Karmabucker I & II
Riffing’s got claws
Trademarks: Full spectrum. Very defined attack. Fits standard- (KB I) and lower-tunings (KB II).
Styles: Metal (all styles including thrash, death, nu, xtreme, etc.)
Output: High
Retail price: 130 Euros (without VAT) per pickup
Designed together with GAS user and endorser Costas Papadopoulos of Karma Violens, Karmabucker is a true riffing machine for low-tuned guitars and baritones.
It features some old-school specs such as AWG 42 plain enamel wire, unbalanced coils, and single braided wire with some modern ones (OX ceramic bar, high would bobbins, dual pole screw bobbins on model II) and is designed to deliver high gain tones with great clarity, string separation, and fast response, a "must" in low-tuned, extreme metal situations. Available in 49,2mm and 52mm spacing, in double matte black.
Karmabucker I is for Eb/D and also standard tunings.
Karmabucker II is for tunings lower than D and for baritone guitars.
Designed for the bridge position.Recommended Combination*:
Combine Karmabucker II (bridge position) with GAShopper N (neck position) on a HH (ST or metal) style guitar and you’ll get a perfect metal set for lower tuning settings*Important Note: The final tonal result will be highly dependent on the user's guitar
Karmabucker I Rdc range 11,8 kOhms Resonance frequency 4,5 kHz Bar magnet alloy OX Ceramic Pole screw alloy 1018 Slug alloy 1215 Coils winding Unbalanced Winding wire (AWG, Coating) 42 Plain Enamel (50's specs) Hookup wire Single braided Karmabucker II Rdc range 11,8 kOhms Resonance frequency 4,7 kHz Bar magnet alloy OX Ceramic Pole screw alloy 1018 Slug alloy N/A Coils winding Unbalanced Winding wire (AWG, Coating) 42 Plain Enamel (50's specs) Hookup wire Single braided -
Karmabucker I
Costas Papadopoulos (Karma Violens, Yothiria) presenting the Karmabucker concept
Costas Papadopoulos (Karma Violens, Yothiria) riffing on KB IKarmabucker II
Costas Papadopoulos (Karma Violens, Yothiria) presenting the Karmabucker concept
...and a Slayer cover (all rights reserved) using KB II
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Introduction
For the proper installation and wiring of your GAS Pickups, we strongly recommend letting a professional luthier or electrician perform this job in order for the pickups to be installed correctly and with no damage, which would harm the pickup’s functionality and warranty.
Delivery
All GAS Standard Humbuckers are delivered with proper height adjustment screws and springs. GAS Standard Humbuckers accept US 3-48 thread screws.
Wiring
GAS Standard full sized Humbuckers come with a four (+one bare) conductor hook-up wire. This will allow you to perform any desired connection (as coil split, out of phase, or series operation) on the same pickup, as well as with other humbuckers from any brand. Humbuckers have several metal parts that are grounded on the bare wire. Therefore, the bare wire always goes on ground.
The color code of a GAS standard humbucker is shown below.
For the desired wiring diagram of your guitar, please refer to the dozens of specialized websites with such diagrams, depending on the desired pickup configuration.
Pickup height or string distance
There is a lot of conversation on this item. The fact is, there is no absolute guidance for a generic pickup height adjustment! The distance of a pickup to the strings is dependent on countless factors, such as pickup output, pickup position, string gauge, the guitar itself, the guitarist’s overall playing technique (string hitting, etc.), and the musical styles that are about to be covered. In the case of a pickup set, usually the pickup height is adjusted so all pickups show a similar output level, but this is not a rule. Our recommendation: The desired pickup height adjustment is a procedure that may last longer than you think; just start with a generic distance of 2mm on the e strings and repeat the procedure (adjust, play, listen, re-adjust) until you are satisfied. Don’t forget to adjust in small steps (e.g., one full turn of the height adjustment screw each time) in order to easily come back one step if you are not happy with the new situation. And, trust us, if you just repeat the whole thing a couple of weeks later, you will probably find yourself re-adjusting the height again. It is something that each musician should go through by himself.
Dimensions
GAS Standard Humbuckers are direct replacements for usual humbucker models, that based on Gibson® humbuckers prototypes and similar models. The dimensions for GAS Standard full sized Humbuckers (with and without a pickup cover) and the GAS 4-connector wire color code are as follows (sizes in mm):
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Are GAS standard humbuckers available in multiple spacing versions?
Yes, they are available in 49,2 mm and 52 mm versions.
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Are GAS standard humbuckers available with 4-conductor hookup wire only?
It is the standard delivered form (except for the Karmabucker models, which are delivered with a single braided wire). Upon request, any standard humbucker can be delivered with a single braided hookup wire at exactly the same price.
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Can GAS standard humbuckers be placed directly on wood?
GAS standard humbuckers are delivered with proper height adjustment screws for placement on a pickup ring. If direct wood mounting is required, please let us know so we can deliver with proper screws.
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