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NPD - The Abraxas arrived...

3K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Soopahmahn 
#1 · (Edited)
Yesterday, the Bare Knuckle Abraxas arrived on my doorstep. Since I was special-ordering it, I asked that it be 53mm rather than 49.2mm spacing, double cream bobbins and short feet. In this guitar, I now have a VHII (also wide) in the neck and an Abraxas in the bridge.

As I mentioned before, I love the VHII neck... just blew me away. I was not as thrilled with the bridge - not because it was a bad-sounding pickup, but because I wanted a bit more push and something I could only describe as "character," whatever the fuck that means. So, I checked in with the BKP forum and everyone came back with "Abraxas." I'd not even heard of that pickup.

I played a few riffs, set the height of the two pups to match in volume and started playing. This bridge now has hair on its balls, I'll tell you that. I'm very happy with the tone, the output, and yes, it seems to have the character I was looking for. The mids are quite present without being overbearing, it has a deep voice without being muddy, and it responds to the volume pot quite well.

In swapping back and forth between neck and bridge, I think this is a perfect combination for me.

 
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#4 ·


So, the VHII is back in the bridge and I think it's staying. The Abraxas is a great sounding pickup and had drive and a unique sound, but I think it was just too hot for my needs.

After playing it for hours and adjusting everything from height to the EQ on my amp, I couldn't get it to sync with the sound of the VHII neck. So I reinstalled the VHII bridge, did some tinkering and this is the way it's going to be. It was a little disappointing, especially after my initial reaction was so positive but that's what experimenting is all about.

The aesthetic is the same, of course.
 
#7 ·
The VHII is an awful lot like a SD Jazz, which is to say a very smooth (understated) midrange, coupled with a bright top end.

The Abraxas is really not all that hot but it's super overwound and therefore very loud in the midrange. I'm not surprised you don't find the set balanced. A "JB" style pickup would work well.

I would think the Mule might have been a closer match, or for more bite the Black Dog or Rebel Yell. But it's expensive playing around with custom ordered BKPs so be careful :lol:
 
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