Are the Down-Tuners Getting It?
This week I clicked on a video link embedded in an email from Bare Knuckle pickups – whose pickups I haven’t yet tried but sorely want to because it seems like they get it. “Get it” means that I think that whoever’s designing over there has good ears and a good feel for what people want now vs., say, 10 years ago.
Plus they have a pickup called the VHII….
Anyhow, they have these new-ish Aftermath pickups. From the name you can tell they’re designed for the metal crowd – but apparently aren’t the typical fuzz-bomb pickups.
The guy doing the demo is Misha Mansoor, one of the guitarists in the band Periphery, which I honestly know nothing about but a tune is below FYI. In the demo Misha says things like:
> “I find with these pickups…the harder you pick, the more definition you get, the more attack you get, it’s very audible – which I like because you can be super-expressive with it.”
> “The cool thing about these pickups is they’re not quite as high-output as you’d expect…what that means is they react really well to clean channels…not overbearing in any way….”
Amen! Welcome, metalers, to the realm of Wood….
On the other hand, Misha uses a couple noise gates and a compressor – yikes! And his band doesn’t yet subscribe to the less is more philosophy. Think they’ll check out Skynyrd for how three guitars can work together optimally?!
Not sure, but I think these guys have three guitars and no bass player.
Category: Bare Knuckle Pickups
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
They do indeed have a bass player. Of course, their bottom end is plenty dense as it is, so you often hear the bass wandering around the root a bit, especially on their more oddball stuff.
Weird band for sure, but they can really play.
No. The detuners DO NOT get the ‘wood’ concept.
They’re down to 2 guitars at the mo, Alex just left the band. Misha is a very talented musician and producer and down to earth, he can certainly play too! Periphery use the Axe-fx on tour ditching their ENGL’s. It’s cool that Misha appreciates passive pickups I think it was Misha talking to Steve Blucher at NAMM this year where Steve said “batteries are for flashlights not pickups”
Not a fan of the tone at all, no wood whatsever. It sounds harsh, hollow and processed. I dig the creativity tho.