Bare Knuckle Pickups Riff Raff

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.