MY LES PAUL WAS WAY TOO MUDDY.I USE THE NECK PICKUP AS MY MAIN PICKUP FOR RYTHMN & LEAD AND NEED SOMETHING A LITTLE CUTTING WITH LOTS OF POWER BUT WARM TOO!AFTER TWO SEYMOURS & 1 GIBSON PICKUP I FOUND IT!
Sound
Perceived output level: A POWERFUL HIGH OUTPUT PICKUP.
Tone: FOCUSED MIDS, PUNCHY BASS & WAILING! NO SHRILL TREBLE OR MUDDY BASS.
Sonic evaluation: I'M RUNNING IT IN NECK POSITION OF A GIBSON LES PAUL STUDIO.INTO A MARSHALL GUV'NOR PEDAL AND DUNLOP WAH INTO A MARSHALL TSL100 AND MARSHALL 4X12 CAB.THIS IS AN AMAZING PICKUP.I CANT PUT THE FUCKEN GUITAR DOWN NOW!
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: THE PICKUP CAN BE PLACED FOR NECK OR BRIDGE.I PLAY HARD ROCK/METAL AND IT IS A DEFINITE CRANKIN PICKUP.THINK ZAKK WYLDE BOMBASTICNESS WITH A BIT OF VAN HALENS EARLY SOUND THROWN IN TO MAKE IT EVEN SWEETER!
Overall Rating
Comments: IF IT WERE DESTROYED OR STOLEN I WOULD DEFINATELY BUY IT AGAIN - IM LOOKIN IN TO GETTING ANOTHER PICKUP FOR MY OTHER LES PAUL.I HOPE TO HAVE BARE KNUCKLES IN ALL POSITIONS OF ALL MY GUITARS!IM NOT BEING OVER THE TOP MAN!IT'S LIKE EVERYTHING I WAS LOOKING FOR IN A BOX!BEEN PLAYING 7 YEARS.HAVE EPIPHONE LES PAULS & 1 OTHER GIBSON LES PAUL SMARTWOOD WITH A MUIR WOOD TOP THAT IS WICKED ANYWAY BUT NEEDS SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE FOCUSSED UP HIGH WITH A BIT MORE OUTPUT.RUNNING IT THROUGH MARSHALL GUV'NOR PEDAL,DIGITECH WHAMMY,JIM DUNLOP WAH INTO A MARSHALL TSL 100 WATT VALVE HEAD INTO A MARSHALL 4X12.COMPARED IT TO TWO SEYMOUR DUNCANS IN THE SAME GUITAR WHICH PROMISED THE SOUND BUT DIDN'T DELIVER.THIS DID!IM WELL APPY WITH THE SOUND - IT'S TURNED THIS GUITAR INTO WHAT I KNEW IT COULD BE, BUT WAS LOSING HOPE! BARE KNUCKLES ARE HAND MADE IN THE UK, BUT WORTH THE PERSERVERANCE IF YOU LIVE ABROAD.IF YOU LIVE IN ENGLAND YOU HAVE NO FUCKEN EXCUSE! I WONT PUT DUNCANS ANYWHERE NEAR MY GUITARS AGAIN.HANDMADE & WOUND FOR 90 QUID! COME ON DUDE!
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value
Submitted by: NEIL BUCKELL <JACKNCOKE2GO@HOTMAIL.COM>
Submitted at: 6:28, 1/12/2004
Product Info
Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Hand made, scatterwound with open coils. About 17.5K!!! ROCK!!
Price Paid: Pounds £90
Purchased from: Direct
Instrument
Model of guitar or bass: Charvel 750XL, Mahogany/maple Body, Maple set neck, rosewood board.
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Dimarzio Steves Special
Other pickups on guitar: Lindy PAF
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock/Metal
Reason for pickup change: Wanted more midrange, more harmonics, tighter sound, more bass, just more of everything - without sounding lifeless and toneless!
Sound
Perceived output level: Lots more than the Steves Special. It makes teh FET bypass circuit in boss pedals clip!!
Tone: Balanced, huge sound. Powerfull lows, detailed fat midrange, open high end - easy to make it scream!
Sonic evaluation: Using a Marshall JCM800 2204 and a Keeley SD1.
Whatever amp you use this pickup it gets a great result. With the Marshall it's metal heaven (or Hell???). It's not like an EMG that smothers the natural tone of your guitar - you can still hear your instruments personality behind the power! Not at all sterile sounding.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Try this if you like rock and metal with a huge guitar tone! It'll do a great Zakk type sound but it's not limited to that. Tapped it is good clean, and with less gain it does a good fat vintage rock sound.
Overall Rating
Comments: I'd buy it agin of it was stolen. I've used Dimarzios, EMGs, Duncans, Ibanez and PRS pickups trying to get a goood solid huge sound. It's a bit like a cross between a Steves special, Evolution and an EMG 81 the best bits in one pickup!
Bare Knuckle are a great company to deal with too!
On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value
Submitted by: HJM