I saw Rory play live way back, and I was totally hooked. He had such great tone, so I’ve been hopeful that Bare Knuckle’s tribute pickups would be worthy. Your video has convinced me that the Irish tours are pretty close and are the way to go for a pickup swap that I’ve been considering. I especially appreciated your comparison at the end. The Irish tours definitely sounded a little better on the lower end. Thanks for making this video. 👍🏼
I just wanna tell you, I watched your video and thanks to you I ordered some Irish tour pick ups and wow!!!! I won't give up that strat it's my forever strat. Thanks so much for putting this vid out! Cheers from Los Angeles.
Great demo of the different pick-ups and I've got to say, that's beautiful strat you have there. Thanks for taking the time to make this review video. It really helped me on my quest for a chunkier strat tone, but still keeping the vintage vibe
They sound great bare knuckle make some awesome stuff, Rory had two 70s pickups in the neck/middle when two of the original pickups stopped working and at some point in the 70s in went an early Dimarzio fs-1 in the bridge!!
Thanks for the great comparison. I found this because I was interested in the Irish Tour set, however... the final back to back left me feeling the lower output set had more character and note separation. Stands to reason as it's lower output, but the thing was the Bare Knuckles sounded less stratty and more non-descript. Not what I was expecting. Think I'll keep looking.
I have been looking to upgrade my Squire Strat (HSS) and have been looking for a video of these! I love the way the Neck and Middle sound, and they sound like they would work well for rock, blues, and metal!
I have had the Apache set for over ten years now and still enjoy them very much. I have to say, that metallic yellow green? looking oil can cap they used looks so freaking cool! Then I remind myself, it's just a cap, calm down lol. These sound great btw, but I personally like good old 5-7K low output pickups in my strats. Cheers!
I have a 1987 Fender Strat Plus, with an 84 neck on it. It is my Gem, obviously. It came stock with Gold Lace Sensors. The guitar was a cross between J/B's style with the roller nut and EC with the Sensors. Several years ago I took those out in liue of Fender Fat 50's. I loved those. They were amazing pickups. However, I put Irish Tours in it as I needed some fresh tone and added a volume cap and a .047 emerson, and a LIndy Frailin Blender pot and wow! Cream man.... just Cream....
Thanks for the comparison between the fender pups and the bare knuckle pups, in my opinion the bare knuckle pups have a lot more bite to them and command a little more presence.
Nice demo! I just heard of Bare Knuckle pickups. Looking for a Strat sound that can get some good Knopfler-type clean tones but could also handle some blues bite as well. These may be it!
Nice demo mate! I have been researching like crazy I am building my dream Strat. Mainly a Mike Mcready blonde strat with a maple neck that he used in 1992. I wanted something vintage sounding and great for blues. These sound amazing! I will definitely buy these sets of pickups I love the creamy tone from the neck position. And the bite and hot sound from the bridge position.
I get why you like them I really do but I like the 69s too I'd like the 69s for rhythm and the bare knuckles for lead thanks for your video well laid out for a good comparison
Not tried the Sinners unfortunately. As per video I ordered my Irish Tour bridge pickup with the zinc plate which is meant to fatten things up a little.
The including BK wiring diagram shows that the bridge PU is not connected to a tone control. This means the Bridge PU will only be loaded by the 250K Volume pot and sound brighter. My question is: Does it mean this Irish Tour Bridge PU is not designed to be connected to a 250K Tone control ? What will sound better ? Mine is connected to a Tone control so I now understand why it sounds fatter. I like it but it's less surf sounding. (Now I'm wondering if I should go for a no-load pot.)
Thanks very much for posting your video mate, I think youve convinced me to go w the Irish instead of the Mother's Milk. I was seeking that punchier mid of the A5 magnet as well. Youve confirmed it here!
Hello, Good démo!! Which sort of pedal you use for crunch and for disto ? Is These PU Will havé à Good tone on a Vox AC15 C1 for thé blues and blues rock ? Thank’s for your answer Fredo
Thanks for this demo. Thank god i found it as couldn’t find a 1/2 decent one on TH-cam ! I recently sourced a 60s classic player 2014 model with the intent of modding it with either these pups or Texas hots. Definitely going to go with the Irish tour now. Cheers dude
mastertheguitar The video is very professional and very well done 👍 and great to see a player maximise all the tone from the guitar - just what I was after. The guitar is a beaut ( faded sonic blue with faded green guard ) and just as well put together as my Americans and apart from a dodgy tone pot there’s no difference in build quality. Look forward to modding it ! Not bad for £400 in mint condition. Absolute steal. Gave you a sub :)
I own a set of those - sound so great- Used them many years, but now I'm growing into more of a vintage output singles because I like to use more of the amp. I'll see if I can get a hold on some Mother's Milk pickups our 63 veneer board. But for the time being, I'm trying out some fender Pure vintage 59 with one of the Irish Tours(neck or middle) on the bridge position. still evaluating but the 59 sound ok.
Yeah, I now find the Irish Tours too compressed and maybe too fat sounding, almost humbucker style-specially the bridge - but still very defined. I mean, they're great, but I feel It's a little too much of a push. Last week I mixed 2 sets - I use the IT neck and Middle as bridge pickups for both my strats, and 2 Fender Pure vintage 59 (neck and middle) on one guitar and another 59 in the neck and an ssl1 in the middle on other guitar.-Trying to even out both guitars EQ curve and specially output. - It's sounding ok for now -still evaluating lol. Cheers
the'69s really sound better. they are lower output but have the charachter in the sound. you get a single coil up high in output and it just becomes a middle-heavy flat nothing.
Hi, I look for the fatest warm pickups for my strat ! Which model would you recommend me , sounding straty but very fat with enhance bass ? Thanks a lot for you answer, best regards from France
It sounds like a Strat on cocaine and steroids, with tequila thrown in! Amazing sound!! However, you should have played longer, especially on the riffs
@@mastertheguitar hey, great playing and nice sounds. I am using The BK Veneer board 63 set. Really good one for my Mexican classic 60's stratocaster. So Very similar to yours. I have a question about your full setup: you already said that you're using helix but could you also please tell us what kind of power amp and speaker are you using with Helix? Also, which amp model has been used for this video? Cheers,
@@Gjuby I always run my Helix through an Alto TS210 speaker and model wise IIRC I switched between the Essex AC30 and Tweed Blues Brt models using a Kinky Boost for the gain sounds. :)
Looking to get a set? Check out reverb.grsm.io/irishtours
I saw Rory play live way back, and I was totally hooked. He had such great tone, so I’ve been hopeful that Bare Knuckle’s tribute pickups would be worthy. Your video has convinced me that the Irish tours are pretty close and are the way to go for a pickup swap that I’ve been considering. I especially appreciated your comparison at the end. The Irish tours definitely sounded a little better on the lower end. Thanks for making this video. 👍🏼
A pleasure :) I love 'em.
I just wanna tell you, I watched your video and thanks to you I ordered some Irish tour pick ups and wow!!!! I won't give up that strat it's my forever strat. Thanks so much for putting this vid out! Cheers from Los Angeles.
Awesome! Congrats man, I’m glad the video helped 😀 enjoy!
This is the only good demo of these pickups on youtube! Thanks a ton, just got these for my strat.
Great demo of the different pick-ups and I've got to say, that's beautiful strat you have there. Thanks for taking the time to make this review video. It really helped me on my quest for a chunkier strat tone, but still keeping the vintage vibe
They sound great bare knuckle make some awesome stuff, Rory had two 70s pickups in the neck/middle when two of the original pickups stopped working and at some point in the 70s in went an early Dimarzio fs-1 in the bridge!!
Thanks for the great comparison. I found this because I was interested in the Irish Tour set, however... the final back to back left me feeling the lower output set had more character and note separation. Stands to reason as it's lower output, but the thing was the Bare Knuckles sounded less stratty and more non-descript. Not what I was expecting. Think I'll keep looking.
Ox4 or Lindy Fralin are a great option.
My Irish tours sound very Stratty, think SRV, Rory, Jimi. Sound awesome through a Fendery amp!
I have been looking to upgrade my Squire Strat (HSS) and have been looking for a video of these! I love the way the Neck and Middle sound, and they sound like they would work well for rock, blues, and metal!
I have had the Apache set for over ten years now and still enjoy them very much. I have to say, that metallic yellow green? looking oil can cap they used looks so freaking cool! Then I remind myself, it's just a cap, calm down lol. These sound great btw, but I personally like good old 5-7K low output pickups in my strats. Cheers!
Great video. One thing to notice, though, is that the BKP sound a lot louder and we tend to perceive louder as better. Just a thought.
the whole set sounds amazing but that middle pickup is just insane. I can easily see myself just staying in those middle positions 80% of the time.
Tis indeed sweet!
Yeah I normally don't dig the middle alone but this is a whole new story
I have a 1987 Fender Strat Plus, with an 84 neck on it. It is my Gem, obviously. It came stock with Gold Lace Sensors. The guitar was a cross between J/B's style with the roller nut and EC with the Sensors. Several years ago I took those out in liue of Fender Fat 50's. I loved those. They were amazing pickups. However, I put Irish Tours in it as I needed some fresh tone and added a volume cap and a .047 emerson, and a LIndy Frailin Blender pot and wow! Cream man.... just Cream....
Thanks for the comparison between the fender pups and the bare knuckle pups, in my opinion the bare knuckle pups have a lot more bite to them and command a little more presence.
I have 2 Irish Tours and a Holy Diver in my guitar. I love those pickups.
Chord TheSeeker nice combo!
Thanks for the amazingly thorough demo!
You are very welcome :)
Nice demo! I just heard of Bare Knuckle pickups. Looking for a Strat sound that can get some good Knopfler-type clean tones but could also handle some blues bite as well. These may be it!
They also offer a set called the “Sultans.”
Very useful demo vid. It's exactly what I need to see for comparison shopping. Many thanks.
Wow, loving the way that Guitar sounds.
Great comparison of the two pickups. The Irish Tour do sound fuller. Very nice video!
Amazing demo! Defo getting a set of these for my player series strat!
Great review ! But still prefer the 69 which sound more mellow for me !
Finest player by the way !
what's the yellow guitar on the wall = looks cool
That’s a Charvel Pro Mod So Cal in Neon Yellow. I sold it quite a few years ago :)
Nice demo mate! I have been researching like crazy I am building my dream Strat. Mainly a Mike Mcready blonde strat with a maple neck that he used in 1992. I wanted something vintage sounding and great for blues. These sound amazing! I will definitely buy these sets of pickups I love the creamy tone from the neck position. And the bite and hot sound from the bridge position.
Hi there, great demo. Well thought out and informative. Your playing is killer too! By chance do you remember about the height you had the BKs set at?
I like the Fender pickups a little better. Bare Knuckle was a little bright for me.
Wow! Sounds amazing.
pretty clear the irish tour smoke the fenders. Awesome review. Done very well.
Nice demo ..lovely pick ups ..originals sound good to ..personal choice ..I would have the Irish tours .guitar your keeping and love .
Thanks man, appreciate you taking the time to watch.
Lovely demo with fab Stratsmanship. 👍 🐑🐑🐑
Thanks man! 🙂
much more clarity. nice. i use the mother's milk set. very happy with those.
Nice! I nearly got the Mother’s Milk set. Bareknuckles are the business 👌
which is better, in your opinion? I'm thinking of getting mother's milk or irish tour. I really want to have something really versatile.
Artifice 312 ~ 9:05
I get why you like them I really do but I like the 69s too I'd like the 69s for rhythm and the bare knuckles for lead thanks for your video well laid out for a good comparison
Those sound insane!
Tried the sinners ?
My strat bottom end on the bridge is horrible.
My other HSS is much better but i wanted a strong bridge pup.
Not tried the Sinners unfortunately. As per video I ordered my Irish Tour bridge pickup with the zinc plate which is meant to fatten things up a little.
Great review mark
Great demo. Out of interest what tone wiring did you go for? Does the bottom tone adjust the bridge and middle or just the bridge?
Thanks! The bottom tone is for the bridge pickup only, other tone handles the middle and neck pickups.
The including BK wiring diagram shows that the bridge PU is not connected to a tone control. This means the Bridge PU will only be loaded by the 250K Volume pot and sound brighter.
My question is: Does it mean this Irish Tour Bridge PU is not designed to be connected to a 250K Tone control ? What will sound better ?
Mine is connected to a Tone control so I now understand why it sounds fatter. I like it but it's less surf sounding. (Now I'm wondering if I should go for a no-load pot.)
Thanks very much for posting your video mate, I think youve convinced me to go w the Irish instead of the Mother's Milk. I was seeking that punchier mid of the A5 magnet as well. Youve confirmed it here!
I'm torn between both.
Sounding very Stratty! Great BN review
Wonder what's tonal difference compared to Lollar Dirty 64's? The specs are very similar.
I'm wondering if the inspiration for these pickups was Rory Gallagher's set ?
Hello, Good démo!! Which sort of pedal you use for crunch and for disto ? Is These PU Will havé à Good tone on a Vox AC15 C1 for thé blues and blues rock ?
Thank’s for your answer Fredo
Do these pickups still hum when not in use
Excellent playing
Definitely can tell the Bareknuckles have more fidelity. Its more noticeable when you attack hard.
Thanks for this demo. Thank god i found it as couldn’t find a 1/2 decent one on TH-cam ! I recently sourced a 60s classic player 2014 model with the intent of modding it with either these pups or Texas hots. Definitely going to go with the Irish tour now. Cheers dude
Awesome! Congrats on the Strat and thanks so much for watching! Glad the video was of help :)
mastertheguitar The video is very professional and very well done 👍 and great to see a player maximise all the tone from the guitar - just what I was after. The guitar is a beaut ( faded sonic blue with faded green guard ) and just as well put together as my Americans and apart from a dodgy tone pot there’s no difference in build quality. Look forward to modding it ! Not bad for £400 in mint condition. Absolute steal. Gave you a sub :)
Sounds really good.
I’ve had Irish Tours in my Strat since 2005 and they’ll never come out.
They are fab!
Bravo Mr 👌
That sounds great!
I own a set of those - sound so great- Used them many years, but now I'm growing into more of a vintage output singles because I like to use more of the amp. I'll see if I can get a hold on some Mother's Milk pickups our 63 veneer board. But for the time being, I'm trying out some fender Pure vintage 59 with one of the Irish Tours(neck or middle) on the bridge position. still evaluating but the 59 sound ok.
Nice! Was a toss up between the ‘63s and Irish Tours for me, really happy with the Irish Tours :)
Yeah, I now find the Irish Tours too compressed and maybe too fat sounding, almost humbucker style-specially the bridge - but still very defined. I mean, they're great, but I feel It's a little too much of a push. Last week I mixed 2 sets - I use the IT neck and Middle as bridge pickups for both my strats, and 2 Fender Pure vintage 59 (neck and middle) on one guitar and another 59 in the neck and an ssl1 in the middle on other guitar.-Trying to even out both guitars EQ curve and specially output. - It's sounding ok for now -still evaluating lol. Cheers
the'69s really sound better. they are lower output but have the charachter in the sound. you get a single coil up high in output and it just becomes a middle-heavy flat nothing.
Did the pickguard come with the aluminum screen or did you have to purchase it extra?
I bought the screen separately from charlesguitars.co.uk
@@mastertheguitar Thanks!
Does the aged scratch plate come shielded as standard or did you add that as an additional option?
Cancel that, just spotted it in the description in the site. D'oh!
Hi, I look for the fatest warm pickups for my strat ! Which model would you recommend me , sounding straty but very fat with enhance bass ? Thanks a lot for you answer, best regards from France
How about the BKP trilogy Suite? they're more of a P90 sound.. fatter and warmer
Lindy Fralin pickup
Hi, sorry if this is obvious, but these are passive pickups, yes?
Yeah all passive :)
ok; I'm getting these.....
I thought thw background music was Layla
:D Just my wee homage to the great RG :)
@@mastertheguitar who is RG?
@@Brianpedrozaofficial Rory Gallagher
It sounds like a Strat on cocaine and steroids, with tequila thrown in! Amazing sound!! However, you should have played longer, especially on the riffs
You just have to swap out the neck now and name it Trigger’s Broom
😀
Fender set sounds like a Coors beer, Irish Tours sound like 10 year old aged whiskey.
I prefer whiskey
i always hear you say bitch pickup
Bridge please…😎
Sounds like something is wrong with the amp
Danny Jones no amp as I mention in THE ACTUAL VIDEO (and vid info) I’m playing through my Line 6 HELIX LT which for me sounds great 😘
Something wrong with the amp???? Something wrong with your lug holes pal
It’s his vocal mic picking up the string noise.
@@mastertheguitar hey, great playing and nice sounds. I am using The BK Veneer board 63 set. Really good one for my Mexican classic 60's stratocaster. So Very similar to yours. I have a question about your full setup: you already said that you're using helix but could you also please tell us what kind of power amp and speaker are you using with Helix? Also, which amp model has been used for this video? Cheers,
@@Gjuby I always run my Helix through an Alto TS210 speaker and model wise IIRC I switched between the Essex AC30 and Tweed Blues Brt models using a Kinky Boost for the gain sounds. :)