So a few guys have asked about a full out review on the Dokken Bucker so as the only guy (that I know of) on the forum that has one I'll try to elaborate on my other statements.
The pickup is mentioned
here at 4:40 by George. Mine is wound to 15K on the nose and is the double black aged model.
I've tried this guitar in my Cleveland 57 Strat (alder body) with vintage style hardware and electronics, and last week I slapped it in my R8 with Tone Pros hardware, real black beauties and a Seth in the neck.
I put it in the Strat and started playing "Breaking the Chains" and was heard it. That said, in a strat without, I
think,
a 10 band EQ you have a lack of low mids that really got on my nerves and made the pickup/guitar sound artificially thin. I went from my Tweed Pro to my Super, to my Modded 2204 and the low mids bothered me the whole time. It was really strange. That said the guitar was very "present" and had a tone that would never get lost in the mix. My main issue was that the low mid girth I'm used to hear in my A2 mag pickups was just not there or even my 70s X2N just wasn't there.
So same thing, I slapped it in (with a SD cover, but that's more texture than darker IMO) and started playing breaking the chains. It sounded Lynch-esque, but there was a BIG difference. The low mids hole was filled and the pickup seemed a little more balanced overall. I wasn't firmly in the early 80s Dokken world, but I wasn't far out either. It made me think of more of a Lynch Mob Wicked Sensation type of tone. I REALLY like it in the LP. I don't know about long term in the LP, but it is definitely cool.
General observations are that it's not overly hot like I expected the Super V to be or like I some other high output pickups. According to the above video George does mention that the magnet is degaussed which I think is interesting. Another interesting thing is that the pickup has MINIMAL compression compared to other hot pickups. I think this is the characteristic I really latch onto. That's my big gripe with high output pickups, they feel/sound smaller due to the sheer amount of compression. I THINK that is what George was going for with the Screamin Demon as well. More power and no compression carries the day here. The phrase I feel describes it accurately is "this pickup has a lot of bandwidth".
So....if you're a Lynch-head....GET ONE!
Save your pennies and dimes, pass the Screamin Demon up and wait till you can talk to MJ. I didn't know this pickup existed before the Dallas guitar show, but now I do and I'm glad I've had a chance to experience it.
Luke
