Ebay fun - returns!!!!

bgmartinsbridge

I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall here - as anyone who buys these or any other bkp could go to the website, compare output and ask for a return if it's different? 

WezV

But if you can say “I checked with BKP, and here is the email confirming they are okay” then you have done as much as you can. 

If in doubt sell them as a custom mule and state the DC resistance.  I have sold a few non- standard BKP’s in my time and they always sell just fine.

Legionreturns

I'm definitely in the camp of "plug it in and see if it sounds good" 

If I bought a high end sound system, I'd not be getting out a ruler to check that the speakers are exactly to the mm what they were advertised as, or taking wood samples to check the purity of the wood. I'd be plugging it in and belting a bit of Wagner's Ring Cycle through it, whilst dreaming happy thoughts of a Valkyrie giving up her immortality to spend the rest of her days doing unspeakably naughty things to me with her costume on. 

bgmartinsbridge

Thanks @wezv

Bridgehouse

This thread is like when you walk in on a conversation, realise what's happening and quickly turn round and walk off with one of those "that's awkward!" looks on your face

bgmartinsbridge

Lol.

I've learned loads about pickups in this thread.

WezV

bgmartinsbridge said:

Thanks @wezv

FWIW I am one of the buggers that always asked for things like “can I have a mule, but can you......”

i moved away from BKP when customisation  was no longer an option

Legionreturns

(That might be just about the most middle class fantasy one could have)

WezV

I don’t buy off the rack darling

amarok1971

Just for reference I have a mule neck here that I bought last July and I wrote the details on it with a sharpie (cos bkp cannot it would seem) the resistance I noted was 7.08k at probably 20+ degrees, it measured 6.92k tonight at about 15 degrees. Same meter.

adamm82

bgmartinsbridge said:

So I listed a set of pickups (old swap out and swap in hob, not sat in a drawer for years) on ebay, sold them within 20 mins. 

Totally immaculate.

Sent special delivery, at an extra cost to myself. 

Got an email today saying item not as described, return expected.

I copied the detail from the manufacturer'  site into my listing and I'm being told the output differs from the manufacturer, with one pup 0.1k under and the other 0.7k under.
(7.7 V 8.4).

Obv nothing you can do with ebay - please return for a full refund and I'll take the hit on  postage and then relist.

This is why I always only do face to face and should never have used ebay - arghhh!!!! 

You must have encountered a OCD tone chaser type. Or a .....

Philly_Q

bgmartinsbridge said:

I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall here - as anyone who buys these or any other bkp could go to the website, compare output and ask for a return if it's different? 

Or you could just say they're Bare Knuckle Mules* and not say anything about the specs.  You're not misleading anyone, not everyone has a multimeter to check specs and there's no earthly reason why you should be expected to have one either.

You've ended up in a weird position of buying something in good faith, selling it in good faith, inadvertently finding out it's not quite standard specification.... and somehow feeling that's your fault.

(*Although as Feline has pointed out, you can't actually prove they're Mules because BKP steadfastly refuse to label their pickups!)

Philly_Q

WezV said:

bgmartinsbridge said:

Thanks @wezv

FWIW I am one of the buggers that always asked for things like “can I have a mule, but can you......”

i moved away from BKP when customisation  was no longer an option

Ah, remember the days when they started refusing to make A5 Mules....

bgmartinsbridge

Interesting that Amarok1971 has mules that are twenty percent out on manufacturer spec - and change ten percent based on temperature! 

amarok1971

bgmartinsbridge said:

Interesting that Amarok1971 has mules that are twenty percent out on manufacturer spec - and change ten percent based on temperature! 

I was more pissed that someone had stripped one of the threads and not told me!

WezV

Philly_Q said:

WezV said:

bgmartinsbridge said:

Thanks @wezv

FWIW I am one of the buggers that always asked for things like “can I have a mule, but can you......”

i moved away from BKP when customisation  was no longer an option

Ah, remember the days when they started refusing to make A5 Mules....

In fairness, the range grew to the point where there was something for everyone so all the custom winds and magnet choices for each model were not really needed.

but I enjoyed those conversations with Tim pinning down exactly why I might want my mule over or underwound

WezV

bgmartinsbridge said:

Interesting that Amarok1971 has mules that are twenty percent out on manufacturer spec - and change ten percent based on temperature! 

Proof that DC resistance is a silly measurement.  

amarok1971

Resistance definitely is futile 

bgmartinsbridge

And just to finish the thread off....

What do you call a detective electrician?

Sherlock Ohms

FelineGuitars

WezV said:

bgmartinsbridge said:

So @Felineguitars what you're saying is potentially get three sets of The Mule pickups and all three could be different outputs?

That is a given

No - they will all pretty much correspond in terms of winding count, which is what will determine the output strength.

And much care will be taken to make a consistent product, but there is a manufacturing tolerance in all things

I can actually see that a buyer of secondhand BKPs would have to take a meter to the pickups to see which is bridge and which is neck if the little labels on the leads have come off.
But seriously the answer is to solder the things in and TRY them
The buyer may actually like these ones MORE than the other ones

Also remember the whole thing about Gibson PAFs is the amount of variation (which would make these ones closely matched) and that some players will like one more and another player may like a different one.

BKP simply decided on a spec and have stuck with it for the most part, but some players may like one either wound  slightly less or slightly more.