Bare Knuckle Pickups Riff Raff

You know the spec, check the BKP website.
As mentioned in my review of the Mule, although I requested a nickel cover for this humbucker, I also requested zebra bobbins underneath, in case I ever want to remove the covers. Tim did this for no extra charge, so thanks Tim.

This is in the bridge position on my Edwards LTS 98. (paired with a Mule in the neck position)
Replacing a JB.

Bought this pickup to go straight into my brand new Edwards for the Perfect les paul.

I like the JB that this pickup replaced, and I have another guitar that has a JB in still, BUT I bought these pickups (and the edwards) because I wanted THE les paul sound, not just a good les paul sound. And man does this pickup (and the mule) do that.

Love these pickups as a set, always wanted a good middle sound and finally I have it. This matched with a mule gives you EVERYTHING you could ever want in a les paul!

Tim from BKP uses this particular set on his R9.

Have owned many guitars, a good few different gibsons, but more importantly I have tried a good few humbuckers, and this set has put a dead stop to my search. Genuinely, I am quite a guitar/gear head, and I enjoy buying and trying new guitars, and since I got this edwards and fitted it with the bareknucks I have been unable to find a single thing worth buying or trying. Now I just sit and play the Eddie!

I will NEVER sell these pickups, these are MY sound. If I buy more pickups it will be in addition to these, rather than to replace them.

Humbucking, Passive (of course!).

Riff Raff, Black open-coil Bridge pickup (8.0k ohms)
Riff Raff, Raw Nickel Cover Neck pickup (7.4k ohms)

Single Conductor wiring

These babies were loaded into a 1993 Orville Les Paul Standard (Mahogany body, maple top, rosewood fretboard)

Neck Pickup
Bridge Pickup

The former bridge pickup was a Seymour Duncan Custom Custom, which was fine, but had too much output, was too smooth, and just not enough clarity or sparkle.

The Neck pickup was a GFS Mean 90, which was just a tad too dark sounding for my taste and was certainly missing many of the qualities that makes a single coil pickup great (Of course, I stress on things such as clarity, sparkle, warmth, "bite", etc.)

As far as artists are concerned, I haven't the faintest, though I'm certain that the pickups are modeled after Angus Young and the 60's Gibson pickups (SG's, ES335's, etc.).

I desired a change in pickup because I just wasn't satisfied with the former pickups enough. I've known of Bare Knuckle Pickups, having purchased their wonderful Black Dog pickup, as well. After speaking with Tim about my desires, he turned me to the Riff Raff's...

As I noted before, the output levels are relatively low, pretty much in the ideal PAF output level. (Alnico V magnets, as well) They are low-medium in output, but they don't FEEL like they are, and this is certainly a good thing!

The only amp I am using at the moment is a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe w/a '62 Raytheon JAN 12AX7 in the first position, chinese 12AT7 in the 2nd, EH 12AX7 in the PI, and a pair of TAD 6L6WGC power tubes. My pedals are as follows: Catalinbread Supercharged Overdrive-->MI Audio Crunch Box-->MI Audio Blues Pro Overdrive-->Line 6 Verbzilla-->Amp. I have other pedals, but these get the most general usage.

Tone-Oh wow, that's what these pickups have! TONE!!! The neck pickup is warm and balanced, but with a beautiful sparkle and singing quality to it. There is no mud to be found here. Best thing about it, though, is that it is not at all like the Seymour Duncan '59, which may be fine to many, but it scoops the mids FAR too much, I'd say. Way too hollow sounding. The Riff Raff, in a sense, reminds me of a single coil due to its sweetness and clarity...and yet it still is fat like a humbucker! Brilliant.

For the bridge pickup...everything I could possibly ever want in the respective position. It growls in the lower mids, it growls in the upper mids, it just growls, ha ha. It's got a beautiful singing quality with loads of sustain and bite. The lower strings stay nice and tight, the overall sound is quite punchy. Oh yeah, and the harmonics just shine out of this pickup! Be it clean, overdrive, or distorted, both these pickups are my pinnacle of what tone should be!

My musical tastes are quite varied, going as light as The Who (which, in fact, is hardly light; Townshend is a genius, I've always admired his edgey tone! I also listen to and play The Mars Volta, Yes, King Crimson, Queen, Clapton, and quite a bit more. If you want me to throw genre's your way, I'd say I generally play Progressive Rock, Hard Rock, Alternative, Latin Rock, some Blues, some Funk; it varies. ;) Is this a good match? Oh, you betcha! Versatility is what I was after, and versatility is what I received!

Suitable positions? Neck, Bridge, Middle, you name it, they are up to the challenge. If you fear they aren't smooth enough, they are more than capable; it's called a TONE knob! For me, these pickups can cover every ground of music I'd dare venture to...I don't know about Death Metal...if you like mid-killer/no-tone, by all means, knock yourself out. I mean, I like some metal, but that's a different story altogether...don't get me started on that subject, por favor.

I always enjoyed reading the reviews about how it was possible to actually destroy or steal a pickup from a guitar. I'll bite. If someone actually had the audacity to take my guitar, mangle the pickups, and leave it at that, I'd think of that someone as one twisted puppy. Scary. Stolen? Ha ha, good luck with that, but don't you dare try it...I keep a watchful eye on my guitars!!! Yes, I would absolutely buy more Riff Raff's, and would certainly try out any other Bare Knuckle Pickups in the future!

I have been playing guitar for 8 years, and I'd like to think I was "decent" at playing it, as well as possessing an ear for tone. Certainly not in an Eric Johnson sense, though...The gear I mentioned before is pretty much most of it. I also own a 90's Epiphone PR5-E Acoustic-Electric, a "Custom Shop" Limited Edition Gold Epiphone SG, which was actually quite a pleasant surprise, quality wise!

I love the tone, I love the growl, I love everything about these pickups. I hate absolutely nothing about them. How could anybody not love them?

I have tried MANY pickups in the past: Seymour Duncan Seth Lover's, Antiquities, '59s, Custom Custom, JB, Dimarzio Fred, Super-Distortion, GFS Mean 90's (wow, do these NOT deserve the praise and hype thrown at them...great value, but please...not THAT great!...well, unless you like something a slightly better than stock Epiphone Pickups...). Most of the pickups had their good qualities, but every single one of them seemed to be missing something. Not the Riff Raff's.

There is no more searching for "that" sound, as "that" sound as been FOUND! I have never been happier with a pickup purchase, truly a blessing to my ears. Not only that, but the Customer Service offered by Tim cannot be beat. He is super-friendly, always responsive to questions, and must obviously have some of the best ears in the world to create such Tone of the Gods! Thank you so much, and if you are reading this, do yourself a favor, give Tim's pickups a shot, and you will be gladly rewarded. Trust me.

Alnico V magnet (impedance 8.0) Humbucker with raw nickel covers, very authentic looking pickup. More original than old Dr Vintage Wolfetone pickup in previously.

I put this in a Les Paul R8 2007 in the bridge position which was recommended by Tim. I was after versatility with an ability to play all blues and classic rock but with true vintage tone.

Tim the owner of Bareknuckles has actually settled on a riff raff bridge and Mule neck pickup on his R9 so if it's good enough for him, it should be good enough for me.

It replaced a Wolfetone Dr Vintage as it was just not hot enough for really solid classic rock.

This pickup makes my guitar sing with a harmonically rich overdrive, not too hot just right for that early 60's vibe.

It doesn't have that spongy Alnico ii vibe but doesn't sound mainstream Alnico V as it is low powered but somewhere in between with richer overtones. I was anti Alncio V until I heard this pickup.

Tim was spot on. This is articulate, bright and I would recommend this to anyone to revive an old les Paul. The beauty of the Les Paul is that it adds a lot of mid to the mix . I have mules in a studio les paul which did not quite cut as well as I would have liked. This pickup is spot on. Its like a brighter 'Mule' pickup.

I wonder if a riff raff neck would be nice as it would take away some of the muddyness associated with a les Paul neck position.

I think this pickup is a well kept secret as most guys use in an SG.

A les paul sounds better with this in my opinion.

If destroyed I would buy again as for any Barknuckle makes your guitar special.

Been playing 30 years. Best sound to date.

Play through Dumble, Trainwreck and Matchless clone amps all from Ceriatone.

Passive Humbucker hand made to order in England, UK.
DC resistance - around 7.3k
Magnet - Alnico V

Telecaster, neck position

The sound of this pickup delivers from the neck position of my beloved Telecaster is a joy. It has great warmth but also conveys a balanced sweetness and clarity throughout the sonic register. Lesser humbuckers often muddy up arpeggiated work; certainly not the case with the Riff Raff. It has been said that power is nothing without control - well this pickup has both.

The volume and tone pots on my Tele immediately have new life and versatility with the Riff Raff on board. An array of colours and textures have become possible, and this humbucker blends superbly with the biting single coil bridge pickup. Actually I'm so impressed with Bare Knuckles' work I'm now tempted to try one of their own Tele bridge pickups.

Overall I can only praise this pickup and the work Bare Knuckles are doing. This kind of quality is clearly the result of a passion for what they are doing and their insistence on using only the best raw materials and hand craftsmanship.

For reference, my setup is as follows: 1970s USA Telecaster with Riff Raff pickup in the neck position - effects ranging from Electro Harmonix Poly Chorus to Maxon AD999 analogue delay - Burman Pro Series valve amplifier, also hand built in England. When recording I use Valve mics, and an audio interface made by MOTU.

Were my Riff Raff loaded Tele stolen (ouch) I'd be straight on the phone to Tim at BKP before even embarking on replacing the Tele.

Passive Humbucker hand made to order in England, UK.
DC resistance - around 7.3k
Magnet - Alnico V

Telecaster, neck position

The sound of this pickup delivers from the neck position of my beloved Telecaster is a joy. It has great warmth but also conveys a balanced sweetness and clarity throughout the sonic register. Lesser humbuckers often muddy up arpeggiated work; certainly not the case with the Riff Raff. It has been said that power is nothing without control - well this pickup has both.

The volume and tone pots on my Tele immediately have new life and versatility with the Riff Raff on board. An array of colours and textures have become possible, and this humbucker blends superbly with the biting single coil bridge pickup. Actually I'm so impressed with Bare Knuckles' work I'm now tempted to try one of their own Tele bridge pickups.

Overall I can only praise this pickup and the work Bare Knuckles are doing. This kind of quality is clearly the result of a passion for what they are doing and their insistence on using only the best raw materials and hand craftsmanship.

For reference, my setup is as follows: 1970s USA Telecaster with Riff Raff pickup in the neck position - effects ranging from Electro Harmonix Poly Chorus to Maxon AD999 analogue delay - Burman Pro Series valve amplifier, also hand built in England. When recording I use Valve mics, an audio interface is made by MOTU.

Were my Riff Raff loaded Tele stolen (ouch) I'd be straight on the phone to Tim at BKP before even embarking on replacing the Tele.

Nickle covered, 60's PAF replica. I believe the impedence to be around 7.8 at the bridge and 7.6 at the neck.

Both pickups were installed in a Gibson ES335 DOT to replace the stock 57' Classics.
I am not aware of who else is using these pickups but if you check the Bare Knuckle website you will find a long list of artists using this brand of pickups.

I decided to change the pickups because the stock 57's were sounding really dull,muddy and uninspiring!

The output of the Riff Raff pickups is similar to the gibson 57 classic (maybe slightly hotter) but the overall sound of the Riff Raff is incredible. Its vert clear, punchy, bright and articulate. Its what my stock pickups should have sounded like!

On speaking with Tim from Bare Knuckle (who was very helpfull)he informed me that the pickups were designed to sound like 60's PAF's....vintage voiced, he was of the opinion that they would sound like the stock pickups which would have been fitted in 335's and SG's of the period.....he was spot on.

I am really picky when it comes to what equipment I use and I have to say that everything Tim said they would do was 100%.....exactly what I was after.

I use an Orange AD30 head and 4x 12 cab with the 335 and it sounds amazing, the pickups work with the guitar and deal with overdrive very well and when backed off at the guitars volume knob cleans up really well.....cant ask for more than that!!!

These pickups are ideal fantastic for blues, rock and roll, soul and all things inbetween and beyond if you need to!

Like I said, cant fault them, vary rare that I would heap praise on equipment in this way but im just being honest!

I would definately buy from Bare Knuckle again in the future for either single coils or humbuckers, espicially the Riff Raffs and Stormy Mondays.

Liek I said above, the Riff Raffs sound how my stock pickups should have sounded.....Gibson should learn from this!

I did consider S Duncan 59's but these are far superior and clearly benifit from that hand made care and attention....

If you are considering buying pickups from Bare Knuckle give Tim a call or drop him an email and im sure he will advise you well on what pickups would suit your needs...

Cant thank them enough!

Passive humbucking pickup with impedance of 7.8k.

I had this pickup put in the bridge position of an old 1970's Les Paul Custom Black Beauty replacing a Burstbucker 2 which sounded too thin and was easily prone to feedback. I have a Bare Knuckle Mule pickup installed in the neck position.

I play rock/metal through a Mesa Single Rectifier head and 2x12 Box with no effects other than a Holy Grail Reverb and a Sonic Maximiser. The Riff Raff in the bridge position cuts through nicely without sounding thin but provides my guitar's tone with bite which it has lacked for years. For the Jimmy Page classic rock sound that I was after, this pickup is ideal.

I was actually thinking of selling this guitar because the previous pickups in the bridge position Dimarzio (lifeless), Seymour Duncan JB (lacking clarity), Burstbucker 2 (too thin sounding and easily prone to feedback) to be honest sounded terrible but I certainly wont be selling this Les Paul now. I would certainly buy this pickup again if it is was lost or destroyed. I emailed Tim from Bare Knuckle Pickups regarding the right choice of pickup and he suggested the Riff Raff to nail the Led Zep sound. He couldn't have been more helpful and my set of pickups duly arrived only nine days later. The only pickups that I have heard that sound as good as Bare Knuckle pickups are the HRW pickups in my Heritage H-140 and Heritage H-150.

Passive humbucker, imp. 8.3k

I put this in the bridge of my Gibson SG Special, replacing the stock Gibson pickup, 'cause the stock one was damaged and sounded crap as a result (I have no frame of reference for how the stock Gibson pickups sound normally). This pickup is to match a Wizard Vintage in the neck.

I don't think anyone famous is using this pickup (I hope to god it isn't one that McFly are using...), but it's supposed to be calibrated to sound Angus Young-ish.

Output seems quite low at first, I had to raise it toward the strings a fair bit to match the volume of the stock pickup, but it still keeps its clarity and isn't prone to feedback. I play this through a Marshall AVT-50 connected to a home-made 2by12 cab, and it really sounds the business. It has a balanced, but punchy and biting tone, hence being suited to an SG. I play mostly classic rock, which is a bit broad, but then again, so is my preference (Cream, Led Zep, Hendrix, AC/DC, everything else everyone else plays). This pickup does it all perfectly, and it matches the Wizard in the neck quite well. Despite this, the Wizard is the better sounding pickup (I think. See my review)

If this broke or were stolen by a mad guitar technician who steals pickups but not guitars themselves, I'd be a bit crushed, because I'm a student, and I don't have a job, so I don't get the kind of money needed for this stuff very often (the guitar itself was an expensive gift for my 18th). That would probably be the only downer on this thing: the price. Unlike most, I didn't buy this direct from Bare Knuckle (though I did speak to Tim before I ordered). Instead I shopped around for the best price, and got it for not much less. These pickups are great, but they're far too expensive. To be honest, that's why I've more recently converted to Wizard pickups, 'cause they're the same quality for half the price.
To sum up: I love this pickup, and I wouldn't want to change it, but that's as much because of the sound as it is because I don't want to have to spend that much on a pickup again. But, for the money, you do get so much better sound than most makes like Dimarzio or Seymour Duncan. Get one, by all means, they're great. Just be prepared for a large dent to appear in your wallet afterward. This considered, I'm giving it a 9 because of the price.

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Alnico 5, 8.3K, scatterwound

Model of guitar or bass: JJ Retro
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: JJ
Other pickups on guitar: Custom BP90 (see separate review)
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues, rock, punk
Reason for pickup change: Beautiful guitar with an uninspiring sound

Perceived output level: The output level is hotter than standard, but not only enough to provide the power and bite to deliver the tone.
Tone: Bright, open, full.
Sonic evaluation: I've got a number of great guitars including a Tom Anderson hollow T classic and an all original vintage '56 Les Paul Junior which I play through a VHT Pittbull 45. The JJ Retro is a beautifully built British guitar that I would recommend to anyone, but frankly it sounded deadly dull. That is, until I discovered Bare Knuckle. The custom Riff Raff (Alnico 5 magnets) and a custom BP90 (see separate review) have transformed it into the perfect blues guitar. The sound is open and harmonically rich with enough bite and power to cut through, but not destroy the tone. Fantastic! The JJ may be half the price of my other guitars, but it's now got a genuine place and a distinct sound of its own.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play a range from BB King style blues to punk. The guitar has far too much sustain to make it a great punk guitar, but it's now the perfect blues machine, with the bridge postion Riff Raff giving me the ability to provide the perfect biting slightly overdriven blues sustain.

Comments: Ok. I'm a fan. I admit it. I've not only replaced the pickups on the JJ which really needed it, but also on the Tom Anderson, which arguably didn't, and I've now ordered a Warpig to revive an old Washburn that I've got kicking around.
My day job is as an expert in customer centricity and building customer experiences and I have to say that Tim at Bare Knuckle has got it spot on. It's not just the perfect sound of the pickups that makes you feel as though nothing could ever sound better, it's the fantastic personalised service they deliver, the image they've created and the passion for what they do. I emailed Tim on New Year's Day and received a personal response within an hour. After an email exchange throughout the day Tim reached a recommendation, not of a stock pickup, but a custom variation that was particularly suited to what I was after. Since then I've had several email and telephone exchanges and ordered more from them. Putting a Bare Knuckle pickup on a guitar makes it feel truly special and that's a powerful incentive to make great music. I can't imagine ever buying pickups anywhere else and I can't think why anyone else would either.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson SG
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: STD Gibson
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock - AC/DC
Reason for pickup change: Wanted that Angus Young growl without any loss of top end but at useable volume ie. bedroom/small gig

Perceived output level: This pickup has that AC/DC growl with more bite than the std Gibson
Tone: It is pure Angus Young - lots of bite and a great dynamic spread
Sonic evaluation: Gibson SG/Cornford Harlequin
It is important for true AC/DC fans that a pickup does not have attack at the expense of clarity and top end and this little gem does exactly what it says on the tin!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rhythm based rock & this mutha delivers, good for solo's too

Comments: I would definately buy this pickup again, I have been playing for 10 years approx and also play a Gibson Les paul. I love that it sounds perfect at all volumes - that's it I'm off to buy a satchel and cap.
Tried lots of others but they trade off the top end for power.
I am going to try some Bareknuckles in the Les Paul so be back soon.