Bare Knuckle Pickups Blackguard Tele Series '55 Stagger

Wound to a vintage '72 Tele spec of 7500 windings.

I was trying to build a backup guitar to my main guitar which is a battered '72 Tele. Some people think the early 70's Teles are the worst ever made, but believe me it's just not true, quirky yes, but magnificant if you want real air and natural wood in your sound! Anyway, I'd put all the parts together but couldn't get it to sound close until I emailed Tim at Bare Knuckle who suggested I go for a custom built set of the 55 Stagger but with only 7500 winds to match the 72 pickups. Bingo!

Obviously the output levels are fairly low so you get the most gorgeous clean tones straight in to an amp and really edgy overdriven tones that never get muddy or overblown.

Don't do this if you want to turn you Tele into a Gibson (why do people seem to love to do that????!).. Do it if you want to go from warm resonant woody sounds to acid sharp... fab :-)

The thing I love about Bare Knuckle is that you get the whole package. Wonderful service, great pickups and the feeling that you've spent your money on something special.

Same as the other ones...

I got these pickups to put in a mexican tele. I had had a really nice guitar for years that was damaged beyond repair, and the tele was the only thing I could afford at the time. It was a major disappointment after a JJ. The tele played ok, but just didn't get that hot sound my old guitar did. I did think about putting the P90s from the JJ in it, but some very kind people bought me these instead. Now the tele is no longer a flat character-less off cut and a powerful, musical tool.

They have the output to push the front end of my amp which is what I wanted, are exceptionally clear with both pickups having loads of detail in the top end, and sit right in with the sound of the band. (Usual soul stuff) I also noticed that whilst they were good right away, they also got better after a couple of weeks of playing. I asked a local scientist guy who assured me this is possible! I have used them with a few different amps as well. Great early Black Crowes sound into a JCM800! I haven't tried them at super high gain stuff.

A lot of people are saying that they should have bought a cheap tele and whacked these puppies on it. Well I did and it has made a huge difference. But. You can tell that the electronics are out-classing the wood. There is this nagging, won't go away, but is the truth voice going on every time I play that says, "You can hear the metal in the tone", meaning it has a slightly un-organic feel. This is the first time I've had an instrument where I'm thinking of uprating the wood to match the pickups, not the other way round!

staggered bridge coil with raised D and G poles for improved string to string balance and copper plated bridge grounding plate. Alnico V magnets and scatterwound coils

I have a Highway 1 Telecaster. These guitars offer great value for money with exception of the pickups. I replaced the original, quite thin sounding Fender Pickups with a complete set of Black Guard Stagger 55

The neck pickup has almost a Les Paul tone, the middle pickup is really full, punchy and tight and the bridge has a classic Tele edge without the harshness some pickups deliver.

You can buy entry level guitars like the Highway 1, replace the pickups with Bare Knuckles and immediately it sounds like you are playing a guitar worth double what you paid for it. I replaced the pickups in my Highway 1 Strat with Bare Knuckle Sultans and I immediately fell in love with it, where before hand I kind of felt let down.
They also put a nice set of strings and a Bare Knuckle
plectrum in with the box of pickups as a gift which was a very sweet touch.
It is companies like Bare Knuckle that make you proud to be British.

Single coil- approx 5.1k neck, 6.5k bridge?

I play a Fender Custom Shop Nocaster RI- but modified, with Glendale bridgeplate and compensated saddles, and 10" radius fretboard with 6105 frets. A beauty in 2 tone sunburst. Replacing both neck and bridge p/ups. Originally had the Fender Custom Shop Nocaster pickups, then I swapped them out for Bare Knuckle Piledrivers. Very powerful and aggressive. I liked them a lot, but I wanted to try something different (you know how it is!) and something more suited to a 50's Tele.

I spoke to Tim Mills personally and asked him which pickup set would be best for a kind of Roy Buchanan vibe, plus a sort of SRV neck sound. Considering I play a Tele, I thought he'd laugh at the latter, but he simply said "You should try the '55 Stagger Set- I think you'll like them." I agreed.
Well let me tell you, I have that cutting, sustaining razor Buchanan bridge tone now (but not icepick trebly), and a beautiful, very complex neck sound that make those Roy Buchanan rhythm passages sound oooh.. so nice, and can get very close to Stevie's tone i.e. the intro on "Looking Out The Window", well I prefer the sound I get on the neck to what I hear on the record. Great Texas lead tone on the neck too. Played through a Vibro King or a Super Reverb RI, this is tone heaven.

I'd buy these again. All Bare Knuckle products are excellent. I've tried "The Mule" p/ups in a Goldtop, and the "Piledrivers" mentioned above. They're all good, it just depends what you're looking for.
It pays to talk to Tim to discuss your requirements.
Been playing for many years, currently playing in a sort-of (mainly)blues band. Apart from the Nocaster, I own a Martin acoustic, a Fender Vibro King and a Fender Super Reverb RI, although I'll be selling one of the amps shortly.

Single coil vintage style pickups. Alnico V.

Replaces stock pickups in Highway 1 Tele.

Exceptional sound. Using with a Fender Vibroking. The tone has real depth and complexity with excellent string to string balance. The neck and in between settings are lovely, making all three switch positions sound great and balanced.

Didn't expect such a change in tone. I could've just kept playing. This was a backup guitar but I'm now going to use it as the main guitar at a gig tomorrow.

Mostly a Fender player. Worried about buying pickups - how do you test them out? Really glad I dived in. The guitar now sounds magical. I'm wondering about how much money I could have saved by buying Highway 1 Fenders and upgrading to Bare Knuckles.