BARE KNUCKLE PICKUPS
LAST YEAR WHEN I reviewed Bare Knuckle’s fantastic Peacemaker humbuckers, I had also mentioned — in the same review — that its signature Adam “Nolly” Getgood Polymath humbuckers are extraordinary. Fast-forward a year, and I still stand behind that statement. If you haven’t heard a guitar outfitted with Bare Knuckle Polymaths, you are woefully missing out on one of the most focused and refined humbucker designs in recent memory. The Polymaths were so unforgettable that I’ve been haunted by my missed opportunity for not installing a set in one of my own guitars.
When I heard that the dynamic duo of Adam “Nolly” Getgood and Tim Mills — Bare Knuckle’s chief designer and founder — have collaborated once again under the “Poly” prefix for Getgood’s newest signature humbucking creation, the PolyPaf, I jumped at the chance to review this freshly updated take on the renowned (and often misunderstood) P.A.F. pickup.
Build Quality
The PolyPaf humbucker’s main ingredient is an unoriented Alnico V rough cast magnet. If you’re stuck on the word “unoriented,” you’re not alone. I don’t have the space to explain the differences between an “unoriented” Alnico V magnet and, say, an efficient “oriented” one; just know that BK’s “unoriented” choice offers a bit of randomness in the pickup’s magnetic properties, yielding tonal by-products of warmth, midrange focus and soft compression. PolyPafs also utilize high-carbon steel slugs tailored to optimize the wound strings sonically and a custom wind offset of 42AWG plain enamel wire for superior tone. Pickup resistances on the PolyPafs measure 8.3 kilo-ohms for the bridge and 7.6 kilo-ohms for the neck, and if you need a visual, Bare Knuckle’s online EQ chart displays an upward staircase bump of bass, mid and treble, respectively.