Bare Knuckle Pickups Piledriver

Bridge Single Coil Pickup, at over 14K it's quite hot

Installed in a 90's Fender Custom Shop Telecaster which is my favorite guitar, I have always stuck to a Gibson Mini Humbucker in the neck which I love but i've been searching for a Bridge Pickup that suits my tastes for a while. The most recent was a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound which wasn't a bad pickup but seemed to lack the clarity and detail of the Piledriver.

Output is Hot but not riducuoulsly hot, it seems to match with the Gibson Mini Humbucker in the neck very well. Tone is well balanced with the knobs on full, back the volume down and you start getting the classic Tele Twang. I have a four way switch installed in the Tele which allows the Bridge and Neck pickups to be in series as well as the stock parallel. Together they make the most amazing fat tone I have heard out of of a Tele. By itself it is by far the best Tele Bridge pickup I have heard, seems to add a nice chunk of sustain as well. Suits classic and Heavy rock very well

At this stage I am yet to hear a better Tele Bridge pickup which suits my needs, it has the bite of a good Tele Pickup but with a pleasing amount of warmth as well and sounds great with a fair dose of gain. I will definently be considering Bareknuckle pickups for my other guitars as well.

Single coil bridge pick up

I removed the generic standard bridge pickup and fitted one of these babies into my usa standard tele.

Ah man I was ready to sell off my tele as soon as i bought it but luckily I was reckemended these bad boys! The standard pickups in tele are shockingly ****, for a guitar that sets you back ??1000 you want quality and sorry but in my personal opinion I think its completly out of order that fender make such terrible quality instruments, the original pickups sound WAN* there is no two ways about it. After fitting ONE of these i saw the difference from the word go! If you play high gain music, no probs man this will take all you can throw at it! All the way to shimmering clean to blues..Awesome. whats the point in having a bently with a skoda engine...same here, give your tele what is rightly deserves!

I have been playing for years and I go through a marshall 4x12 cab and a Marshall TSL 100H. Since i added this pickup I can get ANY tone I want. Only thing that i would like slightly more of is sustain, but thats just the tele nothing to do with the pickup, saying that, when I added this it GREATLY added to the sustain!
Mate, if this was stolen or lost it goes with out saying i'd get another! Infact if i had the cash I would replace all my guitars pickups with barenuckle ones..hand made.quality. Do NOT be worried about getting one of these and modding your tele..just do it do it do it!!

The Piledriver is a high output, single coil, passive, telecaster replacement pickup.

This pickup is installed in a USA Telecaster Deluxe in the bridge position. In the neck position, I have installed a Bare Knuckle Miracle Man humbucker. I built this guitar entirely from scratch using custom Fender USA parts. The end product was much more expensive than buying a USA standard Tele from Guitarshack, but in a completely different class of instrument. I chose BKPs after extensive research because because I wanted to have a guitar with a more unique sound that would be suitable for heavier styles of playing.

Compared to stock, you can expect this to be a much higher output pickup with a more modern, and aggressive sound. I have experimented with numerous pickup brands including Seymour Duncan, EMG, etc... Those pickups can be good, but I didn't like the fact that they were also very common. I like the EMG-81 very much, but it seems to me that everybody and their brother has a guitar with that pickup and sound. To me, it does not make any sense to build a custom guitar just to have the same sound as the Metallica fan down the street with a $90 guitar. This pickup (and all Bareknuckle pickups in general) have a lot of personality and character (good thing), while being very high output, it is very smooth and retains a lot of clarity, which makes for a very nice clean sound. This is a versatile pickup that is suitable for most types of music. I use it quite efficiently for metal and hard rock.

With all higher end pickups, it will always boil down to personal preference. There is no such thing as the best guitar/amp/pickup for everybody.

With that being said, I do not feel like you can really go wrong with Bareknuckle pickups. Compared to pickups by Seymour Duncan, EMG, and Dimarzio, in my opinion BKPs have a lot more personality and character. You also have the advantage of not having a sound that is excessively common (in a good sort of way.) You also get "the Bareknuckle pickup experience"; service from BKPs is very personal and top notch.

Admittedly Bareknuckle pickups cost significantly more than a lot of other alternatives, but they provide the highest quality of pickups available anywhere in the world as well as the highest level of customer service available. Despite the cost, Bareknuckle pickup customers tend to keep buying Bareknuckle pickups. 3 days ago, I just bought a pair of Nailbombs for my 1976 Explorer. I don't know what would be a stronger endorsement than that.

This is generally a high output set, 14.3 bridge, 9.5 neck made for use in a telecaster.

I have put these into a Non Export Japanese Fender 52 RI Tele.
The pickups being replaced are a set of Fender Texas Specials.
Before that the pickups were Fender USA Vintage pickups.

I am using this set through a Marshall JCM800, and it sounds AMAZING!! The higher output level on the bridge pickup makes for a really useable sound, where as I have found in the past with other pickup sets that the bridge pickup is too thin or harsh and I never usually use it, this one however is a JOY to use big time, it's sound/tone is comparable to a 'boxy' humbucker, which is a nice thing to get from a normally not so usefull pickup selection.
The neck pickup is equally pleasing to play with plenty of that 'planky/spanky' telecaster bang that I was after, and when the heights of each pickup is set just right you get a great throaty middley quack from the mixed position, which is something I was particularly after.
This pickup set could be used for all music styles, as you can always use it clean, crunchy, or flat out!

If it was destroyed or stolen I would buy another set! TOP NOTCH!!
I've been playing 13 years.

Once I had played with a few amp settings and had made a few height adjustments these pickups really started to grow on me, and then the more I used them the more I liked them, and the reason for that is that there is a lot of subtle tonal colour, that if you just stick to your normal amp setting and play your normal 'stock' riffs, you might not notice straight away, but like I said earlier, make a few adjustments, and experiment with your playing dynamics, because you will find that these pickups will respond with depths of tonal colour that other pickups just don't have.
Now I wouldn't change these pickups for anything.
Please note that, high output doesn't necessarily translate to a lack of tone, maybe in other brands, but not BKP.
PLUS - I got a free set of strings AND a BKP plectrum. Which might not seem like a big deal, but I thought it was really cool.
ALSO - Tim at BKP is a top bloke and is willing to answer any questions you might have about his gear!

Single coil - Bridge

(see other reviews)

I replaced the stock Pups in my 1996 Reissue Japanese Telecaster with a SD Quarter Pounder in the neck and this Piledriver in the bridge. I wasn't too sure what other artists were using these pickups as I came across the site entirely by accident!
I play loud/distorted music and the stocks would squeal like 10000 pigs at the same time...time for an upgrade I thought.

I got the tele modded to house a four way switch giving me even more control and when I plugged in it was immediately obvious that my output was louder, and the notes where more pronounced when heavily distorted.
I've tried this pickup through a range of amps (Mesa, Marshalls- trannies and tubes) through a Marshall 1922 and the Mesa did it no justice, but it really shone through the Marshalls. The overall tone was initally hard to describe but it has a really great nasally grunt when driven, and when you roll off the volume it cleans up to a delightful chime.
I play music that varies from very loud and overdriven to very loud but not so overdriven and this Pup has now encouraged me to get my head out of my arse and start experimenting. I was never able to have so much control over a Pup from the vol pot as I do now!

I will always by from Bareknuckle now, no doubt about it!
I've been playing for over 10 years and I've no need to plough through numerous "Fisher Price" pickups to get the good ones...I'm looking at you EMG...and with the Quater Pounder in the neck position I'm able to get a tonal range from '16oz Sizzling Steaks' to 'Warm milk and pancakes'!

There is always better equipment than what I'm using right now but my guitars will always have Bare Knuck Pups in them!

Single Coil - passive

Mexican 60's Classic Telecaster - White with Rosewood neck
Both Positions
Replacing stock pickups - too weak and unclear when cranked

Higher output than stock
No effects just straight into a Rivera Chubster 55 (brilliant amp)
Bridge pickup gives the perfect overdriven Quo tone (in a parallel universe I am an overweight balding Rick Parfitt)
Neck pickup is lovely for blues - both rhythm and lead
It has mostly been said before but I now have two useable pickups instead of a bit of a weedy bridge/muddy neck combination

if it was stolen I would track the bugger down and do things that would probably put me in prison - the guitar was a present and the new pickups have transformed it - so yes I would buy again.
I've been abusing guitars for 20 years and currently also have an SG/60's Reissue Strat/Les Paul Faded double Cut/Dearmond Starfire - all of these are now being lined up for Bare Knuckle treatment - can't be more complimentary than that
Also Tim responds to emails quickly and in a friendly helpful way - I recently enquired about the SG and he didn't try and sell my the most expensive ones from the range but actually made a proper recommendation based on experience - top way to operate in my humble opinion
On a general note I've never had a pickup changed before and always used to think that I had to get another guitar to get 'that sound' - now I know there is another way....

Single Coil
Passive
about 14k impedance

It's in the bridge position of a thinline tele partscaster
It's the first pickup I put in there
A BKP-90 in the neck
No idea who else uses it

The output, for a tele pickup is quite powerful indeed. Certainly enough to kick the front end of the amp to get a nice over drive where most teles would fail. I'd sau it's output is easily that of a P-90, maybe a little more.

I'm using it with a Matmap C7 and a Laney LC-15, and it's a good sounding pickup.

It's powerful, ballsy, thick for a tele pickup, but I don't think it's a good match for the neck pickup since it's a little too bright and lacks the lowend chunk I'd like, and I'm almost certain that this is because I had to compromise on what pots I used, smaller single coils suit 250k, soapbars and humbuckers suit 500k, and I've got 500ks for the soapbar in the neck. I will be trying this pickup again in another body with a 250k pot, but since that'll be another guitar it'll be another review.

I play rock, blues, metal, anything really, and while it excels at blues and some styles of rock, I get a little frustrated with the way having a 500k pot affects tone, I will be considering a fatter sounding pickup prehaps more suited to a 500k pot.

It's not quite the classic tele sound, but that's there if you back the volume off, and suprisingly it still retains clarity, even when you wind up the gain and start cranking out bluesy runs it still retains clarity, so get practicing if you wanna buy one because any mistakes will show doublely so.

In conclusion, it's a great sounding pickup, and some people may even prefer it with a 500k pot, certainly Danny Gattonesque sounds come to the finger tips effortlessly, and they rock, but I think to get the real meat this pup has on offer I'm gonna need to hook it up with a 250k pot somewhere down the line.

If it was destroyed or stolen I'm not sure what I'll do, I'm sure I'll love what it does when I finish my other tele partscaster and stick it in there.

I've been playing about 4 or 5 years and my other main guitar's a '67 SG Junior, I run either of these through an Ernie Ball Volume pedal and SPF Ego Booster into a Matamp C7 and Laney LC-15.

I love the pickups responsiveness and clarity and the fact it's got such a powerful output and sound, and if I'm honest its only shortcomings are more to do with my application of it rather than the pickup itself.

If I could change anything, it'd be the way it interacts with the pots obviously, but if this is doable it's certainly beyond me.

I'm gonna swap it out into another guitar, probably an esquire and I'm confident the next review I write for this will be better and then some. As for the thinline tele, I think I may get a "P-90 in a tele housing" style pickup since I'm almost certain this'd match up with a neck P-90 and 500k pot much better and retain enough teleness to twang on command.

The customer service with BKP, is as always a joy, although I'm not entirely happy with the sound, it's just not the sound *I* was after. The neck pickup is spot on and absolutely perfect, I think if anything is at fault it's my mixing and matching of pickups. They balance output wise, and if I was after a somewhat Gattony sound but from a proper single coil, I'd have hit the nail on the head, but I don't think it's the match I was after tonally.

Pickup features: Single Coil
Impedence or other specs: ?

Model of guitar or bass: Telecaster thinline
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Me
You musical style(s): I'll play any style
Reason for pickup change: It is a mex model need I say more.

Perceived output level: LOUD! but very clear with no noise
Tone: that's up to you use the tone control these pickups will repsond
Sonic evaluation: For the studio I use a Fender Champ(60s) and a Vox AC5, and for live a orange 50watta thingy head and a super reverb(reissue). At the mo this is my main axe my other teles have Barden pick ups in them and this guitar is just a lot more versatile and I've tried a lot of teles and owned to many to count, these pickups rock!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: mostly blues and country but I play in punk bands and a bit of funk as well.

Comments: If this guitar was lost or stolen there is no question I would buy these pickups everytime if you play a tele these pick up will do it all you can plug them in to any set up and get a get sound they will even do metal!

Pickup features: single coil
Impedence or other specs: 14.3k and 7.65k

Model of guitar or bass: Telecaster parts bin special
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Brandoni's
Other pickups on guitar: Bare Knuckle neck (now - was Brandoni)
Artists using this pickup: Don't know.
You musical style(s): Funk, Rock, Alternative etc
Reason for pickup change: Kent Armstrong Rails in bridge were a bit fizzy and lacking in grunt. Neck OK but wanted to try a set from Bareknuckle

Perceived output level: Pretty loud - up there with a Duncan hot rails (which I use on my strat)
Tone: Rounded and beefy with a lot of middle but not unnatural because of it. Still clearer than humbucker when overdriven. Not in any way shrill - very chunky and versatile. Gives a nice chewy feel when overdriven. When Keeley distrtion and Boss compressor on it rocks with the best of them!
Sonic evaluation: My guitar is a home built parts specdial. Solid maple neck from 80's Fender Japan Strat on a no-name solid wood Telecaster body. Gotoh bridge etc. This goes into a Boss pedal case containing Boss V-Wah, Boss CS3 compressor, Robert Keeley customised Boss Ultra DS-1, and Boss PH3 Phaser. Signal then goes into Tech21 Trademark 60 combo. The combo has a Alesis Quadraverb plugged into effects loop.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: The guitar is now extremely versatile. The Piledriver bridge gives a truly fat sound but is still very versatile.

Comments: I would buy these again. Tim and Ray at Bare Knuckle give superb, friendly and personal service. When I didn't want the Piledriver neck (it sounded beautifully bluesy solo but I lost my middle position quack) Tim responded by recommending the Brown Sugar in non-reverse wind mode and switched them for me. Also soldered in extra earth for four position switch at no extra charge. The Piledriver bridge was his recommendation based on what I asked for and he was dead right.
I have been playing for over 25 years. These are excellent pickups and the difference was noticed by other (non guitar playing) members of the band. The Brandoni's were very good value and I haven't binned them. These are in a different class though. I will be going to Bareknuckle for a Strat set sometime in the future.

Pickup features: single coil telecaster set - bridge uncovered
Impedence or other specs: Whatever it said on the box

Model of guitar or bass: USA '89 Standard Telecaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: US Standard
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: None to my knowledge
You musical style(s): Too many to mention
Reason for pickup change: Original Standard pickups a bit thin at bridge position and muddy on neck position. Both together very muddy and un-defined.

Perceived output level: Clearer definitition, more power
Tone: New pickups perfectly balanced, once pickup height nailed
Sonic evaluation: '89 USA Standard sunburst Telecaster - my baby dammit. Fender Deluxe 90 Tranny Amp approx 2 Y.O., hoping to get blues Junior soon!! Occasionally, Marshall Guv'nor II to give deeper sound, after fitting these pickups, straight to amp, saving ???'s on PP3's!!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Kinks, Stones, Beatles, Doors, early Zep, Radiohead, UK 70's Punk, more recently , US Punk ( Green Day, Offspring ) , Muse, Feeder, White Stripes, Hives, to accompany 12 Y.O. son learning drums

Comments: 1. Stolen or destroyed ? Fuck that !!! would'nt even contemplate it.
2. 12 years +/- a year or 2 see above for limited kit, bought and sold Boss GT 6 recently, nice kit but could'nt be arsed fiddlin' about to get tone required.
3. What do I like about it ? Everything, ABSOLUTLEY EVERTHING !. The definition across all strings is incredible, the volume knob has a very perceptable effect on tone as does small increments of 'tone' control( a first ), The Standard Pickups must have beedn made in Eurodisney by robots in comparisson. The sheer clarity available is amazing, leaving no doubt to the dedication to perfection in the build quality. I was looking at converting my Tele to a Fat tele, putting a humbucker in the neck, but this purchase retires that idea immediately. These Pickups are awesome to the nth degree, I cannot recommmend them enough for a Tele player wanting absolute control over their tone.
4. Can only compare to Standards, pisses all over them hands down
5. Could'nt wish for anything more from them apart from free Fender valve amp - any condition/model, offers gratefully accepted!!
6. Could not be more satisfied, unless see above. Tone through pokey tranny amp incredible. Variations of Tone, using basic Tele controls fucking unbelievable.
7. What else to say ? I know Jonny Geenwood ( Radiohead ) replaced his stock tele pickups with lace sensors, but i bet they don't hold a candle to these baby's. If you want Tone that you can control from the guitar, very clear string definition, and oodles of 'fuck off' attitude from your Standard Tele, look no further than Bare Knuckle.
The amount of attack and tone which is immediately perceptable can only be described as outrageous-how such a small amount of cash, can and does make such a massive impact on the tonal qualities of 'my baby' is, retrospectivley, ridiculous.
Bare Knuckle are the best thing to happen to this particular guitarist for a long time, tonally speaking, I cannot rate this product highly enough.
I would expect these particular pickups to be re-named as the Dogs Dangly Bits very soon!!

Pickup features: Single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Telecaster
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: None - neck removed
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock n roll, punk, metal
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickups far too weak and unable to keep definition at higher gain settings.

Perceived output level: High output, but with loads of tone and soul
Tone: really crunchy when needed, but will purr like a pussycat as well
Sonic evaluation: Fender Tele, Marshall JCM800, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Marshall JMP Mk 2

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Hard edged punk, r'n'r, metalIf

Comments: If it was stolen, I'd kill the perpetrator very slowly... This pickup kicks the arse off the stock unit, and it gives me every sound I need. It gives a lovely smooth clean tone and when on the dirty channel it dirties up nicely with use of the vol pot, until finally it opens out into a real roar, but whilst maintaining an essentially single coil sound, open and crisp but with real attack and dynamic. Sounds like a Tele on steroids and in dire need of anger management!! The only choice...

Pickup features: Single coil passive set
Impedence or other specs: Bridge 14.3k ohms, Neck 9.5k ohms

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Mexican Standard Telecaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Standard issue single coils
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: David Viva!
You musical style(s): Rock/ Metal
Reason for pickup change: I usually play Gibson/humbucker equipped guitars, I bought the Tele because it looked cool, however i needed more output from the standard coils. I saw some good reviews in Total Guitar magazine for the Warpig Humbucker , so i decided to give Bare Knuckle pickups a go!

Perceived output level: Louder than any single coil i've played. Much louder!
Tone: Neck pickup: clean, clear, bassy. Bridge pickup: Awesome, huge power for a single coil
Sonic evaluation: Fender Mexican Standard Telecaster into an Ashdown Fallen Angel 40 Watt Combo.
The tone is amazing, although these are single coils, they sound real fat and warm. These pickups are BEAUTIFULLY BRUTAL!! A really cool feature is when you roll down the volume, the clarity of both really shine through.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: As a purveyor of fine rock these pickups rule; think Cream, Hendrix, SRV

Comments: I have been playing guitar for 12 years, in which time I have bought many guitars/guitar related products. I was blown away by the product service of the owner/maker of Bare Knuckle Pickups, I was sent an engraved set of pickups, a set of strings and a plectrum along with a hand written note thanking me for my purchase! The pickups are the best i have ever heard for a single coil instrument, they make my tele sound like SRV Strat on steroids!
Congratulations Bare Knuckle Pickups!

Pickup features: Single coil (active)
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Mexican Fender Standard Telecaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Mexican Fender Tele Factory pickups
Other pickups on guitar: N/A
Artists using this pickup: No idea.
You musical style(s): Blues/Rock
Reason for pickup change: I have always wanted the raw, criap, vintage sounbd of the Telecaster of old.

Perceived output level: When the pickups are activated the guitar really lets rip and you get that wonderful vintage, classic Tele sound.
Tone: The tone is a very rich, warm, deep bottomed sound, in fact the sound is absolutely stunning.
Sonic evaluation: Mexican Fender Standard Telecaster with a Marshall MG30 DFX series, though I am hoping to own a Marshall Valve Amp soon.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: For a musician such as myself who plays Blues/Rock I cannot think of a better pickup to use.

Comments: I have a Mexican Fender Standard Telecaster which has recently had the Bare Knuckle Piledriver pickups fitted to it, the guitar is played through a Marshall MG30 DFX series amplifier. The Tele with the Bare Knuckle Piledriver pickups is perfect for my style of music which is Blues/Rock, particularly those musicians, such as myself, who are heavily influenced by the Kinks, Stones, Quo etc. The pickups and guitar would probably come into their own if I owned a valve amp (one day!). Don't take my word for it, the Bare Knuckle pickups really do everything it says on the box!