I've got regular access to a set of PG Blues, and while I understand the focus is on the middle out-of-phase position, it's worth emphasising how good they are besides that, and how different they are to the other BKP PAFs. To my ear/feel, more aggressive than the Stormy Mondays in the bridge, and the heavy formvar in the neck really does make it very different to a typical PAF. A bit more attack and almost Strattiness at times. Now I just need more guitars so I can have my own set permanently!
Agreed. 1,000%. The out-of-phase mid posistion IS great and incredibly useful, but these ALSO shine as individual pickups. To my ears, they just have more "air," almost like a really nice Telecaster bridge pickup but with more oomph and without the hum.
Awesome! They really do sound the biz. Great playing too. I have a pair of custom shop Seymour Duncan 'Greenies' but I will be getting a pair of these for one of my Les Paul standards.
Jesus h......these are like 10 pickups in one. I was listening a lot to Gary today and curious what pups he used. Luckily, I get BKs for most of my new builds. This set just blew me right off my chair! They sound incredible in every dimension. I've never heard pickups literally change like these do with a slight change in volume. Incredible. How do the wizards at BK do this????? I can't wait to grab a set later this year. PS: Never heard of Mickey before. But, wow, what a player!!
Absolutely beautiful playing! I m installing a set of these for a customer right now and wanted to hear them first. My only complaint, and this is being picky, is that when you play the neck pickup you have it labelled "in phase". As a sound guy, I can't let that pass. Phase only describes a relationship between two or more signals. One signal source alone cannot be in or out of phase. It can have it's polarity reversed, but that is not the same thing as phase (although I hear the terms mixed/misused all the time, even on pro gear). It takes two or more signals at once to have a phase relationship. So one pickup alone cannot be "in phase". Sorry, the audio engineer in me had to point that out. Otherwise, really nice video.
Low output pickups will generally have a more bright blend of tones, as the highs are very natural and uncompressed and there isn't the power required to really make the lows too prominent. That's one of the things that players really love about P.A.F style humbuckers: they're really punchy and crisp and focused into the frequencies where the guitar naturally sits in a full band mix
Not directly, but maybe just bear in mind that the Greeny replicas that Gibson were making for Gary Moore at the time of his death had our PG Blues humbuckers fitted at Gary's request, so, comparisons aside, the PGs are bang-on for the Greeny tone!
Are these pickups wired independent for the middle position to work that way, or standard? Do you have 50s wiring for your tone capacitor? Any information would be appreciated, getting set to wire these to my Les Paul thanks.
For the PG Blues set I thought the neck pickup was wound out of phase so you can get the OOP tone without reversing the humbucker? You have the neck reversed so basically you have undone the out of phase wiring??
rotating the pickup 180 degrees in the guitar doesn't affect the phase relationship between the pickups at all, it's simply a nod towards how the pickups were fitted into the Greeny Les Paul and does produce an ever so slightly brighter response from the neck pickup.
Which do you think handle gain better? Mules or these PG's? Im building a 59 replica. I play rock and blues. I want that airy PAF but want one that can handle a little gain.
Hi interested in putting these in a double cut Les Paul re-issue. Just paid a fortune for the guitar but truly I am not in love with this single volume and single tone option. Want to install a set of these pick ups is there additional wire on the neck pick up in order to wire push pole for the in an out of phase already or is that something you have to special order just curious, also when ordering from the bareknuckle homepage from the USA, does anybody know if the price you pay includes duties once they arrive here or is there still additional fees after paying for the pick ups and the shipping? It doesn’t clearly say I know it was whiz it was complete there was no additional charges. I just wasn’t sure if any of you guys knew love the hell out of these pick ups and the fact that Gary Moore even endorse them makes me that much more sure I was about to spend $700 on repro PG102 pick ups from throwback Until I found these and I am definitely in LOVE with this sound. My fingers are pretty good, but you definitely executed every note perfectly great playing man. 7:34
Phase switching is no problem at all, just spec your set to have 4 conductor wiring when ordering from us. Regarding duties, we do not include those in the checkout, but I think that the USA import threshold is pretty high at around $600, so you should be OK with getting them in without any extra fees, but please check duties in your home state to be sure of what might potentially be added. Glad to hear that you're enjoying the PG Blues!
There is a drop, but they are not by any means perfectly out-of-phase, so you still get a perfectly workable signal, plus you can use the individual volume controls on a Les Paul setup to dial in or out that phase effect to bring back some of the signal strength
nice playing and great sounds.....shame i just put seymour duncan 59s into my prs se 594 mccarty....haha....nevermind....maybe some time later then.....
I think I would tire of the PG out of phase thing after a short while.How do these compare to the Stormy Monday set when played in the normal fashion.thanks
The bridge is an early PAF style of build, so pretty close to the Stormy Monday, then the main difference with the neck pickup is the wire type, which is 42AWG plain enamel for the Stormy Monday, but 42 AWG Heavy Formvar for the PG Blues, which delivers a more pure clean tone, with a little more rounded lows. They're certainly not miles apart! If you spec out either model with 4-conductor wiring, you can always implement switching in your guitar to put the set in or out of phase with each other.
@@BKPickups Thanks you for your reply.I have the mule set in my les paul and have been enjoying them for year's,but what to try something a little more bluesy.Maybe a little less full sounding.Just to be clear,If I put the PG blues in I could have a push pull pot to go between full humbucking and PG Blues mode?
It's a touch brighter, but has less power overall, so it will feel less aggressive. The main differences are a lower number of turns on the coils, which will shift the tone a little brighter and a lower powered magnet, which will soften attack a little
I would check out the holy diver and the VHII. Here is a video of a great player called Sam Coulson playing them. ua-cam.com/video/evEXJK7JFso/v-deo.html&ab_channel=SamCoulson
Depends entirely on how you like your pickups, what your guitar's like and what amp you're using! 80% of metal tone is the amp, so pretty much any pickup with enough gain will be happy. If you specifically want thick screaming mids, look at the Holydiver or Rebel Yell - clues being in the names, really.
@@GDCDGC I don't claim to be any sort of expert, but in my humble opinion, and in the grand scheme of things, i'd be spending money on a decent amp, before worrying about Pup's!
MAGNETICALLY out of phase...not electrically. Your winding story and spinning story is wrong. The magnet on the neck pickup was flipped end for end (N-S). So when they're both on, they're magnetically out of phase. The ffect is most apparent when the two pickups are both on and up around 8 to 10. (Turning the neck PU around was PG's way of getting a warmer neck sound having the positive coils out from under the harmonic node of the string.)
It's very hard to get a definitive story and there is certainly debate around the facts, but we are very happy that our PG set is a faithful recreation and the hundreds of sets that we have made for very happy customers over the decades is testament to that. Setting that aside, the simple fact is that 180 degrees out-of-phase is 180 degrees out-of-phase. In a twin humbucker setup where the interference between the magnetic fields of both pickups is minimal, the sound will be virtually identical whether you reverse coils or magnets, in exactly the same way that a reverse wound or polarity pickup doesn't sound any different when used on its own.
well there's electrically OOP(wired) and magnetically OOP and electrically does not produce the PG effect. the sound is NOT the same. I got the empirical truth directly from Hamer founder Jol Dantzig who examined the real Greeny guitar and discovered the secret (which others had sussed out as well). Not trying to be a dick, just ask him yourself. @@BKPickups.
Came for the pickups and stayed for the ABSOLUTELY AMAZING PLAYING.
I just bought a set of these. They are the single most dynamic humbuckers I have ever played! I could not be happier!
That playing and that tone is like a religious experience.
Damn son those picks ups are pretty for blues! And rock of the 60s and 70s
Beautiful playing! My mate has a set and I thought they were a bit pricey until I heard them. Probably the best new humbuckers you can buy.
These sound unreal. Excellent playing certainly helps too
I've got regular access to a set of PG Blues, and while I understand the focus is on the middle out-of-phase position, it's worth emphasising how good they are besides that, and how different they are to the other BKP PAFs. To my ear/feel, more aggressive than the Stormy Mondays in the bridge, and the heavy formvar in the neck really does make it very different to a typical PAF. A bit more attack and almost Strattiness at times. Now I just need more guitars so I can have my own set permanently!
Agreed. 1,000%. The out-of-phase mid posistion IS great and incredibly useful, but these ALSO shine as individual pickups. To my ears, they just have more "air," almost like a really nice Telecaster bridge pickup but with more oomph and without the hum.
1:06 melodic minor on the IV... Elegant!
Instantly sold me on a set, amazing playing and tone
I really like their sound. They sound like a Les Paul ! Just fantastic. 🇺🇸🎼🎸
Super playing; part Bonamassa, part Hendrix, part Guthrie, all Crystal!
Awesome! They really do sound the biz. Great playing too. I have a pair of custom shop Seymour Duncan 'Greenies' but I will be getting a pair of these for one of my Les Paul standards.
Great demo of great pickups! :)
I have this set in my Les Paul and love them. Right now I have them in phase but in or out they are excellent
Hi MisterTee,can you just flip the neck pickup magnet to change them back to out of phase?thanks.
Jesus h......these are like 10 pickups in one. I was listening a lot to Gary today and curious what pups he used. Luckily, I get BKs for most of my new builds. This set just blew me right off my chair! They sound incredible in every dimension. I've never heard pickups literally change like these do with a slight change in volume. Incredible. How do the wizards at BK do this????? I can't wait to grab a set later this year.
PS: Never heard of Mickey before. But, wow, what a player!!
These sound great! I'm after 'that' Peter Green sound and these look to be serious contenders. Thanks for the overview.
Absolutely beautiful playing! I m installing a set of these for a customer right now and wanted to hear them first. My only complaint, and this is being picky, is that when you play the neck pickup you have it labelled "in phase". As a sound guy, I can't let that pass. Phase only describes a relationship between two or more signals. One signal source alone cannot be in or out of phase. It can have it's polarity reversed, but that is not the same thing as phase (although I hear the terms mixed/misused all the time, even on pro gear). It takes two or more signals at once to have a phase relationship. So one pickup alone cannot be "in phase". Sorry, the audio engineer in me had to point that out. Otherwise, really nice video.
Oh my! These sound amazing 👌
I'm looking for a pair of humbuckers for my music man mariposa
my dream project is still to put these pickups in a guitar and wire it with a blend knob like a jazz bass to have full control of that sweet spot.
This video made me buy a set. 💸💸💸
Fantastically played Mickey 👍👍 is it me or are they very bright sounding including the neck 1n 👍👍
Low output pickups will generally have a more bright blend of tones, as the highs are very natural and uncompressed and there isn't the power required to really make the lows too prominent. That's one of the things that players really love about P.A.F style humbuckers: they're really punchy and crisp and focused into the frequencies where the guitar naturally sits in a full band mix
Have you compared these to the Gibson Greenybuckers?
Not directly, but maybe just bear in mind that the Greeny replicas that Gibson were making for Gary Moore at the time of his death had our PG Blues humbuckers fitted at Gary's request, so, comparisons aside, the PGs are bang-on for the Greeny tone!
Can you get the same or similar phase effect by using the PG Blues in neck and another hotter pickup like Mule or Emerald in bridge?
Are these pickups wired independent for the middle position to work that way, or standard? Do you have 50s wiring for your tone capacitor? Any information would be appreciated, getting set to wire these to my Les Paul thanks.
For dialling in the pu-of phase tone, yes, you want them wired for independent volume control, so that you can get that blending effect going.
Nice phrasing, dude...
Just curious what amp are you using here?
Marshall JCM 800 Studio for everything apart for the high gain section which is a Bogner Shiva.
For the PG Blues set I thought the neck pickup was wound out of phase so you can get the OOP tone without reversing the humbucker? You have the neck reversed so basically you have undone the out of phase wiring??
rotating the pickup 180 degrees in the guitar doesn't affect the phase relationship between the pickups at all, it's simply a nod towards how the pickups were fitted into the Greeny Les Paul and does produce an ever so slightly brighter response from the neck pickup.
@@BKPickups
Thank you, turns out I was misinformed about the effect of simply rotating the pickup.
my man! could you please provide the tutotial for black magic woman you played in the beginning of the video?
Bought these and the Mules. They sound bad ass for Metal too!
Which do you think handle gain better? Mules or these PG's? Im building a 59 replica. I play rock and blues. I want that airy PAF but want one that can handle a little gain.
@@stephenfox1328 Definitely the Mules!
Thanks for the response.
Daniel one more question. Are the mules you run potted or unpotted?
@@stephenfox1328 The Mules are potted and the PG Blues unpotted. You’ll be happy either way with the Mules.
Hi interested in putting these in a double cut Les Paul re-issue. Just paid a fortune for the guitar but truly I am not in love with this single volume and single tone option. Want to install a set of these pick ups is there additional wire on the neck pick up in order to wire push pole for the in an out of phase already or is that something you have to special order just curious, also when ordering from the bareknuckle homepage from the USA, does anybody know if the price you pay includes duties once they arrive here or is there still additional fees after paying for the pick ups and the shipping? It doesn’t clearly say I know it was whiz it was complete there was no additional charges. I just wasn’t sure if any of you guys knew love the hell out of these pick ups and the fact that Gary Moore even endorse them makes me that much more sure I was about to spend $700 on repro PG102 pick ups from throwback Until I found these and I am definitely in LOVE with this sound. My fingers are pretty good, but you definitely executed every note perfectly great playing man. 7:34
Phase switching is no problem at all, just spec your set to have 4 conductor wiring when ordering from us. Regarding duties, we do not include those in the checkout, but I think that the USA import threshold is pretty high at around $600, so you should be OK with getting them in without any extra fees, but please check duties in your home state to be sure of what might potentially be added. Glad to hear that you're enjoying the PG Blues!
Try concentric controls, like on a Fender Jazz Bass. Jazz knob for the bottom, typical bell knob should fit right on top
Is there a large volume drop when you switch from an individual pickup to the middle position?
There is a drop, but they are not by any means perfectly out-of-phase, so you still get a perfectly workable signal, plus you can use the individual volume controls on a Les Paul setup to dial in or out that phase effect to bring back some of the signal strength
@@BKPickups Ok, thanks.
nice playing and great sounds.....shame i just put seymour duncan 59s into my prs se 594 mccarty....haha....nevermind....maybe some time later then.....
and it wasn't because of the price either......
Wow!
I think I would tire of the PG out of phase thing after a short while.How do these compare to the Stormy Monday set when played in the normal fashion.thanks
The bridge is an early PAF style of build, so pretty close to the Stormy Monday, then the main difference with the neck pickup is the wire type, which is 42AWG plain enamel for the Stormy Monday, but 42 AWG Heavy Formvar for the PG Blues, which delivers a more pure clean tone, with a little more rounded lows. They're certainly not miles apart! If you spec out either model with 4-conductor wiring, you can always implement switching in your guitar to put the set in or out of phase with each other.
@@BKPickups Thanks you for your reply.I have the mule set in my les paul and have been enjoying them for year's,but what to try something a little more bluesy.Maybe a little less full sounding.Just to be clear,If I put the PG blues in I could have a push pull pot to go between full humbucking and PG Blues mode?
Is the PG bridge more or less bright/aggressive vs the Mule?
It's a touch brighter, but has less power overall, so it will feel less aggressive. The main differences are a lower number of turns on the coils, which will shift the tone a little brighter and a lower powered magnet, which will soften attack a little
What bare knuckle pups are best suited for 80's style metal?
I would check out the holy diver and the VHII. Here is a video of a great player called Sam Coulson playing them. ua-cam.com/video/evEXJK7JFso/v-deo.html&ab_channel=SamCoulson
Depends entirely on how you like your pickups, what your guitar's like and what amp you're using! 80% of metal tone is the amp, so pretty much any pickup with enough gain will be happy.
If you specifically want thick screaming mids, look at the Holydiver or Rebel Yell - clues being in the names, really.
@@timmypix i already have the rebell yell. It's installed on my ltd ec256. The amp that i have is the spark amp. I guess i'll check out the holydiver.
@@nathanholt3821 thanks man. I'll check it out.
@@GDCDGC I don't claim to be any sort of expert, but in my humble opinion, and in the grand scheme of things, i'd be spending money on a decent amp, before worrying about Pup's!
Sounds Bad Ass!
COOL
Hey get a Harley Benton Les Paul’s styles drop this in them or get the mule pick ups you in that blues rock heaven
Kind guitarist
Cornt a better neck pup for Les Paul dimzio 36th
MAGNETICALLY out of phase...not electrically. Your winding story and spinning story is wrong. The magnet on the neck pickup was flipped end for end (N-S).
So when they're both on, they're magnetically out of phase. The ffect is most apparent when the two pickups are both on and up around 8 to 10. (Turning the neck PU around was PG's way of getting a warmer neck sound having the positive coils out from under the harmonic node of the string.)
It's very hard to get a definitive story and there is certainly debate around the facts, but we are very happy that our PG set is a faithful recreation and the hundreds of sets that we have made for very happy customers over the decades is testament to that. Setting that aside, the simple fact is that 180 degrees out-of-phase is 180 degrees out-of-phase. In a twin humbucker setup where the interference between the magnetic fields of both pickups is minimal, the sound will be virtually identical whether you reverse coils or magnets, in exactly the same way that a reverse wound or polarity pickup doesn't sound any different when used on its own.
well there's electrically OOP(wired) and magnetically OOP and electrically does not produce the PG effect. the sound is NOT the same. I got the empirical truth directly from Hamer founder Jol Dantzig who examined the real Greeny guitar and discovered the secret (which others had sussed out as well). Not trying to be a dick, just ask him yourself. @@BKPickups.
What song is that around 3:32
Sorry. Shed Supernaturals are a better set. They are wired in reverse instead of just having a flipped magnet, so there’s no volume loss.
No flipped magnet in our PG set! The neck coils are wound in reverse exactly as they should be to recreate this infamous set of humbuckers!
@@BKPickups How long have you been doing that. Most builders simply flip the magnet, which as you know is incorrect.
More like a p90