# Bare Knuckle SILO (Rabea Masaad signature pickups)



## couverdure

Interesting to see Rabea getting his own signature pickup from BKP since he has been using their pickups for a long time now. His tone sounds very smooth yet groovy.


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## diagrammatiks

i'm guess i'm buying more pickups.


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## KnightBrolaire

considering he used the warpig for ages, I'd guess it's based off that.


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## diagrammatiks

KnightBrolaire said:


> considering he used the warpig for ages, I'd guess it's based off that.



hooray. just what i need. more warpigs


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## Frostbite

Going to wait for his inevitable 20 minute demo video (which I await eagerly) but I'm a huge fan of Rabea and Toska so I'm probably going to pick up a set


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## Strobe

They sound very good. I am a little hesitant, only because Rabea nearly always sounds very good with nearly anything. I just dig his style.


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## Sdrizis89

I'm interested. I just satisfied my GAS with a 7 string set of BKP (Black Dog/VHII) Now I have more GAS. Curious to hear these in a 7 string setting...


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## katsumura78

In the Instagram comments it was mentioned that these aren’t based off of anything and they were built from the ground up. Significantly less output than the warpig set with way more headroom. Interested but Rabea could use stock Ibanez Gio pickups and sound great.


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## BTS

Grats to Rabea. 

I was very sold on a set of holy divers. These are different.... but have thrown a bit of a curve ball in the diver decision becauee they seem pretty versatile. Hopefully some other reviews come out using these Silos.


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## narad

katsumura78 said:


> In the Instagram comments it was mentioned that these aren’t based off of anything and they were built from the ground up. Significantly less output than the warpig set with way more headroom. Interested but Rabea could use stock Ibanez Gio pickups and sound great.



They always say that, then you see the specs/EQ curve.

That said, they don't sound so similar to warpigs to me. I like warpigs.


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## diagrammatiks

narad said:


> They always say that, then you see the specs/EQ curve.
> 
> That said, they don't sound so similar to warpigs to me. I like warpigs.



dang it. it seems like I'm the only one that wants a warping with more output.


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## narad

diagrammatiks said:


> dang it. it seems like I'm the only one that wants a warping with more output.



WCR Iron Man?


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## KnightBrolaire

they already have the description/eq/clips up on the site:
https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/pickup/humbucker/silo
"Silo: A signature pickup for a guitarist with a colossal signature tone and style.
The ‘Silo’ humbuckers define Rabea Massaad’s standing as a revered guitarist, music producer and performer, translating his immediately recognisable finger tone and phrasing.
"I need a pickup with the ability to create glassy, ambient leads and warm, clear chord tones. Equally I need it to sound crushingly heavy and aggressive. 
The Silo humbuckers give me everything I need and more. I couldn’t be happier." Rabea
Twin screw coils, Alnico V magnets and a pairing of 44AWG wound bridge and 42AWG wound neck all combine into an incredible range of depth and output.
Rabea is renowned for the clarity in his guitar tones and the precision in his playing, whether it be textural ambient soundscapes or saturated driven breakdowns.
Silo’s clean and split coil tones are pure, warm, and full bodied, responding extremely well to pick dynamics and changes on the volume pot. Driven tones retain excellent note definition through extended chord voicings and lower tunings with incredible projection and weight behind every note."


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## narad

Sounds like every boutique pickup ever. Would love to ever hear someone say something along the lines of, "Because I play in low tunings, we optimized the pickups to remain clear and percussive in lower registers. Don't get these for E -- you'll probably find the overall sound to be too thin", etc.

This is like the equivalent of releasing a signature car and advertising a fuel-efficient V12 that does 0-60 in .1 second while getting great mileage, weighs 500lbs, great handling, smooth ride, and can tow a trailer. Sleek design, convertible roof, can fit 10 people.


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## MAJ Meadows SF

narad said:


> This is like the equivalent of releasing a signature car and advertising a fuel-efficient V12 that does 0-60 in .1 second while getting great mileage, weighs 500lbs, great handling, smooth ride, and can tow a trailer. Sleek design, convertible roof, can fit 10 people.



...it's scary how that sounds like a government sales pitch. Just missing the obligatory "environmentally friendly and tax credit clause", e.i. it's ran by potted plant farts with a solar-locomotive non-HAZMAT battery backup. I think I should write birthday/holiday cards to people in the style of pickup manufacturer product descriptions. Also, it's very similar to workout supplements. There's a lot of hot air that goes into selling placebos. 

I'm curious how the voicing sounds in different guitars. I think all of us pickup whores will be guilty of giving them a spin.


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## Mathemagician

narad said:


> Sounds like every boutique pickup ever. Would love to ever hear someone say something along the lines of, "Because I play in low tunings, we optimized the pickups to remain clear and percussive in lower registers. Don't get these for E -- you'll probably find the overall sound to be too thin", etc.
> 
> This is like the equivalent of releasing a signature car and advertising a fuel-efficient V12 that does 0-60 in .1 second while getting great mileage, weighs 500lbs, great handling, smooth ride, and can tow a trailer. Sleek design, convertible roof, can fit 10 people.



You mean an ad that actually tells you something? Like anything at all useful?


Let me try:

I run an EQ and volume boost on my leads so I didn’t want a super-bright neck pickup to end up shrill. It’s a pretty smooth EQ curve but you may need to boost the highs a tiny bit on your personal rig. I play Eb.


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## Thaeon

Probably hotter than I'm looking for. I like my SSH+ bridge a lot, but even it is a little hot. And I wouldn't say its hot enough to cause a lot of compression. Though Toska's style is fairly close to what my band does.


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## Zado

Cant wait to see these listed for sale in facebook groups


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## BrutalRob

Am I the only one who does not care about these at all?


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## Emperoff

More contemporary alnico pickups to choose from is always a good thing


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## MetalHead40

narad said:


> WCR Iron Man?


 The Iron Man and the Warpigs (Would like to try both the A-pig & C-pig) are the two bridges I'm most interested in. So the IM is hotter than the Pigs?


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## narad

MetalHead40 said:


> The Iron Man and the Warpigs (Would like to try both the A-pig & C-pig) are the two bridges I'm most interested in. So the IM is hotter than the Pigs?



Technically I think so, but they're basically the same. I've loved every single clip of the Iron Mans I've heard though (the ones with quality recording at least). I like Warpigs, but not to that extent. Also I have BKPs in a ton of guitars and generally think they're alright, but previously had a guitar with WCR godwoods and it was amazing. I'm basically looking for some future excuse to use the iron mans on something.


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## Xaeldaren

I emailed BKP about the differences between the Silo and the Juggernaut due to them seeming to fulfil a similar role (dynamic, clear, bass/mid focused), and I was told the Juggernauts are a little tighter due to the ceramic flankers and they're also more compressed than the Silos.


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## KnightBrolaire

it's fun to hear rabea noodle and talk about the pickups/process


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## narad

Hmm, not bad. Something about the attack does come on like a Warpig, without being quite as round-sounding or saturated.


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## Avedas

The last clip of him playing in that video was sounding mighty tasty.


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## Emperoff

Xaeldaren said:


> I emailed BKP about the differences between the Silo and the Juggernaut due to them seeming to fulfil a similar role (dynamic, clear, bass/mid focused), and I was told the Juggernauts are a little tighter due to the ceramic flankers and they're also more compressed than the Silos.



Man, the Juggs are extremely dynamic. Can't imagine those.


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## katsumura78

Anybody get a set yet? If I had a guitar that needed new pickups I would’ve gotten them already. More dynamic than the Juggs? Sign me up.


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## Emperoff

Super surprised no one got a set of these just yet. I though Rabea was the new Bulb as far as gear is concerned.

I'm starting to consider getting a set to replace my Juggernauts. Not that they don't work on that guitar, but these really look interesting.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands

Emperoff said:


> Super surprised no one got a set of these just yet. I though Rabea was the new Bulb as far as gear is concerned.
> 
> I'm starting to consider getting a set to replace my Juggernauts. Not that they don't work on that guitar, but these really look interesting.



Nah, Bulb is still the Bulb of this forum.  Bea doesn't seem to get as much love here as he does in other places.


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## BTS

He missed a trick not naming them the 'Beast' and the 'Beauty'.


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## KnightBrolaire

finally some in depth clips


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## Emperoff

Ok, so I contacted BKP to see how they compare to the Juggernauts. Here's Tim's answer for those interested.

_"The Silo humbuckers have a very different voicing and output range to the Juggernauts. There's a lot more head room (!) with the Silos and not such a pronounced mid range peak. There's more depth in the bass too although still capable of tracking nicely. The driven tone saturates nicely but it still produces a really dynamic feel.

In terms of output, the Juggernauts hit the amp harder while the Silo bridge is definitely still a high output humbucker but the Silo neck has a moderate output which produces a brighter, more open woody tone.

I don't hear a spike in either lo or high mid on the Silo and that was something we wanted to avoid. Rabea's brief was to keep the mid range wide but relatively flat"._

TL;DR: More bass and dynamics, less tightness and output, no mid spikes and a brighter (I suppose PAF-like) neck pickup.

Sounds like a pickup set I'd design myself, honestly. I never give a damn about pickups marketing but this set looks very nice for taming a bright guitar without swamping it on mids.


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## Isurez

Some time ago my good friend Franq did this demo of SILO in my Skervesen 4AP. I have to admit that these are the best pickups that I had in this guitar. You can check them here (please check the video description for DI tracks):


I had many different pickups in this particular guitar and for now these are my favorites. I don't why but they seems to be very easy to mix and playing on them is pure pleasure. We spent some fun and quality time while we were jamming on this guitar and EVH 5150III which we have in our office.

Below you can check other demos of this Skervesen 4AP with Guitarmory pickups and Bare Knuckle Juggernaut set. I don't have any soundclips of other pickups that I had (DiMarzio Air Zone and Bare Knuckle Black Dog).


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## Dudley

How would you describe these compared to the Black Dogs? I've got a swamp ash Mayones Regius 7 with maple fretboard with some Bare Knuckle Cold Sweats in it that desperately needs more mids and I was all set on buying the Black Dogs to add some mids/body and then the Silos were released and I've not been able to make up my mind for months. 

Would really appreciate hearing your thoughts on the 2 different sets! Particularly how versatile they are and how they cope with very clean playing and heavier riffs.


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## Isurez

Dudley said:


> How would you describe these compared to the Black Dogs? I've got a swamp ash Mayones Regius 7 with maple fretboard with some Bare Knuckle Cold Sweats in it that desperately needs more mids and I was all set on buying the Black Dogs to add some mids/body and then the Silos were released and I've not been able to make up my mind for months.
> 
> Would really appreciate hearing your thoughts on the 2 different sets! Particularly how versatile they are and how they cope with very clean playing and heavier riffs.



I would rather try to avoid Black Dogs - in my opinion they lack of something that I'd call "body". They would be perfect for guitar that tend to be muddy (like some of the Gibson Les Paul guitars). In this Skervesen 4AP they sounded very thin, yet very, very dynamic. Tone can be icepick, especially on high E string. If I would keep them then the only usage of this guitar would be adding some little layers of low-gain leads/melodies/clean passages, stuff that can be buried while using guitar with "thicker" sounding pickups. You have to keep in mind that they are not high output (SILO bridge pickup has just a little bit less output than Warpig from what I can feel) and well, Black Dog has less output than The Mule set for comparison. 

If you want add some mids to the sound of your guitar then I would recommend Silo, Juggernaut or Black Hawk (Alnico of course) <- in this right order.


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## Dudley

Thanks for sharing your experiences! The Black Dog is an interesting pickup - half the reviews out there call it thick and quite deep sounding and the others call it bright. The Silo sounds really interesting but it's the high output that's putting me off... I think it's probably a lot higher output than I'd want to go. If Bare Knuckle had something really thick and mid-focused in the vintage hot lineup I'd be a happy camper.

What are the Silo clean tones like? Do you think it would work well for lower gain rock like Solstafir, or clean Opeth tones, and pull off heavy and staccatto death metal riffs too? Sorry for all the questions, but there's not a lot of confirmed users/owners out there.


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## Emperoff

Dudley said:


> Thanks for sharing your experiences! The Black Dog is an interesting pickup - half the reviews out there call it thick and quite deep sounding and the others call it bright. The Silo sounds really interesting but it's the high output that's putting me off... I think it's probably a lot higher output than I'd want to go. If Bare Knuckle had something really thick and mid-focused in the vintage hot lineup I'd be a happy camper.
> 
> What are the Silo clean tones like? Do you think it would work well for lower gain rock like Solstafir, or clean Opeth tones, and pull off heavy and staccatto death metal riffs too? Sorry for all the questions, but there's not a lot of confirmed users/owners out there.



Probably not telling you anything you don't know already, but Cold Sweats are a terrible choice for an ash guitar. Ash is scooped by nature, and so are the Cold Sweats. You should also avoid the Miracle Man and the Juggernaut from the BKP catalog.

If you want something thick with plenty of mids the Holydiver is your answer and is known to work wonders in ash (maybe the Silo as well). The Juggernauts have a bump in the low and high mids, with a dip in the center. I wouldn't really call it "scooped" since it really doesn't have much bass or highs, but I'd never recommend it on ash.

If you want to try other brands, the SD Pegasus works well in anything and it's moderate output. Also, Lundgren has a pickup named "Hot Heaven" that sounds right your alley as well.


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## dshea19

Isurez said:


> I would rather try to avoid Black Dogs - in my opinion they lack of something that I'd call "body". They would be perfect for guitar that tend to be muddy (like some of the Gibson Les Paul guitars). In this Skervesen 4AP they sounded very thin, yet very, very dynamic. Tone can be icepick, especially on high E string. If I would keep them then the only usage of this guitar would be adding some little layers of low-gain leads/melodies/clean passages, stuff that can be buried while using guitar with "thicker" sounding pickups. You have to keep in mind that they are not high output (SILO bridge pickup has just a little bit less output than Warpig from what I can feel) and well, Black Dog has less output than The Mule set for comparison.
> 
> If you want add some mids to the sound of your guitar then I would recommend Silo, Juggernaut or Black Hawk (Alnico of course) <- in this right order.


is there a pickup from any of the major brands you would compare this to? Just asking as a Bareknuckle neophyte.


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## Isurez

Dudley said:


> Thanks for sharing your experiences! The Black Dog is an interesting pickup - half the reviews out there call it thick and quite deep sounding and the others call it bright. The Silo sounds really interesting but it's the high output that's putting me off... I think it's probably a lot higher output than I'd want to go. If Bare Knuckle had something really thick and mid-focused in the vintage hot lineup I'd be a happy camper.
> 
> What are the Silo clean tones like? Do you think it would work well for lower gain rock like Solstafir, or clean Opeth tones, and pull off heavy and staccatto death metal riffs too? Sorry for all the questions, but there's not a lot of confirmed users/owners out there.



I came to certain realizations over this night - while we're speaking about vintage hot pickups from Bare Knuckles lineup. I had VHII and Abraxas in other guitar that used to belong to me. I totally forgot about this fact. Please check the picture below:







It was this Kallisti and Jari from Wintersun told us that it was his favorite from our NAMM booth this year. While it was mine I did few tweaks - major one was the pickup swap. VHII to Abraxas. I think that you should give it a shot, in my opinion it will suit your needs.

SILO clean tones are totally fine for Opeth stuff, keep in mind that neck pickup from this set has similar output to The Mule and generally it's pretty close to it from what I can hear. (I think that it may be some variation of this pickup since they did modified version of The Mule for different artists and their customers).


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## Isurez

dshea19 said:


> is there a pickup from any of the major brands you would compare this to? Just asking as a Bareknuckle neophyte.


Well, that's a tough question. Seymour Duncan has it's own voicing, DiMarzio has their, EMG too, Bare Knuckle is no exception. Each of these brands has their own patents, tricks, ways of doing what thery're doing. I have my favorite models of these brands but each of them is different. For example EMG 85, DiMarzio D-Sonic, Seymour Duncan Full Shred etc. I have this pleasure that I work in the place where I work and tried many pickups and guitars. Unfortunately, I also have my own taste, which doesn't have to suit everyone. I don't consider myself an omniscient person.


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## dshea19

Isurez said:


> Well, that's a tough question. Seymour Duncan has it's own voicing, DiMarzio has their, EMG too, Bare Knuckle is no exception. Each of these brands has their own patents, tricks, ways of doing what thery're doing. I have my favorite models of these brands but each of them is different. For example EMG 85, DiMarzio D-Sonic, Seymour Duncan Full Shred etc. I have this pleasure that I work in the place where I work and tried many pickups and guitars. Unfortunately, I also have my own taste, which doesn't have to suit everyone. I don't consider myself an omniscient person.


I get that there is not going to be a direct comparison. However, there are often similar flavors from different companies. Lots of companies make soft drinks. Coke and Pepsi are not the same, but they are in the same category. Sprite and 7UP are in the same category as are Dr. Pepper and Mr. Pibb. None of them are the same, but you know which categories/flavors they belong to.
Really hard to decide to spend money when you don't really know the general flavor of the pickup. I know how to compare DiMarzio and Duncan. I don't know how to categorize Bareknuckle, other than Rebel Yells and Holy Divers.


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## Frostbite

Was at Axe palace today for most of the day waiting for some work to get done on one of my guitars. Was able to try a Silo bridge in a Esp Horizon and I was really blown away. Even though it has an Alnico magnet it still has an insane amount of attack and is super dynamic.

I was speaking with Nick and he compared them to the Warpig but not as hot, a little tighter, and much more dynamic. He said "They're the best pick up Bare Knuckle has come out with in the last 10 years". Very impressed and honestly will end up being my go to pick up for my RGD3127 when I decide to change out the fusion edge pick ups.


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## Emperoff

Frostbite said:


> I was speaking with Nick and he compared them to the Warpig but not as hot, a little tighter, and much more dynamic.



That's pretty much what all the reports say so far, so I'm definetely snagging a set in the future.


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## Frostbite

So I finally got a Silo Bridge and compared it to my Warpig and 100% it is like a better Warpig. It has a similar characteristic to the Warpig with just a bit more mids, tamed bass, and just not so damn hot. I like the Warpig but I was finding it was just too damn hot which is what prompted buying the Silo.

It was definitely something I instantly fell in love with. I've put a few other pick ups in my Bea ML1 including the Custom it came with, a Distortion, a Omega, a Warpig, and now the Silo. Custom and Distortion are solid for a certain thing but they lack clarity, the Omega has some more clarity but just kind of fell flat "excitement" wise and I already stated the Warpig was too. The Omega I knew almost instantly I wasn't going to keep it in the guitar. The Warpig something was still off. Silo, instantly knew it was staying in. Maybe I'm just a Bea fanboy but I REALLY like this pick up


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## Avedas

Yeah it's good stuff. I hadn't been playing my Strandberg lately because I liked how my other guitars sounded more, but since I put the Silo set in I haven't picked up anything else. It's a world of difference despite being so subtle.


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## Xaeldaren

You guys have me so excited! I have a 7-string Silo set on the way to go into my Schecter, which is bright as fuck and severely lacking in clarity.


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## Mayhew

I'm thinking of putting a set in my KM7 MKI. Curious how the sevenstring set sounds.


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## Emperoff

Xaeldaren said:


> You guys have me so excited! I have a 7-string Silo set on the way to go into my Schecter, which is bright as fuck and severely lacking in clarity.



How can be bright as fuck and lacking clarity? Keep us posted anyway, I have a very bright guitar that is a good candidate waiting for some cash flow to get a set.


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## Xaeldaren

Emperoff said:


> How can be bright as fuck and lacking clarity? Keep us posted anyway, I have a very bright guitar that is a good candidate waiting for some cash flow to get a set.



Maybe I worded it wrong - it's very abrasive and sharp on upper strings, and it's very tight on the lower strings, but when I start playing chords with more than three strings, they're very indistinct from one another, and any open strings seem to get lost. When I got the guitar I had to bring the treble and presence way down compared to where I usually had it, as my ears were literally hurting from the sharpness.



Mayhew said:


> I'm thinking of putting a set in my KM7 MKI. Curious how the sevenstring set sounds.



James Phillips has the 7-string Silo set in his RGD. Here's an example that factored into my decision: https://www.instagram.com/p/B57__Xvnr0H/


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## rikomaru

Strobe said:


> They sound very good. I am a little hesitant, only because Rabea nearly always sounds very good with nearly anything. I just dig his style.


Lmao! This is the EXACT concern I have about trying these pickups!


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## moonbox

Isurez said:


> Some time ago my good friend Franq did this demo of SILO in my Skervesen 4AP. I have to admit that these are the best pickups that I had in this guitar. You can check them here (please check the video description for DI tracks):
> 
> 
> I had many different pickups in this particular guitar and for now these are my favorites. I don't why but they seems to be very easy to mix and playing on them is pure pleasure. We spent some fun and quality time while we were jamming on this guitar and EVH 5150III which we have in our office.
> 
> Below you can check other demos of this Skervesen 4AP with Guitarmory pickups and Bare Knuckle Juggernaut set. I don't have any soundclips of other pickups that I had (DiMarzio Air Zone and Bare Knuckle Black Dog).



I noticed you also had the black heavens in this guitar on your youtube channel. How did they compare to the silo in person? Personally, i think they also sounded great.


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## katsumura78

Thinking about putting silos in a Cu 24-08. I need a more modern sounding pickup in there. PRS makes a killer guitar but those pickups are for grandpa heh.


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## Stuck_in_a_dream

Xaeldaren said:


> I emailed BKP about the differences between the Silo and the Juggernaut due to them seeming to fulfil a similar role (dynamic, clear, bass/mid focused), and I was told the Juggernauts are a little tighter due to the ceramic flankers and they're also more compressed than the Silos.





Emperoff said:


> Man, the Juggs are extremely dynamic. Can't imagine those.





Emperoff said:


> Ok, so I contacted BKP to see how they compare to the Juggernauts. Here's Tim's answer for those interested.
> 
> _"The Silo humbuckers have a very different voicing and output range to the Juggernauts. There's a lot more head room (!) with the Silos and not such a pronounced mid range peak. There's more depth in the bass too although still capable of tracking nicely. The driven tone saturates nicely but it still produces a really dynamic feel.
> 
> In terms of output, the Juggernauts hit the amp harder while the Silo bridge is definitely still a high output humbucker but the Silo neck has a moderate output which produces a brighter, more open woody tone.
> 
> I don't hear a spike in either lo or high mid on the Silo and that was something we wanted to avoid. Rabea's brief was to keep the mid range wide but relatively flat"._
> 
> TL;DR: More bass and dynamics, less tightness and output, no mid spikes and a brighter (I suppose PAF-like) neck pickup.
> 
> Sounds like a pickup set I'd design myself, honestly. I never give a damn about pickups marketing but this set looks very nice for taming a bright guitar without swamping it on mids.



I'm quite conflicted on how the Silos compare to the Juggernauts specially for 8-strings. Based on what I heard, sounds like the Silos are hotter than the Juggs, but then how come the Juggs are more compressed!!!? Wouldn't the high output of the Silo push the amp and compress the signal?

Are we talking minute differences here that are not discernible to human ears? I do hear the added brightness/low end of the Silos vs mid-focus of the Juggs, but to my ears the Juggs for sure sound 'deader' to me, i.e. lower output, but doesn't this imply that u could use the Juggs with more gain?

Reason I'm asking is that I have a custom 8-string on order w/ Juggs, do u think I need to exchange them for the Silos? I'm a modern prog metal/fusion kind of guy.


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## Emperoff

Stuck_in_a_dream said:


> I'm quite conflicted on how the Silos compare to the Juggernauts specially for 8-strings. Based on what I heard, sounds like the Silos are hotter than the Juggs, but then how come the Juggs are more compressed!!!? Wouldn't the high output of the Silo push the amp and compress the signal?
> 
> Are we talking minute differences here that are not discernible to human ears? I do hear the added brightness/low end of the Silos vs mid-focus of the Juggs, but to my ears the Juggs for sure sound 'deader' to me, i.e. lower output, but doesn't this imply that u could use the Juggs with more gain?
> 
> Reason I'm asking is that I have a custom 8-string on order w/ Juggs, do u think I need to exchange them for the Silos? I'm a modern prog metal/fusion kind of guy.



I think you got it backwards. The Juggs have *more* output than the Silos (_"they hit the amp harder"_), so that's why they are more compressed.

I don't play 8-strings so I couldn't say which set suits you better. Here is a comparision video for 8-strings. I think it sucks big time but it might help you out:


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## Stuck_in_a_dream

I saw that video, hence I was asking here . To my ears the Silos sounded hotter than the Juggs. Here's what I got from the Specs:



> ...from BKP web site
> 
> *Juggs:*
> Position: Bridge DC Resistance: 13.3 kΩ Magnet: Alnico ceramic mix
> Position: Neck DC Resistance: 8.9 kΩ Magnet: Alnico 5
> *
> Silos:*
> Position: Bridge DC Resistance: 15.7 kΩ Magnet: Alnico 5
> Position: Neck DC Resistance: 7.18 kΩ Magnet: Alnico 5



So, based on my dismal knowledge of EE, seems to me that much like the bridge pickup is always hotter than the neck, then the Silo bridge is hotter than the Juggs bridge, while the Silos neck is less output than the Juggs, no?

Also, I thought the Juggs were not super tight, say compared with Lundgrens M8, just saying. Also, I thought the Jugg neck was based on VHII neck, meaning more vintage vibe, no?


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## KnightBrolaire

Stuck_in_a_dream said:


> I saw that video, hence I was asking here . To my ears the Silos sounded hotter than the Juggs. Here's what I got from the Specs:
> 
> 
> 
> So, based on my dismal knowledge of EE, seems to me that much like the bridge pickup is always hotter than the neck, then the Silo bridge is hotter than the Juggs bridge, while the Silos neck is less output than the Juggs, no?
> 
> Also, I thought he Juggs were not super tight, say compared with Lundgrens M8, just saying. Also, I thought the Jugg neck was based on VHII neck, meaning more vintage vibe, no?


First of all dcr is not a useful way to approximate output (millivolts or henries is what you measure output with). DCR has a very weak correlation with output, to the point where it's basically useless. I've had 29k dcr pickups with less output than 14k ones, and 12k pickups with more output than 16k ones. It doesn't take an EE background to understand the serious limitations of using dcr as a stand in for output.

The 8 string juggs never felt compressed to me. If anything i felt like I had to fight them at every turn to get the levels of distortion I wanted because they're so "dynamic"/ uncompressed. They're very rewarding pickups for players with extremely heavy picking technique but suck for people like me who don't absolutely pummel the strings. Jugg neck is definitely based off the vhii neck and is the star of the set imo. Great cleans, nice smooth leads. Kind of reminds me of the liquifire but with better overall clarity.


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## Stuck_in_a_dream

Thanks man, I'm a heavy picker, so I think I made the right choice here going for the Juggs. I do like the Silos as well, but to my ears I don't think they are necessarily an improvement, just a different set of pickups. I could give them a try next.

Just a side question, as i have never had or dealt with BKPs before, do they offer customized slanted pickups? Just saw the Balaguer Diablo, so was wondering about replacing the Balaguer pickups if I order a MS Diablo.


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## moonbox

Stuck_in_a_dream said:


> Thanks man, I'm a heavy picker, so I think I made the right choice here going for the Juggs. I do like the Silos as well, but to my ears I don't think they are necessarily an improvement, just a different set of pickups. I could give them a try next.
> 
> Just a side question, as i have never had or dealt with BKPs before, do they offer customized slanted pickups? Just saw the Balaguer Diablo, so was wondering about replacing the Balaguer pickups if I order a MS Diablo.



Yes. BKP makes slanted pickups. I don't have any direct experience with them either, but this was a reason cited for ordering BKP over SD A/O pickups in another thread where OP was ordering a multiscale Aristides. Apparently SD doesn't do custom slanted pickups anymore but BKP does. 

If I were you, I'd just send BKP an email. They are very responsive. In my experience they normally reply within about a day.


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## KnightBrolaire

Stuck_in_a_dream said:


> Thanks man, I'm a heavy picker, so I think I made the right choice here going for the Juggs. I do like the Silos as well, but to my ears I don't think they are necessarily an improvement, just a different set of pickups. I could give them a try next.
> 
> Just a side question, as i have never had or dealt with BKPs before, do they offer customized slanted pickups? Just saw the Balaguer Diablo, so was wondering about replacing the Balaguer pickups if I order a MS Diablo.


BKP offers slanted pickups but they only do certain angles iirc. Guitarmory, Instrumental and Elysian all do whatever angle you need. I would say if you're going to order a Balaguer at least give the stock pickups a fair chance. The feral/evergreen combo is verrrrry good. I have that set in my tartarus and they sound killer. I haven't felt the need to replace them (and I love swapping pickups).


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## Stuck_in_a_dream

KnightBrolaire said:


> BKP offers slanted pickups but they only do certain angles iirc. Guitarmory, Instrumental and Elysian all do whatever angle you need. I would say if you're going to order a Balaguer at least give the stock pickups a fair chance. The feral/evergreen combo is verrrrry good. I have that set in my tartarus and they sound killer. I haven't felt the need to replace them (and I love swapping pickups).



Awesome to hear, they also seem to have introduced a new pickup for ER guitars, the Truenobucker, heard anything about it?
Here, from their web site:
---
_Truenobucker – The Truenobucker is our newest humbucker, best suited for down-tuned metal or even jazz, hence the name (trueno is Spanish for thunder). The higher output, paired with a thicker Alnico V magnet makes this set perfect for extended range instruments or down-tuned instruments requiring a wide frequency range/response. Rated at 16K for the bridge humbucker and 11.2k for the neck humbucker, they sound awesome split!_
_---_


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## KnightBrolaire

Stuck_in_a_dream said:


> Awesome to hear, they also seem to have introduced a new pickup for ER guitars, the Truenobucker, heard anything about it?
> Here, from their web site:
> ---
> _Truenobucker – The Truenobucker is our newest humbucker, best suited for down-tuned metal or even jazz, hence the name (trueno is Spanish for thunder). The higher output, paired with a thicker Alnico V magnet makes this set perfect for extended range instruments or down-tuned instruments requiring a wide frequency range/response. Rated at 16K for the bridge humbucker and 11.2k for the neck humbucker, they sound awesome split!
> ---_


Can't help you with that one. I'm pretty sure they made a pickup comparison vid with all of their pickups a while back though


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## slavboi_delight

Has anybody any experience with the alnico nailbomb set? I could fetch them fairly cheap, but was wondering what they might be like.


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## KnightBrolaire

slavboi_delight said:


> Has anybody any experience with the alnico nailbomb set? I could fetch them fairly cheap, but was wondering what they might be like.


A lot of guys on here have. ask @zimbloth or @TheWarAgainstTime for a detailed description of the set
I've only used the bridge pickup. Here's my thoughts on the a-bomb bridge from when I tried it out a few years ago:
great clarity. there's a decent amount of low end and it offers a thick/chunky sound with relatively percussive chugs. Has a slight wah/vocal like midrange (kind of like the JB but not as obnoxiously vocal as say the juggernaut). The midrange cuts through the mix really well, but doesn't seem to play as well with brighter voiced amps. highs are very present but not say icepicky like the painkiller can be in the wrong guitar/setup. It's not exactly a warm pickup on the high end. Pinch harmonics are extremely easy with it and this pickup screams. It cleans up quite well and can do a variety of genres if need be. It wouldn't be my first choice for jazzy stuff due to the high end being kind of bright, but other than that it works well with all of my usual riffs. It'd be a good choice for a darker sounding guitar/setup just due to balancing the high end more.


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## slavboi_delight

KnightBrolaire said:


> A lot of guys on here have. ask @zimbloth or @TheWarAgainstTime for a detailed description of the set
> I've only used the bridge pickup. Here's my thoughts on the a-bomb bridge from when I tried it out a few years ago:
> great clarity. there's a decent amount of low end and it offers a thick/chunky sound with relatively percussive chugs. Has a slight wah/vocal like midrange (kind of like the JB but not as obnoxiously vocal as say the juggernaut). The midrange cuts through the mix really well, but doesn't seem to play as well with brighter voiced amps. highs are very present but not say icepicky like the painkiller can be in the wrong guitar/setup. It's not exactly a warm pickup on the high end. Pinch harmonics are extremely easy with it and this pickup screams. It cleans up quite well and can do a variety of genres if need be. It wouldn't be my first choice for jazzy stuff due to the high end being kind of bright, but other than that it works well with all of my usual riffs. It'd be a good choice for a darker sounding guitar/setup just due to balancing the high end more.



Alright. That's an explanation I can work with. Thank you. I know what the JB sounds like and hated it at first and now I absolutely love it. Have it in an alder guitar with maple neck so fairly dark sounding. I'm planning on putting them (Bareknuckle) in a Mahagoni guitar with mahagoni neck. Right now there are Fishman Moderns in it and that combo is insanely bright and piercing in the 4k region, but I would gut it and convert it to passive. So i'm a little concerned that the Bareknuckles might be in that range, because I'm looking for something chunky but with clarity.


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## KnightBrolaire

slavboi_delight said:


> Alright. That's an explanation I can work with. Thank you. I know what the JB sounds like and hated it at first and now I absolutely love it. Have it in an alder guitar with maple neck so fairly dark sounding. I'm planning on putting them (Bareknuckle) in a Mahagoni guitar with mahagoni neck. Right now there are Fishman Moderns in it and that combo is insanely bright and piercing in the 4k region, but I would gut it and convert it to passive. So i'm a little concerned that the Bareknuckles might be in that range, because I'm looking for something chunky but with clarity.


If you want chunky but clear the warpig or blackhawks might be worth looking into.


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## slavboi_delight

KnightBrolaire said:


> If you want chunky but clear the warpig or blackhawks might be worth looking into.


 If it wasn't about money I'd check em out, but i found the nailbombs for 150. So i thought they might be worth looking into.


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## TheWarAgainstTime

KnightBrolaire said:


> A lot of guys on here have. ask @zimbloth or @TheWarAgainstTime for a detailed description.
> I've only used the bridge pickup. It wasn't my thing.



It's been a long time since I've used the Nailbomb neck, and I don't think I ever actually had it paired with the matching bridge pickup. It was a good all-rounder, but didn't really "do it" for me overall since it was too hairy to get the kind of cleans I like from the VH-II neck, but also wasn't fluid enough for the shred tones I like from the Cold Sweat. 

The A-Bomb bridge is maybe a little loose for extreme metal styles, but it's a solid rock pickup. Thick, chunky, definitely on the higher end of medium output. Like the neck version, it's pretty hairy and can be squishy on the bottom end for chugs and lower tunings. I ended up preferring the Rebel Yell since it's more or less just an angrier voiced, underwound A-Bomb. I imagine the C-bomb would be better for heavier styles since it would tighten up the bass and smooth out some of the lower mids compared to the alnico version, but it will also be a bit hotter unless you back it off the strings a bit more than normal.


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## slavboi_delight

TheWarAgainstTime said:


> It's been a long time since I've used the Nailbomb neck, and I don't think I ever actually had it paired with the matching bridge pickup. It was a good all-rounder, but didn't really "do it" for me overall since it was too hairy to get the kind of cleans I like from the VH-II neck, but also wasn't fluid enough for the shred tones I like from the Cold Sweat.
> 
> The A-Bomb bridge is maybe a little loose for extreme metal styles, but it's a solid rock pickup. Thick, chunky, definitely on the higher end of medium output. Like the neck version, it's pretty hairy and can be squishy on the bottom end for chugs and lower tunings. I ended up preferring the Rebel Yell since it's more or less just an angrier voiced, underwound A-Bomb. I imagine the C-bomb would be better for heavier styles since it would tighten up the bass and smooth out some of the lower mids compared to the alnico version, but it will also be a bit hotter unless you back it off the strings a bit more than normal.



Alright. That paints a pretty good picture. Thanks alot. 
Can't really handle a saggy low end in a tech metal context.


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## Emperoff

The A-Bomb is not really suited for sevenstrings, IMHO. But it's a crazy versatile pickup and it rocks for standard or drop D tunings. Plenty of people prefer to pair it with the VHII instead of its callibrated neck version.

PS:


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## slavboi_delight

I'm starting to regret (and have before) that i sold my dimarzio titans
Don't know what got into me there.


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## lewis

How long before he gets a Fishman sig set and suddenly be out here slagging of his Silo pickups?


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## Emperoff

lewis said:


> How long before he gets a Fishman sig set and suddenly be out here slagging of his Silo pickups?



I seriously doubt it. I've never seen him playing actives. Most Fishman artists come from EMG.

Sadly my plans of getting a Silo set have vanished. Brexit has pushed the price of BKPs in the EU into the stratosphere. A set of these would cost me around 420€ which is absolutely insane. I guess I'm stuck with the Juggernauts for a looong time. I'm sure Brexit is hurting their sales as well.


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## lewis

Emperoff said:


> I seriously doubt it. I've never seen him playing actives. Most Fishman artists come from EMG.
> 
> Sadly my plans of getting a Silo set have vanished. Brexit has pushed the price of BKPs in the EU into the stratosphere. A set of these would cost me around 420€ which is absolutely insane. I guess I'm stuck with the Juggernauts for a looong time. I'm sure Brexit is hurting their sales as well.



I feel your pain. Brexits price/shipping costs increasing on everything is a damn Ballache.


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## Hoss632

lewis said:


> How long before he gets a Fishman sig set and suddenly be out here slagging of his Silo pickups?


I'm sure you were cracking a joke. But that said I don't see that happening. He's played BKP for over a decade and being that they are both based in Europe where he can go visit he'll stick with them. Funny thing is while I like Fishman, and for a while was in a honeymoon phase with them, I've kinda come back towards EMG for my active stuff. Probably helps that I got a decent amp to play through now and was able to dial in a nice tone with the 85. Which is great, though I still plan to swap in either a 57/66 set or a hot 70's set as I've just really come to like those for my more modern high gain tones. I will definitely get another guitar and probably do a more vintage set of Duncan's there like a Pearly gates and what not just to have variety.


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