Bare Knuckle True Grit Neck Review
- Barış Şahin
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
No matter how open-minded we like to think we are, it’s undeniable that biases still manage to shape both our perceptions and our choices. I've been immersed in the world of pickups for years now. On a smaller scale, I also dabble in winding pickups myself. And yet, sometimes — though thankfully very rarely — I still find myself falling into the "bias" trap. The fact that it can still happen at all, I think, says enough. :) Anyway, when the Bare Knuckle True Grit Neck landed in my hands, my expectations were shaped mostly by the very limited information available on the brand's official website and its DCR value. When I saw a neck pickup with a DCR of 9.70K ohms, the first thing that came to mind was the Ibanez V7. And along with it, certain memories — mostly related to clarity issues. In the end, I was quite clearly wrong. How wrong, and in what ways? You’ll find out in the deeper layers of my review...
The Test Guitar
‘True Grit Neck’ (TGN shortly) still standing on my “Pink Tiger” for a while. That pink tiger is a superstrat has a Jackson Dinky body made of alder, one piece maple neck in modern C profile, German made Jackson Floyd Rose tremolo with Japanese stainless steel saddles, 25,5” scale, nickel silver frets, Alpha 500K pots and elixir strings in E-std tuning. Guitar has Seymour Duncan Custom in the bridge and No-name blade style middle pickup (~9K thou). Its primary (unplugged) tone is neutral to fairly bright.
Evaluation
Let’s read the desciption first, as always;
“Boot Camp
Get straight to the action with our no-nonsense Boot Camp pickup range. Every pickup is handwound in our UK workshop and available for immediate dispatch in a compact range of classic finishes, with all of the core options pre-set and taken care of. Simply choose from the 3 output level options.
True Grit pickups are hand-wound, feature Alnico V magnets and are suitable for hot blues, hard rock, grunge, stoner, punk and old-school metal tones. True Grit pickups are in the medium output range and produce a fat, rich tone.
Applications
Hot blues, hard rock, grunge, stoner, punk and old school metal through to progressive rock tones.
Suitability
All solid-body guitars, semi-acoustic and hollow-body guitars or any guitar that would benefit from medium output humbuckers with rich cleans and punchy driven tone.”
…And, my measuremens are here;
Bare Knuckle True Grit Neck
Magnet – Alnico 5
Advertised DCR: 9.70 K Ohm (Series)
Measured DCR: 9.58 K Ohm (Series)
Measured DCR: 4.85 K Ohm (Screw Coil)
Measured DCR: 4.72 K Ohm (Slug Coil)
Inductance @100Hz: 4.30 H (Series)
Inductance @100Hz: 1.86 H (Screw Coil)
Inductance @100Hz: 1.93 H (Slug Coil)
Measured C: -28nF (Series)/ -51.2nF (Screw Coil) / -55nF (Slug Coil)
Output: Moderate
EQ (B/M/T) – 4/5/5 (i have derived it from official website)
Gauss: 250G screw, 260G slug (measured at top center of D&G pole pieces)
Ambient Measurement Temperature: 20C
First of all, the pickup comes in the classic humbucker form. It features a nickel silver baseplate with short legs, triangular mounting tabs, and glossy black bobbins, giving it a stylish yet classic look. The polepiece screws are shorter then PAF clones that you are familiar with, just like you see on some DiMarzio models. Inside, it houses an Alnico 5 magnet. However, my magnetic flux density measurements showed relatively low Gauss readings — around 250/260G. Normally, with a fully charged Alnico 5 magnet in a humbucker, I would expect readings in the 300–380G range. Given these lower values, two possible scenarios come to mind: Either the manufacturer used a half-charged magnet, or there’s some kind of internal modification similar to DiMarzio’s Airbucker concept that lowers the magnetic flux. Without disassembling it, I can’t be completely sure, but the most likely scenario, in my opinion, is that they used a partially charged magnet.
By observing the coil fill from the outside, I can reasonably assume that the size of the wire used is AWG 43. If it had been wound with AWG 42 wire, I would expect the coils to appear much fuller for a resistance around 9.5K. Here, the coils aren't exactly skinny, but they’re not overly fat either. Based on my measurements, the number of windings on each coil also appears to be the same, meaning this humbucker features matched coil windings. Coil wire looks more reddish than the regular copper color wires that are very common.
First, I think it's important to share this bit of information, because there still seems to be a bit of confusion around it. The Boot Camp series is, in the company's own words, a smart move aimed at "making Bare Knuckle quality more accessible." By offering fewer options (such as fewer choices for covers, winding wires, bobbin colors, etc.) across three tonal categories — vintage, moderate, and high-gain — the idea is to meet core tonal needs at more competitive prices. The "True Grit" series corresponds to the moderate output category within these three groups.
Now let’s talk about the tonal structure of the TGN. On the official website, it’s presented with a 4/5/5 balance (well, that’s how I interpreted their bar graph). In other words, they’re suggesting a relatively flat EQ curve. According to my own listening experience, here’s how I hear it: the bass is, yes, just a touch recessed. If I hadn’t seen that EQ graphic, would I have noticed it? To be honest, I’m not sure. Is it tight? Yes. You don’t really feel like anything’s missing, but something can occasionally come across a little bland. It doesn’t sound as full as something like the Air Norton. Still, like I said, you don’t really feel deprived. The mid frequencies are there—they’re present and ready for action—but they’re not particularly pronounced. So, despite what I’ve read in some places, it doesn’t really have “singing mids.” It’s not scooped either. The highs are, in my opinion, the most prominent frequency range. Not overly so, though. It’s not like the single-coil-like top end I mentioned in my Fleor review. But the TGN is a lively and articulate pickup, and the treble character has a big part in creating that impression. This is how the TGN misled me. I expected clarity issues from a 9.7K neck pickup, but the TGN is not at all lacking in clarity. In this regard, there’s nothing like the Ibanez V7 :)
I think I can describe the TGN more effectively by comparing it to two well-known and widely loved neck pickups. The first is the Duncan Jazz—one of the most recognized and popular neck humbuckers in the world. As I mentioned in my review, it's a very articulate pickup, with glassy-clear high frequencies (for a humbucker of course). In comparison, the TGN feels a bit fuller, a bit thicker—perhaps i should even call it more modern. Both perform well on clean tones, but under drive, the TGN sounds more “right”, thanks to its midrange character relatively. So I’d classify both as versatile, but their tonal palette leans in slightly different directions. Because the TGN handles driven tones a bit better, it stands out more in musical contexts where such tones dominate.
On the other hand, when compared to the DiMarzio Air Norton, it feels like the Air Norton sounds as if it's equipped with an Alnico 2 magnet. It’s articulate, yes, but there’s a softness to its clarity. The TGN, by contrast, delivers a much tighter and more aggressive tone. The Air Norton definitely has those singing mids—it’s one of its trademarks. In terms of output, I think the TGN has a slight edge. That could be due to its high end response, though—I’m not entirely sure. When it comes to pick attack response, from clean to medium drive levels, the TGN feels snappier and sharper. The Air Norton can sometimes feel a little too mellow in those settings. Under high gain, both are satisfying and enjoyable in terms of pick attack. The Air Norton sounds fuller and meatier overall, while the TGN stands out more thanks to its pronounced clarity.
In terms of clarity, I can say the TGN is quite articulate. My test guitar tends to be on the brighter side, and in that sense, the Air Norton had performed really well in the neck position. The Jazz and its variants, on the other hand, come across as a bit too bright for my taste in this guitar. The TGN is also somewhat affected by this. Normally, I prefer slightly warmer neck pickups in my Pink Tiger. That said, I can honestly say I enjoyed the TGN in the Pink Tiger. It’s very clear, but not excessively bright. It has just enough body. It’s articulate and dynamic as well. In that sense, it’s a versatile and flexible pickup. It’s not a compressed pickup, which makes it very responsive to volume knob adjustments and phrasing techniques near the amp’s breakup point. Playing at those nuanced levels feels really satisfying.
However, I think the TGN pairs really well with bridge humbuckers that aren’t excessively high-output—like the Duncan JB or Custom 5—or with mid/high-output pickups from the DiMarzio catalog that sit just above the PAF Pro in output but aren’t overly dark. Pickups like the Norton, AT-1, Fred, Super Distortion, Crunch Lab, EVO2, Evolution, Steve Morse Bridge, or Transition come to mind. On the other hand, if you combine it with pickups like the Tone Zone or Duncan Invader, you might experience a bit of contrast. I’m not saying the result would necessarily be bad or unusable, but in my opinion, the TGN works better in combination with the first group I mentioned.
Cleans? Pretty nice and sweet. I am the right expert to say solid words about it but i could achieved typical sweet clean tones…
The aspect I dislike most about the pickup is definitely the website. Aside from the magnet type and DCR value, there’s almost no information on what exactly to expect. Honestly, I would have expected more details or promotion. In this regard, I think articles like we bloggers become more important.
Conclusion
The True Grit Neck is a pickup that speaks with an understated confidence, blending modern clarity with a classic sense of musicality. It doesn’t overwhelm with one particular characteristic but instead delivers a balanced, articulate voice that works across a wide range of styles. The highs are clear but not piercing, the lows are tight but not shallow, and the mids, while present, don’t dominate the tone—making it versatile and responsive. It’s not as sweet and singing as the Air Norton, nor is it as bright as the Duncan Jazz, but it fills a space somewhere in between, offering just the right amount of definition without harshness. For those who value nuance, phrasing, and dynamic expression, the TGN truly excels. It might not be the most “flashy” pickup on paper, but in the hands of a player who appreciates clarity and control, it can become a powerful ally. Whether paired with a complementary bridge pickup or used for nuanced phrasing in driven tones, the True Grit Neck proves to be a reliable and inspiring tool in any guitarist's arsenal.
PS: i thank 'Solo Music Store' for achieving this great Bare Knuckle. They did great discount so that i could afford to buy it.
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