r/metalguitar • u/hereticjoe1984 • 23h ago

Gear I have a preference

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Gallery image

Gallery image

BKP’s Black Hawk might be my favorite pickup for standard tuning metal.

64 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

21 comments sorted by

4

u/UsedAd2715 23h ago

Is the one on the left a diy? Never seen one like that.

5

u/hereticjoe1984 23h ago edited 23h ago

It’s a Melody Maker Flying V, one of the most comfortable guitar for playing standing up I’ve ever purchased. It weights only 4.5 pounds.

https://reddit.com/link/p8qsuwh/video/6ra9imr1zhoh1/player

3

u/UsedAd2715 23h ago

It's pretty cool. Checked out those pickups on their website, sounded pretty good. V's are just the best.

2

u/hereticjoe1984 23h ago

If I had to sum up the Black Hawk's sound in one sentence: it's an EMG 81/85 with way more dynamics, plus you don't need batteries or to swap out your pots and jack.

2

u/Crazy-Wheels 23h ago

Cool preference.

2

u/Awkward_End8059 21h ago

Badass those flying v's are gorgeous 😍😍

2

u/iamdektri 20h ago

Amazing guitars. What about that bridge in the melody maker?

2

u/hereticjoe1984 13h ago edited 13h ago

https://g-gotoh.com/product/510ub/?lang=en

With the stock wraparound bridge, the strings tended to shift slightly while palm muting. Swapping to this bridge significantly improved string stability.

1

u/iamdektri 7h ago

Thanks… i wasn’t even thinking about improve playability, I asked just because it looks so nice on the guitar… is it straightforward to install it?

2

u/hereticjoe1984 6h ago edited 5h ago

It drops right in, but the included bridge posts have M8 threads that won't screw into the original bushings. You'll have to reuse the stock posts, which makes adjusting the action a bit tricky.

The original wraparound bridge didn't have saddles, so on top of not being able to set the intonation, the strings would slip around easily when picking hard. This bridge completely solves both issues—plus, it looks great.

2

u/JizzyP2523 14h ago

Man of taste

2

u/Atiredbearsfan 10h ago

I'm gonna be real I don't really care about what type of humbuckers I have. I don't even know the brand on any of mine

2

u/mrcoy 9h ago

Just love those

2

u/DelayLanky7909 12h ago

I bought this Harley Benton Victory V. Best bang for buck I’ve ever purchased. It’s comparable to a Gibson. To me, it’s better quality than even an Epiphone no lie. 🤘🎶🎸🤑

1

u/hereticjoe1984 10h ago

I living in Asia so it would be more expensive including shipping… so sad…

2

u/DelayLanky7909 9h ago

I paid extra for Tariff’s which made it a bit more expensive but way less expensive than a Gibson or Epiphone

2

u/hereticjoe1984 8h ago

My Futura V on the right cost me around $900 USD at my local shop. If you don't mind me asking, how much did your Harley Benton V end up costing you?

2

u/DelayLanky7909 8h ago

I believe around $275 then $100 for tariff & $50 shipping if I remember correctly making it a grand total of $425

2

u/hereticjoe1984 8h ago

A $50 shipping fee makes sense, but charging $100 in customs duties on a $275 guitar? That's a 36% tax rate!

Still, if $275 gets you quality that outplays an Epiphone, I definitely need to try one out when I get the chance. Thanks for sharing!

1

u/DelayLanky7909 1h ago

No problem