Bare Knuckle Pickups Stormy Monday Humbucker

Covered calibrated humbucker set.

Both positions of a new Warmoth 12-string telecaster.

The output is quite low, but for a 12-string, that's a good thing! Especially coile tapped. Saw Jeff Martin's 12-string doubleneck and the tops almost cut you in half (the sound guy was no great shakes, which didn't help) and vowed to avoid that mistake with my own 12.
The tone of these pickups is absolutely fantastic. I find them not overly bright (another plus for a 12), but in no way muddy. You can get a lovely jangle out of them without it ever becoming brittle or harsh. When I wind up the Plexi, you can get quite a bit of grunt yet it never seems like it is going to take off uncontrolably. I can even wind up the Marshall and bring in a Tube Screamer and it's never out of control, even at excessive volume. But what amazes me the most is how articulate they are. Clean or with a bit of grunt, both sets of strings cut through with bell-like clarity, rich and even toned. The entire spectrum of harmonics shine through with no hint of shrill or the nasty kind of unwanted distortion. Cranked, it's the same deal. I can play metal on this baby that is fat and chunky and soloing is a pleasure (especially when you wind back the tone control - it a really juicy "Woman tone"...and what guitarist doesn't want a juicy woman?). I have also saved money on an Octaver!
These are my favourite pickups hands down.

I intend to get a set of Monday's for a six string in the future, so if my twelecaster got nicked, I'd definitely include the Mondays in it's replacement. I'd also send my drummer after the theif (but that would be his problem). I own a number of different guitars (mostly Warmoth custom jobs) and with the 12 being a bit of a specialist item for the music I play (mostly hard rock), I look forward to trying some Stormy Mondays in a more standard rock axe in the future.
I am extremely happy with the sound of these babies. They are significantly better than anything I have heard in an electric 12 string and better than I had initially hoped. I was truly surprised at the quality - I always thought you couldn't go past a good '59 in the neck...now I am not so sure!

Calibrated Matching set - No Covers - Zebra 7.7 bridge,7.2 neck

I installed these in 2006 Les Paul Standard. It is one of the earliest of those Satin Finish models. I originally found the guitar wandering through a Guitar Center and picking up Pauls by the dozen and putting them back on the hooks in disgust.I knew I had a factory freak as soon as I picked it up. I played it dry for about a half hour just freaking out over how good it played and sounded unplugged. I couldn't justify buying it ( I already owned a number of other guitars including two other Pauls-a handmade '59 Flametop repo with Bareknuckles "Black Dog" pups [ review is on here from 2 years ago] and a 40th Anniversary Model all stock) even knowing that it was one of the 5 best Pauls -regardless of year - I had ever played.Being a former full time luthier at the one time biggest custom shop in Seattle,I have had boatloads go through my hands). I told a close bud about the guitar and he went up and bought it. Unfortunately,my dear friend passed suddenly some months back,but he willed the guitar to me. Everything about the guitar is fantastic- I didn't need to do a level and crown of the frets or even adjust the intonation.However,the Burstbucker's left a great deal to be desired. After already having had the Bare Knuckles experience, I knew right where to go. I wanted to get as close as possible tone-wise to the earliest Seth Lover 1954 Alnico II humbuckers as this guitar was just screaming for pups that would deliver that tone. The Stormy Monday does this incredibly well ( not that I am surprised).I have had the pups in the guitar for a month now and have used them both playing live and recording. I wanted to wait until I was really used to hearing them before writing this review.

The output level is low.I want this as the higher the output of a pup,the narrower the frequency range is received by the amp.I generally go for a more "vintage" tone in all my amps and instruments and let boxes do the talking for differing "flavors" of distortion.The Stormy Monday has a beautiful open and airy tone.The bridge pup is crisp,clean and very even in it's frequency output...it does not have the mid-range bump and "krang" of the AlnicoV BlackDogs. The neck pup is clear and neutral with a gorgeous violin like quality to it. The only recorded tone I can relate the set to is that by Gary Moore on the BBM album or the title track to "Still Got The Blues For You". I know that he has more vintage Les Pauls than just "Greeny" (btw-Tim Mills makes a set of pups modeled directly on the pups in that fabled guitar) and Gary is using various BKP pups in his guitars now. I'm presently running my guitars through a hand made point to point Marshall clone made for me by Manny at Circuitrix.com. It has two distinct pre amps-one is an exact repo of Jimi's 1968 1959 Plexi Super Lead,the other an exact repo of the first year (1975) 2203 JCM 800. These are footswitchable and feed an exact repo of Jimi's '68 Plexi power amp stage including the swapped out/beefed up transformers ( I opted for Merc Mag )that were needed to run the KT88 tubes the Jimi used.It also has the Kevin O'Conner/ London Power Power Scaling circuit in it. I run a variety of pedals from very mild to heavy distortion (Fulltone,EMMA,B.K.Butler,Prescription,Circuitrix,Hartman Electronic,Morley [ B.H.Wah] )into the front end and a Lexicon MPX-1 through the all tube F/X loop. This rig allows me to achieve tones from the mid-'60's to the mid-'90's. The Stormy Monday set in this Paul allows me to capture a bit more of that than I could prior to having them...just the thing if you get involved in a good long Allman Bro's type jam. Running into a good Marshall type amp with a Paul loaded with these pups and you'll sound every bit as good if not better than if you playing Dickie's real '54 Goldtop. As the previous reviewer put it - Organic.

I would hope to never lose this guitar as it has great sentimental meaning to me. It could never be replaced as my friend could not will me another Paul. The pups were the only thing this axe needed. This is the second set of Bare Knuckles pups I have put into a guitar and believe Tim's stuff is the best on the planet.

Calibrated set, Alnico 2 magnets, Bridge 7.8k, Neck 7.2k, nickle covers.

Installed in a Epiphone Dot semi-hollowbody, neck and bridge replacing the stock Epiphone pickups. Other mods include a new bone nut, new 500k volume and tone pots, modified electrics so I can blend the pickups when the pickup switch is in the middle position. The orginal Epiphone pickups were ok - just dull and with no 'life'.

While the output is not overwhelming, it is perfect for blues and jazz. I am playing through a Roland Cube 30 with a MI Audio Blues Pro pedal. As for the sound, one word: AWESOME!!!! The guitar just opens up and sings when on a clean channel. Add a bit of dirt and it howls. every nuance of the notes can be heard clearly.

Being able to blend the bridge and neck pickup opens up a whole world of tonal options (a recommended mod for Dot owners). These pickups do not sound like you mass produced SD's, EMGs etc - they sound orginal and fresh. This may not suit everyone, but it was what I was after and I could not be happier with the tone I now get out of my Dot.

Tim at Bareknuckle was a great source of advice for the right pickups for my instrument and the sound I was after. I ordered the pickups on-line and they arrived in about 2 weeks. 10 for service.

I have been playing guitar for about 5 years (before that Bass and drums) and have owned a couple of guitars in my time. If destroyed or lost I would, without hesitation, buy another set. I also have a Fender Highway One Strat (and a Maton Acoustic) and will be purchasing a set of Bareknuckle Irish Tours as soon as possible. These pickups sound better than anything I have heard in the past on my mates guitars (Ibanez, Gibson). While they are not cheap, the sound/tone is well worth the price.

Alnico II, calibrated, covered humbuckers. 4 conductor wiring for coil split. Lowish output for humbuckers.

Gordon Smith GS2.60, mahogany body singlecut guitar. Replacing stock pickups.
I wanted a sweeter sound and read the good reviews of BKP so took the plunge.

Output level is around 7k, low for a humbucker but to their credit. The sound is sweet, articulate, round....they even have an acoustic quality, especially with new strings. I love them! Thy are great for Jazz, blues and rock. Not really a metal pickup and no midrange hump like some HB's. They are very balanced pickups with excellent clarity.

They have made my guitar come alive and are sweet. Think BB king or Peter Green, these pickups have the tone (even if the fingers don't).
I'm now looking for some BKP's for my strat.

Calibrated humbucker set with uncovered black bridge pickup and raw nickel covered neck pickup.
Alnico II magnets.

Installed into a Gibson Les Paul Classic Premium Plus.
I have gone from the stock ceramic magnet pickups to a pair of SD humbuckers (Alnico II pro bridge and Jazz neck) to these beauties.
The aim was for the Jimmy Page look of the half covered set and the Slash sound from the alnico II magnets.
Could've gone SD for this project but fancied the look of the raw nickel and the handmade aspect.

These are low to medium output pickups.
I plug the LP straight into a Marshall Jubilee and crank the master volume up with the gain at about 3 o'clock to achieve my sound.
(Can be as loud as sin so have bought a Marshall Powerbreak to lower the volume!)
The tone is very nicely balanced from bass to treble giving a lovely traditional Les Paul sound.
I play a lot of blues based rock and these things exactly fit the bill for me.
Would defo recommend these for a LP type guitar.

If they got destroyed I would be custom ordering another set from Tim at Bare Knuckle in a flash!
I have been playing for 16 years and have had a good selection of guitars over the years so know what I'm after and these wonderful pickups are it for this guitar.
To get the option of a custom ordered and hand made set of pickups exactly how you want them is just the best.
I would urge you too look at the fabulous Bare Knuckle pickups if you want some new pickups.

Passive neck position Humbucker
6.9 k DC resistance
Alnico II magnet

Ibanez S series DXQM
Neck position
Ibanez INF 2 humbucker
Bare Knuckle Miracle Man
None
Neck pickup didnt have enough PAF character and tone in it.

6.9 k, low output, no favours for playing there. dig in hard
Boss GT8 through a vintage fender blues deville
Airy, the perfect classic PAF. Like Slash in your guitar
metal and heavy rock. Beautiful clean sounds for break, great liquid shred sounds and a wonderful bluesy tone when the gain is rolled back
Not so hot at higher gain musical styles but a great all rounder with tone to spare

if destroyed i would have no reservations about buying again.
ive been playing for 3 years and i own 3 guitars, 2 valve amps, 3 practice amps and a Boss GT8 multieffects unit
I love the sound it gives, it is quite low output but BKP makes other higher output models with the same characteristics.
i searched for a year through all the different brands and decided on BKP they are amazing. it sounds exactly how i imagined it.
this pickup has THE sound for old rock and blues enthusiasts, perfect for guns and roses.
The customer service at BKP is worth a 10 on its own, thanks to tim for his help and for everyone else for their commitment and craftsmanship

Calibrated Set of Humbucker
aprox. 7,4 KOhm

Wonderful sounding D??senberg Carl Carlton
neck and bridge
neck: Gibson P490R,bridge: Stock D??esenberg

I changed the pickups to upgrade the sound snd performance of the guitar

The output of the pickups is probabbly a little less than the stock pickups. My lineup is: D??senberg - decent cable - orange rocker 30 with 4x12 box. Simple but very effectiv.
To be honest I cound??t believe my ears when I first tested the Bare Knuckles in my D??senberg. It was like the guitar had just become alive - and that does not at all mean that it has been bad before. The Bare Knuckles Stormy Mondays sound very balanced over all frequencies, tight bass response, nice mids and shining but never shrill treble. Unbelievable balanced also between the two pickups, bluesy on the neck pickup with a lot of timber, pure Rockabilly on the mid position with both pickups and the bridge pickup really rocks.
I play Blues and Classic Hard Rock, B.B. King, Alvin Lee, AC/DC - just to give you the idea - and these pickups sute that kind of music perfectly.
The Bare Knuckles took a very good guitar beyond a point where word sdon??t describe it anymore - it??s like:
Let there be sound - and there was sound TONE !!!

I??ve just heard about Bare Knuckles from a friend so I sent an email to them, because I wasn??t sure which pickups would fit best. Tim wrote back within a few hours on a sunday afternoon (!) and suggested the Stormy Mondays - he was write.
The price is more than okay for that quality. Over the 34 years I??ve playing guitar, I??ve owned and played a lot of different guitars and pickups including some boutique stuff. This D??senberg with the Stormy Mondays is the very best guitar I??ve ever played.
The bad thing is that my yearlong rearch for THE tone is over.

Calibrated Set of Humbuckers

Duesenberg Carl Carlton
Bridge and Neck
Stock
No
I don??t know
Upgrade the guitar

The output is probably a little lower than the stock bridge pickup and at least the same on the neck pickup. My setup is simple and straight: Duesenberg - cable - orange rocker 30 with 4x12 box.

The sound of the pickups is absolutely super, very balanced over all frequencies, and fits the semi acoustic perfectly. The neck pickup is very bluesy and round, the bridge pickup really rocks. Both are extremely dynamic and you can get out a huge number of tones just by varying your picking.

My music is Rock and Roll, Blues and Classic Hard Rock and Tim from Bare Knuckle suggested the Stormy Mondays Set for this type music and my Guitar. I mostly play the amp set to a lite crunch, so you really can hear every dynamic chance very well.

The Bare Knuckles took a very good guitar to a level where there are no words anymore - just TONE !!!

I??ve already owned and played a lot of different guitars and pickups over the 34 years of playing, different Strats, a few Les Pauls,a PRS and all kinds of pickups from Fender, Gibson, Lindy Fralin, Van Zandt ..., so I probably have some experience with equipment. This is the first time I??m totally satisfied with the results.

Looks like my search for THE tone is over because I finally got.

Calibrated pair of custom ordered F-Spaced Stormy Monday humbuckers.
Nickel covers.
7.4k, and original PAF-esq Alnico II magnets.

This pair was custom ordered for a doubleneck guitar I've had made for me by Bob Johnson of Legra guitars in the UK.
They're in both the bridge and neck positions of the 12 string half of the guitar.
I was going to have Gibson 57 Classics in both positions on the 12 string side, but the slightly wider than normal 12 saddle ABM Tune-O-Matic bridge necessitated a change to an F-Spaced humbucker. Gibson don't make an F-Spaced 57 Classic, so Bob recommended that I talk to Tim at Bareknuckle pickups to get a feel for what he can do.

Boy am I glad I listened to my luthier!

The sound from the 12 string is positively philharmonic........it's trully gobsmacking how well these Stormy Mondays pick out each and every one of those 12 strings, and transmit what they're doing perfectly back through my Marshall.
The 12 string is mainly played fairly clean, but the Stormy Mondays can be provoked, and even though they're low output humbuckers, they can still turn up to do classic rock better than most things on the market today!

I'd heard of Bareknuckle pickups before I got started on this doubleneck project, but not having well off guitar playing friends I haven't had the chance to play a Bareknuckle equipped guitar before now.
Tims wonderful helpful demeanour, and the growing reputation of Bareknuckle pickups made it an easy choice to go with when we realised we needed F-Spaced humbuckers.

DiMarzio, Seymour Duncan, and even Gibson may be cheaper (not at their RRP's - but most places won't charge RRP on pickups), but they're not better than these phenomenal hand-wound pickups from Falmouth.

The best thing I can say about these pickups, is the fact that I've just ordered another pair of Bareknuckles for my Shaftesbury Les Paul...........it's getting a Bareknuckle heart transplant, and I can't wait to hear it rock!

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 7.1

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Classic 1960
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Seth Lover
Other pickups on guitar: Seth Lover Bridge
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues/Rock
Reason for pickup change: Lack of definition and clarity

Perceived output level: Clear, Well defined, Warm and Toneful
Tone: Well balanced wide tone array
Sonic evaluation: Vintage Fender Valve amps, Pro Reverb, Bassman, Champ

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues/Rock/Country/Jazz

Comments: The definition from this pickup is no less than remarkable. The clarity and tonal seperation is unlike any neck pickup I've used, and that includes most high priced hand wound models as well as stock pickups.
After contacting Tim Mills of Bareknuckle it was obvious that he takes the job of custom winding very seriously. He suggested the best choice of magnetic material, winding method and DC resistance. Whatever his advice was based on it worked out perfectly for my needs. This pickup has just about the most soulful tone I could want. If you are serious about having the best pickups money can buy in your guitar you have to give this guy a try.
I've awarded a 9 just in case Tim upgrades the design in any way. In reality I can't imagine getting better tone in a neck humbucker.