Is this the Goldilocks humbucker? Bare Knuckle reveals Polymath Adam 'Nolly' Getgood signature pickups

Adam 'Nolly' Getgood already has excellent form for fine signature gear - his Neural Archetype plugin pack has proved a hit. Now the producer / tutor / GetGood Drums sample honcho and former Periphery bassist has teamed with Bare Knuckle Pickups man Tim Mills on a pickup called the Polymath. And it sounds like it could be a real do-it-all 'bucker. 

We wager Nolly's ear for sonic detail has put Mills' skills to the test like never before. Indeed he says as much in the video above and is clearly a huge fan of Nolly as a player and toneshaper. 

"The Polymath humbuckers are an antidote to scooped, harsh or boomy tone, they’re all about broad, characterful midrange, addictively juicy playing feel and trim, percussive low end," says Nolly.

Bare Knuckle

Adam 'Nolly' Getgood (Image credit: Bare Knuckle)

The bridge pickup has chunky pick attack, vocal midrange and a harmonic richness that glorifies the nuances in your playing

Adam 'Nolly' Getgood

"They’ve got just the right amount of output to be capable of any style, whether classic cleans, wailing leads or brutal chugs and anything in between," adds Nolly.

"That said, the Polymaths have real personality too: the bridge pickup has chunky pick attack, vocal midrange and a harmonic richness that glorifies the nuances in your playing, while the neck pickup is deep, woody and clear when clean, taking on a liquidy and articulate character under gain.

"Dynamics-wise, the Polymaths are right in the sweet spot again: they have a rewarding responsiveness that invites you to dig in, but they’re not fussy or unflattering on your technique.

The coils also combine and split beautifully, but my personal favourite is the parallel-coil sound of each pickup - they really sound somewhere between a P90 and a hot tele. It’s amazing to have such genuinely usable alternative voices at your disposal."

The Polymaths are available in six, seven and eight-string sets with four conductor setup for expanded wiring options such as splitting, as well the full extensive range of Bare Knuckle finishes – including the custom ‘Nolly’ etch shown. Prices from £186.

More info at Bare Knuckle Pickups

Rob Laing
Guitars Editor, MusicRadar

I'm the Guitars Editor for MusicRadar, handling news, reviews, features, tuition, advice for the strings side of the site and everything in between. Before MusicRadar I worked on guitar magazines for 15 years, including Editor of Total Guitar in the UK. When I'm not rejigging pedalboards I'm usually thinking about rejigging pedalboards.