Bare Knuckle Holy Divers

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Serratus

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Yep I love them - one of my favourite BKP sets. Fat but not bloated, hot enough but not too hot (ie, still open and dynamic feeling), the bridge can be full-on rock but the neck has quite a vintage character with a nice complex tone. Both pickups together is very useable too. Hope you like them as much as I do :)
 
I thought it was "meh." I hear what I assume others are hearing when they talk about BKP "clarity," but for lack of a better term, it lacked "balls" compared to Duncans and Dimarzios IMHO.
 
It threw me at first compared to Duncan's and Dimarzios, very different feel because of the open nature and less "output force" when you strike the strings, but I've gotten used to it now... with the clarity I can't go back.

Two main things:
- you'll want to use a boost with it
- put the height very close to the strings
 
I have a HD in the bridge of a TMZ Natural Charvel. I think its pretty cool. I heard someone describe the HD's as like a JB but tighter and I agree with that.
 
Got one on a whim tossed it in my PRS, will never remove it, does high gain extremely well and still has an open character.
 
cardinal":58vb8s38 said:
I thought it was "meh." I hear what I assume others are hearing when they talk about BKP "clarity," but for lack of a better term, it lacked "balls" compared to Duncans and Dimarzios IMHO.
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Agreed. I was less than impressed. The Alnico Nailbomb is my favorite BKP.
 
I am a fan of BKPs generally, but didn't care for the Holydivers. I think that the Rebel Yell is actually the one that sounds most like a tighter JB. The hd is darker and thicker (although still with that 80ish sound). I think it would work well if you're using something fairly bright/marshallish. I like the Nailbombs, Painkillers, and Juggernauts all better personally. Also the Rebel Yell if its in a particularly dark guitar. For some reason, there is (or was) a contingent on the BKP forum that would recommend the divers for basically any type of music or any guitar, which I don't get at all. So yeah, meh.
 
Rezamatix":3njiusxb said:
borninwinter":3njiusxb said:
I am a fan of BKPs generally, but didn't care for the Holydivers. I think that the Rebel Yell is actually the one that sounds most like a tighter JB. The hd is darker and thicker (although still with that 80ish sound). I think it would work well if you're using something fairly bright/marshallish. I like the Nailbombs, Painkillers, and Juggernauts all better personally. Also the Rebel Yell if its in a particularly dark guitar. For some reason, there is (or was) a contingent on the BKP forum that would recommend the divers for basically any type of music or any guitar, which I don't get at all. So yeah, meh.
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Hmm, well they are on their way. Let's see how they do in a neck thru soloist.
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Some people really like them. If you bought directly from BKP, they'll let you exchange if you're not into them. FYI The Juggernauts are basically designed around misha mansoors sig Jackson (or maybe its the other way around, not sure which came first). In any event, his Jackson is a basswood bolt on dinky, which is probably pretty close to the soloist in sound. I have the Juggernauts in a bolt on basswood Ibanez RG, and they sound fantastic - probably my favorite. I have painkillers in a maple/mahogany neck through with mahogany wings, and the sound is similar. The Juggernauts were too bassy in the mahog guitar. You do have to take some time to work with the pickup height definitely though.
 
Here is the scoop : :)

They are awesome but like every other pickup need to be in the right guitar.

They do not work well in fat and dark, or very thick sounding guitars.

I have had great success in a Alder guitar with Maple bolt on.... and a Maple neck through guitar with Mahog wings... With that being said both guitars were somewhat bright and tight sounding guitars naturally. The HD is a fat, smooth sounding pickup so it can balance out a guitar like this.

I tried the HD in another Alder guitar that was naturally FAT sounding and it didnt work as well.... I also tried the HD in a Mahogany body super strat with bolt on maple neck and also didnt work so well, the Ceramic Nailbomb was a much better fit.

IMO most of the Bare Knuckle pickups will sound and feel incredible in the right guitar, Its trial and error sometimes.
 
Tangential but I think the Rebel Yell are a lot more open and less dark and congested compared to a Duncan JB. But with similar output. I really like them in one of my LPs.
 
The4thlast1 has it right. When I got my GT done I started out with Holydivers. Never put those in a big heavy LP, dude. They fall apart. They did better drop tuned than in standard to my ears, and I have no doubt they'd do well in a brighter guitar, but for a 10lb solid body LP they just wouldn't work. The high end was shrill to em and the bass wouldn't hold together. I've heard great clips with em but couldn't make em work in that guitar, either with tube amps or modelers. I've listened to a ton of your clips and you use less gain than I do so maybe that had something to do with it, but I like pickups that are really tight and aggressive and they just weren't that for me.

The Painkiller and EMGs are much better in that guitar. Hope you dig em in the Jackson, but if you throw em in your GT first you'll see what I mean.
 
Loaded them into my NT-7 under Tim's recommendations.

For the time that I could play the ax, they sounded really rich, clear, potent and fast. Detailed. Combined with the ebony board, and the wood of the NT, they came out a good choice. I went with [I think] burnt chrome covers; and they're great.

Running that particular guitar through the Ubers, and the Mak4 Makoplex and Dorado channels. Sounded awesome :thumbsup:

Peace
Mo
 
I had a hard time to find a good pickup for my Jackson SL2H back then. I choose the Holy Diver Set on recommandation too and that was the perfect fit for me, just the right amount of everything. Alder is a very bright wood and a lot of pickups are made for thicker sounding wood (mahogany). The Holy Diver's bring low mids instead of high mids like the JB's and that's what i wanted.
 
Yea I have spent a pretty penny on BKP and don't know why I kept buying them. I haven't had much luck with any of the models. WCR pickups for the win.
 
I had one and didn't care for it. I liked the Suhr stuff a little more for the mid-range.
 
Even though a few here gave them a "MEH" that really means nothing in the real world.
YOU have to decide in your own guitar and amp, just because a few said they were not impressed does not mean you wont be blown away by them ;)
I remember a few told me that the tone zone was a mud bomb, NOT in my guitar.
Sounded incredible with great clarity and balls :rock:
 
charvelstrat81":32h20pvh said:
Even though a few here gave them a "MEH" that really means nothing in the real world.
YOU have to decide in your own guitar and amp, just because a few said they were not impressed does not mean you wont be blown away by them ;)
I remember a few told me that the tone zone was a mud bomb, NOT in my guitar.
Sounded incredible with great clarity and balls :rock:
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Well he did start the thread by asking for everyone's thoughts and experiences...
 
Always wanted to try them. Will get around to it one day. To be honest I haven't liked any BKP pickups yet (Cold Sweat and Nailbomb). I do dig the Stockholm P90 that a buddy has in a strat. Pretty gnarly little p90.

Looking forward to some clips man.
 
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