# NPD: Finally tested out my BKP Ceramic Warpig! Review! Advice?



## bulb (Jul 21, 2008)

I recently bought one from our very own Zimbloth (thanks so much for everything man! I look forward to doing business with you again!) and installed it promptly in my rga121.
My first thoughts were that it sounded kinda chunky and less djenty, and it wasnt super hot output.
So i put new strings on my guitar and tried it out at band practice this weekend.

And let me tell you folks: I have just found my new favorite 6 string pickup.
Especially for what im doing, since my rig is so djenty that low mid chunk really evens it out nicely, so now i get a super djenty tone with ultra musical low end, also its super smooth on leads and cleans, so warm and fluid. To top it off, i have NEVER come across a tighter pickup, i cant stress this enough!
Its so insanely tight that i had neglected to turn on one of my noise gates (which i normally require for my sound to not feedback out of control) and i didnt notice my error until i switched guitars and my rig started to feedback!

The pickup is hot, but not super hot, which was a worry of mine. Personally im not into super hot pickups (a la x2n for example) because they are not only noisier, but since i boost my signal so much, it just ends up being overkill and i end up having to trim the signal anyways. This really has just the perfect amount.

To continue this happiness rant, i recently acquired a JP6 which i love dearly and until recently had my favorite pickup ever (the petrucci custom jobby, not the d-sonic). But since i got the BKP, im seriously considering sticking one in that guitar now. My only issue is that the Ibby is mahogany/maple top and the jp6 is basswood, which are pretty different woods. Mahogany is known for its low mids and basswood is more of a flat eq, so im curious as to which i should try in that guitar if i was to order. Since i let the other boys in the band try it out, Jake is now going to get a Painkiller (to compare) for his Ibby S1625 TKS and ill see how different they sound and feel and probably make a decision then, but does anyone have a BKP 6 string pickup installed in a basswood bodied guitar? Which one did you go for and how happy/unhappy were you with it? I know that matt recently got a jp6 with the regular alnico warpigs in it, and was not thrilled with the result, so im somewhat apprehensive to put its ceramic brother in there. 

Anyways i must admit it looks pretty awesome with the distressed cover!
Pics:


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## HighGain510 (Jul 21, 2008)

Yeah man, the JP6 I had didn't sound all that great with the Alnico V IMO, but the neck pickup wasn't bad. Just the bridge pickup wasn't my favorite.  I have the Alnico V Warpig I scored from Elderly Music (great folks, btw!) in my Thorn and it sounds great. Reminds me a bit of the DiMarzio Evo but with some of the sharpness taken out (probably would be nearly identical with the Ceramic magnets in there) which works well with the walnut in that particular guitar. I dig it way more than the Rebel Yell set that used to be in there. 

To be honest though man, having played/owned JP6's with that custom DiMarzio in the bridge position as well as the one I have right now with the BKPs, I think you're going to be happier leaving that DiMarzio in there. It really does sound awesome in that guitar whereas the Warpig is not really the best choice for basswood, again IMO.  Congrats dude, I'm looking forward to checking out the ceramic warpig as I might have preferred that in my Thorn but then again it's simple enough to swap the magnet out if I end up liking the sound of yours better.


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## sakeido (Jul 21, 2008)

Tim recommended me a Painkiller when I still had my JP.


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## bulb (Jul 21, 2008)

Yeah i was thinking about a painkiller!

Matt, its just that the BKP is so much tighter and actually noise free! When recording on the pod with any other pickup i always have to turn the gate up on it because of the static like sounds all the other pups get but the BKP is silent, i cant have my backup be tighter than my main 6 haha!


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## HighGain510 (Jul 21, 2008)

LOL that's true, I don't have too many noise issues with my BKP but I don't remember any with the JP6?  Just saw the pics too, that pickup looks great against the natural finish of your Ibby.


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## budda (Jul 21, 2008)

Edroz just put some BKP's into his Agile 7, peep the thread!

i demand clips.


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## -Nolly- (Jul 21, 2008)

Congrats dude, glad to see you like them! Looks fantastic in that guitar too.


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## zimbloth (Jul 21, 2008)

bulb said:


> Yeah i was thinking about a painkiller!
> 
> Matt, its just that the BKP is so much tighter and actually noise free! When recording on the pod with any other pickup i always have to turn the gate up on it because of the static like sounds all the other pups get but the BKP is silent, i cant have my backup be tighter than my main 6 haha!



Congrats Bulb and thanks for the kind words. I'm really happy and relieved to hear you're loving it. It is my favorite pickup so far too (although the Painkiller/Nailbomb are a very close 2nd). 

The Painkiller, Miracle Man, and Cold Sweat are in theory better options for basswood than the Warpig, but with your rig and technique it may be fine. 

I'm going to respectfully disagree with HighGain. I have always been a fan of the Petrucci pickups, but to me they do not sound as good as the BKPs I've tried thus far. I definitely don't think you'd be happier leaving it stock, but they certainly are among the best DiMarzios made. They certainly are a better fit for basswood than an alnico Warpig, but the ceramic BKPs well suited for basswood would really crush those. The Miracle Man I got for kmanick sounded really awesome in his RG7620 for what it's worth. The alnico Warpig is more of a sludge/doom pickup, so that's a terrible match for basswood/rosewood. The ceramic WP is very different.

Again Misha, I'm really glad you're digging them and thanks again. I can't say I'm too surprised by your jubilant reaction however, these pickups really are brutal and special. If you need anything else hit me up, I have a couple batches on the way.


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## kmanick (Jul 21, 2008)

I've got to say that the Miracle Man 7 in my 7620 is so tight , that I have 
to check my gain levels to see if they are up at the same level I had them 
on with my Nailbomb (Carvin). No noise at all.
This pickup has added so much balls to my 7620 it's amazing. I raised the 
pickup height a little bit when after I brought back from Nicks and thru 
both my Recto and my JSX it sounds great, but expecially thru my 
Rectoverb, it sounds killer, it's so tight , sharp and clear, you just have to 
hear it in person to fulluy appreciate it.
Tim suggested the MM for a Basswood guitar and it's right on the money.

I heard the Painkiller in the JP-7 at Nicks and that sounded great too, but 
it was a different great. More high mids and that guitar has totally different 
woods, so the comparison was moot.
I still like the Nailbomb better as a lead pickup (it's definitely more open), 
but for tight chunky really articulate rhythm playing the Miracle Man slays. 
(it's good for lead too but mahogany/maple VS basswood? )
that's no contest.

One thing with the BKs , you need to play around with the pickup height. they seem to have a
sweet spot and once you find it


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## mnemonic (Jul 21, 2008)

bulb said:


> Yeah i was thinking about a painkiller!
> 
> Matt, its just that the BKP is so much tighter and actually noise free! *When recording on the pod with any other pickup* i always have to turn the gate up on it because of the static like sounds all the other pups get but the BKP is silent, i cant have my backup be tighter than my main 6 haha!



does this mean you've made some bareknuckle clips?


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## zimbloth (Jul 21, 2008)

kmanick said:


> I've got to say that the Miracle Man 7 in my 7620 is so tight , that I have
> to check my gain levels to see if they are up at the same level I had them
> on with my Nailbomb (Carvin). No noise at all.
> This pickup has added so much balls to my 7620 it's amazing. I raised the
> ...



Awesome Nick, it's cool to see people so happy with the pickups. Seeing "customers" thrilled as fuck is really cool and rewarding. This is why I'll never be a Krank dealer 

I may put a Miracle Man (or Cold Sweat) in my new RG2610E. I dig the SD Full Shred quite a bit but it could be better.


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## Sepultorture (Jul 21, 2008)

Tim suggested i use a cold sweat for a future custom i want done, if this guitar ever gets started, oh man i kill to play it with the coldsweat bridge, CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG.


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## Brord (Jul 22, 2008)

how would u compare the bareknuckle to the lundgren?


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## hairychris (Jul 22, 2008)

Sepultorture said:


> Tim suggested i use a cold sweat for a future custom i want done, if this guitar ever gets started, oh man i kill to play it with the coldsweat bridge, CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG.



What construction? The CS is a _really really_ nice pickup (CSed my PRS), very fat and defined. It'll CHUG, but it does a whole load of other things too.


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## bulb (Jul 22, 2008)

Brord said:


> how would u compare the bareknuckle to the lundgren?



the lundgren is brighter and has more high mid focus and the bk has more of a low mid focus.


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## noodles (Jul 22, 2008)

HighGain510 said:


> Yeah man, the JP6 I had didn't sound all that great with the Alnico V IMO, but the neck pickup wasn't bad. Just the bridge pickup wasn't my favorite.  I have the Alnico V Warpig I scored from Elderly Music (great folks, btw!) in my Thorn and it sounds great. Reminds me a bit of the DiMarzio Evo but with some of the sharpness taken out (probably would be nearly identical with the Ceramic magnets in there) which works well with the walnut in that particular guitar. I dig it way more than the Rebel Yell set that used to be in there.
> 
> To be honest though man, having played/owned JP6's with that custom DiMarzio in the bridge position as well as the one I have right now with the BKPs, I think you're going to be happier leaving that DiMarzio in there. It really does sound awesome in that guitar whereas the Warpig is not really the best choice for basswood, again IMO.  Congrats dude, I'm looking forward to checking out the ceramic warpig as I might have preferred that in my Thorn but then again it's simple enough to swap the magnet out if I end up liking the sound of yours better.



Wait, we're talking about the same pickup that you put in your walnut Thorn? Yeah, I really can't see how that would sound that good with basswood. You really need something with a ceramic magnet to try and tighten up the notoriously loose bottom end.


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## HighGain510 (Jul 22, 2008)

noodles said:


> Wait, we're talking about the same pickup that you put in your walnut Thorn? Yeah, I really can't see how that would sound that good with basswood. You really need something with a ceramic magnet to try and tighten up the notoriously loose bottom end.



Yeah and even then, IMO, you can't "fix" what I don't like in basswood. I've just come to terms with that fact.  Basswood can sound good, but I just can't get it to sound great, regardless of what pickup you put in there.


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## Groff (Jul 22, 2008)

Welcome to the BKP family Bulb!

You should get a neck version to match, it looks good against the natural finish!


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## noodles (Jul 22, 2008)

HighGain510 said:


> Yeah and even then, IMO, you can't "fix" what I don't like in basswood. I've just come to terms with that fact.  Basswood can sound good, but I just can't get it to sound great, regardless of what pickup you put in there.



Honestly, I don't think you can "fix" any wood. You select the wood you want for the tonal properties you desire, and then look for pickups that compliment it. It is folly to buy something you know you typically don't care for, and then try to change it with a pickup. Pickups don't work that way.


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## zimbloth (Jul 22, 2008)

HighGain510 said:


> Yeah and even then, IMO, you can't "fix" what I don't like in basswood. I've just come to terms with that fact.  Basswood can sound good, but I just can't get it to sound great, regardless of what pickup you put in there.



Well it's true you can't eliminate basswood's tonal properties with a pickup. It's certainly reasonable to be skeptical due to how difficult it is to find pickups voiced favorably for basswood. However, before claiming it a losing endeavor it would be best to have tried something that had a fighting chance to begin with. I've received a staggering amount of positive feedback from customers with basswood-friendly BKPs, and have experienced it myself most recently with kmanick's RG7620. The alnico Warpig was simply not the one to go with. 

Either way, Bulb I'd definitely recommend giving the CS, PK, or MM a shot.


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## noodles (Jul 22, 2008)

I stand by my statement that I cannot understand how an alnico 5 Warpig can sound good in both basswood and walnut. Walnut has far less mids than basswood. In my experience, ANYTHING with an alnico 5 magnet in basswood gives you a farty, muffled low end, and a complete lack of treble clarity.


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## zimbloth (Jul 22, 2008)

noodles said:


> I stand by my statement that I cannot understand how an alnico 5 Warpig can sound good in both basswood and walnut. Walnut has far less mids than basswood. In my experience, ANYTHING with an alnico 5 magnet in basswood gives you a farty, muffled low end, and a complete lack of treble clarity.



Pretty much agreed Dave. Although, people claim good results with the A5 Holydiver or Nailbomb in basswood but I can't personally verify it. Regardless, I never would have recommended even the _ceramic _Warpig to someone with a basswood guitar. It's just not the right fit.


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## Sepultorture (Jul 22, 2008)

hairychris said:


> What construction? The CS is a _really really_ nice pickup (CSed my PRS), very fat and defined. It'll CHUG, but it does a whole load of other things too.



we're talking a neck through string through, Mahogany body, with a rock maple neck and two walnut strips

going into a VHT UL on top of two Vader 4x12's

i might be getting my first Vader 4x12 VERY soon, can't wait to see what it does to my Peavey XXL


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## noodleplugerine (Jul 23, 2008)

I've heard good things about Painkiller in Basswood, its a great pickup for tightening the bottom end and pronouncing the mids - But really if you want pickup advice, you should talk to Tim. He's the man when it comes to figuring this stuff out.


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## bulb (Jul 23, 2008)

i think ill have to email him, but pk was what i was leaning towards


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## MF_Kitten (Jul 23, 2008)

what BKP would be the best choise if you want to go to the lundgren area of things? i´m not saying i want something that sounds exactly like a lundgren, because they obviously don´t have that, but if i want something that has the general characteristics and effect that the lundgren m7/m8 has? like, slightly scooped low mids, deep and tight low end, no boominess, lots of high mids, treble and some nice presence, all without sounding overdone?


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## -Nolly- (Jul 23, 2008)

MF_Kitten said:


> what BKP would be the best choise if you want to go to the lundgren area of things? i´m not saying i want something that sounds exactly like a lundgren, because they obviously don´t have that, but if i want something that has the general characteristics and effect that the lundgren m7/m8 has? like, slightly scooped low mids, deep and tight low end, no boominess, lots of high mids, treble and some nice presence, all without sounding overdone?



Painkiller.


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## zimbloth (Jul 23, 2008)

-Nolly- said:


> Painkiller.



Based on my experiences and talking to Tim, I think the Miracle Man and Cold Sweat may be in that ballpark too. The PK is what I'd choose too however.

PS: I ordered a Cold Sweat bridge model for one of my personal guitars, I'm looking forward to see how that compares with the the other models I've been using lately (PK, MM, WP, NB, & HD).


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## daemon barbeque (Jul 23, 2008)

MF_Kitten said:


> what BKP would be the best choise if you want to go to the lundgren area of things? i´m not saying i want something that sounds exactly like a lundgren, because they obviously don´t have that, but if i want something that has the general characteristics and effect that the lundgren m7/m8 has? like, slightly scooped low mids, deep and tight low end, no boominess, lots of high mids, treble and some nice presence, all without sounding overdone?



You are talking about Miracle Man.The MM is exactly what you where describing!


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## noodles (Jul 24, 2008)

MF_Kitten said:


> what BKP would be the best choise if you want to go to the lundgren area of things? i´m not saying i want something that sounds exactly like a lundgren, because they obviously don´t have that, but if i want something that has the general characteristics and effect that the lundgren m7/m8 has? like, slightly scooped low mids, deep and tight low end, no boominess, lots of high mids, treble and some nice presence, all without sounding overdone?



Have you actually _played_ a Lungren? For high output pickups, I don't think anyone is touching Lungren HighGain510 had a set in his Carvin and the bridge pickup (M7? L7? SDFGF7?) was what a Duncan Custom should sound like. Angry, aggressive, hot as hell, but with good balance, tons of clarity, and a wicked midrange growl. I really, really liked that pickup.


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## bulb (Jul 24, 2008)

MF_Kitten said:


> what BKP would be the best choise if you want to go to the lundgren area of things? i´m not saying i want something that sounds exactly like a lundgren, because they obviously don´t have that, but if i want something that has the general characteristics and effect that the lundgren m7/m8 has? like, slightly scooped low mids, deep and tight low end, no boominess, lots of high mids, treble and some nice presence, all without sounding overdone?



why not just get a lundgren? they are in the same sort of price range


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## zimbloth (Jul 24, 2008)

noodles said:


> Have you actually _played_ a Lungren? For high output pickups, I don't think anyone is touching Lungren HighGain510 had a set in his Carvin and the bridge pickup (M7? L7? SDFGF7?) was what a Duncan Custom should sound like. Angry, aggressive, hot as hell, but with good balance, tons of clarity, and a wicked midrange growl. I really, really liked that pickup.



If someone is after the precise tone of a Lundren, then hell yeah get a Lundgren. I've never played a Lundgren so therefore I have no room to comment on them. All I am qualified to say is, there are a few BKPs which in my experience fit that description like a glove.





bulb said:


> why not just get a lundgren? they are in the same sort of price range



Really? To the best of my knowledge Lundgrens are a good deal more expensive than BKPs new. Is there someone store them at a discount or something? That would be great if Lundgrens would be accessible at BKP-like prices, I hope that's true.


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## noodles (Jul 24, 2008)

My main problem with Lungren is none of the US dealers will sell individual pickups. You have to buy the set, and I a) have a guitar with only a bridge pickup, and b) I was not anywhere near as happy with the neck pickup. $400 is a lot to swallow to just get a bridge pickup.

Then again, the exchange rates is the main reason I have never tried out BKP. I just don't want to spend that much on something I may not even like. Especially considering Wolfe nailed what I was looking for for a $50 rewind charge.


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## Groff (Jul 24, 2008)

MF_Kitten said:


> what BKP would be the best choise if you want to go to the lundgren area of things? i´m not saying i want something that sounds exactly like a lundgren, because they obviously don´t have that, but if i want something that has the general characteristics and effect that the lundgren m7/m8 has? like, slightly scooped low mids, deep and tight low end, no boominess, lots of high mids, treble and some nice presence, all without sounding overdone?





daemon barbeque said:


> You are talking about Miracle Man.The MM is exactly what you where describing!



I'll agree with daemon. Lundgrens were designed to be uber powerful, clear and tight, without being active, which is what the Miracle Man is designed to be as well.

Persoanlly, I didn't like the lundgren. It wasn't as tight as I thought it would be, but it was hotter than hell, and retained clarity. If you can find a deal on a Lundgren, I'd say try that one first if it's what you want. If you don't like it you can always well it and get try a BKP which is exactly what I did.


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## noodles (Jul 24, 2008)

To me, "tight" is a pretty broad definition. Actives will be the final say on tight, but I think that often comes at the expense of dynamics. Start focusing the upper midrange, and scooping out the lower midrange, and you get an extremely tight, but (in my opinion) sterile sound. This approach would be exemplified by the likes of EMG pickups and Engl amplifiers.

Meanwhile, the "looser" sound of Duncans let more of the natural midrange through, giving you more growl and a livelier sound. Mesa does pretty much the same thing: they are a lot looser than people think they are, which is why your sound seems to explode out of the speakers. Now, how tight you are becomes how hard you are willing to work at it.

Both approaches work, albeit for different players and different forms of music. Just remember that "Master of Puppets" was a Mesa preamp, a Marshall power amp, and a Gibson Explorer with stock pickups. I don't think you can get much tighter than that tone, yet it is the very gear definition of "too loose" in today's world.


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## MF_Kitten (Jul 24, 2008)

i don´t really want to get a lundgren, as i think it´s a step too far in that direction. i want something more versatile, but i want a bright pickup that is bright in the same "way" that the lundgren is, so it djents and emits clarity and is tight 

so it´s not like i want a BKP that sounds like a lundgren, i just want a bkp that has alot of djenty type clarity. i dunno if that makes sense?  like, i don´t want a pickup that sounds vintage, i don´t want a pickup with loads of bass and rolled off highs. i want something bright and clear, and with the right amount of hotness


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## zimbloth (Jul 24, 2008)

noodles said:


> My main problem with Lungren is none of the US dealers will sell individual pickups. You have to buy the set, and I a) have a guitar with only a bridge pickup, and b) I was not anywhere near as happy with the neck pickup. $400 is a lot to swallow to just get a bridge pickup.
> 
> Then again, the exchange rates is the main reason I have never tried out BKP. I just don't want to spend that much on something I may not even like. Especially considering Wolfe nailed what I was looking for for a $50 rewind charge.



Well really ~$150 for a single isn't a ton of money to spend on a custom shop pickup in my opinion. Certainly if Wolfe nailed your tone then case closed 



noodles said:


> To me, "tight" is a pretty broad definition. Actives will be the final say on tight, but I think that often comes at the expense of dynamics. Start focusing the upper midrange, and scooping out the lower midrange, and you get an extremely tight, but (in my opinion) sterile sound. This approach would be exemplified by the likes of EMG pickups and Engl amplifiers.
> 
> Meanwhile, the "looser" sound of Duncans let more of the natural midrange through, giving you more growl and a livelier sound. Mesa does pretty much the same thing: they are a lot looser than people think they are, which is why your sound seems to explode out of the speakers. Now, how tight you are becomes how hard you are willing to work at it.
> 
> Both approaches work, albeit for different players and different forms of music. Just remember that "Master of Puppets" was a Mesa preamp, a Marshall power amp, and a Gibson Explorer with stock pickups. I don't think you can get much tighter than that tone, yet it is the very gear definition of "too loose" in today's world.



Excellent points, especially regarding the Mesas. Totally agree. 

The thing about BKPs however, they have about 20 models so it's hard to generalize, but the consistent thing I've noticed from all the models I've spent time with is that they're tight and articulate but at the time allow for the midrange to roar and the highs to sing - while never sounding compressed. The reason I use them is because they embody the 'best of both worlds' which I've been unable to obtain from any mass-produced pickup. 

Again, I've never played a Lundgren or a Wolfetone, so I'd never claim to have a worthwhile opinion on them. However, I definitely think you should give a BKP or two a try man if you are open for trying something new, have the means, and/or a spare guitar. They really do sound terrific and there's always return/exchange policies 



MF_Kitten said:


> i don´t really want to get a lundgren, as i think it´s a step too far in that direction. i want something more versatile, but i want a bright pickup that is bright in the same "way" that the lundgren is, so it djents and emits clarity and is tight
> 
> so it´s not like i want a BKP that sounds like a lundgren, i just want a bkp that has alot of djenty type clarity. i dunno if that makes sense?  like, i don´t want a pickup that sounds vintage, i don´t want a pickup with loads of bass and rolled off highs. i want something bright and clear, and with the right amount of hotness



Painkiller if you like aggressive hot mids. Cold Sweat if you want something a little more balanced and polished.


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## MF_Kitten (Jul 24, 2008)

zimbloth said:


> Painkiller if you like aggressive hot mids. Cold Sweat if you want something a little more balanced and polished.



that´s what i thought from reading about it on the bkp site aswell, actually, so that´s awesome


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## -Nolly- (Jul 24, 2008)

MF_Kitten said:


> *slightly scooped low mids*, deep and tight low end, no boominess, *lots of high mids*, treble and some nice presence





daemon barbeque said:


> You are talking about Miracle Man.The MM is exactly what you where describing!



Mate, the MM is ALL low mids, with smooth uppers. The PK is kinda the inverse, all upper mids, smooth lows.


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## TonalArchitect (Jul 24, 2008)

Bulb, if you hadn't posted that "Devil Takes the Hindmost" Solo, I would chastise you for clips. Now I chastise you for DJENTY CLIPS! 

We would appreciate it.


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## daemon barbeque (Jul 24, 2008)

-Nolly- said:


> Mate, the MM is ALL low mids, with smooth uppers. The PK is kinda the inverse, all upper mids, smooth lows.



Sorry Nolly..I Owned it for a while and it happened to give my 1527 deep Lows ,moderate midds and lot's of top and harmonics!!!

Maybe our ears are working different ,but this is my humble experience


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