The Impulse is the signature pickup for Josh Smith, guitarist of Sydney metalcore band Northlane. If you know the type of bassy, doomy tones that Northlane produce, these are the pickups for you. The pickup features a neutral, broad midrange and medium output, designed to enhance lower-register tones from baritones and extended-range guitars.
The Impulse isn’t just built for baritones though. Smith claims that these pickups are the perfect all-rounder, stating “Les Paul guys, especially ones using big strings will love the clarity without anything too bright sticking out and the low-mids getting too cluttered. Progressive players will love the versatility and harmonic richness. Down-tuned metal players will love the fullness and tightness they get without any mud, especially if they’re using an amp with a thick low-midrange. People playing in open or alternative tunings with a lot of range will like the consistency in tone, compression and feel between registers. Rock players will love the full and muscular mids of the humbucker and how it handles medium gain applications. Pedal junkies will love how they take to overdrive, fuzz, modulation and time based effects without getting lost.”
“The thing about the Impulse set that I like the most is that they’re real players pickups and although designed for me, they don’t sway towards any particular genre of music. Just about anyone can buy these pickups and get a lot out of them in most applications. Whether you’re a lead player with red-hot chops, or the rhythm player holding down the meat and potatoes, Strat or Les Paul, or baritone 7 string like me, the Impulse set has something to offer to you.”
Bare Knuckle pickups are available in Australia from Guitar Brothers, DW Music, Guitar Factory Parramatta and Tone Pro Shop.