Interesting Question about BFR JPs

[customguitars87]

Maybe someone can help me out with this...I'm trying to determine if something is either wrong with the pickups in my Koa BFR JP, or if this is just how it's supposed to be. The pickups in it just don't sound good to me having had it for a few months now.

Maybe it's because I'm used to Bareknuckles so the Dimarzios just don't sound as good to me anymore...but the pickups are INCREDIBLY trebly. I've tried turning the treble down on my amp and it's still incredibly piercing. I have Dimarzios in some of my other guitars (Steve Special, Evo 2, etc) and don't have these issues. They just straight up sound very thin and trebly.

So...what do you guys think? I can definitely change the pickups to Bareknuckles, but I just don't understand how I dislike pickups this much on such a high end guitar...especially considering that I've used Dimarzios forever before switching over to Bareknuckle a while back.

 

[guitarp77]

The pickups in the Petrucci model (specially the LF/CL combo) have always given a high controversy.

You either love em or hate em. Most haters describe them as "muddy".

If you dont like the PU's, I guess the best thing is to change them...don't think there's something wrong, just this is an issue that has arrised a few times in the board, so it isn't too strange to read

Good luck! You have a killer axe and it should sound as you wish!

 

[TNT]

Easy enough: If you're able to, try and locate another one to play, than you can compare the sound straight across the board. Than you can make some objective decisions.

 

[Texaco]

I know this is not really helping but... from what I've heard on good quality demo videos on YouTube (and from John Petrucci's sound as well), it doesn't seem so much trebly as you describe it !! You should definitely try to compare it to another one like TNT suggested.

 

[PY38]

Couple things.....have you tried another guitar on the amp to make sure its not the amp itself. When tubes start to go they can either get microphonic or just act weird.....

Also Cables can do the same....its very rare in my experience for pickups to go bad when they are this new, it can happen but rare.

Just some thoughts......

 

[beej]

Yours has the piezo, right? Does it sound too trebly from both outputs? Or just when using the active output?

Easiest way to reduce some of the treble (other than adjusting your amp) is to use the passive out, and a regular cable (not a low capacitance one). The extra capacitance will suck out some of the highs and give you more mids. Might be worth a shot before you look to do anything else.