Bare Knuckle Pickups The Mule

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Bridge 8.4k, Neck 7.1k; Alnico IV

Model of guitar or bass: Tokai Les Paul Custom
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Tokai PAF II
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: The Datsuns?
You musical style(s): Blues-based Classic Rock (ala Aerosmith)
Reason for pickup change: The original pickups were too weak, and just couldn't give me the tone I was after. Their note definition was also lacking.

Perceived output level: Increased output over stock pickups; cuts through the mix better, without sacrificing clarity or expressiveness.
Tone: Beautiful balanced PAF sound, with more balls. Very versatile.
Sonic evaluation: I am now using a Marshall Jubilee 2554, but I used to use a BOSS GT6 through a solid-state amp. Miraculously, even with that modelling setup, the Mules helped me to get a decent sound going. But now, it's simply fantastic - perfect for my style.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock, blues. These are a great match. I bought the calibrated set, so it's very versatile and effective.

Comments: I would definately buy this set again, over all other brands I considered (Seymour Duncan and Gibson among them). I have been playing for about five years now, and have sold a lot of my older gear. I love these pickups - they're like a PAF with more contemporary output (without sounding unclear, muddy or overly hot), and suit my style perfectly. I am more than satisfied with this pickup, and I would like to mention the fantastic customer service Bare Knuckle provide - far superior to any of the 'major chains' out there.

Pickup features: Calibrated set cream open pole pickups
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 95 Les Paul Standard Plus
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Set of Seymour Duncan 59's
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: There should be a few by now.
You musical style(s): Classic rock & Blues
Reason for pickup change: Wanted to try a hand wound full size HB from Bare knuckle as Tim had already re-wound the mini HBs'on my LP deluxe

Perceived output level: About the same as the 59's when adjusted to the right distance from the strings.
Tone: good even tone, Neck has a lot of bass but does not muddy up, Bridge cuts through without being painful.
Sonic evaluation: Vox Tonelab into Marshall 20/20 power amp and Marshall 2X12.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: The Mules will do classic rock and blues well but can go high gain if your amp can. I mostly use old Amp patches on the vox but the Mules sound good through Soldano style high gain settings as well.

Comments: I really like these pickups, for playing early zz top, Led Zep and free they work like a dream - but if you use high gain they can go all "EVH" and as brown as you like. Very good all round tone - if you like setting your amp up and using your volume controls or if you want to stomp on a box and go nuts these will go with you.
As for customer service, Tim (the boss, designer and general head honcho) is a great bloke to deal with and will call you to discuss any problems and if you call or email him he always seems to have time for a chat.

Pickup features: humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: ES 335 Gibson 1974
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: original gibson
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): soul blues , R'nB
Reason for pickup change: A lack of trebles after 30 years of use... and early 70' were not a good period for gibson stuff...

Perceived output level: a higher output level is really noticeable
Tone: a very good set , very balanced with lot of air and great dynamic. Playing alternatively with pick and fingers is really heaven
Sonic evaluation: I've been playing on and off for 30 years and regularly in a band since 1996. I pay a lot of attention on my gear and have selected a Mesa Blue angel thru Menatone pedals.
Bare Knuckle is a perfect match to this set , and once the pickups fitted on the guitar , I was really happy to hear one of the best sounding 335 I've ever heard ( and I tried a lot of them , including old 60' with original PAF.
In addition to this , what could I say ????
Well , My James Tyler burning water model will be more than happy to be retrofitted in a couple of weeks with a magic set. I'll tell you more very soon....Once Tim will give give me THE solution.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Soul , Rock , R'n'B ....Even though a telecaster should be a better choice for James Brown sound, this 335 newly equipped is a good tool.And it's heaven for all rock and roll and blues.

Comments: I've stopped my endless quest thanx to bare Knuckle pickups.
The only reason I don't upgrade all my guitars ( than the James Tyler ) is because they are all collectable guitars that I must keep 100% original for value concerns.
And That's all.

Pickup features: Gold covered,humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 7.1k,4 conductor,AlnicoIV,underwound

Model of guitar or bass: LP copy & early 80's Gibson SG
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: stock humbuckers
Other pickups on guitar: SD JB Humbucker & gibson Tony Iommi pu
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock,Blues,mostly 60's & 70's stuff
Reason for pickup change: Looking for a better match,want more warmth,sustain and clarity.

Perceived output level: More power and sustain than stock pu's
Tone: Great character and clarity,very well balanced
Sonic evaluation: Tried in both guitars thru my 67 blackfaced fender proreverb & Zoom gfx-8 effects processor.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Classic Rock ,Blues,able to get the sound i was looking for

Comments: Been playing 2 to 3 yrs regularly,on and off last 20 now that i have more free time!This pu matched up great to the other bridge pu's.Blew away the stock pu's,superb dynamics,awesome for the music i like to play.It was exactly what i was looking for.Wired this up the standard way,will be doing the Jimmy Page wiring mod using 4 push/pull pots in the near future on both guitars.
Will be ordering another one in the near future for sure,pain in the ass to keep swapping in & out of both guitars.
Just like to mention the great customer support and service.Tim Mills & co are great to deal with,this guy is a genius,really knows his stuff.I can't say enough good things about BKP.Thanks Tim for an
awesome pu!

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Calibrated set of two

Model of guitar or bass: Washburn HB 50
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Native Washburn humbuckers
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Country, blues, roots
Reason for pickup change: Old ones a bit characterless - postive feedback from friendds with these

Perceived output level: Hotter than before, but not intended to be mega hot
Tone: I asked for "warm and growly" which is exactly what they are!
Sonic evaluation: I'm using a Ashdown Stinger amp (the commercial version is the Romany) mainly for recording and the odd gig. The pickups are beautifully warm and clear, and even when driving amp something of the woodiness of the semi-solid Washburn comes through. They're pretty hot but not meant to be more than that - they have other models for ultra output. This is more like a PAF. Compared to my Seymore Duncan 59er on a solid body guitar (which is very nice) they are more detailed and responsive. They really shake up my poor Pignose!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Neck and bridge - it is a hand wound calibrated set

Comments: I'd deffo buy them again. I'm considering their other products for other instruments I love the warmth and detail and they make me want to plug in, turn up and play. For recording I have found "the" sound more quickly. The others has an upper mids peak which never sounded good recorded. they're expensive in absolute terms but I bought them for a beautful guitar which deserves them. See www.2jayrecords.com for pics

Pickup features: Humbucking, Alnico IV magnets, Trem-spaced. No covers
Impedence or other specs: 8.9 K ohm - 4 conductor. Double clotted-cream coils

Model of guitar or bass: Don Grosh Retro-Classic (HSS)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Tom Holmes 8.3K Bridge Humbucker (G-spaced)
Other pickups on guitar: 2 Bare Knuckle single coils
Artists using this pickup: That I would like to know ! There's gotta be a bunch of 'em now.
You musical style(s): Wide range from blues, jazzy noodlings, rock, funk, no real high gain stuff.
Reason for pickup change: Curiosity and maybe boredom. I got to thinking that I could maybe use a bit more oomph in the bridge. A phone call with Tim convinced me to try a Mule without covers - he's dangerous like that !

Perceived output level: Slightly hotter than vintage PAF. Not a real high output device - nor should it be.
Tone: Balanced with no treble harshness. Singing mids and a tight, full bass response.
Sonic evaluation: Grosh straight into a Kingsley Deluxe 32 with a Two Rock cable.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Terrific for cleans, blues and rock. Jazz even. Not a country or shred tool tho :)

Comments: The guitar is a Grosh Retro Classic in HSS, alder body, rosewood board, Callaham trem - a stratty thing with 2 Bare Knuckle S/C s and a Tom Holmes 455 ( I think) in the bridge. It's been there for 4 years or more. I ought to say that I use a 300K volume pot (a filed 250), and the bridge tone is 250 k linear with a meager 10nF polyprop tone cap.
Now first up the Holmes is a truly fantastic humbucker - I'm not alone in my opinion - Tim from Bare Knuckle agrees. So let's look at how The Mule stacks up in the bridge of this stratty tone monster compared to the Holmes - this should give a different kind of review compared to those of all these Mules in Lester's, below mine.
So to the weigh-in. Both are double cream "open" humbuckers - The Mule looks like a Devon double-clotted version. Both look like they are built as quality products. The Mule is F'in-trem-spaced (getchya Eee's back innit?) and the Holmes aint. The Mule weighs in at paltry 600 ohms more but that isn't gonna tell you what to expect. Time to rumble.
Seconds away, Round 1. Straight up the Mule is throwing in more mid girth and less high end than the Holmes. The Holmes is light and airy - really sweet - a good mover and with lot of spring and snap in the bass steps. Even somewhat single coil like. It has a superb clarity, detail and is tightly balanced. If there's criticism it can tend to be a little sharp and brittle on the highs - and maybe somewhat "clanky". Could there be Alnico V magnets in these? This disappears with a small roll down of the tone pot - and gives a lovely rounded thickened sound that'll take you to jazzy or blues tone places. The Mule in comparison could never be called harsh or brittle - the notes flying in are rounder and are packing strength. The Mule's rude and responsive, loaded with bad boy character that's coming from a lower-mid girth than the Holmes - this has gotta be due to the Alnico IV magnetics. Rolling down the tone here gives a really powerful sound - smooth and middy - it's Santana or Robben Ford. It's Greeny getting rather womanly in the tone department. It's stadium rock - powerful. It has the mid that just simply and wail - almost vocal but certainly not nasal. The Mule has more bass than the Holmes but in common with the Holmes it isn't muddy but tight with a springiness to its step. Admitted the Holmes is tighter and with less of a mud-tendency but it hasn't got quite the "grit" of The Mule.
Both humbuckers give "complex" and detailed sounds - both are scatterwound and reap the benefits. Their sound is really sensitive to the way you hit, mute and tickle the strings - I want to say here that both are very "direct" and immediate in their response. Somehow I feel though that the Mule has even more character - sensitivity to harmonics, palm mutes, everything is simply excellent. It can be warm, it can bite, it sustains and sustains. It is plummy and bitchin', less sweet and sugary than the Holmes but still clear and "open". Pumped it gives a wonderfully musical feedback.
The humbucker sound is not only important to me - with a 3 -way toggle I can split the humbucker and add either the whole humbucker of the split coil to any combination of the other 2 pickups. I use the humbucker alone for more volume but I want the thing to give me good sounds in combination with those great Bare Knuckle single coils. Splitting is done via a resistor to ground ( a great tip from Brinsley Schwarz - it gives a sound that is much closer to an "authentic" s/c). Both humbuckers deliver. The full Holmes with the neck s/c for example gives an almost hollow-body type jazz sound wow !. With the Mule it's less so - still a great sound - a full character rythmn sound that is given top end bite when the bucker is split. The Holmes in combination seems to give nice tight funk stabs -the Mule too but with less top and more and bass richness. The Mule split sounds better as a single coil than the Holmes - less brittle, and it mixes s

Pickup features: Humbuckers
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Gibson Classic 57
Other pickups on guitar: Gibson Classic 57
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Classic Rock/blues
Reason for pickup change: Unhappy with bland sound

Perceived output level: These pickups seem to be slightly hotter than the Classic 57's, but way lower output than the PRS pickups I experimented with before.
Tone: Very balanced tone, at first I thought they were a bit bass light, but now I realise the other pickups were muddy sounding.
Sonic evaluation: I play three different Custom Shop Les Pauls ('59 Reissue, Goldtop, & Elegant) through a Lonestar Special (for small gigs) and a Marshall 30th Anniversary (for larger gigs. I replaced the Burstbuckers in the '59 with Seth Lovers almost straight away as they were so middley-sounding. Now I wish I'd tried the Bareknuckle Mules first. They are just powerful enough to drive the amps, whilst retaining a balance and sweetness I've never heard before. You get a sustain crossing into musical feedback almost at will. Clean they show loads of character, not the blandness you usually get. Dirty they have so much bite it's unbelievable - but absolutely no harshness, they've got the frequencies just right. Winding the tone pots back a bit gives you some great options too; usually I find things getting too muddy.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play classic rock and blues and these are the perfect pickups in my opinion.

Comments: I would definitely buy these again - in fact I'm just about to order the Bareknuckle Stormy Mondays as I can't wait to hear what these will sound like in my Goldtop...
I've been playing over 30 years so I'm no spring chicken, neither do I normally post reviews on gear. I've A/B/C'd my three Les Pauls through the Boogie Lonestar Special (great amp by the way!) and frankly there is no comparison - even the Seth Lovers (and I still think they are great pickups) sound bland against the Mules. The only complaint that I have is that I now have to cough up for new pickups for my other two Les Pauls - otherwise they ain't going to get played.

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Dunno

Model of guitar or bass: Washburn WI-66V
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: n/a
Artists using this pickup: Don't care
You musical style(s): blues, rock
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickups were dull and weak sounding

Perceived output level: Higher output than stock pups
Tone: very well balanced
Sonic evaluation: I currently only playing through a 15 watt Marshall practice combo due to volume restrictions. I have a couple of effects pedals, an RMC Picture Wah, Keeley Fuzz Head and Analogman SD-1/808. I can get a great Hendrix/SRV tone using the neck pickup.
Before buying the pups I had a few queries regarding which ones would be most suitable for my needs. My queries were answered extremely quickly and Tim Mills was an enormous help both pre and post sale - exceptional customer service.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mostly blues and rock, Led Zep, Hendrix, Eddie Hazel, SRV, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Stone Roses.

Comments: Had them now for 8 months and The Mules have transformed my guitar from a rather dull sounding and uninspiring instrument to one that is perfect for my needs. The strings don't bleed into one another as the stock pickups did. Each note rings out as clear as a bell, even through a dirt-cheap amp such as the one I'm using. Such clarity of tone makes for a very versatile guitar and I am over the moon with it. Clean tone sounds rich and full and it growls with the gain turned up.
Customer service is beyond compare. I needed some pots and caps to get my guitar wired up and Tim sent them to me before receiving payment (sorry for the delay with that Tim!). I would advise anyone looking for new pickups to contact BKP direct to discuss what they're looking for - you won't be disappointed.

Pickup features: Passive humbucker - Alnico IV magnets
Impedence or other specs: DC:8.9k according to the website

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Custom
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Epiphone (bridge)
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Epiphone (neck)
Artists using this pickup: Tim from Ozzmosis! Dont know of any others...
You musical style(s): Rock! GnR, Led Zep, Deep Purple, Aerosmith etc. I also play some metal like Ozzy, BLS, Death Angel, Megadeth etc.
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickup was too muddy and notes had no defenition

Perceived output level: A bit less than the stock Epi pickup..normal I suppose.
Tone: Just right! I got rid of the Epi because it was too bassy and not clear enough.. this seems really balanced, no harsh treble or muddy bass!
Sonic evaluation: Im using my Epiphone LP Custom into a Marshall GV2 then into a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. Sounds just right. I had to lower the neck pickup right down because this pickup is pretty low output, but now they are nicely balanced and this pickup has also made the middle position a bit more usable..before it wasnt clear atall but now it's alot better! I think the manufacturers description of this pickup is pretty spot on - "Traditional standards with a kick in the rear. Increased power and sustain without sacrificing character or definition." Cant argue with that! Even though this pickup is low output, it still works really well for playing metal, pinch harmonics come out so much easier/better now! Very versatile!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mostly old rock such as Led Zep, GnR, Sabbath etc also old metal like Megadeth.

Comments: If it were destroyed or stolen I think I would buy it again..or maybe the more powerful Emerald. I've been playing for around 5 years.. I dont hate anything about this pickup! I'm not searching for 'that' sound anymore, I think I've found it. At first I thought it was my amp being muddy but nope it was the stock Epiphone pickup! I also thought I should mention how great the customer service is. I emailed Tim probably too many times(!)asking for recommendations and he told me The Mule sounded "beautiful in a LP", he was right! Also, I realised that I had ordered the wrong pickup spacing..simply emailed him and he changed it for me! Another thing, I realised I didnt have any solder, I emailed Tim to ask if he could send me some with it and yep, I got some! Great customer service. I didnt give this pickup a 10 because like people say nothings perfect...

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson SG Special
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: 490R/490T
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues, Funk
Reason for pickup change: Old pickups were ok. I will be keeping them for a project guitar in the future. Wanted to get a sound that was unique and that is what i now have.

Perceived output level:
Tone: Really articulate with more sustain and yet crunchy
Sonic evaluation: I use an old Vox AC 50(or 60 not sure) Head through a marshall 4x12 cab. Distortion from a Boss DS-1 and i use a vox wah pedal. Great amp for clean sounds but these pickups let the valves do the distortion thing naturally before i even need the boss. Love the clarity of these pickups but it has meant i need to play better! There is no hiding for sloppy playing with these pickups.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Great match for the styles i play. eg: Cream, Zep, Stones, old stuff and our own stuff

Comments: I would definitely buy these pickups again for my SG. For another guitar I'd look for a different sound again but would go to the Bare Knuckle range to explore! I own an epiphone Les Paul that would suit some Miracle Man pup's...