Bare Knuckle Pickups Crawler Set

Passive Humbuckers.
Neck = 7.8 K (Alnico 4)
Bridge = 15.4 K (Alnico 5)

I play a Gibson Les Paul R7. I replaced the stock Burstbucker 1 & 2 with the Bare Knuckle Crawler set. The Burstbuckers sounded good but I wanted great sounding pickups. I found the BBs vintage sounding but on the airy side. I was looking to keep the PAF sound but to add growl and bite......and the Crawler set delivered this hands down.

I use a Marshall Vintage Modern half stack without any pedals.....guitar, amp and fingers only. I play hard rock (Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Kiss, Queensryche). The BKP Crawlers are an awesome match. The Bridge pickup has a real snarl to it with lots of bottom end. The neck pickup is so smooth and very vintage sounding. The output is just right on both pickups.... I love Alnico magnets over ceramic.....and the crawlers are killer sounding. I really recommend the Crawlers to get that sound/tone of Doug Aldrich.

If destroyed or stolen I would rebuy them immediately...they are that good. They are a little more expensive than seymour duncans or dimarzios but they have tons more quality. BKP are top class products....their sound is incredible !!! Tim Mills (BKP owner) is a super good guy....extremely knowledgeable and friendly....a real professional and gentleman. He really listens to the customers' needs and recommends the perfect fit. I am super happy and will only buy Bare Knuckle Pickups now. I recommend them fully.

Handwound (scatterwound) passive calibrated humbucker set to match each other in ourput. Neck and bridge. The bridge has an Alnico V magnet and measures 15,2k in dc resistance, neck is Alnico IV and measures 7,5k. Comes with a set of strings, BK pick, wiring diagrams, lifetime guarantee.

Guitar: PRS SE Custom
Position: Neck and bridge
Musical style(s): Rock, blues, rock'n'roll, metal

I wanted to change the stock picups because I wanted hotter picups and picups with coil tap. Fist I tried the Seymour Duncan SH4 JB and SH2 Jazz, but I wasn`t satisfied at all. Not that they probabily fit other guitars, but they didn`t sound right at all in my PRS. After countles hours searching the web and forums, I decided to try Bare Knouckle. I wrote a email to Tim at Bare Knuckle and asked him for advice and got a mail back the same day. He suggested the Crawler Set. And to follow his advice usually pays off!

The output level in the bridge is more or less the same in the Seymour Duncan SH4 JB. Maby little less but not much. First of all: It sound absolutely great. Second of all: It sound out of this world! Incredible sting definition. IT IS NEVER HARSH!

The neck pickup is about the same as the stock picup in my PRS but with increased note definition and tone complexity that is from another world. I have read other reviews and some say "it sing like a choir of angles". And they are right. I play through a Engl Sovereign Vintage 100 112 Combo and from a clear setting to 1 ton of gain it create astounding sweet sound.

It is hard for me to find the right words to desribe thise picups, especially when my English is not that greate... But I can say one thing: If you have a guitar with mahogany body, set in mahogany neck,tremolo and if you are not completely into the metal genre, pick the Crawler set from Bare Knuckle. And I am even not payed to say this! :-)

Humbucker. Double cream bobbins.
Specs as described elsewhere.

PRS Custom 22 (vintage natural - hence the double cream bobbins - birds, trem, etc).

Neck and Bridge (matched set).

Replacing PRS HFS/Vintage Bass - really nice, and pokier than the original Dragons IIs (nice, very acoustic sounding).

The other guitarist in our band is a loud bugger (very good, but very loud). As we have many twin lead lines, I needed something to compete with, yet compliment tonewise, his BKP Holy Divers.

The Crawlers are hotter than the PRS HFS. They snarl rather than grunt. Tapped, they sparkle like the best ones from 'Big F'.

I've been a Big F man most of my life, playing fast and funky rhythm. Tapped, the Crawlers are ideal for this. But my band is veering more towards classic rock, and the Crawlers deliver all the power I'll ever need. I've put a ToneStyler (16-way tone switch) on the guitar, and it shapes the ample top end of the Crawlers whilst allowing all the mid and bass through. With this combination, my PRS can sound like a Big F or a Big G. I can cover the wide range of material with just one guitar. I couldn't ask for more.

Pickups don't usually get destroyed or stolen from guitars - so none of the stupid rants about ripping people's eyes out - but I'd highly recommend BKP Crawlers, and use them on all my guitars if money was no object.

I've been playing longer than I can remember, and I'm still learning. I've tried a range of pickups, including various PRS, SDs and Dims, many of which have been great - but the BKP Crawlers have got the edge and give me all the tones I need.

Tim at BKP is a real gent. I told him my exacting requirements, and he suggested the Crawlers. He was spot on !

My amp is a Cornell Rambler 40, 2x10 (Vintage 10s) combo, hand-built by Denis Cornell. It's gorgeous and sounds better than all the other amps I've owned/used (You name it . . ). For overdrive, I use a Lucifer pedal (see my review). The Crawlers are the missing link in my sound chain. I'm now a very happy bunny.

Handwound passive humbuckers. Neck and bridge.
The bridge has an Alnico V magnet and measures 15,6k in dc resistance, neck is Alnico IV and measures 7,6. The set is "calibrated" to match each other in ourput, which they do well.
Also comes with a set of strings, wiring diagrams, lifetime guarantee.

I got the Crawler set for my Les Paul Studio. I had long been unsatisfied with the stock pickups (498T, 490R)and wanted to breathe some life into this cherished guitar of mine. This is exactly what the Crawlers did. I wanted something that's closer to a true, thick Les Paul sound with, but with enough power to handle high distortion levels (I like to use a tube screamer style pedal with a slightly overdriven amp) and without sacrificing clean tones. I emailed Tim Mills, the owner of Bare Knuckle Pickups (and former Iced Earth guitarist!) and he suggested the Crawler set. These are the signature pickups of Geoff Whitehorn.

My first impression of the clean sound was that it's very "alive". It has a sweet, bright(ish) chime on the attack but then gets warmer as it sustains. Very beautiful sound I think. Chords sound huge. The neck pickup is very sweet sounding with an even frequency responce (atleast to my ears) and the bridge has a kick in the mids and bass (like a ToneZone), but still with plenty of bite for a punchy overdrive. All pots are CTS 500k and they are very responsive to how you set your volume and tone controls. This is something I really appreciate, becuase it gives me a wide selection of tones from just the guitar and an OD pedal.
The middle position struck me as quite odd when I first heard it. It has a very pronounced "aww" sound like a wah pedal stopped in the middle that some will love becuse it can really cut through the mix, especially with overdrive, and some might think it's too nasal. I found that you can get rid of the nasal-ness by turning the volume and tone a little down on the bridge pickup, which is something I always did on the stock picups aswell, and get a very sweet but powerful sound from the middle position.

I asked for something very versatile with a true Les Paul tone and that's what I got. These days, I'm a big fan of "guitar hero" music (as cheesy as that sounds). Guys like Al di Meola, Jason Becker, Steve Vai, Shawn Lane, Satch, Gilbert, you know the gang ;), and as much as I'm influences by those guys, I want my own tone. I play many styles of music, and they can handle it all. They are not typical blues pickups, nor typical metal pickups but they will do both very well. I haven't had the opportunity to use it with many effects. Just my T-Rex OD pedal and Morley wah through a very bad Marshall amp that I've been meaning to get rid of, but the Crawlers definitely made a huge improvement to my tone.

I believe I found the right pickups for favourite guitar, and they will not be replaced. I've been playing for roughly 8 years now, as I started out as a classical player, then found a fondness for the electric and bought this Les Paul. I have played guitars with pickups of many brands, and I've never played something as organic sounding as these BKPs. They also have very rich harmonics, which is a plus for many musicians. You only have to think about pinching and they do it for you ;)
But as Harmony Central says, nothing is perfect. The downside to these pickups are very few though. The price is an obvious one (but hey, quality costs) and as I said earlier, I'm not too keen on the very middy middle-position sound. However, some blues players would see this is a definite plus and if not, you can even it out with the vol/tone knobs, as I also said. That is the reason I am giving it a 9 in overall rating. But if I could give an 11 for sound quality, I would.

Calibrated set of hand-wound passive humbuckers.

DC readings are 15,6 for the bridge and 7,6 for the neck. They have "vintage cut" Alnico magnets, AV for the bridge and AIV for the neck.

All BKPs come with a set of strings and a pick.

I ordered these pickups as replacements for the stock pickups in my 2001 Les Paul Studio (498T/490R). Initially, I only wanted to replace the bridge pup, seen as I've been unsatisfied with it for awhile. When I came across Bare Knuckle Pickups though, I decided to go for a calibrated set with bridge and neck pickups that are made to match each other. I liked the cleans from the stock Gibson, but it really lacked some clarity when you let it have some gain. The main problem with the stock bridge pickup was that it generally sounded too bright, and brittle on the higher registers. Also, it sounded really muddy with distortion.
Anyway, enough about the Gibson pickups.

I emailed Tim Mills, the owner of the company, and described the sound I wanted. I said I wanted some warmer sounding pickups with a lead overdrive-sound similar to Al di Meola, but with power to soak some more gain. Tim suggested the Crawler set, and as a general rule, following his advice pays off.

This was no exeption. I got them installed with standard wiring (schematic included in the package) and started playing with the only amp I own at the time, a (very bad) 20W Marshall. The clean was GLORIOUS. One thing I liked about the stock pickups was the chimey clean they had. The Crawlers have a similar chime, but when you let them sustain they get really warm, which I really like. Even with big, long chords they let you hear every note. This kind of clarity is very useful for those of you who enjoy those out-of-the-ordinary jazz/prog chords.

I turned on the T-Rex Alberta overdrive, my main source for gain, and was greeted with beautiful, smooth harmonically rich tones. Now, the Alberta is very rich on those addictive overtones itself, but with the BKP, they really sing. The harmonics (natural, artificial, tapped, pinched, you name it) sound like they just WANT to come out. It never gets boring to play with you guitar reacts like this. On the other hand, they don't do anything you don't want them to. It's very easy to control your tone.
The lead tones are very "singy" no matter level of gain you use. The neck pickup has a sweet "french u" vowel sound, middle position a very pronounced "aww", like a wah pedal stopped in the middle and the bridge has a similar "aww", but with a brighter "aah" on the highs. It's not a bad, brittle kind of brightness though. As I said, it is very "singy" and you can definitely do shreddy leads on the bridge pickup without it sounding like nothing but pick-attacks.

Even with a lot of distortion (OD pedal + overdriven amp), they never loose focus. They sound tight and clear, but never sterile and mechanical. Always keeping a very organic vintage-y tone but with incredible harmonic responce. You only have to think about pinching and they do it for you, even on the neck pickup.

I play mostly prog and "guitar hero" music with some jazz, fusion and world music influences. However, I am a sucker for that true, thick Les Paul tone. The Crawlers diliver that to the fullest with enough versatality to cover many genres. If you want thin and twangy tones, this is not your way to go. But for authentic, yet powerful vintage tones, you can't go wrong with the Crawlers. But I do recommend to email Tim for suggestions.

These pickups truly saved the sound of my beloved Les Paul, and BKP has been known to do that before. They come with lifetime guarantee so I don't have to worry about them going stale.

I've been playing for about 8 years and started out as a classical player. Then I slowly moved into blues, rock and metal country, and now I play a bunch of different styles in different bands/projects. I know these pickups will do well in just about anything I throw myself into.

These pickups do what I wanted for this guitar. But as my collection grows, I know a fair share of those are gonna get BKPed. They do cost more than the leading brands of replacement pickups, but you can really understand it when you hear them and feel them.

Calibrated set of hand-wound passive humbuckers.

DC readings are 15,6 for the bridge and 7,6 for the neck. They have "vintage cut" Alnico magnets, AV for the bridge and AIV for the neck.

All BKPs come with a set of strings and a pick.

I ordered these pickups as replacements for the stock pickups in my 2001 Les Paul Studio (498T/490R). Initially, I only wanted to replace the bridge pup, seen as I've been unsatisfied with it for awhile. When I came across Bare Knuckle Pickups though, I decided to go for a calibrated set with bridge and neck pickups that are made to match each other. I liked the cleans from the stock Gibson, but it really lacked some clarity when you let it have some gain. The main problem with the stock bridge pickup was that it generally sounded too bright, and brittle on the higher registers. Also, it sounded really muddy with distortion.
Anyway, enough about the Gibson pickups.

I emailed Tim Mills, the owner of the company, and described the sound I wanted. I said I wanted some warmer sounding pickups with a lead overdrive-sound similar to Al di Meola, but with power to soak some more gain. Tim suggested the Crawler set, and as a general rule, following his advice pays off.

This was no exeption. I got them installed with standard wiring (schematic included in the package) and started playing with the only amp I own at the time, a (very bad) 20W Marshall. The clean was GLORIOUS. One thing I liked about the stock pickups was the chimey clean they had. The Crawlers have a similar chime, but when you let them sustain they get really warm, which I really like. Even with big, long chords they let you hear every note. This kind of clarity is very useful for those of you who enjoy those out-of-the-ordinary jazz/prog chords.

I turned on the T-Rex Alberta overdrive, my main source for gain, and was greeted with beautiful, smooth harmonically rich tones. Now, the Alberta is very rich on those addictive overtones itself, but with the BKP, they really sing. The harmonics (natural, artificial, tapped, pinched, you name it) sound like they just WANT to come out. It never gets boring to play with you guitar reacts like this. On the other hand, they don't do anything you don't want them to. It's very easy to control your tone.
The lead tones are very "singy" no matter level of gain you use. The neck pickup has a sweet "french u" vowel sound, middle position a very pronounced "aww", like a wah pedal stopped in the middle and the bridge has a similar "aww", but with a brighter "aah" on the highs. It's not a bad, brittle kind of brightness though. As I said, it is very "singy" and you can definitely do shreddy leads on the bridge pickup without it sounding like nothing but pick-attacks.

Even with a lot of distortion (OD pedal + overdriven amp), they never loose focus. They sound tight and clear, but never sterile and mechanical. Always keeping a very organic vintage-y tone but with incredible harmonic responce. You only have to think about pinching and they do it for you, even on the neck pickup.

I play mostly prog and "guitar hero" music with some jazz, fusion and world music influences. However, I am a sucker for that true, thick Les Paul tone. The Crawlers diliver that to the fullest with enough versatality to cover many genres. If you want thin and twangy tones, this is not your way to go. But for authentic, yet powerful vintage tones, you can't go wrong with the Crawlers. But I do recommend to email Tim for suggestions.

These pickups truly saved the sound of my beloved Les Paul, and BKP has been known to do that before. They come with lifetime guarantee so I don't have to worry about them going stale.

I've been playing for about 8 years and started out as a classical player. Then I slowly moved into blues, rock and metal country, and now I play a bunch of different styles in different bands/projects. I know these pickups will do well in just about anything I throw myself into.

These pickups do what I wanted for this guitar. But as my collection grows, I know a fair share of those are gonna get BKPed. They do cost more than the leading brands of replacement pickups, but you can really understand it when you hear them and feel them.

Alnico 5 passive humbuckers; 15k bridge, 7.5k neck output. They didn't initially come as a set; I bought the bridge pickup (barely) used from a friend on the 'net, and the neck pickup was purchased new from SIS in California. I then sent them both to Tim Mills at BKP, who installed raw nickel covers for added coolness.

I used this set to replace the stock pickups on a 1999 Les Paul Standard. I didn't hate the stock Gibsons, but they seemed like a one-trick pony --- pretty good for hard rock blasting, but (to my ears) lacking in subtlety. These pickups are the "signature model" of Geoff Whitehorn, a guy whose playing with many different artists I have greatly respected over the years.

The output level of the bridge pickup is noticeably higher than stock, the neck neckup's output is about the same as stock. However, in both positions, the increased note definition and tone complexity are nothing short of astounding. I play through either a 20-watt Crate Vintage Club amp or a Marshall DSL50 half-stack, with a Dunlop wah and a Fulltone Dejavibe, and these Crawlers are perfect for the classic rock sound I want. The mids and bass are strong but smooth, singing but not shrieking; the treble never becomes overwhelming. I recommend them for any Les Paul-style guitar.

If these BKP's were somehow lost to me, I'd be ordering another set in a heartbeat. I've been playing since 1976, and I have yet to hear a better set of humbuckers despite trying numerous brands. Definitely on the expensive side, but this is one instance where one truly gets what one pays for. Tim Mills is a great guy who is never chintzy with his time/advice, and who puts out a fantastic product!

Pickup features:
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Framus Diablo Custom
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Ducan-SSHR/SSL1/SSH4
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: Geoff Whitehorn
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues, Rock'n'roll,Grunge Hiphop....
Reason for pickup change: Seymour?s sounded too harsh too me

Perceived output level: slightly more than the seymours
Tone: perfectly balanced
Sonic evaluation: Framus Diablo Custom/Hughes & Kettner Special Edition Tube20th
coveres a very wide range of sounds

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: all kinds of styles in Studio/recording use

Comments: Tim Mills customer service really the best I have ever had!
He helped me to get the right combination of pickups and wound them a little hotter than stock-perfect!

Pickup features: humbucker passive
Impedence or other specs: 15.3k and 7.5k

Model of guitar or bass: 2004 gibson les paul custom
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: gibson 498 and490
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Geoff Whitehorn
You musical style(s): classic rock,soul,jazz and pop
Reason for pickup change: gibson neck up was to muddy and bridge sounded too thin on the plain strings.

Perceived output level: same as gibson's slightly hotter than vintage.
Tone: very balance with no harshness at all.
Sonic evaluation: Im using rivera jake\rake amps and celestion g75t speakers.The sound of the bridge pu is fat\phat but never muddy a really good rock pu but still sounds good clean.The neck crawler more vintage in its sound and is very clean and sooth but never dull.my les paul sounds right now.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: any style except metal(though heavy rock is no prob)poss abit smooth for country?

Comments: If they were stolen i would ring tim up and order a new set.I have used seymour's,dimazio,gibson pu's over the last 25 year's of playing and in my opinion bare knuckle's make the others sound bland.btw Tim answers the email's personally and his advice is spot on.

Pickup features: Calibrated set, four-conductor wiring, gold-plasted covers, humbucking
Impedence or other specs: Scatter wound, Alnico V magnet, 15 kOhms

Model of guitar or bass: Les Paul Custom (1978)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Original Gibson neck unit, Seymour Duncan JB bridge unit
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: These are Geoff Whitehorn's signature pick-ups!
You musical style(s): Rock, blues, rock'n'roll, metal
Reason for pickup change: Horrible woolly sound of original neck unit, and JB good for high gain but not too good for clean

Perceived output level: Punchy and powerful
Tone: Balanced, sweet, very clear.
Sonic evaluation: Les Paul Custom 1978, Boogie Mk IV with 200w EV speaker (live) and PodXT through very old Marshall VS30R (at home). Bell-like sustain. My dear old Les Paul now sounds completely and pant-wettingly gorgeous. There is loads of power and punch, but bucket loads of clarity, and a lovely sweet edge to everything, whether played crystal clean or with face-melting high gain, and chord note definition never goes no matter how much distortion is piled on. The pick-ups come with four conductor wiring, and since I have other guitars for single coil and coil-split stuff, I opted for series/parallel wiring with two push-push pots, and it?s utterly brilliant. Not as dramatic as coil tapping, and a bit difficult to describe, but in series you get standard humbucking sounds, and in parallel the sound cleans up and thins out, but only slightly ? almost like backing off the guitar volume, but better . There?s not as much of a volume drop as with a coil tap. Great for cleanish/crunchy rhythm work before going back to series for a searing solo, and some lovely subtle sounds are available with one pick-up in series and the other in parallel. Retains single or chord note definition all the way up to face-melting gain. Can do everything from "Green Manalishi" Fleetwood Mac and early Wishbone Ash to Thin Lizzy to Slash to The Darkness. Also good for cleaner stuff - Snowy White or Peter Frampton would love these pick-ups

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: In the band we play 50s to 90s rock, rock'n'roll, a bit of blues and even some pop

Comments: These pick-ups are the best thing to happen to my Les Paul ever, and I would definitely buy again. I have been playing now for thirty six years, and also have a PRS CE22, G&L S500 and Fender Strat Ultra ... but the Les Paul, which I have owned since 1982, is suddenly my favourite again. I like everything about these pick-ups and dislike only the fact that you can no longer have them with engraved covers - I want to show the world what I have got! I did a lot of research before choosing these and it was a good decision. My Les Paul now sounds just like I always wanted it to sound.
The customer service from Tim Mills and his boize is great too - they are still a small enough company to care, and I have corresponded personally with Tim. Good mail order service, and no more expensive than anywhere else.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson LP Standard 1987
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Bridge and Neck
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Kinda Rocky Stuff
Reason for pickup change: Not happy with bland sound

Perceived output level: Noticeable increase in output
Tone: Balance
Sonic evaluation: Gibson '87 LP Standard, Roland vga7 combo

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rockish , both positions

Comments: I have been in the same band for 11 years and have always been looking for "the sound", the Crawler pick ups are without doubt a vast improvement on the standards pick ups they give a big fat sound without the mush ,excellent sustain without uncontrolled feedback, also Bare Knuckles service has been professional, yet personal.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 15k impedance

Model of guitar or bass: Peavey Wolfgang EXP
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock pickups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Geoff Whitehorn
You musical style(s): 70's Rock - 80's Thrash
Reason for pickup change: I felt the guitar could easily handle better pickups than those that came as stock.

Perceived output level: These pickups are fairly hot, without being full-on-distortion pickups. If you want that, then go for Bare Knuckle's Nailbomb instead.
Tone: This is a pretty bright pickup which would certainly suit mahogany bodied guitars down to the ground. As far as I know, Geoff Whitehorn (who the pickups were designed for) uses Les Paul's. Even at high gain settings, the individual strings sound out really clearly. This is a very open and articulate pickup.
Sonic evaluation: I bought the 4 conductor versio of the pickup, and had a push-push volume pot installed on the guitar to switch between full humbucking and split-coil modes. In addition, I had a capacitor installed to give the coil split a slightly fuller voice. It sounds great, especially the neck and in-between positions. I play through a Vox Tonelab, which I much prefer to Line 6's products, but I can't help thinking these pickups will really come to life once I get to play them through a decent amp in anger. I also have a Fernandes Randy Rhoads copy, with a Seymour Duncan Invader in the bridge position. The bolt-on neck Peavey sounds less syrupy and rich than the through-neck Fernandes, but as I said before it is an extremely articulate tone. I think the ideal match would be the Crawler pickups on a through or set-neck guitar.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I e-mailed Tim Mills at Bare Knuckle to ask for his recommendation of pickup. I was after something that ranged from 70's ZZ Top, through the first three Metallica albums to Queens Of The Stone Age. His recommendation was the Crawler. It does give a good "ZZ Top On Steroids" tone, and as I play with it more, and edit the Tonelab patches to suit the pickup, I have a feeling I'm going to be very happy with my choice.

Comments: Tim Mills is a real customer service supremo. When I phoned him to order the pickups he immediately checked which model guitar I was planning on fitting them to. When I told him it would be a Wolfie, he explained the modifications that would need to be made to the pickups in order to fit in with the Peavey's routing, and then made all the modifications for free before sending the pickups out. They arrive with a pick and a spare set of 10 gauge strings. Tim answers every e-mail the same day. What more could you ask for? The fact that he makes exceptionally engineered pickups, often using high quality vintage components and techniques (but not if they don't make the pickups sound better) means that the ?10-?15 premium you pay over mass produced pick-ups is an absolute steal. My only dilemma now is which Bare Knuckle pickups the get fitted to my other guitars!

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: 15.4

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone LesPaul Heritage
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Gibson 500T and 496R
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Geoff Whitehorn
You musical style(s): Hardrock, Rock, blues, shredding
Reason for pickup change: The guitar was first equiped with Shaller-pickups, they sounded great (like 57:ers?) but didn?t fit my style, I wanted a real fat LesPaul so I went for the original. Gibson 500T & 496R, Found out pretty soon that shure they were more "metal" but lack in tone compared to the Schallers.
The Gibsons were to hash-sounding, and didn?t have "tone", they cut through and had high output, but thats all.
I wanted singing lead tone and now I GOT IT!

Perceived output level: The Crawlers are perfekt, they are hot (15.4) but not TOO hot, you can still back off if you want to
Tone: Well... they have got tone! the lead tone is fat and singing i guess kind of middy but in the same time not too middy for rythm, there is still bite and attack.
Sonic evaluation: I?v go three setups:
* PodXT (use this nowdays, sometimes direkt to PA or in front of a poweramp)
* Laney VH 100 (modified by Tommy "This amp got a new heart" Folkesson. Sounds more like a Rectifier nowdays)
* Rocktron Chameleon / poweramp
* Carvin 412
* Laney 212 (vintage 30)
When I got the Gibsonpickups the guitar always sound worse than my Ibanez 770 in any combinations. Now it sounds great nomather what I plug it into.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: My style of playing is a kind of mix between: George Lynch, John Norum, fast runs with some touch of blues/rock

Comments: I was recomended on a swedish guitarforum to get in contact with mr Tim Mills at Bare Knuckles Pickups. And so I did.
Told him my ideas and my "problem" and he recomended me the Crawlers. (I was heading for The Mule, but I trusted Tim?s good reputation and went for a set of Crawlers on his advise)
I?ve allways been a searcher for THE sound, been playin for about 20 years and went through Dimarzio, Seymour Duncan etc. I?m not a pickup "pro" but I know when it does sound right or don?t. This time it all sounded soooo right! Tone, bite, string separation, sweetness of the Alnico magnet but still wery powerfull. Perfekt! I?ve never so far had better pickups than those Crawlers (the neck and bridge are perfect calibrated).
I was a little nervous that they should sound a little too middy, but they didn?t.
Yes I would buy them again if they where stolen. And I shure can rekomend Tim and Bare Knuckles Pickups. By the way the pickups are handmade and specially made for you!
(apologize for the bad english, I?m from Sweden :-)

Pickup features: Passive Humbuckers
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 70s Aria 'Les Paul'
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Generic Aria humbuckers
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Geoff Whitehorn
You musical style(s): Classic rock, blues,
Reason for pickup change: Aria pickups losing tone after 30 years!

Perceived output level: Higher output than other humbuckers I have used; drives valve amp more smoothly into overdrive without muddy distortion; allows gain to be turned down, giving sweeter tones without loss of power when needed.
Tone: Well-balanced, sweet, harmonically rich. Great string separation for chord work
Sonic evaluation: Playing through an Ashdown Peacemaker 60w valve 2x12 combo - awesome valve tones, from clean to nice overdrive to full-on drive for heavier work. Excellent sustain from these pickups, very natural open sound. Fantastic.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Zeppelin, Free, Humble Pie, through to Green Day, Foo Fighters etc. These pickups (with careful use of guitar volume/tone - plus I have them wired for coil-splitting which gives incredible versatility) allows all the tones needed for quite a range of sounds. I would say Crawlers have it all.

Comments: Beem playing for 30 years. These are the best pickups I have ever played, bar none. I opted for an open-coiled black set, which looks extremely cool (unlike me) against the tobacco sunburst guitar. The coil taps I had incorporated expand the sounds available even more, but even as they are these pickups would provide a huge range of rock tones for guitarists who know how to use their volume/tone knobs on the guitar and amp. Nothing else needed! I cannot recommend them highly enough, and will definitely be fitting Bare Knuckles poickups to other guitars in the future.

Pickup features: Humbucking Passive
Impedence or other specs: see spec

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson 1978 Les Paul Standard
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan SH5 custom
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Neck
Artists using this pickup: Geoff Whitehorn
You musical style(s): Classic Rock
Reason for pickup change: Been looking for that 'TONE' for 20 years. I think I may have found it.

Perceived output level: Lot more punch than the Duncan.
Tone: Thick and creamy with clarity of note. Awesome when amp is in meltdown !!
Sonic evaluation: Les Paul through Cornford Mk50 and Marshall TSLC212 ext cab. Also Marshall TSL602

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Mainly Classic Rock, Lizzy, W.Ash, Skynyrd, Bad Co. etc

Comments: Been playing 20 years. I think I may have actually found that 'TONE'. It really is Glorious ! May I also say a BIG THANKS to Tim at Bareknuckle, who really is an extremely helpful and patient guy. Customer service is exceptional.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: 16.06

Model of guitar or bass: USA Customs Super Strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Rio Grande Bar-B-Quebucker
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock
Reason for pickup change: I love the Rio Grande but I needed a pickup with a little more bottom end or a little tighter bottom end.

Perceived output level:
Tone: This is a very balanced pickup tight bottom end ,good mids, highs with bite
Sonic evaluation: I use an Engl Savage 120 or Splawn Quick Rod with 4x12 cabs. This pickup does Classic Rock to more modern drop D Rock with ease.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: I will be talking to Tim about another pick-up very soon.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 15K Alnico V

Model of guitar or bass: PRS EG IV (91 US model)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: PRS Standard Treble
Other pickups on guitar: Bare Knuckle P-90's
Artists using this pickup: Geoff Whitehorn
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues, 60's & 70's pop
Reason for pickup change: wanted different sound out of the PRS. This is not my main guitar so I was willing to experiment a bit with it.

Perceived output level: Hot but has a great tone when the volume is taken down
Tone: Like all bare Knuckle pickups, the tone is balanced with a nice top/mid push
Sonic evaluation: Marshall Silver Jubilee 25/50 combo, Fender Princeton II, Blackstone overdrive, Boss DF-2, MXR Phase 90

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is a great pickup for rock and blues

Comments: I love Geoff Whitehorn's work with Paul Rodgers (listen to 'Now & Live'), and so when I saw Tim was making a pickup that had been voiced for Geoff I wanted to try it. The PRS is a HSS combo guitar and I saw that this pickup was also voiced to be used in this combination (though probably not with P-90's in mind!). I have a 4-pole 5-way switch which I have set to give me Bridge HB/Bridge Screw coil+ Middle P-90/Middle P90/Bridge Screw coil + neck P-90/neck P-90 (Bare Knuckle can supply this, or Stew Mac in the US).
With this guitar I can get almost any sound I can think of. The Crawler works really well with the P-90's and on its own it is exactly what I wanted. I am also using the Live Wire ST Tone set (gives almost active tone control, but is passive). I really don't need to use the overdrive or feedback pedals with this.
I have friends who have been playing as long as I have (over 30 years), and when they pick this up they can't believe the sound. No one wants to put the guitar down (until they hear my Les Paul with Bare Knuckles! - see Emerald & Mule reviews).

Pickup features: Passive HB
Impedence or other specs: 15k DC Scatterwound Zebras

Model of guitar or bass: Parker Fly Deluxe
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Standard Dimarzios
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Geoff Whitehorn
You musical style(s): Rock , Blues , Jazz
Reason for pickup change: Pickups fitted as standard seemed thin sounding, with no particular character of their own. Spoke to Tim Mills and specified that I wanted sustain of Les Paul combined with Strat tone. Tim recommended Crawlers.

Perceived output level:
Tone: Very well balanced / Bassy full sound from neck pickup and clear well defined distortion from bridge - When used together for clean sound , superb harmonics/inter-action between the pair
Sonic evaluation:
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Great for wide range of genres

Comments: Tim Mills will go out of his way to help you to get up and running so you're happy 110% - superb aftersales and backup - e:mails / calls answered quickly . Pickups Delivered next day following order. Fantastic considering these were bespoke prototypes for this particular early model of Parker.Lifetime warranty. They look classy and well made / finished.

Pickup features: Passive Hambucking
Impedence or other specs: 15 ko

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Standard Historic Collection 2003
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Di Marzio Tone Zone
Other pickups on guitar: Gibson Burstbucker 1
Artists using this pickup: Geoff Whitehorn
You musical style(s): Hard Rock-Heavy Metal
Reason for pickup change: je recherchais un micro avec un meilleur ?quilibre que le Tone Zone de Di Marzio, plus de d?li?, proche d'un vieux PAF, mais avec plus de Boost!!

Perceived output level: Tr?s bon niveau de sortie, mais pas trop non plus, juste ce qu'il faut!!!
Tone: Tout y est, ?quilibre parfait!!!!
Sonic evaluation: J'utilise une Gibson Les Paul Standard Historic Collection de 2003 sur un ampli Peavey 5150 mod?le II avec une wha-wha Vox et un vieux Digitech RP7

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: je joue dans un groupe de Heavy-Metal avec influences 70's et 80's

Comments: je joue depuis 32 ans, j'ai d'autres Les Paul que je vais sans doute ?quiper de micros bare Knuckle d?s que je pourrais!! je cherchais depuis longtemps un micro qui me procure les sensations d'un vieux paf original avec plus de niveau, je ne suis pas d??u, vraiment excellent, le Crawler "chante" comme on peut le r?ver!!!!
Bravo Tim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: DC:15K for other specs check out www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Standard
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Standard Les Paul Bridge (year 2000)
Other pickups on guitar: standard Gibson Neck Pickup
Artists using this pickup: Geoff Whitehorn
You musical style(s): rock/blues
Reason for pickup change: Wanted more tone!

Perceived output level:
Tone: Warmer and more like the sound you hear in your head than the standard gibson one! it sings!
Sonic evaluation: Marshall JCM2000 DSL100.
It really smoothed out the sound....hasnt lost any treble but is now much warmer and fuller and less harsh. its the perfect pickup for rock players that want to be able to change to a great blues sound without compromising the best bits of each style of the music.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock/Blues/Metal---great for all!

Comments: iv been playing for most of my life.(although i am only 16 lol). i'd deffinatly get another if it was stolen. after i'v beatin the thief to deaf with tone. (ha...deaf get it!?) seriously tho, its great. really happy with it. i wanted a warmer sound and this really came through for me. makes the band sound better because of it! i'm much more confident about putting on more cutting eq settings on my amp, it never gets feeble sounding!!!!

Pickup features: uncovered passive humbuckers
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Tokai LC53 Les Paul Custom (Korean)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock ('crappy Gotohs')
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Geoff Whitehorn
You musical style(s): Fleetwood Mac tribute band
Reason for pickup change: stock pickups weren't anything special. and had heard good things about the BareKnuckles from the guys at Arrowhead Guitars

Perceived output level: hotter than the stock ones, hotter than the stock ones in my '82 Tokai and a LOT hotter than the StewMac Golden Age's in my Ibanez
Tone: these *cut* - a little toppier than I was expecting, but very clear
Sonic evaluation: Marshall JCM800, Boss SD-1. Comments from the rest of the band 'Best lead tone I've heard you get', 'that guitar sounds really clear', and (from our bassist) "Cor. Evil little bitch, isn't it!"

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Fleetwood Tribute band - works very well indeed for the sound I'm after (Valve amp on edge of breakup, + singing lead tone with SD-1)

Comments: Great people to deal with, awesome pickups, would recommend 'em to anyone.

Pickup features: Humbucker passive. Zebra coils.
Impedence or other specs: Rated at 15k impedance, Alnico V magnets. Scatter-wound coils. 43 gauge enamelled windings. 4 conductor hook-up.

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Gold Top
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Failed Seymour Duncan JB and replacement Kent Armstrong HRO1
Other pickups on guitar: Kent Armstrong PAF neck position.
Artists using this pickup: Geoff Whitehorn - but then he helped voice it!
You musical style(s): Blues, blues-rock.
Reason for pickup change: The original Seymour Duncan JB which had been in place for 16 years lost a coil mid gig. As it was wired to coil tap and phase switches I could still use it but without the full-blown grunt of a series wired humbucker. I had the Armstrong in my spares box but it never made the sweet noises that the JB did, either alone or in conjunction with the neck PAF. Something had to change.
I saw the Crawler at Music Live 2004 and spoke to Tim of Bare Knuckle about it. He verbally gave me its spec and let that do the selling for him.
The fact it has 4-conductor wiring means that I can retain the coil tapping and phasing options of its predecessor. Just handling the pickup at the Bare Knuckle stand confirmed its quality and attention to detail. Tim's description of its sound as "Like a JB but without the bark" was enough to convince me to try one. Usually I would have checked Harmony Central first for user reviews but this was a bit of an impulse buy. Must try it again!

Perceived output level: Sounds like a beefed-up PAF but without the mid-range bark of the Duncan JB. Output level is similar to a JB. To my ears there is nothing better than Alnicos in any pickup.
Tone: As a humbucker it is punchy and well-balanced with clarity across the tonal range. I thought the JB would be impossible to better, but I am forced to reconsider this opinion. With one coil shorted out, the Crawler has a toppy Strat-like quality which adds enormously to the Les Paul's sonic vocabulary. When used in conjunction with the neck PAF, either in or out of phase, it produces usable, musical tones. Out of phase is instant Peter Green; in-phase brings to mind country-ish qualities. The interaction of the Crawler with PAF was better than the JB and I thought that was the dog's nether regions. All round a remarkably versatile pickup which delivers either on its own or in cahoots with the neck PAF.
Sonic evaluation: Crawler installed on a Les Paul, through a Boss CS3 into a RAT2 and then a Morley PowerWah. Amp is a Hiwatt DR103 through either a 2x12 or 4x12 cabinet.
I honestly thought the SD Jeff Beck would be impossible to better. The Crawler delivers the punch and mid-range sweetness without the slight edginess. Linked to the neck PAF brings out a massive range of usable rock and blues sounds.
It is quite hard to add further comments about this pickup. I suspect that the next gig will generate comments from band-mates which will prove more telling than my somewhat over-awed ramblings. First, second and third impressions are of a pickup that not only delivers in its own right but works brilliantly with its partner in crime. Simply sonically superb.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues, blues-rock. An ideal match. A great bridge pickup although I would have reservations about using it in the neck position. In tapped mode it brings a real single coil 'sting' to the Les Paul, so on its own the Crawler can offer a massive array of sounds. It may not have enough drive for metal, and it certanly had too many mids for that genre, but for blues and blues-base rock, it is impossible to fault.

Comments: I have only had the Crawler fitted for three days, but it has impressed me so much I had to put this submission together. It isn't cheap, but quality never is. Let's see how it fares with a few gigs under its belt. I suspect the more I use this pickup, the more I will discover about it and my rave factor is likely to increase. Brilliant work Bare Knuckle - this is a knockout [groan!]

Pickup features: Humbuckers
Impedence or other specs: 16dc Bridge (Neck balanced to match)

Model of guitar or bass: Les Paul Custom
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock Les Paul Custom Humberkers
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Geoff Whitehorn
You musical style(s): Cross section depending on gig
Reason for pickup change: The guitar is lovely but I felt that the pick ups were not special enough.I had recently replaced a Suhr pick up on my Tyler Strat. It is an awesome pick up so I felt assured on risking a plug into the crawler set recommended by Tim.

Perceived output level: High output
Tone: Balanced with nice mids(but not nasal)
Sonic evaluation: Pluged into aPeavey Classic & Delta Blues they sing like I,ve never heard a pick up sing before (at least in my hands).The tones remind me of Michael Thompson. They are sonically so rewarding I,m working my guitar like never before, infact my wife said I sounded like Jeff Beck;.... that,ll do! The nice thing is I don,t need a booster for ultra fast stuff anymore but I still get tone without the fizzy stuff that I hate when recording. These pick ups have not only revolutionized my playing they are a positive sonic revelation. I will never look at another pick up again, and believe me I,ve tried literally hundreds!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Needs a balanced set and you will cover Rock, Blues, Jazz and more.

Comments: In 30 years of playing I not found anything to touch these pick ups. Infact I could say that about the Irish Tour fitted to my Tyler,and I think the Suhr pick ups are great, but these are better in my opinion.