Tone Test of the Bare Knuckle Black Dog Humbuckers by Dan Stevens
Compare
Bare Knuckle Black Dog vs Suhr Thornbucker
Bare Knuckle Black Dog
neck humbucker
86 match
medium confidence
Suhr Thornbucker
neck humbucker
We found no spec differences between them worth calling out.
Specs side by side
differs marks specs where they part ways| Spec | Bare Knuckle Black Dog | Suhr Thornbucker |
|---|---|---|
| DC resistancediffers | 7.7k | 7.2k |
| Inductancediffers | 3.76 H (measured, 1 reading) | 3.61 H (measured, 1 reading) |
| Magnet | Alnico 5 | Alnico 5 |
| Coil | Hum-cancelling | Hum-cancelling |
| Resonant peakdiffers | — | 3 kHz (Suhr's own test load) |
| Bass (tone chart)differs | 6 / 10 | no chart |
| Mids (tone chart)differs | 8 / 10 | no chart |
| Treble (tone chart)differs | 7 / 10 | no chart |
| Slot | neck humbucker | neck humbucker |
| Traits | vintage output, mid-forward | vintage output |
How close on each spec
100 means identical on that spec. The score weighs these, and counts anything we couldn't compare as a typical difference. How scoring works
Output
94
measured inductance
Magnet
100
both Alnico 5
Coil
100
same coil type
Not compared: brightness, mids, bass (a spec is missing for at least one of them).
Videos
Bare Knuckle Black Dog
Bare Knuckle Pickups Official : Bruce Dickinson Black Dog/ Riff Raff
Suhr Thornbucker
SUHR THORNBUCKER™ - FIRST IMPRESSIONS - BY PETE THORN
Suhr Thornbucker Pickups, demo by Pete Thorn
What players and reviewers say
On the Bare Knuckle Black Dog
“I had some hesitation going in, since descriptors like “deep” and “smooth” often mean muddy or sluggish.”
“It’s bright enough to cut, thick enough to punch, and never strays into brittle harshness.”
On the Suhr Thornbucker
“Clean amp options are fun with this pickup, as series mode has an opulence and split/parallel options have some glassy chime.”
“I seem to hear a broad footprint across the mids that give that growl in the low mids as well as a snarl in the high mids.”