Spiritbox guitarist Mike Stringer and Bare Knuckle Pickups have collaborated on the all-new Halcyon signature humbuckers, which have been designed specifically for low-tuned seven-string guitars.
The design was born out of “an intense R&D session” that included Stringer, BKP tone guru Tim Mills, and Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood – who recently released his own set of signature pickups, the Polypafs.
The mission statement was to “embrace not only Mike’s massive driven tone but also his unique approach to using bridge and neck pickups together for his clean tones”, all while ensuring the set was well-suited to the seven-string player’s preferred drop F# tuning.
That tuning sees the strings go as low as a standard eight-string guitar, meaning there are some very low frequencies to cater to. However, BKP says beta testing went so well that, by the end of the trial, “all of Mike’s live guitars featured the new Halcyon pickups”.
In short, the Halcyons build upon a twin blade pole design for “an even string-to-string balance”, regardless of the string gauges and tuning preferences of each player. Moreover, they are also well-suited for multi-scale players and can be tweaked to fit wonky-fretted guitars.
A trio of custom-size ceramic magnets sit in the bridge ’bucker, helping control the bottom end. It works alongside a hot wind for “an incredibly dialed-in mid-range and high-end attack”.
The neck pickup, though, has cooled off the wind a little, with an isotropic Alnico V magnet sitting at its core. This helps increase dynamic headroom and, combined with the bridge pickup, delivers Stringer’s punchy yet ambient clean tones.
A great deal of effort has also been invested in the split-coil sounds of each pickup, too, for when players want a slice of single-coil action.
“The Halcyons are everything I’ve been looking for in a set of pickups,” Stringer beams. “Working with Tim and Nolly, we’ve been able to come up with something very special; an extremely high output pickup that almost reacts like an active.
“I’ve been through many different passive, and active, sets over and beyond the last decade, and I can confidently say these are perfect for my needs. From crushingly heavy tones to glassy cleans, I get everything out of them without compromise.
“Playing primarily in low tunings, I’m always aiming to get the most clear and consistent tone, so I can sit in the mix where I need to,” he continues. “The Halcyons do a lot of the heavy lifting, making it so I can run low gain on my amp, and get the regular amount of push and clarity that lower output pickups don’t usually provide.”
“The bridge is an outrageous riff machine with unreal output, aggressive attack, and masses of taut low end that give single note riffing satisfying thickness, while not overwhelming the clarity of the ultra-low chugs Mike is known for,” BKP adds.
“The neck lives in another sonic dimension with a woody and bright, but not spiky voice, refined to combine with the bridge for Mike's signature, almost slap bass-like, clean parts.”
“During the R&D session with Mike we knew these were the pickups for him when he fell about laughing with glee as he tried them,” Nolly remembers. “Trying them myself I could see why.
“The sheer power of the sound they produce is so addictive, and hearing your playing come back at you with such attitude and drive regardless of how low you tune is an experience you really need to have to understand!”
All Bare Knuckle Halycon pickups are hand-wound at the firm’s workshop in Cornwall, England. As ever with BKP, they come in a host of different color and finish options.
They are available in six- and seven-string formats, starting at £195.60 per pickup (approx $247), or £376.80 for a set (approx $476).
Head to Bare Knuckle Pickups for more.
The launch of the pickup set follows the arrival of Stringer’s new Aristides signature guitar, which brings a killer offset design to the modern-minded brand’s catalog, following a growing trend of modern metal riffers loving offset silhouettes.
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