Bareknuckle Nailbomb

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snakeman1986

snakeman1986

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Thinking about changing out my tremonti bridge pickup in my PRS tremonti or the #7 in my PRS singlecut for a bareknuckle nailbomb not sure which yet...it's not that I don't like the tremonti or the #7, I would just like to try something new. The #7 does seem a bit too vintage though so I am leaning more towards replacing that one. So, what do you guys think of the nailbomb? Any other better suggestions in your opinion. Thanks!....BTW I play hard rock. Think Staind, Chevelle, Breaking Benjamin, etc.
 
I had the nailbomb set in my Les Paul. I have to say that I was very dissapointed with it. After all the hype I heard about the bareknuckles I thought it was going to be the end all be all of pickups. Its hard to explain but it sounded like the pickup was pushing air. I have had great luck with the Suhr Aldrich set and the good old 80"s Duncan distortion or JB. It depends on the guitar and also my ear im sure is a lot different than others. I just think its very overpriced and not worth it.
 
It's just another of the many overwound pick ups available today with a cool name.
 
Thanks for the input. So overhyped huh? Good to know. Was also thinkin of the Aldrich or one of the duncans.
 
nothing against the Aldrich or Duncans, they are great pups, but there is nothing like BK's if you dig what his pups sound like. They have a specific sound and feel though, so either it's your thing or it isn't. I think they cater very well to guys that are into the more heavy modern tones, but with some vintage flavor if you want it.

I bet the a-bomb would sound great in your tremonti for those bands. The Rebel Yell might be another I would have a look at too. I have a Tremonti II with the Painkillers, and I really like how it sounds. It can do a lot more than the "djent" pup it's billed as. It's got a really pronounced mid/upper mid that brings out that snarly 3d sound, but also a real modern sounding lowend. It keeps that big slab of mahogany nice and tight, with lots of clarity for riffing on the low strings. They are so clear, it can throw you off when you first hear them IME.
 
Duncan Distortion is always a good choice for heavy tones (not clean so much though), affordable too.
 
Cool. So right now suggestions are aftermath, rebel yell, Aldrich, and Duncan distortion. Was also thinking something motor city. Maybe afwayu?..about the Duncan distortion though, I have heard that was a lot like a 500t. I've also heard the tremonti was based off the 500t. Any truth to this? If that's the case I'd really like to try something else.
 
I have a couple older Nailbombs and they are great. They work best in very bright guitars. Lots of harmonics, very full sounding, nothing frequency-wise that is scooped or spiked. Because they are so dynamic under distortion, they feel like they are high output, which they are not. If you could picture a more musical sounding, clearer, lower output Tone Zone you would be close.
The older BK pups are very special. The newer ones, not so much. Tim no longer winds these himself, and he has changed some of the components and materials used. With the exchange rate, Bare Knuckles can be very expensive.
 
TeleBlaster":31ci3x04 said:
If you could picture a more musical sounding, clearer, lower output Tone Zone you would be close.
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You just described the Dimarzio Air Zone. I've used a handful of BKP's and have yet to be impressed by any of them.
 
Hmmm... I've got an Air Zone, it's not that.

You have to find one that's at least 3 years old, that's when the demand forced Tim to change everything. If you could play one that Tim did himself, you could see why the hype started. For a while, you could beg him to make your order personally, but he doesn't do that anymore. I'm happy for his success, but the product is not the same.
Just like Seymour, I remember in 1981 the humbucker he made for my Tele, it was awesome! But now, I really haven't found anything in the catalog I like, and a lot that IMO is just plain bad.
 
TeleBlaster":3agnx57n said:
I have a couple older Nailbombs and they are great. They work best in very bright guitars. Lots of harmonics, very full sounding, nothing frequency-wise that is scooped or spiked. Because they are so dynamic under distortion, they feel like they are high output, which they are not. If you could picture a more musical sounding, clearer, lower output Tone Zone you would be close.
The older BK pups are very special. The newer ones, not so much. Tim no longer winds these himself, and he has changed some of the components and materials used. With the exchange rate, Bare Knuckles can be very expensive.
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Works best in bright guitars? I would have thought the opposite. Interesting. Looking at the frequencies in the tone zone and the nailbomb, they look like totally different pickups. Tone zone has much more bass while having less treble than the nailbomb. But u r right that the tone zone is hotter. 17.31 tone zone vs 15.7 nailbomb. I had no idea the tone zone was that hot. I had an air zone in my ibanez sz before I sold it and loved it.
 
Well...I use them in the bridge position of my Custom 24s and they sound incredible. By far and away the best pickup I've ever played through for hard rock or metal: so much power, but so musical and dynamic at the same time. BKPs are extremely sensitive to pickup height, though, so if you aren't getting wow'd by them - adjust it! They really are amazing pickups.

-C
 
I do not own any BK pickups yet, have been researching a few. Just because the one you bought didn't quite fit the bill for what you had in mind doesn't necessarily mean it's over-hyped.
 
Nailbombs are great...They are not as hot or saturated as the stock Tremonti pickups though.... I had a Prs Tremonti, I ended up trying rebel yells in it, wasnt the best match ... I think nailbombs would be a better fit. The Nailbomb has tons of character, its angry yet organic and not harsh in any way. They are unforgiving and pretty open feeling pickups. Ive tried them in a bunch of guitars and they seem to work pretty well in most tone woods.
 
I have to say... I tried one and didn't have any luck... It was so anemic, at first I thought I had it out of phase... That's what it sounded like...

Then I thought it was defective, maybe it was, but I sent it back, and they said it checked out ok? :dunno:

Roid
 
I had one in my Juggernaut. Didn't love it in that guitar and never tried it in another guitar. I tried a Painkiller in a couple guitar and did not like it at all. Too tight and too much mid hump. I dig my Warpig though. That is a badass sounding pickup.
 
Laura":2jkj045i said:
I had one in my Juggernaut. Didn't love it in that guitar and never tried it in another guitar. I tried a Painkiller in a couple guitar and did not like it at all. Too tight and too much mid hump. I dig my Warpig though. That is a badass sounding pickup.
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Which Warpig do you have Ceramic or Alnico?
 
shred-o-holic":1m0fn46y said:
Laura":1m0fn46y said:
I had one in my Juggernaut. Didn't love it in that guitar and never tried it in another guitar. I tried a Painkiller in a couple guitar and did not like it at all. Too tight and too much mid hump. I dig my Warpig though. That is a badass sounding pickup.
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Which Warpig do you have Ceramic or Alnico?
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I don't know. It was ordered through a US dealer and the whole thing took forever so I am not certain whether I ended up with ceramic or alnico. I bought the Nailbomb at the same time and one was supposed to have a ceramic magnets instead of alnico but I don't remember which or why or if it even happened.
 
I have (or have had) BKP Warpig, Nailbomb, Cold Sweat, Riff Raff, Black Dog, Crawler, VHII, Aftermath, Abraxas, Irish Tour, Sinner, Trilogy Suite (I think thats all). They are all awesome in one form or another imho. I find BKPs to have a much wider dynamic range than most other pickups - a wide bottom end and glassy highs that you dont get from others. They are also excellent at bringing the most out of the natural tone of the guitar which is I think why its important to find the right pickup for the guitar (and get it them at the optimum distance from the strings). I have found over time that in most cases its the vintage hot types that are my favourite as they are a bit less compressed than the higher output modern ones (although I still use them aswell) but thats just me ;)
My absolute 'go to' guitar for recording is a korina body maple topped bolt-on with a Black Dog in the bridge position - it always sounds great right from the start.
 
lowmantotempole":1nruo5xq said:
I play 2 USA Tremonti guitars.

I have a MCP Detroiter in one and a MCP 2nd Degree Black Belt in the other.
Try a Detroiter before you do anything else!!!

I had a BK C-Warpig in it and it was MUSH. That's just my experience.

What amp are you using?
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I am using a Titan Custom 100. Just got it last week. Loving it by the way.
 
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