Bare Knuckle recommendation

  • Thread starter Thread starter SpiderWars
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SpiderWars

SpiderWars

Well-known member
I'm building an HSS Strat and plan to use Dimarzio Area 58/61 in the neck/middle and want something in the PAF to PAF++ range in the bridge. From what I can tell anything from Mules->Riff Raff->VHII->Black Dog->Emerald look to be in that range. Do I have that right? Any suggestions? This will be Ash body/Maple-Rosewood neck Strat with vintage style bridge so my guess is to avoid scooped pickups. Thoughts?
 
Ash sounds kinda scooped to me. I would go with something with mismatched/asymmetric coils to add some mid growl, like the VHII
 
VH II, my favorite is the Holy diver but's not what you're asking for here. I have a USA jackson SL-1 soloist
with a Holy Diver /Classic Stack +? Dimarzio heavy blues II with a push pull coil tap for the Holy diver
and what an amazingly versatile guitar this has become. can do blues or rock out
 
Shoot an email over to Bare Knuckle with what your guitar is and what you're looking for. Those dudes love chatting about gear and will definitely help you figure out what you're looking for. When I first ordered a set they helped me pick out exactly what I was looking for.
 
I had a Black Dog in my swamp ash hss Suhr and that was a great sounding pickup for that guitar. I know you’re sticking with bare knuckle (and they do make great pickups) but also consider the Suhr Thornbucker+, right up there with any bare knuckle I’ve tried.
 
Thanks all. The 36th Anni is a good pickup but a little too polite and I think I need more push, esp in the mids. The description of the Black Dog (...throaty humbucker with deep bottom-end, muscular mids, smooth highs...) seemed to pair well with the Ash but ime pickups don't turn a guitar into something it's not meant to be. That and the phrase "defined bottom end" in the VHII description made me wonder if the it would be full enough. I'll be looking for used so now I can jump on a zebra VHII or Black Dog if found.
 
I did a chat and decided to try the Black Dog. That fills in all the blanks.

“Irish Red”
(loosely inspired by Gary Moore's '61 Red Strat)

Body: Wood: 1-pc Swamp Ash
Finish: Dakota Red TruGrain Nitro
Route: HSS
Neck: Shaft wood : Quartersawn Maple
Fretboard wood: Dark Rosewood
Truss rod adjust: Nut
Nut width: 1.65”
Profile: Chunky C
Fret size: 6105
Radius: 12”
Options: 22 frets
Front dots: Clay
Side dots: Clay
Tuner size: 11/32”
Nut: Bone
Finish: Dark Walnut Danish Oil/None
Relic: None
Tuners: Kluson staggered vintage style
Bridge: Callaham V/N vintage style
Pickups: Bridge - Bare Knuckle Black Dog, reverse zebra, 53mm
Middle - Dimarzio Virtual Vintage 54 Pro, aged white
Neck - Dimarzio Area 61, aged white
Pickguard: Standard Strat HSS, Parchment
Knobs/Switch tip/Trem tip: Parchment
Electronics: CTS 500k+ pots, Superswitch w/ custom Stratobucker wiring, PIO 0.022uF cap (shared)
 
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