# BKP Black Hawks out (really this time)



## guitarneeraj (Apr 20, 2012)

This just in!!! A lot of people have been curious about the release. Didn't want to necro-bump an old thread, so here's the link. 

Bare Knuckle Pickups Introduces Black Hawk Humbucker | Guitar World


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## Mitochondria (Apr 20, 2012)

YES.


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## technomancer (Apr 20, 2012)

Marketing fail: announce something in a major publication but have no mention of the product on your website or online store


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## guitarneeraj (Apr 20, 2012)

technomancer said:


> Marketing fail: announce something in a major publication but have no mention of the product on your website or online store



Lol yeah.. I went to BKP website IMMEDIATELY to hear official clips and then...


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## ROAR (Apr 20, 2012)

I bet I can totally tell the difference in the magnetism and even balance across all strings.
This will sound great with all the other expensive gear I buy.


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## JamesM (Apr 20, 2012)

Nolly's already recorded a demo with them, I just don't know when they'll be available.


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## guitarneeraj (Apr 20, 2012)

Should've posted the demo Nolly did in the first post... Here you go:


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## clintsal (Apr 20, 2012)

Moar info! I was looking at the AM to go into my MIJ S7420, but now need to know about this in order to make my decision...


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## Angus Clark (Apr 20, 2012)

I'm intrigued: I had always thought the Miracle Mans (men?) were BKP's take on EMG type pickups. Still, Nolly's pink Daemoness was my favourite sounding guitar in the rig demo, so i'll have to consider them for my RG7420. I'm never gonna decide, dammit


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## Greatoliver (Apr 20, 2012)

So this is like the Dactivator? And yeah, now where does the MM come?

Interesting anyway, but I'm not sure on the look


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## 0 Xero 0 (Apr 20, 2012)

All of the demos for 'Snuggles', Nolly and Misha's sideproject, were recorded with Black Hawk loaded guitars.
Snuggles by Nolly on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


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## Lorcan Ward (Apr 20, 2012)

I've been looking forward to these for a while. They were announced a long time ago.


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## -Nolly- (Apr 20, 2012)

Yeah, GW jumped the gun a little on the announcement. They'll be out shortly though


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## Lorcan Ward (Apr 20, 2012)

-Nolly- said:


> Yeah, GW jumped the gun a little on the announcement. They'll be out shortly though



Awesome! Can you give us an info on them? Are they similar to Miracle Mans/Deactivators?


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## MAJ Meadows SF (Apr 21, 2012)

Guitar World can be like a news outlet itching to get a story out. I remember the hype around the Aftermath, then they came out, and there was a short wait 'till it was actually on the BKP site. Yeah, better timing would be nice, but, not a big deal. Killer news regardless. I've been waiting for these for a while!

I love the amount of R&D BKP puts into their pickups. It shows massive amounts of care and dedication to making it right.


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## MF_Kitten (Apr 21, 2012)

my checklist for things i "need" keeps growing, god dammit!


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## katsumura78 (Apr 21, 2012)

Now I have to decide between these, nailbombs, cold sweats and aftermath. Lol dang...


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## AngstRiddenDreams (Apr 21, 2012)

Jesus Christ they finally came out! I've been waiting for this for so long. Time to change my gas list from Blackdog's to Blackhawks.


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## MAJ Meadows SF (Apr 21, 2012)

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> Jesus Christ they finally came out! I've been waiting for this for so long. Time to change my gas list from Blackdog's to Blackhawks.



I know what you mean. I'm so on the damn fence for one of my custom 7 builds. It's a year away, so I've got too much time to change my mind! Everyone keeps telling me Black Dogs, which I agree with, but for some reason the Holy Diver and Crawler keep challenging. 

And now this. Gotta get the specs and try them out. At least I have an old EMG loaded axe begging for BKPs to try these in! Shit, maybe the Schuldiner Stealth too...


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## djpharoah (Apr 21, 2012)

So fair to expect the price of Aftermaths to subsequently fall now that they're no longer the new shit from BKP?


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## JamesM (Apr 21, 2012)

^In the used market at the very least. 

EDIT: 
It'll be like the Axe-FX II. 
"AXE-FX II IS OUT, MY ULTRA IS NOW OBSOLETE."

Hehe.


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## AngstRiddenDreams (Apr 21, 2012)

I'm really wanting to hear some clips from BK. And for the page to go up on their website.


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## TemjinStrife (Apr 21, 2012)

ROAR said:


> I bet I can totally tell the difference in the magnetism and even balance across all strings.
> This will sound great with all the other expensive gear I buy.


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## SirMyghin (Apr 21, 2012)

TemjinStrife said:


>


That was my response too. I was hoping he wasn't serious.


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## leonardo7 (Apr 21, 2012)

Why all the assumptions that a "new" BKP pickup means "the best" BKP pickup? I had never even heard of these before this thread. They sound great in that clip, but everything sounds stellar in that clip


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## djpharoah (Apr 21, 2012)

leonardo7 said:


> Why all the assumptions that a "new" BKP pickup means "the best" BKP pickup? I had never even heard of these before this thread. They sound great in that clip, but everything sounds stellar in that clip



The ongoing joke of how something new comes out people ditch it to get the next best/newest thing...


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## leonardo7 (Apr 21, 2012)

djpharoah said:


> The ongoing joke of how something new comes out people ditch it to get the next best/newest thing...



Yeah so Aftermaths what? Those old shitty pickups. They suck cause they have been out for 18 months.


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## djpharoah (Apr 21, 2012)

leonardo7 said:


> Yeah so Aftermaths what? Those old shitty pickups. They suck cause they have been out for a year or two.



Precisely .. now you're following me


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## Jzbass25 (Apr 21, 2012)

I just got a c-bomb and I love it... but that is so last month, blackhawk is where it's at =P In all seriousness I'd love to try one, actually scratch that, I want to try all BKP's


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## MF_Kitten (Apr 21, 2012)

These honestly sound like they'd be exactly what i'm looking for.


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## Tordah (Apr 21, 2012)

If it does the X2N style of white coils, black blades I am completely sold...provided they sound good of course...


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## Greatoliver (Apr 21, 2012)

Cue response to any pickup thread: "Oh your guitar is made of wood and has strings? Loads of people recommend the Black Hawk for all styles in every guitar"


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## ROAR (Apr 21, 2012)

Do you think this will sound good in my guitar for djazz?
It's a new genre, so I understand if only a few people can respond.


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## Rook (Apr 22, 2012)

I just want to point out - 1) everything on Nolly's demos sound amazing, I doubt it's the pickup haha 2) we don't have Nolly's patches do we don't know what aspect of his sounds come from the pickup 3) several people are saying this is now an option when we haven't even seen a spec sheet

Those weren't really points actually, more requests 

I'm not even into BKP, and actually I haven't cared up to this point how these pickups are gunna sound I just think they look cool. Having been so happy with DiMarzio laden guitars to this point I don't see me changing, but you never know.


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## maliciousteve (Apr 22, 2012)

Seems a little strange for them to release a 'blade' pickup. A few years ago I spoke to Tim Mills at a guitar exhibition whilst trying out some of his guitars and I spoke to him about the Bill Lawrence I had and what I wanted to replace it with. He said that the blade type of pickup doesn't sound different to a regular pickup in his head if I remember correctly.

However I'm sure this sounds great just like the rest of them.


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## ShadyDavey (Apr 22, 2012)

Looks nice.

Jury is out on the rest but I could certainly see a pair sitting in my Carvin from an aesthetics perspective.

Or I could get a cheap pair of shitty Aftermaths that some gear-kid discarded


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## theo (Apr 22, 2012)

Im really interested in these, after hearing the tone tosin and a few other players get out of EMG's Im quite interested in trying them again (haven't played EMGs in years), But the extra fuss of worrying about batteries etc is something I'd rather not do. I have deactivators in my xiphos and I love them, I'm going to assume these are along the same lines?

Nice aesthetics too, It's nice to see something new


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## 0 Xero 0 (Apr 22, 2012)

The last two times I've seen Periphery live, Misha used his Black Hawk laden regius for the heavier, faster six string songs like the Walk, the Zyglyrox, Frak the Gods, and Totla Mad so I think it's fairly safe to assume they handle material that is fast and needs to be be tight... but the aftermath does that too so maybe it doesn't say anything, haha. Another interesting thing is Nolly mentioned that he might get a set for his cimmerian 7 and he has been on the fence about the aftermath. So from that and after listening to the Snuggles demos, the Black Hawks sound like they're lower output than the aftermath and still have a lot of attack. What do you all think?


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## MF_Kitten (Apr 22, 2012)

maliciousteve said:


> Seems a little strange for them to release a 'blade' pickup. A few years ago I spoke to Tim Mills at a guitar exhibition whilst trying out some of his guitars and I spoke to him about the Bill Lawrence I had and what I wanted to replace it with. He said that the blade type of pickup doesn't sound different to a regular pickup in his head if I remember correctly.
> 
> However I'm sure this sounds great just like the rest of them.



the thing is, though, that this has 4 blades, spaced a fair bit apart, and so it picks up more of the string along the width of the pickup. It gives a real advantage in this setting.


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## Rook (Apr 22, 2012)

I've read all DiMarzio's stuff about blades and even string response, I can say I've ever had a problem with it haha.


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## Angus Clark (Apr 22, 2012)

*Checking BKP website every minute to see if updated with clips*


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## MF_Kitten (Apr 22, 2012)

The benefit of two blades over two rows of pole pieces probably isn't that big i would guess. The thing about this pickup is that it has two thin blades per coil, where it would usually be one row or one blade, which would be between the two blades. That way it picks up the string at 4 very evenly spaced points, instead of two more spread out points.

The reason single coils sound so quacky and narrow is because they only pick up the string in one narrow spot. A humbucker picks up the string in two spread out points.

This pickup won't have THAT much of a difference of course, but it still makes a difference.


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## -Nolly- (Apr 22, 2012)

Just to throw some more info out there - the pickups should be available in a week or so if all goes to plan, GW jumped the gun and posted the press-release as soon as they got it instead of waiting for the actual release.

As far as the design goes, while on paper it might sound like they're the BKP equivalent of the D-activator, that really wasn't the intention of the Black Hawk. The relation to an active pickup is that actives use very low winds and low-powered magnets, which are then boosted with the preamp; the Black Hawk is based around that idea of a low wind, except using high-powered magnets and the quad-rail design that more efficiently distributes the magnetic field (the idea is not so much about even-ness across the strings here) to circumvent the need for an active preamp. Furthermore what isn't obvious from the pictures is that the bobbin is much deeper than a regular humbucker, allowing the outermost winds to sit closer to the central island, which in turn increases the brightness and open-ness of the sound. And no, there are only two coils, with two blades each - it's not a quad.
The result is that the pickup has _plenty_ of output but without sacrificing dynamic range. They'll definitely do the trick for metal guitarists, but the thing to be stressed here is versatility - they'd be great for fusion players for example. Don't write them off as "just the new Aftermath" until you've given them a try 

Anyway I've probably said too much, but I've been getting a lot of questions about them so hopefully this will help cool some of the wild speculation


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## SirMyghin (Apr 22, 2012)

MF_Kitten said:


> The reason single coils sound so quacky and narrow is because they only pick up the string in one narrow spot. A humbucker picks up the string in two spread out points.



While a humbucker does average, the reason it is not as bright as a single coil is cancellation, not the 2 sampling points. That is why splitting it makes it a lot brighter, cancellation is lost.

Nolly - The strong magnet, low wind, could be a good touch. Leo used this principle when making his MFD pickups, which I am personally quite fond of. Generally makes good output pickups that have a higher resonant frequency, and less noise (less winds = less aerial). He also used a magnet without a N and S pole though, to prevent the 'dead zone' in the center though. Forget the details there though.


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## -Nolly- (Apr 22, 2012)

^ Yeah, single-coils actually have a much _wider_ frequency response than humbuckers.


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## AngstRiddenDreams (Apr 22, 2012)

It sounds to me like i should get these instead of my Emg 81x/60x Combo i was thinking about.


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## linqua (Apr 22, 2012)

the concept behind these is great. innovation gives me a hard on. and why OH WHY did you have to name drop fusion players? i just ordered a crunch lab....


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## leonardo7 (Apr 22, 2012)

-Nolly- said:


> Just to throw some more info out there - the pickups should be available in a week or so if all goes to plan, GW jumped the gun and posted the press-release as soon as they got it instead of waiting for the actual release.
> 
> As far as the design goes, while on paper it might sound like they're the BKP equivalent of the D-activator, that really wasn't the intention of the Black Hawk. The relation to an active pickup is that actives use very low winds and low-powered magnets, which are then boosted with the preamp; the Black Hawk is based around that idea of a low wind, except using high-powered magnets and the quad-rail design that more efficiently distributes the magnetic field (the idea is not so much about even-ness across the strings here) to circumvent the need for an active preamp. Furthermore what isn't obvious from the pictures is that the bobbin is much deeper than a regular humbucker, allowing the outermost winds to sit closer to the central island, which in turn increases the brightness and open-ness of the sound. And no, there are only two coils, with two blades each - it's not a quad.
> The result is that the pickup has _plenty_ of output but without sacrificing dynamic range. They'll definitely do the trick for metal guitarists, but the thing to be stressed here is versatility - they'd be great for fusion players for example. Don't write them off as "just the new Aftermath" until you've given them a try
> ...



Your a good man Nolly! Its probably been extremely hard to not say too much about these as they haven't been officially released yet. They really sound great in the few clips Ive heard. Ive already inquired with Steve at CMC about pricing and availability. Definitely going to try out a pair. Now to decide if they should rest in a maple neck thru or all mahogany body first!


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## 4Eyes (Apr 23, 2012)

technomancer said:


> Marketing fail: announce something in a major publication but have no mention of the product on your website or online store



it is on their website, but it seems to be not public yet 

https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/pickups.php?cat=humbuckers&sub=contemporary&pickup=black_hawk


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## MF_Kitten (Apr 23, 2012)

SirMyghin said:


> While a humbucker does average, the reason it is not as bright as a single coil is cancellation, not the 2 sampling points. That is why splitting it makes it a lot brighter, cancellation is lost.





-Nolly- said:


> ^ Yeah, single-coils actually have a much _wider_ frequency response than humbuckers.



Of course, you're both absolutely right about that, but i'm not referring to the frequency range, i'm referring to the timbre and focus of the sound.


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## technomancer (Apr 23, 2012)

4Eyes said:


> it is on their website, but it seems to be not public yet
> 
> https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/pickups.php?cat=humbuckers&sub=contemporary&pickup=black_hawk



Oooooh a page with no link to it and no information aside from a photo


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## Larrikin666 (Apr 23, 2012)

This is basically the exact pickup the other guitarist in my band describe he wanted someone to make. Definitely not my thing, but I'm gonna be curious to play a guitar equipped with these.


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## JMP2203 (Apr 23, 2012)

any clips comparing with a traditional humbucker? let say a Nailbomb or Riff Raff?

hopefully thru a Tube Amp


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## theo (Apr 23, 2012)

I'm wondering if these are regular sized or EMG sized, they look large. Maybe that's just the squareness.


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## MF_Kitten (Apr 23, 2012)

They should be standard size, they just take up more space within the regular humbucker footprint.


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## -Nolly- (Apr 24, 2012)

Here's a short clip of the new Bare Knuckle Black Hawk pickup doing some blues-fusion. This will be one of the clips featured on the Black Hawk's product page on the BKP website.

Bare Knuckle Black Hawk - Fusion clip by Nolly on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


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## Brohoodofsteel75 (Apr 24, 2012)

-Nolly- said:


> Here's a short clip of the new Bare Knuckle Black Hawk pickup doing some blues-fusion. This will be one of the clips featured on the Black Hawk's product page on the BKP website.
> 
> Bare Knuckle Black Hawk - Fusion clip by Nolly on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free




McDolnalds anyone? Cuz i'm Lovin it!


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## Hybrid138 (Apr 24, 2012)

I know this is supposed to be about the pickup but... Awesome playing man. Sounds like some Guthrie influence or something. The pickup, I'm sure, is great too!


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## zimbloth (Apr 24, 2012)

I'm really looking forward to trying these when I order next week. As always pickups are not "one size fits all", so just like the Aftermath there will be some guitars/styles that I'm sure the Black Hawk will excel in, and others it may not.

Oh and cool clip Adam


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## linqua (Apr 24, 2012)

nice tone. for sure keeping an eye on these


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## katsumura78 (Apr 25, 2012)

I live in FL, which dealer should I get these from?


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## theo (Apr 25, 2012)

look two posts above, Zimbloth (AKA Nick from the axe palace) is your go to guy for everything BKP related.


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## Angus Clark (Apr 25, 2012)

Yay!

Red Seas Fire Blackhawk.mov - YouTube

Sounding great.

And needless to say, Nolly's playing is uber bitchin'.

[EDIT]

And it's up! https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/pickups.php?cat=humbuckers&sub=contemporary&pickup=black_hawk


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## Purelojik (Apr 25, 2012)

they are out and the website is updated. 

im comparing it with the black dog to see what to get next and i cant make a decision. i still think the black dog slays in the sound clips but it could be the pronounced midrange im hearing that makes it stand out.


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## leonardo7 (Apr 25, 2012)

Still not out yet according to Steve at CMC. Not available to be ordered yet. Should be in a few days though.


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## AngstRiddenDreams (Apr 25, 2012)

Is it just me or do the clean clips sound like they're clipping or distorting?


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## Scottckr (Apr 26, 2012)

AngstRiddenDreams said:


> Is it just me or do the clean clips sound like they're clipping or distorting?



Yea, I thought so too :O


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## theo (Apr 26, 2012)

I've listened to it a couple of times and it doesn't sound like it's clipping to me until he switches tones (neck pickup presumably)


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## MF_Kitten (Apr 26, 2012)

Edit: derp.

I am curious to hear the "DJENTZ BROOTALZ" clips of these popping up, because super djenty tones can be a good indicator of how present and bright a pickup can get


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## toiletstand (Apr 26, 2012)

love those clips. they sound very tight and focused.


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## sevenstringj (Apr 26, 2012)

*mod edit: you can however get banned if you don't stop treating the entire forum like off-topic*


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## AngstRiddenDreams (Apr 26, 2012)

From the video of Nolly playing, they sound more tight and less bright than the Rebel Yell I'm use to hearing in that sound. And have a warm low end.


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## JamesM (Apr 26, 2012)

Let's be real here--Nolly will make anything ooze tone. It's in his fingers.

Oh, and having play on a Goldtop? That's just cheating.


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## guy in latvia (Apr 26, 2012)

In the soud clips on the BKP site it reminds me of an EMG81. Too scooped for my liking


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## Larrikin666 (Apr 26, 2012)

The modern clip is great. Seems like these are the middle ground between the Aftermath and Miracle Man pickups. Really interesting. Probably not what I'd use for me, but still cool.


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## Camer138 (Apr 27, 2012)

So intrigued by these.... soooo intrigued..
To me the Black Dog clip still prevails, but this one sounds 2nd best..


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## MAJ Meadows SF (Apr 27, 2012)

Into the Schuldiner Stealth one will go!


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## myampslouder (Apr 27, 2012)

To me the clip sounds a lot like the emg 85 in my Jackson DKMG


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## Hemi-Powered Drone (Apr 27, 2012)

Hm...I'm liking that EQ Curve...
https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/pickups.php?cat=humbuckers&sub=contemporary&pickup=black_hawk


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## Alex6534 (Apr 27, 2012)

That's the sound I want in my soon to be 7621.....WANT!


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## AngstRiddenDreams (Apr 28, 2012)

I'm wondering how these would sound in a Maple Neck through compared to all mahogany.


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## AngstRiddenDreams (Apr 29, 2012)

I asked Tim whether or not to put them in an all mahogany Schecter Hellraiser or a Schecter C-1 Classic. (Maple-Walnut Neckthrough/Mahogany Wings) And his reply was

"to be honest they will sit in either guitar - I've tried them in a variety of different tone woods and constructions and they've worked consistently with most things. I think you'd really like the tone in the C 1."


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## FrancescoFiligoi (Apr 29, 2012)

From the Modern Metal sample, I'm not preferring them to other BKPs, too scooped, not enough oomph, but I'm still very curious to try them in person.


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## rippedflesh89 (Apr 29, 2012)

FrancescoFiligoi said:


> From the Modern Metal sample, I'm not preferring them to other BKPs, too scooped, not enough oomph, but I'm still very curious to try them in person.



im with you on this


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## sol niger 333 (Apr 30, 2012)

Camer138 said:


> So intrigued by these.... soooo intrigued..
> To me the Black Dog clip still prevails, but this one sounds 2nd best..



Yep the BHAWKS sound too thin and weak for my tastes. Black Dog still keeps owning every other pickup in the modern metal clip to my ears. Killer. Cant wait to get mine. In a way I'm glad I'm not feeling the Blackhawk cos it'd just create more gas


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## blackrobedone (May 2, 2012)

So is this the BKP that's for metal? Every one they come out with is the be-all, end-all for metal and yet . . . . This is probably a response to the epic fail of the Aftermaths (check the Aftermath vs Duncan Invader video for the proof - horrible metal tone!).

The ad campaign should've been: "At long last . . . a BKP for metal players, this month. This one sounds almost as good as an EMG 85, and at only 3 times the cost. Tired of being accused of sterile tone by snobs who see your EMGs in your pickup cavity? Unleash your virility with BKP. Each pickup is hand wound at double the labor cost with zero tonal difference. But it's not just for metal players. Oh no. Crisp highs, thunderous bottom, and dimensional midrange - where the guitar lives - are all here. Perfect for all styles from djent to country to zydeco to punk to classic rock to classical to jazz, yet also perfect for mincecore. Buy a calibrated set, as opposed to a neck and bridge model, today." 

I know, I know - I'm sick and tired of my own ranting against BKP. 

Just curious, are Spawn of Possession using BKPs on their latest one? I heard a clip of that and the tone is atrocious!


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## Papaoneil (Jun 10, 2012)

I liked the sounds coming out of Nolly's 7 string Daemoness the best, to me it seemed to be a lot clearer, but I'm not nearly qualified to say what is best so be gentle with me


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