Bare Knuckle Pickups Irish Tour

Pickup features: single coil, vintage stagger
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender American Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: All Stock Pickups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickups on my American Strat seemed to be a little bit lifeless. I wanted a hotter pickup that would help me get an edgier SRV type sound.

Perceived output level: Definately hotter than stock pickups, drives the amp very nicely but still isn't OTT
Tone: well ballanced- has a warm vintage vibe to the tone, not too harsh
Sonic evaluation: I am using a 2005 Fender American Strat tuned half a step down through an Orange Rocker 30 combo amp. Through the clean channel the pickups sound rich and full, very well ballanced and warm, the neck and neck/middle sounds are particularly addictive. Response to picking dynamics is amazing, sounding superb when digging into the strings, perfect for blues playing. Playing through the dirty channel set to break up and using a crowther blueberry to drive the amp and another overdrive pedal for lead tones, there are simply some monstrous sounds to be had especially in the SRV, Rory Gallagher, Hendrix ballpark. Each position on the 5 way switch sounds so full and rich compared to the stock pickups, the Irish tours just make the Strat a joy to play. What's particularly great about these pickups is how well they drive the amp without ever sounding too harsh and they have a real vintage vibe.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mainly blues, SRV, Hendrix etc- these pickups are perfect for that kind of sound- Little Wing/ Wind Cries Mary sound so full and Fat.

Comments: I have been playing for over 12 years and I have never bought replacement pickups before and I really didn't know what to expect. I have to say though I am very glad I did and I don't think I could play a strat without them now. They've really brought the guitar out of it's shell and given it a bit of life. The Irish Tours really do deliver and my start is now just a joy to play. Don't let the whole Texas vibe put you off these if that isn't your thing, they will suit a wide variety of styles.

Pickup features: Single Coil Set
Impedence or other specs: DC: 7.65/6.5/6.5k calibrated*(so the website says)

Model of guitar or bass: '93 Fender Japanese Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock in the neck and middle, and some old Seymour Duncan in the Bridge
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Blues/Rock/Country
Reason for pickup change: wanted a better sound, didnt like what i had in

Perceived output level: higher output than a normal set of pickups
Tone: very balanced
Sonic evaluation: Im playing my strat through a 1974 Fender Deluxe Reverb, and it sounds amazing clean. The pickups respond very well to how much attack you use. Step on my Fulltone Fulldrive 2 and it sounds even better for some overdriven tones

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: great for all styles of Country, Blues, and Rock.

Comments: If this guitar was stolen, I'd buy a new one just like it with the same pickups in it. I love them. I've been playing for about 3 years, and have a variety of pedals, and guitars... Theres nothing i dont like about it. Greatest sounding pickups I've heard in a Fender Strat. Gets that Rory sound like its supposed to no problem. I would highly recommend them to anyone.

Pickup features: Single Coil Passive
Impedence or other specs: See Bare Knuckle Web Site

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Highway 1 Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Fender Pickups
Other pickups on guitar: n/a
Artists using this pickup: Me & other fortunates
You musical style(s): Rock/Blues/Eastern/Melodic & Rhythmic
Reason for pickup change: I heard some Apache Bare Knuckles in a friends guitar

Perceived output level: a tad hotter than the fenders being replaced
Tone: Beautifully Rich & Full Bodied. Ooozes dimension & tone. Awesome bite in sustain mode.Harmonically rich in crunch mode
Sonic evaluation: Behringer AC112 Vintager. Line 6 Flextone 3. Computor based Amps
Played thru a Marshall and Fender Blues Junior

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: My upbringing was in Rock & Blues but I play a lot of variety. I love melody and Rhythm in music. These Pickups play beautifully in anything I choose to play.

Comments: If they got stolen I would be back on the phone to Tim for another set. Ive been playing for many years and these are without a doubt the best sounding pups Ive heard. They are a pleasure to play. No preoccupation or fighting with your instrument while trying to find your sound. All ya need to do is plug in and you're there for the ride. They'll go anywhere you wanna take em with ease. They also bring out the best tones in your amp. I have 2 other strats. I have a set of Apaches on the way & the other one is gunna have a hotter set. Ive heard a few different sets of the Bare Knuckles and what stands out apart from the unique sound of each set, is beautiful tonal quality and clarity with no hint of thin glassy, harshness, or the feeling of being slapped in the side of the head with an ice pick. Tim was so helpful & made it so easy for me with my enquiries and all his suggestions were bang on. Some one has got it right at last. Leo would be proud :) Oh ... I gotta buy a telecaster and................

Pickup features: Single coil, passive
Impedence or other specs: scatterwound

Model of guitar or bass: Blade RH4
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock levinson units- middle and neck
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan JB
Artists using this pickup: Moi
You musical style(s): Rock, pop, blues, metal,
Reason for pickup change: Needed more output, better tone, more responsivness. Also the neck & middle needed to balance with the SD JB in the bridge.

Perceived output level: Hotter than a normal single coil- balances perfecly with JB in bridge
Tone: well balanced- powerful bottom string response- lots of clarity
Sonic evaluation: Levinson Blade RH4_Crybaby_Mxr Zakk wylde_digitech bad monkey_Modded Peavey XXX 112(less gain than normal)_various modulation and delay pedals.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mainly covers- i need to be able to cover lots of styles

Comments: I would but bareknuckles without looking around now- these are the only single coil pickups i have ever been happy with- works well with drive and gives classic strat clean sounds. Tim is really helpful and I think he makes better pickups than a certain mr Duncan!Thank you! Really good personal service & lifetime warranty- Bonus!

Pickup features: Strat single coil passive, RW/RP middle pickup for hum-canceling
Impedence or other specs: DC: 7.65/6.5/6.5k calibrated, Alnico V flat profile,Vintage stagger hand bevelled magnets

Model of guitar or bass: '02 Fender Strat (Corona Calif)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock fender p/ups
Other pickups on guitar: na
Artists using this pickup: they'd love 'em if they tried em
You musical style(s): Classic rock, blues... pretty much anything
Reason for pickup change: stock p/ups didn't do it for me, too crass and uninteresting.

Perceived output level: Vast improvement over stocks, hotter, more refined, & better output tappering (with included pots)
Tone: tonaly orgasmic ;-P, extremly well balanced, versitile, biting classic strat tones
Sonic evaluation: Stuff I've tried with this guitar w/the bare knuckles:
Marshall MG250DFX & MG50DFX
Marshall 6100 30th Blue Full Stack
New ORANGE Full Stack
Behringer X-Vamp, V-Amp2
Computer-based Dolby 5.1 upmixing to surround speakers
Damage Controll 'Womanizer' preamp
Rocktron BlackCat Moan

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I'll play anything I like the sound of, but I lean towards Hendrix/SRV style and sound. These pickups are a godsend for this kind of music, but they are also very versatile.

Comments: I've been looking to replace my stock strat p/ups ever since I got the thing. It's a beautiful strat and was perfect in every way 'cept the pickups; they just didn?t match the quality of the guitar. These pickups make the guitar sound the way it should, like a classic strat... if Fender Strats sounded like this off the shelf, people would be a lot happier with their guitars and wouldn't spend years and $$$ searching for the sounds of Hendrix, Clapton, and SRV that they bought a Strat for in the first place!
If these got stolen or destroyed (along with my guitar I can only assume) I would be heartbroken/find and kill thief/get another strat and order these pickups.
Been playing for 6 years, only have this strat and a Jay Turser Sitka spruce acoustic w/a DiMarizo V-Acoustic. Used to have a Dan Armstrong.
I love everything about these pickups, honestly can't find anything even remotely lacking in them.
When I was looking for new p/ups for my strat I checked out pretty much all the popular brands (Seymour D., Dean Markley, Fender Custom Shops)... these are better hands down.

Long story short, I am very satisfied with these and would recommend them to anyone.

Pickup features: Single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues/rock
Reason for pickup change: custom made guitar...needs to have pickups

Perceived output level: More than the average US strat pickups
Tone: Perfect clean, classic vintage strat, balanced with bite, great presence
Sonic evaluation: Fender deluxe 90 / Fender Blues DeVille

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Gallagher, SRV...anything that comes to mind

Comments: I would certainly buy these again if they were stolen. Great quality and the sound is such that I feel i could have put these pups into a skateboard and it would sound like a ?1000 guitar. They are also the best guys to deal with......there isn't a single aspect that I don't love about these pickups

Pickup features: single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Strat
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Standard Fender single coil
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Rock / Blues
Reason for pickup change: To Find the tone i have been searching for

Perceived output level: It's an overwound classic single coil
Tone: The tone is Bassy and middy but not glassy in any way
Sonic evaluation: I am using a fender strat with a Marshall 50w JMC 2000 valve head and a Marshall 2x12 1922 cab

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Classic rock, Blues.

Comments: Forget all the other single coils you have heared, this is all you will need. I have been playing for 6 years and I'm a massive fan of Stevie Ray Vaughan, not just for his playing but his tone. As you can imagine i have bought many pickups along the way, Fender Noiseless, Vintage noiseless Ect, but none of them had that raw power or tone of Stevie. I found out about Bare knuckle in a guitar mag and gave them a ring. I explained what tone i was looking for and was actually greeted by somebody who understood me! As soon as i played it cranked up for the first time i knew it was the sound i had searched for, Clunky vocal single coil, sweet with the gain down but dripping with Texas power when cranked! There was no hiss either with the gain high. I know they say the review must be fair but it is! i can't find any fault with it for rock and blues. The down side is it may not be high gain enough for the metal players but anybody who cares about tone, this is the one.

Pickup features: Single coil
Impedence or other specs: Not Known

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Stratocaster (Mexican 60's model)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Manufacturers standard
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Not known
You musical style(s): Blues/Rock
Reason for pickup change: Original pickups too thin sounding,wanted to replicate the sound of a 1963 Stratocaster that circumstances forced me to sell recently.

Perceived output level: Roughly the same as my vintage '63 Strat.
Tone: Classic vintage Statocaster,beautifully mellow neck,balanced middle & biting bridge
Sonic evaluation: Mexican 60's Stratocaster through GT-5 processor into P.A. system. These pickups have exceded my expectations and have made an O.K. guitar into a great one.For the first time in ages I've played till my fingers bled! The dynamics and tone are spot on for that classic 60's Strtocaster tone.The presentation with aged white pickup covers and the attention to detail in construction with fabric insulation instilled confidence that this was a quality product.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Excellent for S.R.V and Gallagher style blues,boogie and rock.

Comments: I would certainly buy these again and am considering buying another set for another sixties reissused stratocaster. I have been playing for over thirty years, and own six guitars mainly strats but one acoustic and one Ibanez Satriani. Having sold my pride and joy, a vintage 63 strat.owned from the age of 17,I now feel that I have something that comes close to the mark.

Pickup features: 3 x single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 1983 jap strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: 1x 1970 strat,2x not sure but fender modernish
Other pickups on guitar: -
Artists using this pickup: -
You musical style(s): rock and blues
Reason for pickup change: great guitar-weedy pickups

Perceived output level: much louder than stock
Tone: a driven clean sound ,no horrible treble spikeyness
Sonic evaluation: used with ltd edition blues deluxe(jensen speaker)I now have classic clean sounds and all the driven tones one could ask for.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: a better player could obtain all the classic strat tones-SRV,hendrix,clapton,shadows,dire straits etc

Comments: I have previously fitted 'mules' into my flying V so knew what quality to expect.The sonic quality still surprises though.fantastic sounds on all strings and no crappy single coil thin tones at all.these pick ups have turned my guitar into a pro quality instrument.

Pickup features: Strat Single Coil set
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: American Std Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan SSL5's (x2) & an unspecified DiMarzio
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Me!!!! :-)
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues, Pop, Soul
Reason for pickup change: Fancied a change, something with a bit more umph & grunt

Perceived output level: Perceived as louder
Tone: Very clear but powerfull, rich tone when wound up, a Texas Special on steroids!
Sonic evaluation: Tried through a Line6 Flextone Plus II on the Fender Deluxe setting

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good all round replacement pickup, has good range of tone & character

Comments: 10/10. I would buy these pick-ups again if I had to get a replacement Strat. Was so-so with the Duncans but, they never really did it for me, I always felt the tone of my Strat could be improved but didn't think the Duncans did it 100%. The IT's are superb & at last, it seems we have a home grown talent who can & will take on the Americans & provide equal if not superior pickups at a reasonable cost (well, come on, they are hand wound after all!). After sales service is second to none (installation query). I've had to call a couple of times & each time I have been greeted with hands on practical help & advice - Tim rules!