identifying BKP pickups in a new guitar

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I bought this Strat secondhand recently and was told that the pickups were BKP ragnaroks and fitted after the guitar was made as an upgrade. Can anyone tell me if there is any way of confirming what they are - will it be stamped on the bottom or something?


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  • thegummythegummy Frets: 4389
    The models aren't written on BK pickups at all unfortunately.
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  • timmypixtimmypix Frets: 2304
    edited December 2019
    Nope, BKP don't label their pickups beyond engraving their logo on the baseplate - all you can do is take check the resistance and see if it matches roughly what BKP quote as the resistance figures for the Ragnarok.
    Tim
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  • @thegummy @timmypix Dammmnnnnn but thank you. Will grab the multimeter and check there first
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  • tony99tony99 Frets: 7076
    that's a pretty sweet instrument though, how's it play?
    Bollocks you don't know Bono !!
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  • JetfireJetfire Frets: 1687
    Is that a Kemp?
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9984
    edited December 2019 tFB Trader
    How to tell if they are Ragnaroks?
    Strum a chord ... and if by the time it dies out Fenrir the wolf has swallowed the moon and you are bollock deep in ice giants ... that's what they are.

    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • Can’t understand why some markers don’t mark their own pickups properly. It just leads to frustration and sellers claiming they are a particular brand, with no evidence either way.
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    Jetfire said:
    Is that a Kemp?
    Yes.

    Hardtail HH. It could have been made for you.


    After recent events on this forum, the OP might want to keep the pickups and dispose of the rest. ;)
    Be seeing you.
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  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    I HATE the fact that BK don't mark their pickups. I tend to scratch the model name into the base these days. Not that I buy BK any more, I tend to go for smaller UK pickup makers these days, Oil City, Alegree to name a couple.
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  • FelineGuitarsFelineGuitars Frets: 11496
    tFB Trader
    Still annoys me that they refuse to do that - even if it were just an identifying two/three letter code on a tiny sticker like Duncan used to or even a number that would identify like 100= mule bridge, 101=mule neck, 103=stormy monday bridge etc

    Many guitars have a re-sale value. Some you'll never want to sell.
    Stockist of: Earvana & Graphtech nuts, Faber Tonepros & Gotoh hardware, Fatcat bridges. Highwood Saddles.

    Pickups from BKP, Oil City & Monty's pickups.

      Expert guitar repairs and upgrades - fretwork our speciality! www.felineguitars.com.  Facebook too!

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  • thegummythegummy Frets: 4389
    Zoolooter said:
    Can’t understand why some markers don’t mark their own pickups properly. It just leads to frustration and sellers claiming they are a particular brand, with no evidence either way.
    They are marked with the brand name, just not the model.

    Still annoys me that they refuse to do that - even if it were just an identifying two/three letter code on a tiny sticker like Duncan used to or even a number that would identify like 100= mule bridge, 101=mule neck, 103=stormy monday bridge etc
    I think it might be that they're a very custom-based company, e.g. you can order a set of Mules but have something slightly altered about them when ordering so the models become more like templates than strict models like bigger production line pickups.

    I can totally understand the OP wanting to know, it's natural to want to know, but really when you think about it it doesn't really matter.

    Would only matter in any way if you were selling them but even then, if you could say they were Ragnarok model, it would just mean that a potential buyer could go to the Bare Knuckle website and hear a sound clip. If you just provided your own sound clip of it then they'd have the same info as if they knew what model name it was.
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  • I bought a guitar a few years ago with BKP Yardbirds in - I actually sold the Yardbirds and the guitar maker included the BKP box and certificate in the sale of the guitar which was really helpful.

    I know I could have put any ol telecaster pickups in the box but I think most of us aren't utter sh*ts


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  • SteveRobinsonSteveRobinson Frets: 6914
    tFB Trader
    thegummy said:
    I think it might be that they're a very custom-based company, e.g. you can order a set of Mules but have something slightly altered about them when ordering so the models become more like templates than strict models like bigger production line pickups.
    Maybe serial number would be a good move so that you could look it up on the BKP website and see the specs?
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  • thegummy said:
    Zoolooter said:
    Can’t understand why some markers don’t mark their own pickups properly. It just leads to frustration and sellers claiming they are a particular brand, with no evidence either way.
    They are marked with the brand name, just not the model.

    Still annoys me that they refuse to do that - even if it were just an identifying two/three letter code on a tiny sticker like Duncan used to or even a number that would identify like 100= mule bridge, 101=mule neck, 103=stormy monday bridge etc
    I think it might be that they're a very custom-based company, e.g. you can order a set of Mules but have something slightly altered about them when ordering so the models become more like templates than strict models like bigger production line pickups.

    I can totally understand the OP wanting to know, it's natural to want to know, but really when you think about it it doesn't really matter.

    Would only matter in any way if you were selling them but even then, if you could say they were Ragnarok model, it would just mean that a potential buyer could go to the Bare Knuckle website and hear a sound clip. If you just provided your own sound clip of it then they'd have the same info as if they knew what model name it was.
    I had a flat 52 neck with nothing marking on. My country boy bridge baseplate is marked.
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  • FelineGuitarsFelineGuitars Frets: 11496
    tFB Trader
    thegummy said:
    I think it might be that they're a very custom-based company, e.g. you can order a set of Mules but have something slightly altered about them when ordering so the models become more like templates than strict models like bigger production line pickups.
    Maybe serial number would be a good move so that you could look it up on the BKP website and see the specs?
    No you can't order anything off spec with BKPs ....they stopped doing custom a long time ago apart from changing the look

    Many guitars have a re-sale value. Some you'll never want to sell.
    Stockist of: Earvana & Graphtech nuts, Faber Tonepros & Gotoh hardware, Fatcat bridges. Highwood Saddles.

    Pickups from BKP, Oil City & Monty's pickups.

      Expert guitar repairs and upgrades - fretwork our speciality! www.felineguitars.com.  Facebook too!

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  • timmypixtimmypix Frets: 2304
    thegummy said:
    I think it might be that they're a very custom-based company, e.g. you can order a set of Mules but have something slightly altered about them when ordering so the models become more like templates than strict models like bigger production line pickups.
    Maybe serial number would be a good move so that you could look it up on the BKP website and see the specs?
    No you can't order anything off spec with BKPs ....they stopped doing custom a long time ago apart from changing the look
    And not surprising really - I had a conversation with them earlier this year and it was mentioned they dispatch about 100 sets a week, and there are only a handful of them.
    Tim
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  • SteveRobinsonSteveRobinson Frets: 6914
    tFB Trader
    thegummy said:
    I think it might be that they're a very custom-based company, e.g. you can order a set of Mules but have something slightly altered about them when ordering so the models become more like templates than strict models like bigger production line pickups.
    Maybe serial number would be a good move so that you could look it up on the BKP website and see the specs?
    No you can't order anything off spec with BKPs ....they stopped doing custom a long time ago apart from changing the look
    Even so, each pickup could still be numbered for reference?
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  • FelineGuitarsFelineGuitars Frets: 11496
    tFB Trader
    BKP's Tim says he doesn't like any stickers or markings on the back of  his pickups

    I did think that a bit of printed heatshrink could be an answer to that

    Many guitars have a re-sale value. Some you'll never want to sell.
    Stockist of: Earvana & Graphtech nuts, Faber Tonepros & Gotoh hardware, Fatcat bridges. Highwood Saddles.

    Pickups from BKP, Oil City & Monty's pickups.

      Expert guitar repairs and upgrades - fretwork our speciality! www.felineguitars.com.  Facebook too!

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  • thegummythegummy Frets: 4389
    Is there a way of determining what kind of magnet is used on a pickup that you have in front of you?
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  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22516
    thegummy said:
    I think it might be that they're a very custom-based company, e.g. you can order a set of Mules but have something slightly altered about them when ordering so the models become more like templates than strict models like bigger production line pickups.
    Maybe serial number would be a good move so that you could look it up on the BKP website and see the specs?
    No you can't order anything off spec with BKPs ....they stopped doing custom a long time ago apart from changing the look
    Even so, each pickup could still be numbered for reference?
    I haven't bought any BKPs for a while, but I think when you buy them new there's a serial number on (or in) the box.  Of course that doesn't help if you acquire them already fitted in a guitar.
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