# Bare Knuckle vs Lundgren pickups?



## Ivve (Nov 15, 2009)

I have a Schecter Elite (mahogany body with maple top, rosewood fretboard) with a Seymor Duncan Jeff Beck in the bridge position. I'm not totally satisfied with the pickup. It's a bit muddy, and the dynamics and sustain is not what I expect. I have read that Seymor Duncan JB can match some guitars wood not so good, so maybe that is the case for me. 

I have read a lot of threads about pickups and read a lot of positive comments on Bare Knuckle Pickups and Lundgren. I have been in contact with Tim at BKP and got the Nailbomb humbucker recommended. Anyone who can judge between these BKP and Lundgren qualitywise?

What I'm looking for is a dynamic pickup that is rich in pitch harmonics. I have another guitar (Suhr S3) that react to every little nuance in how I move and put my left hand fingers or how I use the pick. And I can get pitch harmonics almost everywhere on the fretboard. The guitar is very sensitive to everything I do. That is what I want! (And yes, I know that my cheap Schecter will not sound like my Suhr, no matter what pickup I buy. I'm talking about my sound ideal.)

And I want a pickup that is versatile  although it is fun to play heavy riffs from time to time, that is not my prime focus. I use it for slide a lot, and use it with a loop player, which means I use it for different rythm and lead sounds. Having a 7-string means my options are limited when it comes to Lundgren, as they only have one 7-string model, the M7. 

I'm of course open for other suggestion than these to brands. 

I'm also looking for a single coil (the Schecter Elite has one humbucker and one single coil). But that will be another thread. 

Ivve


----------



## Erik Hauri (Nov 15, 2009)

Before doing a pickup swap - make sure you've played with pickup height, depending on what kind of magnets you have in it, the height can make a big difference in what you get coming out.

What do you have in your Suhr? Try those and if nothing else, you'll see what the difference in woods & construction have to do with your overall sound.

FWIW I tend to have better success pulling pinch harmonics out of guitars with floating trems rather than hardtails - the only difference there is how firmly the bridge is in contact with the body wood (or not....).


----------



## 777 (Nov 15, 2009)

Id go with BKP personally theu custom wind pickups for each individual AFAIK. Also from what ive heard on the board they can go from DJENT all the way to Smooth as butter leads which is always good


----------



## Kimling (Nov 15, 2009)

Well, I'm planning on replacing my M7 with a BKP in the nearest future. I find the M7 a bit to sterile for my taste


----------



## JMP2203 (Nov 15, 2009)

The M7 can sound sterile or hi-fi specialy on 27 inch guitars, but to me its much better than any dimarzio 7(i dont like duncans for 7), recently i tried the d-sonic 7 and the M7 was more natural sounding and more agressive at the same time than the ds7. great


----------



## vampiregenocide (Nov 15, 2009)

From what I've heard, Lungren M's are great for djenty Meshuggah stuff, but thats their strong point. My Bareknuckle Painkiller sounds great all around though.


----------



## TomParenteau (Nov 15, 2009)

This is good. I need to buy a pickup for "Tom P.'s eBay Project." I have a JB that I could use as a "get by for the meantime" solution, but it pretty much sucks in my Ibanez. Maybe I'm glad I passed up that M7 that was on eBay because I was already kinda set on a Nailbomb. 

Anyway, thanks for the thread.


----------



## JMP2203 (Nov 15, 2009)

Nailbomb and M7 are nothing alike, to me Nailbomb(even the ceramic version) is more of a rock pickup, of course depends on your amp also.


----------



## zimbloth (Nov 17, 2009)

Its kind of a silly comparison given that Lundgren has one model and BKP has about 30. It would be like comparing one random DiMarzio to the entire Seymour Duncan lineup, you know?

Anyways after reading your post, I think I'd recommend the Nailbomb or Rebel Yell. They really have everything you're looking for and more. I use both of those, and others, in all my personal guitars and I could not recommend them enough. Although I am a diehard BKP user (and the resident dealer here on the forum), I have never played the M7 so I have nothing bad to say about them. However, if you're after versatility I've got to think the BKPs I mentioned would be better than the M7 which is pretty molten hot, bright and compresed from what I hear.


----------



## Daemoniac (Nov 17, 2009)

From what i've heard about the M7 it has a really massive (M.A.S.S.I.V.E) high mid grind to it, so while it may be perfect for some applications, it can need heavier EQ'ing to get it how you want it.

BKP for versatility and the fact that they actually have a range


----------



## col (Nov 17, 2009)

zimbloth said:


> Its kind of a silly comparison given that Lundgren has one model and BKP has about 30. It would be like comparing one random DiMarzio to the entire Seymour Duncan lineup, you know?



Well, Lundgren has 6 models, they just don't get much talk besides the M-series. I really like the Smooth Operator, very smooth for leads but aggressive enough for rhythms.

Lundgren.se, Smooth Operator

And Lundgren makes 7- and 8-string versions of all their models, you'll just need to email them about it.


----------



## xDAxSlayer (Nov 17, 2009)

I have read a lot of threads about pickups and read a lot of positive comments on Bare Knuckle Pickups and Lundgren. I have been in contact with Tim at BKP and got the Nailbomb humbucker recommended. Anyone who can judge between these BKP and Lundgren qualitywise?




dude i would go with bareknuckle ive played bareknuckle but not lundgren,bareknuckle gives the kinda tone you want and lundgren gives you more of that aggressive tone


----------



## Sepultorture (Nov 17, 2009)

I've tried Dimarzio's, Seymour Duncan's, HAVEN"T tried Lundgren's, and to be deadly honest only ever played one BKP pickup.

but i can already say that this BKP Cermaic Warpig is THE pickup for me, Nick definitely did not steer me wrong. This thing sounds amazing on 5150's, Recto's, and Engl's.

So agressive yet tight sounding, the midrange grind on this for death emtal gives this thing quite an edge while jamming with others.

and many times with other musicians or in music stores, people have asked me where i got this pickup from.

i know stock ibby pickups leave ALOT to be desired, but i tried the white body maple board RG1527, and those pickups sounded so thin. I switched back to my ibby with the C-Pig in it and there mouth were on the floor, MASSIVE change.

another great part of BKP as many have said, is their range. there is definitely a pickup in there for everyone, i like to think lol. just tell nick the guitar and rig you are running, and the sound you are gunning for and you sir will not be dissapointed, as the man gets it pretty spot on.

Thanks again Nick \m/


----------



## Ivve (Nov 17, 2009)

I was just about to say that BKP has won the case, as the Lundgren M7 seems to be a more pure metal pickup. Until I read that Lundgren makes 7-string versions of all pickups. 

But the sum of all recommendations for the BKP is very strong. So I think I go for the Nailbomb. It seems to be a choice between two very good brands, so I don't think I can go wrong. 

Thanks you guys for all comments, it is really great to get help from this experienced board of people. I will report my experiences when I got the pickup installed and evaluated 

Ivve


----------



## col (Nov 18, 2009)

col said:


> Well, Lundgren has 6 models...



On further inspection Lundgren has 18 guitar pu models and 5 bass pu models.


----------



## TomParenteau (Nov 18, 2009)

I tried to PM Zimbloth about a BKP choice for my project guitar, but his inbox is full & won't take any more messages.


----------



## tr0n (Nov 19, 2009)

Ivve said:


> I will report my experiences when I got the pickup installed and evaluated
> 
> Ivve



Please do. When I was considering a new pickup in my SC607B to replace the EMG 81s I was looking at both the M7 and Nailbomb. I picked up an M7 off a guy on the Mesh forum because he was selling it at a very attractive price. So the M7 is sitting in the bridge and my intention has been to pop a Nailbomb with it in the neck, but due to some cash flow problems I haven't been able to afford it. But I will definitely grab it eventually. So it'll be good to see what you think.

Compared to the EMGs, the M7 is less piercing and has that mid-range that someone mentioned. I really like the sound but I think I need a decent amp to pull its full potential out. I was actually hoping to sell both the EMGs so I could afford the Nailbomb but alas no one wants them.


----------



## tydogg (Jun 8, 2010)

Just bought a handmade Zebra wood bodied 7 string with an Ibanez Neck on it. I told the guy I bought it from to just keep the Ibanez V7 and V8 pickups he was going to put in it and he gave me a case instead (sweet). I found a good deal on a calibrated set of Alnico Warpigs from Bare Knuckle. Im running through an Engl Powerball with the XXL cab loaded with V30's... anyone think these pickups would be a bad fit? And can they do good clean work? Thanks... Ty...


----------



## technomancer (Jun 8, 2010)

tydogg said:


> Just bought a handmade Zebra wood bodied 7 string with an Ibanez Neck on it. I told the guy I bought it from to just keep the Ibanez V7 and V8 pickups he was going to put in it and he gave me a case instead (sweet). I found a good deal on a calibrated set of Alnico Warpigs from Bare Knuckle. Im running through an Engl Powerball with the XXL cab loaded with V30's... anyone think these pickups would be a bad fit? And can they do good clean work? Thanks... Ty...



First, reasonably good bump 

I have never played zebra wood, but I did have a six string set of Warpigs and I can say the cleans on them are surprisingly good


----------



## Customisbetter (Jun 8, 2010)

tydogg said:


> Just bought a handmade Zebra wood bodied 7 string with an Ibanez Neck on it. I told the guy I bought it from to just keep the Ibanez V7 and V8 pickups he was going to put in it and he gave me a case instead (sweet). I found a good deal on a calibrated set of Alnico Warpigs from Bare Knuckle. Im running through an Engl Powerball with the XXL cab loaded with V30's... anyone think these pickups would be a bad fit? And can they do good clean work? Thanks... Ty...



lol i almost bought that guitar myself.


----------



## sevenstringj (Jun 8, 2010)

Another option is to have 'em rewound. Duncan, BKP, and Wolfetone can all rewind your pickups and even replace the magnets, and give you exactly what you want. I've done this with both Duncan and BKP, and was very pleased. I have Wolfetone 7-string rewinds coming very soon, so I'll be able to testify on those as well.

BTW, if the single coil is stacked, you'll definitely wanna get that rewound if you're not happy with it now. No one makes stock 7-string stacked single coils. I'd recommend asking Duncan to rewind it to YJM Fury specs--best hum-cancelling single coils I've tried.

But I'd play around with your amp/setup, particularly the gain and EQ. I don't know anything about Suhr pickups, but it's safe to say you'd need to tweak your settings when switching to the JB.


----------

