Bare Knuckle Peacemaker Set

November 19, 2025 darthphineas Alnico 5, Bare Knuckle, BKP, Humbucker, Peacemaker, Pickup

Striking Tone From The First Note

The Peacemaker is the signature humbucker set for Chris Robertson of Black Stone Cherry, and it lands with the swagger of a bar fight and the charm of a southern preacher who knows exactly how much trouble he brings. The Bare Knuckle crew positions the Peacemaker in that wild frontier between hot vintage attitude and modern muscle, and it shows from the moment you jack in.

Black Stone Cherry comes from southern Kentucky, which means you expect a little bourbon soaked grit and a whole lot of groove. What you get instead is a full on collision of Southern Rock, Hard Rock, down tuned Metal, and thick Blues phrasing that hits like a freight train dipped in barbecue sauce. The Peacemaker humbuckers are built to channel that entire spectrum of controlled chaos. One minute you are knee deep in swampy riffs. The next minute you are head first into high gain mayhem with a tone that punches and hugs at the same time.

The set gives off a vibe that says it is here to work, here to roar, and here to take your amp apart one tube at a time. First impression? This is not a polite pickup set. It is a tone engine and a sound weapon. It is the Peacemaker. Here are some examples of the Black Stone Cherry sound:

Black Stone Cherry – White Trash Millionaire [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Black Stone Cherry – Me and Mary Jane [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Dropping In With Attitude

The Peacemaker set drops into a double hum mahogany body with a 25-1/2″ scale maple neck and maple board. The wiring harness uses BKP/CTS 550 K pots, a Switchcraft three way toggle, and a Pure Tone output jack. The strings are 10-46 in a standard tuning. It is the same snarling test guitar I use for most Bare Knuckle evaluations. This guitar has an attitude problem in the best possible way, and if something impresses it, that means the pickup is a monster in every other guitar.

Once the solder cools, the Peacemaker takes its place under the strings like it owns the real estate. No drama, no nonsense, just a confident sit down at the tone table. A quick tap test already hints at a wide open voice and a punchy response. This is the moment when you know the real fun is about to begin.

Bare Knuckle Peacemaker w/ Woodtech Bobbins

Tone That Talks Back

Neck Pickup

The Peacemaker neck pickup is a fat juicy blues-soaked tone bomb with a glow that feels alive. It oozes richness from the moment you hit the first note. The low end is thick without getting soggy. The mids bloom like a vintage tube rack that is pushed right to the edge. The highs stay sweet and round but still have enough bite to talk back when you dig in.

If you want a neck humbucker that pushes your ear drums around and then buys them a drink afterward, this is the one. Think Dickey Betts meets Derek Trucks with a splash of Duane Allman sliding in from stage left. It sings, it shouts, it blooms, and it never loses control. Even under high gain it stays articulate and full without turning to mud. That is a rare trick and the Peacemaker neck pulls it off with swagger.

Bridge Pickup

The Peacemaker bridge pickup is the tone anchor of the set. It is focused, powerful, rich, and shockingly versatile. The note separation is clean even inside massive riff rock chords. The low end stays firm and ready to hit. The mids carry an authoritative growl that cuts through any mix. The highs bring that righteous sting that makes lead work explode off the fretboard.

The bridge humbucker pushes the amp into sweet saturation while keeping every pick attack razor sharp. When you open it up on a riff, it feels like riding a thunderstorm. When you take it into lead territory, it rips and sizzles with a voice that gets close to a certain brown flavored roar. The Peacemaker bridge covers a massive amount of ground and stays musical through the entire journey.

As A Set

Together, the Peacemaker neck and bridge lock in like a pair of heavyweight champions working in perfect unison. The transition from warm liquid neck voice to punchy aggressive bridge voice feels seamless. The cleans sparkle. The crunch is tight. The gain is a tidal wave. The set handles blues, rock, metal, riff rock, and all the hybrid grooves in between. The Peacemaker as a set is a complete tone system with serious firepower.

Proof Is In The Picking

First up is Chris Robertson talking about and giving a demo of the Peacemaker pickups:

Chris Robertson of Black Stone Cherry Signature Bare Knuckle Peacemaker demonstration

And this excellent video demo from BKP:

Micky Crystal Demos the Bare Knuckle Peacemaker Humbucker Set

But wait, there’s more:

Kris Barras demonstrating the Peacemaker humbucker bridge and neck set

John Huldt demonstrates the Bare Knuckle Peacemaker humbuckers

Bare Knuckle Pickups Peacemaker humbucker set demonstrated by Danny Dela Cruz.

For the cherry on top, here’s a thorough 14+ min tone test:

Peacemaker Tone Test By Danny Dela Cruz

The Details Behind The Muscle

Peacemaker Bridge
Series – 9.705 K
Inductance – 5.189 H
Split – 4.843 K
Split – 4.85 K
Parallel – 2.421 K
Magnet – Alnico 5

Peacemaker Neck
Series – 8.485 K
Inductance – 4.013 H
Split – 4.212 K
Split – 4.268 K
Parallel – 2.119 K
Magnet – Alnico 5

Calling It As It Sounds

The Peacemaker is the rare humbucker set that handles smooth clean lines, swampy blues attitude, and full blast metal aggression without breaking a sweat. It is expressive, dynamic, powerful, and addictive. If you are searching for a set that rocks hard and still delivers nuance, the Peacemaker is absolutely worth your time.

Conclusion

The Peacemaker set delivers everything from sweet soulful neck lines to crushing riff rock muscle. It thrives in blues, rock, metal, southern groove, and anything that needs punch and character. The set is available in six, seven, and eight string versions, and Bare Knuckle offers a buffet of bobbin colors and cover options so you can dress your tone warrior in whatever armor you want. Pole screw choices, leg lengths, and lead wire formats let you dial in the hardware exactly how you prefer.

The final word is simple. The Peacemaker is a big bold tone machine built to strike with authority and sing with class.

For reference, this Bare Knuckle Peacemaker humbucker pickup set evaluation was conducted with the following: Fractal Axe-Fx II XL+ featuring Celestion Impluse Responses and Fractal MFC-101 MIDI Foot Controller. ADA MP-1 Tube Pre-Amp loaded with Tube Amp Doctor ECC83 Premium Selected tubes, using the ADA MC-1 MIDI Controller. Fryette LX II Stereo Tube Power Amplifier. Physical cabs use are Marshall 1960B, Mojotone British, and Peavey 6505 cabs loaded with Celestion Classic Series Vintage 30s and Classic Series G12M Greenbacks.

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