Had a great experience with my Mk V and BKPs

[Archlute75]

When I first got my Mk V, I really did not bond with the 6L6 tubes. It didn't matter how I EQd the amp, or if I was using stock or signature Dimarzio pickups, I couldn't seem to be able to dial out the fizz and thinness of the high gain sounds (although the cleans did sound great).

So a few weeks back I installed a set of Bare Knuckles into my Premium RG, the Holydiver bridge and Emerald neck, and was totally digging them with the EL34s I had in the Mk V. Well, over the past few days I could tell that the 34s were starting to fart out after months of heavy use, so since I had a few quads of 6L6s hanging around I thought I'd give them another try while waiting for a replacement set of the 34s.

The difference between the 6s then and the 6s with the BKPs was a complete transformation. Instead of an annoying top-end fizz there is now an articulate sizzle on the bridge, and smooth glassy lead on the neck pup. Chordal riffing is now satisfying and full of overtones, whereas before it was kind of a thinnish sounding wall of scooped distortion. On top of that, the cleans are even more beautiful than before.

Totally digging the BKPs, and had no idea that pickups could go so far in taming some of the unwanted characteristics of a tube type or amp. Anyone else had this experience, especially BK players?

 

[jc986]

I've never played an amp that is as sensitive to different guitars and pickups than the Mark V. This is both a blessing and a curse, because you can really appreciate what each unique pickup and guitar combination bring to the table, but you also have to adjust settings (sometimes quite a lot) when switching guitars. I have a BKP Painkiller in the bridge of my PRS Singlecut, and it definitely sounds fantastic through the Mark V. Really though, as long as spend some time adjusting the settings when I switch to other guitars, I can get great results from any of my guitars equipped with all sorts of different pickups.

 

[jmusolino]

I've also found the Mark V really sensitive to pickup types, etc. One of the many things I love about the amp. Im ,y various guitars are Tim Shaw humbuckers, WB humbuckers, Seymours, Ibanez tri-sounds, and EMG single coils, and the Mark V really brings out their characteristics incredibly well. I also have an SG3 with Classic 57s and a Classic 57+, and I'm swapping them out for some medium output DiMarzios. The Gibson pickups sound shrill to begin with, and even more so through the Boogie. Everything else sounds amazing, but all distinct from each other.

 

[guijs]

I have a set of Ceramic Nailbombs and Slowhand single in my Ibanez RG 1570 Prestige and I absolutely love them. Excellent cleans and OD, specially for heavy metal, 80's rock, etc.

I also have a set of Ceramic Warpigs in a Gibson SG Standard, which was my first BKP set. They also are great for heavy metal, but I like the Nailbombs better. The Nailbombs have a brighter sound and are much more versatile. I don't like the clean sound of my Warpigs, at all. But I believe they can sound different depending of the guitar wood. My SG mahogany have a very "full bodied" sound. Maybe the WP are better in alder/ash/basswood.

I have bought a set of used Black Dog's (aged raw nickel covered set, very nice!) to replace my Warpigs. I think they will be perfect for my SG as I want now a more classic rock and blues tone for AC/DC, Zeppelin and Pink Floyd sound.

In general, BKPs have a very, very clean, pure sound. You can hear every note if you play a chord with distortion, even on high gain.

In comparison to EMG 81/60 (which I have on 2 other guitars), if you want a Metallica/Dream Theater tone, I think nothing can beat the EMG. They sound a lot different than BKPs. Don't fool yourself, you won't find the EMG tone on BKPs. I say this because I read in a lot of forum people saying that BKPs are better than EMG, but from my experience, it's apples and oranges here. As someone wrote in a post above, the Mark V is very sentive for different guitars and pickups.

 

[LesPaul70]

II also have a set of Ceramic Warpigs in a Gibson SG Standard, which was my first BKP set. They also are great for heavy metal, but I like the Nailbombs better. The Nailbombs have a brighter sound and are much more versatile. I don't like the clean sound of my Warpigs, at all. But I believe they can sound different depending of the guitar wood. My SG mahogany have a very "full bodied" sound. Maybe the WP are better in alder/ash/basswood.

Interestingly, I have had an Alnico Warpig bridge bucker in my Gibson SG since forever (like, 2006? 2007?), and while in general my experiences are very similar to yours, I have managed to get very convincing clean sounds from the WP. A guy from the audience actually once asked where I had hidden the steel-string acoustic! (It had been the SG Warpig bridge + chorus + reverb all the time + MkV clean channel all the time!)
The key difference is, I believe, Alnico vs Ceramic. Alnico is warmer and more vintage-y.

In any case, I subscribe to most of your other points.

The EMG vs BKP is, of course, unfair to both. They both have slightly different applications where they shine. That said, I have an EMG-equipped Jackson axe (that I practically never play it's been in the closet for years) and through certain amps (not Mesas, though), the basic timbre of its bridge pickup (EMG 81) is surprisingly similar to the bridge WP on my SG. Never mind that the Jackson is a basswood-body Floyd Rose guitar.
However, once you plug the same guitars to a Mesa, there's simply no chance of mistaking them for each other. The SG sounds big, deep, and rich - while the Jackson sounds like a plastic toy guitar.
...so now you know why I hardly ever use it anymore. :lol:
With its 24 frets, Floyd Rose, and paper-thin neck, it's a good guitar for shredding, though.

 

[guijs]

LesPaul70, good point, probably the alnico version makes all the difference for the cleans. Although, my Nailbomb set is also Ceramic on the bridge and I like it much more than the WP. But it could be a matter of trying different settings on the amp. Do you mind posting here your clean settings you use for the WP?

As for the EMG, I have them on a ESP Explorer MX250 and in a Gibson Explorer 84, both mahogany bodies. They sound amazing, both in overdrive and clean. But from my experience EMG is less versatile than the BKP. They shine on that Metallica tone and that's it.

 

[LesPaul70]

Oh, my settings were nothing special really. It was back when I still had 6L6s in my V, and it was virtually impossible to get 'bad' clean sounds on Fat + Bold. As for the rest, the chorus & reverb effects were the key, I believe.

Ever since I switched over to EL-34s, however, I've been struggling to get as good pure clean sounds. I'm getting closer and closer but never quite there. With EL-34s, using Fat+Bold and setting the preset EQ somewhere between 9 and 12 o'clock seems to yield the best results.