Bare Knuckle Pickups The Mule

Pickup features: Humbuckers - Alnico IV Passive Calibrated Set
Impedence or other specs: 8.7K Bridge, 7.0K Neck

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson SG Special 1991
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Gibson 490T/490R
Other pickups on guitar: N/A
Artists using this pickup: Not really bothered but the list will grow
You musical style(s): Rock
Reason for pickup change: Bought the guitar second hand. The 490s and most of the hardware was knackered (I think the previous owner sweated acid). I originally replaced the 490s with Gibson Burstbucker 2 & 3 which were awful.

Perceived output level: I would say that these have a normal output - about the same as the 490s
Tone: Wonderful tone - very well balanced. Also has a transparent quality that allows your amp and effects to be heard.
Sonic evaluation: The SG into a Mesa F-30. Sometimes with a few pedals (Keeley TS9-808 mod Tubescreamer, Boss DD-6 delay, Boss CE-5 chorus, Vox Clyde wah), sometimes not. Clean with a bit of reverb The Mule is fantastic, dirty it will do blues right through to classic rock.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock - it is excellent for this. With the right amp and pedals you could probably do anything. Except maybe twangy country but you wouldn't use an SG for that would you? Available for either position or as a matched set.

Comments: I would buy these again in an instant. I've been playing a few years now and have tried to build a collection of gear that has great tone and sounds really good. I ordered direct and spoke to Tim who runs the company and is a really top bloke. I had tried Gibson Burstbuckers but hated them so I got in touch with BK, explained what I wanted and these were one of the choices suggested. I am extremely satisfied with these pickups. They produce an excellent, balanced sound and allow you to hear what you're playing (which means I can no longer hide my sloppy technique - damn you Bare Knuckle). How good are they? I am currently in the process of getting another set of BKs (Custom Emeralds) for my V.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: SG Special
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Burstbucker Pro (Neck)
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock, funk
Reason for pickup change: Original ones were just OK, & I wanted a really great sound.

Perceived output level: Normal output
Tone: Very clear & bright tone - sharp
Sonic evaluation: SG Special thru a Laney 100watt head into a 4x12 Red Bear cabinet. The Mule is great for solos - it has a nice bite to it & no muddiness. I've only got it in the bridge position, so I don't use it for rhythm guitar. I'm very glad I got it.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock, funk - they're great

Comments: Yeah, I'd probably get another one, but I'd have to save up for it again ;) They're pricey, but in this case, I feel they're worth it. After all, I want a great sound from my guitar & I'm not going to change this pickup out - ever. So what's a little extra $$$?

Pickup features: PAF Humbuckers.
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Maison Les Paul.
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Maisons
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): MarK Knopfler.
Reason for pickup change: Maison Pickups were crap.

Perceived output level: Nice output.
Tone: Very nice warm tone, ballsy tone from Bridge. 10 out of 10!
Sonic evaluation: Line 6 Products.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Dire Strairs/Mark Knopfler.

Comments: You cannot beat Bare Knuckle Pickups!
They are the most boutique pickups in the world, no one can compete with the shear hand made quality, Some makers claim that they hand scatterwind, I can tell you that they don't,what they actually do is guide the machine by hand.
Tim at Bare Knuckle is the only maker in the world who actually sites there and scatter-winds the pickup in his hands and hand builds everything, even the piece of maple in the humbuckers is cut and shaped by hand.
The quality and service cannot be matched.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 2003 Gibson Les Paul Standard
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Burstbuckers
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Various, mostly Rock
Reason for pickup change: Burstbuckers sounded 'scratchy'- not smooth enough and slightly painful on the ear!

Perceived output level:
Tone: Perfect
Sonic evaluation: With a '03 LP Standard into Matamp 1224 Mk II + Matamp 4x12 loaded with Celestion Hot 100s, everything just sounds 'right' - perfectly balanced tone, lovely crunch with loads of definition and balls. Really sweet when played soft, and really singing when hit hard.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Classic rock's the obvious choice, but sound great for anything

Comments: Buy them

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 8.6 Alnico 4

Model of guitar or bass: epiphone les paul hollowbody
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock epiphone
Other pickups on guitar: stock epiphone
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): country/rock/blues
Reason for pickup change: i bouhht this pickup for a home build project, but the guitar is more fender style (scale and string spacing), so i bought another that fitted better, and had this left over, so decided to put it on the les paul.

Perceived output level: it sounds great. clearer and brighter than the stock.
Tone: great for ac/dc, hard rock, really cuts through...no muddyness, clear, sharp, biting tone.
Sonic evaluation: i play through a yamaha dg stomp into either a marshall 15- watter, or into the mac.
don't get me wrong, i can't remember being unhappy with the stock epi. unit, as i hadn't played the guitar for a while. but this sounds tremendous. cleans up nicely too, which some pickups don't do. as i said before, it really cuts through, roll the tone off and it sitll sounds great but without the sharpness, with the tone up, it's great for lead stuff. it works well with the epi. at the neck, too.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: i play all sorts. sounds great for hard, classic rock, would probably work well for some heavy styles, which i don't play. i ran through the patches on my dg stomp, and i couldn't find a patch that didn't work.

Comments: would i replace it with the same? yes! i have other bare knuckles on my other guitars, all different models, all sound great in their different ways. i'm very happy with these pickups, and wouldn't swap them for anything else. there may well be other pickups that are as good, i won't argue, but personally, i'm thrilled with the sounds i get, so there's no reason to change, and i can thoroughly reccomend these pickups. i also have a homebuilt single pickup tele style guitar with a stormy monday (h/b) at the bridge, and a fender mex. standard tele fitted with (bare knuckle) brown sugar pickups. i've been playing on and off for 20+ years, and this is the best i've ever sounded. the customer service at bareknuckle is fantastic, too. if only other companies were the same.

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 8.6 / alnico4 i believe

Model of guitar or bass: homebuilt guitar with graphite neck/swamp ash body
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: 'super 70' (?) japanese 70's or 80's humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): country rock, bluesey rock mainly......bits of all sorts....
Reason for pickup change: pickup sounded 'ok', hummed a bit tho', i fancied something with a bit more 'class' and 'quality' that didn't hum so much in front of the mac.

Perceived output level: sounded better straight away. louder, no hum, ballsier. the chords and notes sound fuller. they really 'sing' now. sustains like f...
Tone: thicker, livelier, fuller accross the spectrum, really. no mud!
Sonic evaluation: i'm using a homebuilt single 'buckered guitar through a yamaha dg stomp, into cubasis on the mac.
i did a demo with the old pickup, then re-recorded it with the same settings. i could tell the difference as soon as i plugged in, even thru the little iMac speakers. the clean stuff sounded dirtier, but great. i've since tried it thru the marshall and different patches on the dg stomp, and it sounds awesome. now all those 'experimental' patches make sense. harmonics are like nothing i've ever played before. there's no 'mush' to the sound, which is a real bonus for me. i hate mush.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: country rock/bluesey rock/rock...sounds great, a big improvement on a pickup i wasn't unhappy with in the first place. it's at the bridge, and sounds really good there.

Comments: if anything happened to it, i'd definately get another bareknuckle....i probably will anyhow for my other guitars. been playing 21 years, but i'm no 'god'. also own a mex tele standard, epi' les paul hollowbody, takamine accoustic, dg stomp, marshall 15watt combo, encore bass..other bits and bobs...
i love the sound..don't hate anything about it. i had a good look around before choosing this unit, tim was very helpful, i e-mailed him with a rundown of the stuff i play, and asked what might suit me. he specifically reccomended the mule. i chose bareknuckle after reading up as much as i could find out on the net, i also liked the ethos and enthusiasm of the company. another time, i might have gone for 4 conducter wiring for the coil-tap option, but i honestly don't miss it, it just sounds so good as it is.

Pickup features: humbuckers
Impedence or other specs: -

Model of guitar or bass: flying V
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: standard epiphone
Other pickups on guitar: -
Artists using this pickup: -
You musical style(s): rock and blues
Reason for pickup change: epiphones not to poor but guitar deserves a quality tone a little too much treble for my tastes

Perceived output level: wallop! in your face without too much distortion
Tone: wonderfull-dial in what you need from jazz to H/Metal
Sonic evaluation: straight into a fender 40 watt blues deluxe no pedals

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: can be used for any style

Comments: fantastic sounds highly recommended.I have a les paul with S/duncans a jazz and JB they are ok but the bareknuckles outperform them easily to the extent I now only use the L/P for slide.remember for the same money (in the UK) you get a hand wound pick up rather than something churned out for slave wages in korea or wherever

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 8.5k

Model of guitar or bass: '76 Yamaha Les Paul copy mmm
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: Stock Yamaha
Other pickups on guitar: Yamaha gold-covered neck
Artists using this pickup: Tim Mills himself! Others too but I forget the names.
You musical style(s): Bluesy, and non-cheesy rock
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickup was nice, but too weak really. It lacked bite and the ability to really sing with a little bit of gain.

Perceived output level: It's only 8.5k so it's not super 'hot', but a lovely overwound version of the PAF.
Tone: Balanced. It has all the midrange of a humbucker but has a lovely top end and bass response. Its perfect.
Sonic evaluation: I play through a valve practise amp, about 20 watts, and so it tends to be driven nearly full pelt when I'm playing with other people. On my own i turn the gain and volume down to about the same level, and use the guitar's volume knob to add bite if necessary. The pickup is lovely, and it everything I wanted and expected and more. For the first time ever there is nothing else I want to change about my sound. It's so good that it can be used for crunchy rhythm fills, the pickup is balanced and a joy to listen to. The top end is bright but not harsh, the midrange is responsive, and the bass end doesn't dominate like other pickups. It's exactly what I wanted, and restores my faith in more expensive after-market parts. I can't reccomend Bare Knuckle enough.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues and decent rock, or anything that tickles my fancy, and it stands up like a big heavy thing that doesn't fall over.

Comments: If it was lost or stolen I would dance aimlessly in sorrow for a while. Then I would save for another. I have been playing for about 4 years probably, and have bought or played many posh pickups and think them all crap in comparison to my Mule. I love everything about it, hate nothing, and would probably write love letters to Tim were it considered normal by society. The only problem now being that I've got to save up another ?90 to buy a neck pickup - the Mule makes it sound pretty pathetic.

Pickup features: Passive Humbuckers Alnico IV magnets
Impedence or other specs: Calibrated Set (7.85K neck, 8.75K bridge)

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Standard 1990
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Rio Grande Genuine Texas Humbucker
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues Rock, Southern Rock
Reason for pickup change: Rio Grandes lack dynamics and clarity. They are very smooth when overdriven hard for solos and can give a reasonable crunchy rythym sound, but there is no edge. Not so good for cleaner sounds.

Perceived output level: Lower than the Rio Grandes, higher than the original stock pickups
Tone: Natural, tight full bass, no added mids, treble clear and chimey but not piercing.
Sonic evaluation: I have fitted these pickups to a Gibson Les Paul Standard 1990. I use 10-46 and a heavy pick. I play through a Top Hat Club Royale (newer 11" deep cab), using a Roger Mayer Red Lion Wah upgrade, Blackstone Mosfet Overdrive 2SV3, Roger Mayer Voodoo-1 in that order. I would usually run the amp at around half on both Volume and Master, which gives an excellent warm mostly clean sound, use the Voodoo-1 (with Gain minimum and Output high) to get overdrive for riff/rythym playing then add the Blackstone (Output maximum, gain low) for solos.
These pickups are incredibly natural sounding, the output seems to convey all of the detail and complexity of the unplugged sound of the guitar with exactly the same tonal balance. No added mids, no smoothing of pick attack, no low end muddy mushiness, no high end harshness. In fact, since fitting these pickups I have adopted a combined pick and 2nd/3rd finger pick style because it just sounds so good - lead runs just get so much more interesting. The clarity of these pickups also means I can get the most musical harmonics and feedback when I face my amp up close - not the super-strat kind that leaps out at you from an octave or two higher, but that full grungy unpredictable sound where you turn the guitar this way and that and it sings back to you. In the neck position, the sound is almost like that of a Stat neck pickup with more punch and without the midrange roundness. I had no idea before that it was possible to get such a musical clean sound out of a Les Paul. When used with the Voodoo-1 or the Blackstone, sound is almost identical to the Top Hat amp when overdriven without pedals, class A EL84 perfection - higher output pickups would overwhelm these pedals and result in metal mahem.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues Rock, Souther Rock

Comments: These pickups convey as much detail as single-coils without the noise. I had almost given up on the Les Paul because of the lack of dynamics, but it is now the guitar I always reach for.
Tim at Bare Knuckle was very helpful. I explained what I wanted/liked/disliked and he recommended the Mule, with a guarantee to change them if they were not right. No need, they are perfect. He also made them the day after the order and I received them the day after that. After fitting the pickups, I decided to rewire the pickup selector and replace the old caps (to remove any last remnant of noise) - Tim sent wire and caps through the post on trust and I mailed back the money - alright, it was only three pounds, but it shows you this company is fantastic to deal with.
I would replace the Mules if stolen. I have been playing 14 years.
Note: I'm not sure if a I have remembered the impedence correctly - the bridge one was a smidge below the standard Mule and the neck one was lower again.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: About 8K - custom wound with Alnico3 magnets.

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez SX470DX
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: All BKP
Artists using this pickup: See BKP homepage
You musical style(s): Blues to Rock
Reason for pickup change: Stock was lifeless

Perceived output level: Normal. Less than the Hot Stock pup
Tone: Pure clean beauty. Very Peter Green.
Sonic evaluation: After discussing what I wanted with 'Tim Mills' he offered to use Alnico 3 magnets and wind them to give a cleaner sound. Well that's exactly what he delivered. They sound 3 dimensional, open, perfect balance across the strings, stay clear as the volume knob is turned down and have low noise in comparison to other brands. They have the most elusive of pickup qualities ? an eerie, haunting, open vocal quality.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Ideal for clean to light overdrive.

Comments: How often have you bought a Wah, distortion pedal etc and though it was great but was a little bit noisy, a little bit harsh or picked up too much background hiss? You liked the item but a few things niggled you. So eventually you decided not to use it and felt if only those niggles were sorted out you would have been closer to achieving your ?hallmark tone?. Well, the top players do use the same pedals and guitars as you or I, but the difference is that they send them off to their ?electronics/guitar wizard? to replace noisy components, put in higher specification parts and set them up properly. Sure, the overall design is the same but the attention to detail is far greater.
Attention to detail, care and a bit of pride/love go into making things great.
At any price (If you order more than one pickup, they work out the same to slightly less than the major manufacturers), these are truly magnificent pickups ? and that goes for any of the three different models I have tried. I have installed about 20 pickups from different manufacturers and of course tried many, many stock pickups. If you live in the UK, you would be out-of-your-mind to buy from any other manufacturer. I honestly wouldn?t consider buying any other type. My main guitars only have BKP in them.
Make you and your guitar proud, speak to ?Tim Mills? and discuss what type of music you admire and buy a set of Bare Knuckle Pickups.