Electric Guitars Why I like Bare Knuckle Mule pickups so much.

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

Why do I like Bare Knuckle Mule pickups so much? They are named after the band Gov't Mule, but that's not why I like them so much. They are brighter than most PAF pickups, more in line with what the best 50-year-old PAFs sounded like when those pickups were brand new ... before 50 years of aging and mellowing. Does this mean they make your guitar brighter? No. It means they make your tone controls actually useful. They are Alnico IV rather than Alnico II or Alnico V of their more common cousins. Alnico IV is known for a bit more "bite" ... with no-load pots and tone knobs on "10" they can sound almost Tele-like. But roll your tone knobbie back just a tad and they have that nice round mellow bluesy tone so many covet ... whereas with their more common cousins what you get is various degrees of mud.

 

[JohnHurley]

So pretty much they are almost like the PRS TCI pickups except the PRS ones might be a bit better?

Nothing bad about the gibson 57 classics either in my opinion.

 

[BraylonJennings]

Love Gov't Mule. Warren Haynes gets great tone with all his Gibsons.

 

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

So pretty much they are almost like the PRS TCI pickups except the PRS ones might be a bit better?
Nothing bad about the gibson 57 classics either in my opinion.

My BK Mules put my Gibby '57 Classics to shame, and both of them trounce the pickups in my PRS SE Custom 24.

 

[sdbrit68]

I think one point of your original part of this post, and it took time for me to be a believer. I adjusted sound from pedals, balls to the wall dime it all.

Lately, I have been using my practice amp and utilizing the volume and tone knobs more, plus, my new Guitar is very reactive to this, so pick up that is reactive is nice

 

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

I think one point of your original part of this post, and it took time for me to be a believer. I adjusted sound from pedals, balls to the wall dime it all.

Lately, I have been using my practice amp and utilizing the volume and tone knobs more, plus, my new Guitar is very reactive to this, so pick up that is reactive is nice

Are you referring to my comment "But roll your tone knobbie back just a tad and they have that nice round mellow bluesy tone so many covet ... whereas with their more common cousins what you get is various degrees of mud."?

If so, my guitars with BK pickups in them (three) are the only humbucker guitars where I even use the tone controls.