Seymour Duncan PA-TB1 Parallel Axis Trembucker

Submitted at: 11:23, 12/18/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Humbucker with Parallel Axis design, AlNiCo 5 magnets 4 condutor wiring
Impedence or other specs: 7.5 DC Resistance, 6.90Khz ressonant peak (neck version)
Price Paid: R$ (brazilian currency) 300
Purchased from:

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson Top Plus NR 1996 made in Japan
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: stock humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: PATB-2 (Parallel axis Distortion Trembucker) & PA-STK-1 (Parallel axis Stack)
Artists using this pickup: ME!, not even a clue about the others...
You musical style(s): everything from blues 'till metal
Reason for pickup change: Unbalanced and poor tone stock pickups. Stock pickup sounds TOO muddy and had TOO MUCH high-mids.

Sound

Perceived output level: hotter than stock, about 50% hotter.
Tone: Ballanced tone, tight bass ballanced mids and highs.
Sonic evaluation: I bought this pickup a couple years ago, and i tried it on several stuff, mine and of my friends. When I decided changing the pickups of my guitar, i bought all of them at once, with a Fender super switch (4P5T) and Push-pull Pots. I have now 15 different tones in my guitar, 6 of them using this pickup. I LOVE the tone I have with this stuff. My setup is:

Guitar - Morley Bad Horsie - Sansamp Tri-AC - BOSS PQ-4 (parametric equalizer) - Peavey Audition 110 Transtube 25W combo

Since I'm not playing with any band I don't need anything else.

Most neck pickups on market are too bassy or too muddy and you never get a ballanced tone with bridge pickup, so you have to switch eq settings when you switch from bridge to neck pickup... Because of that, is very difficult to me find one pickup I like... But with this one is just plug-and-play, if one day I want to play bassy or trebly, i just set it on amp and play the whole afternoon without touching again the amp. I think is REALLY the BEST match for the PATB-2 Parallel axis Distortion Trembucker in bridge position, and one of the best pickups for playing stuff with bassy tones with tons of gain. But it's great clean sounding too, very smooth bass and clean highs. This pickup is also great wired in Parallel and coil tapped. Maybe there are others pickups better for playing slightlly overdriven but since it have AlNiCo magnets it will sing on this situation too. I liked that tone too.

Some months ago I lended my guitar to a friend because he was on studio with his band... and he loved the tone too... through an alltube marshall head with 4x12" cabinets, GREAT metal soloing tone...

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This one is a neck pickup. It has his own bridge position model, so if you want it on bridge, buy the bridge version which is hotter. It may be bassy for styles of music, but you always wire it on parallel instead of series (common way to wire humbuckers coils) and turn off some bass on your amp

Overall Rating

Comments: I've been playing for almost 10 years now, and this is THE BEST neck pickup i've played with. DiMarzio Evolution neck version has a great tone too, but I think mine is better, because it's not that simple going anything but metal with evo's. If it were destroyed or stolen I SURELY buy it again. Amazing tone. Parallel Axis magnets are fantastic because they doesn't kill guitar's natural sustain with it's strong magnetic field, you can even make pickup almost touch the strings and you won't notice loosing much sustain. Maybe it could have more color options, but black it's fine to me. When i first heard this pickup I wanted it but I didn't it was THAT amazing. I was really surprised when I installed it on my guitar... Maybe I'll have other guitars with other pickup combinations, but I'll ALWAYS have at least one guitar with this combination of parallel axis...

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Tiago

Seymour Duncan APH-1 Alnico Pro (Passive humbucker)

Submitted at: 8:06, 12/19/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Hunbucker Passive
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: Can $110
Purchased from:

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: 2004 Epiphone Les Paul Classic
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Epiphone HB6N (neck) , HB8B (bridge) (both came stock)
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change: Stock Epiphone pickups were too muddy and lifeless.

Sound

Perceived output level: Low - moderate
Tone: Balanced and clear, overdrive sounds have character
Sonic evaluation: Epiphone Les Paul Classic - Crybaby Wah - Marshall Mg 250

I had the bass and middle tone on my amp turned to 0, and the treble turned to 10 just to try to get a reasonable tone. The stock pickups were just lowsy, nothing but muffled mud. At first I blamed the solidstate amp I have, but realized that other guitars of high price values sounded amazing through it, without the tone setting issues. The new pickups were well worth the money and made the cheap Les Paul sound quite amazing. Even though the Duncan's have a little less output than the stock Epi's, because they are clear and full of ajustable tone (with amp settings), it seemes to have a more crisp bite, that makes up for the output loss and actually makes the pickups sound hotter.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: classic rock not good for shredders

Overall Rating

Comments: If your in the same guitar situation as me, I recommend these pickups for you.I cant say how they would sound with bolt-on neck insturments or guitars with different wood. However these pickups have made my Epi Les Paul sound go from a joke China jobbie to a well respectable and playable insturment, still at less than a third of the price of a real Gibson.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Bare Knuckle Pickups Irish Tour

Submitted at: 14:19, 12/14/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: single coil, vintage stagger
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: sterling 165
Purchased from: Bare Knuckle online shop

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Fender American Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: All Stock Pickups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickups on my American Strat seemed to be a little bit lifeless. I wanted a hotter pickup that would help me get an edgier SRV type sound.

Sound

Perceived output level: Definately hotter than stock pickups, drives the amp very nicely but still isn't OTT
Tone: well ballanced- has a warm vintage vibe to the tone, not too harsh
Sonic evaluation: I am using a 2005 Fender American Strat tuned half a step down through an Orange Rocker 30 combo amp. Through the clean channel the pickups sound rich and full, very well ballanced and warm, the neck and neck/middle sounds are particularly addictive. Response to picking dynamics is amazing, sounding superb when digging into the strings, perfect for blues playing. Playing through the dirty channel set to break up and using a crowther blueberry to drive the amp and another overdrive pedal for lead tones, there are simply some monstrous sounds to be had especially in the SRV, Rory Gallagher, Hendrix ballpark. Each position on the 5 way switch sounds so full and rich compared to the stock pickups, the Irish tours just make the Strat a joy to play. What's particularly great about these pickups is how well they drive the amp without ever sounding too harsh and they have a real vintage vibe.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play mainly blues, SRV, Hendrix etc- these pickups are perfect for that kind of sound- Little Wing/ Wind Cries Mary sound so full and Fat.

Overall Rating

Comments: I have been playing for over 12 years and I have never bought replacement pickups before and I really didn't know what to expect. I have to say though I am very glad I did and I don't think I could play a strat without them now. They've really brought the guitar out of it's shell and given it a bit of life. The Irish Tours really do deliver and my start is now just a joy to play. Don't let the whole Texas vibe put you off these if that isn't your thing, they will suit a wide variety of styles.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Bare Knuckle Pickups Sinner

Submitted at: 15:15, 12/17/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive single coil
Impedence or other specs: 15.56k!
Price Paid: Canadian $120
Purchased from: BKP website

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Zion Bent-T (custom Strat-style)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Lollar Vintage Blonde for Stratocaster
Other pickups on guitar: Lollar Vintage Blonde for Stratocaster
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Eclectic
Reason for pickup change: I wanted as hot a single coil in the bridge as I could find, basically. The Lollars are awesome pickups, but I wanted a more modern sound.

Sound

Perceived output level: Very hot, but balanced all the same.
Tone: Balanced. A touch more middy than a typical single coil, to my ears.
Sonic evaluation: I mostly play through a Vox Tonelab SE, either straight into a PA system, or through a small Vox amp.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play all kinds of music, really. This pickup is suitable for pretty much everything. It's a very diverse bridge pickup.

Overall Rating

Comments: I've been playing for years and years and I've never come across a single coil pickup quite like this one. Not only is the sound excellent, but it is very diverse. If I turn the drive down I get nice sounding cleans; up a bit and I get a reasonably good SRV sound; up still more and I can bury some humbucking pickups in the distortion I get. And the whole time it still sounds like a single coil pickup! Plus, it doesn't have that brittleness that a lot of bridge pickups have, nor does it spike horribly like many single coils do when they're way distorted; the cleans are smooth and the distortion is as well.

For my kind of playing this pickup rocks. I can't think of a more pleasing bridge single coil for my sound and what I require when I play live. When I play live I want to be able to switch from clean or slightly broken up to a good, smooth diistortion sometimes, without it sounding like I've switched guitars (when you have a humbucker in the bridge it often sounds like that) and this pickup delivers!

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

DiMarzio Air Norton (Passive humbucker)

Submitted at: 15:12, 12/14/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive humbucker with 4-conductor cable
Impedence or other specs: DC Resistance: 12.58
Price Paid: kronor 1095
Purchased from: Estrad musik

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG320FM
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Ibanez powersound neck
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio Tone Zone
Artists using this pickup: John Petrucci used these on his Ibanez JPM's
You musical style(s): Blues, rock, progressive
Reason for pickup change: The original pickup sounded plastic and unnatural. It had bad mid's and harmonics.

Sound

Perceived output level: This pickup has enough gain to use together with very hi-output bridge PuP's (such as the Tone Zone)
Tone: The sound is smooth, but not muddy. It's got plenty of nice mids that give a great tone.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using this Ibanez guitar with a Peavey classic 30 combo that drives a Marshall 1960AV cab.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I think this is the ultimate shredding pickup for neckposition, because there is still clarity in what you play even if it's speed licks and fast passages. That is what i like to do with this pickup.

Overall Rating

Comments: Oh yeah! This PuP rocks! I will use it in the neck of any humbuckerguitar I will buy in the future. I also use it splitted, which sounds great, not as trebly as a stratocaster vintage SC but that suits my style great. I also use a Les Paul with Gibson PuP's and those are also great but these are better for speed playing, because it remains clear about what you're playing.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Noak Westerberg <pingu122@hotmail.com>

DiMarzio Tone Zone (Passive humbucker)

Submitted at: 15:37, 12/14/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive humbucker with 4-conductor cable
Impedence or other specs: DC Resistance: 17.31
Price Paid: kronor 1095
Purchased from: Estrad musik (music store)

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG320FM
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Ibanez powersound bridge
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio Air Norton
Artists using this pickup: Paul Gilbert
You musical style(s): Blues, rock, progressive
Reason for pickup change: Stock PuP had an unnatural harsh sound that I didn't like.

Sound

Perceived output level: Hot as there is, you'll hopefully never ask for more.
Tone: This pickup screams! It's got plenty of mid's and nice harmonics that create a screamy lead tone that cut's great in the mix.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using this PuP in my ibanez into a peavey classic 30 with a marshall 1960AV cab. I also use a Les Paul with gibson PuP's, wich are great, but this pickup has more output and more scream wich I like about it.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play lead tones and riffs (from blues to metal) in the bridge position, and it's great. I use it splitted too, wich is great for country tunes such as Albert Lee...

Overall Rating

Comments: This is a great, screaming lead pickup, and I will keep using it in this guitar. However, if I buy another guitar I would like to try the Steve's special instead, because sometimes i want a little smoother lead sound, as the Ton Zone has got plenty of punch in the hi-mids. So it's not the most versatile, but I love it!

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Submitted by: Noak Westerberg <pingu122@hotmail.com>

DiMarzio Steve's Special (Passive humbucker)

Submitted at: 21:40, 12/18/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: www.dimarzio.com for specs
Price Paid: US $60
Purchased from: just about anywhere

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: schecter c1 elite (mahogany body and neck)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: evolution
Other pickups on guitar: humbucker from hell (neck)
Artists using this pickup: John Petrucci used it on many recordings when he used his Ibanez sig model guitar
You musical style(s): rock
Reason for pickup change: Evolution (not the new evo2) pickup was pure fuzz on the low notes, for solos it was just beautiful...but there is more to life than just solos (I think). NAH! But for tricky prog rock stuff the pickup was just not getting the job done.

Sound

Perceived output level: it's in the hot range.
Tone: Something like an EMG but much better. High's don't cut your ears like a razor.
Sonic evaluation: guitar -> digitech 2101 LE -> Carvin TS100 power amp -> two 4x12 cabinets stereo. This pickup laughed at my all mahogany guitar and shot the mids right out of it. I messed around with the EQ a bit and was shocked to discover no matter HOW high I turned up the mids this thing never turned "fuzzy". I know others had claimed this as well but it's something you have to see/hear to believe. EMG pickups do this too but this is a different animal. This pickup still retains some "soul". NOTE: This is was not a "plug and play" pickup, it took some work and adjustment of my ears to get what I wanted. I'm not disappointed. As many other players have noted this pickup is very articulate. It will pick up everything, including your pick. I switched my ultex picks with the old assortment of old 80's color tortex picks and it seemed to help a bit with the pick noise, the ultex was just a bit clacky. It HAS to be the pick, no way could it be my technique. =P Bottom line(s): No doubt about it, you can get busy and this pickup will stay with you the whole way. With this particular guitar (mahogany)...I know this sounds wierd...it's easier to pinch harmonics with the SS than the evolution. Yes I'm sober. If you want a big fat Billy Gibbons tone stay away from this pickup.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Unsuitable for any style that -relies- on fuzzy guitar tones to hide mistakes.

Overall Rating

Comments: I recommend this pickup to all my shredding brethren. For slow solo passages I sill prefer the tone of the evolution.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 8

Dirty Dog Pickups PAF

Submitted at: 11:34, 12/18/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Vintage 57 Gibbylike Humbucker set
Impedence or other specs: 7.78 and 8.53 for neck and bridge
Price Paid: US $92.00
Purchased from: Guitartom.net

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Tokai Les Paul reissue
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Tokai
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Playing rock with more than 2 fingers.
Reason for pickup change: I wanted to check these out and see if they were as advertised.

Sound

Perceived output level: My best description would be that of a Gary Moore sound with his Les Paul.
Tone: Smooth and well balanced
Sonic evaluation: I am using a Rivera Fandango one 12 combo. The guitar is a Tokai Love Rock, the Japanese equivalent of Gibson with the quality to match but not overpriced like Gibson.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play blues/rock from the era of quality music and players. These pups are great at both positions.

Overall Rating

Comments: I have 30 years of always trying to get better experience. These are quality pups for a very good price. I will buy more.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Jimbo

Dirty Dog Pickups 57 Classic BB

Submitted at: 11:39, 12/18/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Vintage 57 Gibbylike Humbucker set
Impedence or other specs: 7.78 and 8.53 for neck and bridge
Price Paid: US $46.00 ea.
Purchased from: Guitartom.net

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Tokai Les Paul reissue
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Tokai
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Playing rock with more than 2 fingers.
Reason for pickup change: I wanted to check these out and see if they were as advertised.

Sound

Perceived output level: My best description would be that of a Gary Moore sound with his Les Paul.
Tone: Smooth and well balanced
Sonic evaluation: I am using a Rivera Fandango one 12 combo. The guitar is a Tokai Love Rock, the Japanese equivalent of Gibson with the quality to match but not overpriced like Gibson.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play blues/rock from the era of quality music and players. These pups are great at both positions.

Overall Rating

Comments: I have 30 years of always trying to get better experience. These are quality pups for a very good price. I will buy more.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Jimbo

Fender X-1

Submitted at: 3:00, 12/15/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: single coil
Impedence or other specs: somewhere around 8
Price Paid: N/A
Purchased from: Stock OEM

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Lead II
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: You're fool ! never change them
Other pickups on guitar: Full X-1 set neck and bridge
Artists using this pickup: Steve Morse, Bono (U2)
You musical style(s): RnR : Police,ACDC, RedHot, Metallica, Queen, Pink Floyd, Pantera, Deep Purple
Reason for pickup change: Why change ? Those stock pickup are EXCELLENT !!!!

Sound

Perceived output level: Hot for a single
Tone: Mid high, singing, pierces the mix
Sonic evaluation: Used it with a Bandit 112 or PAndora direct plugged in the mix table. The sound is astonishingly intelligible and singing.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Matches for any clear sound (Police, Red Hot, Pink Floyd) and not that hard rock of 70's (Deep Purple, Queen and even AC DC). Metal ? no way !

Overall Rating

Comments: If any of both would miss, I'd wander the world to get another one. This is part of the Lead II. I've been playing for 6 years, heard different kind of guitars (tele, PRS, strat', stratocaster, LP) and the first time I heard it I realized it was something different. This pickup has more output than a standard single coil but not a hot hot one. Its characteristic is its sound definition which makes it very intelligle playing in a group, no need to play loud. Very singing pickup, gorgeous sound. The tone and volume reaaly have an impact on the sound which makes it very versatile. But as a single, it misses output to play hard rock.

One thing I recntly discovered, is that the stock pickup of the Lead II are the Fender X-1. This pick was also mounted in bridge position in the special strat' model of the early 80's.

It is a really specific pickup, of great value. I love the tone of this pick that much that I recently contacted Dimarzio to have references of humbuckers with the same sound.

A noiseless version of the X-1 would be the perfect single coil.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Patrick Torres <ptorres@gfi.fr>

Fender Vintage Noiseless Hot Strat

Submitted at: 10:04, 12/16/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Single coil, passive, noiseless
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $119
Purchased from: Online - Music123

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: 1984-85 Squire Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Squire Pickups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Jeff Beck
You musical style(s): Classic Rock, Blues, Metal
Reason for pickup change: The orignial pickups were very musical, but extremely noisy in my setup.

Sound

Perceived output level: Hotter than vintage pickups
Tone: Warmer than the vintage pickups, but has slightly less 'sparkle' as well
Sonic evaluation: I am running these pickups in a Japanese Squire through a Fender Blues Deluxe and a Marshall DSL100 head through a JCM900 1960A cab loaded with Celestion G12-T75's.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: These pickups are great for classic rock and blues, even old metal.

Overall Rating

Comments: These pickups are able to drive the crunch channel on my Marshall very nicely, even better than my Gibson Les Paul with their orininal humbuckers. I found the overall sound of these pickups not that different than the originals, but much quieter and hotter. With these pickups I was mostly aiming for that classic strat sparkly clean sound which I got minus the noise of the vintage pickups. I am very happy with them.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

GFS Pickups Lil Puncher

Submitted at: 7:28, 12/19/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Humbucker in Tele bridge size- With classic metal baseplate
Impedence or other specs: Around 12k I think... It's hot regardless
Price Paid: Canadian $25ish
Purchased from: Guitar fetish parts (ebay)

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Squier Standard Telecaster
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock bridge pup
Other pickups on guitar: GFS Vintage Alnico tele neck pickup
Artists using this pickup: not enough, I'm sure...
You musical style(s): anything and everything...
Reason for pickup change: Although I really liked the stock sound on this bizarre Squier (astonishingly similar dark tones to an SG with p90s or something... really weird... not really tele-ish at all), I got the guitar so I could fiddle with it. This pickup looked like a neat little modification to try out.

Sound

Perceived output level: A fairly hot pickup... will crunch when needed, nice trebly clean as well... very bright
Tone: I think it's pretty balanced if you use your tone pots at all... fairly versatile.
Sonic evaluation: So, I took this pickup and put it in the bridge of this telecaster, but I got it coil tapped. I had it default to single coil and had the pups balanced as if it was an ordinary single coil bridge pickup. When I pull up on the push/pull it goes to humbucker, but because it's so close to the strings it acts as this ridiculous volume boost while it's at it. The overall effect is killer. Playing through my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe I find the distorted tones to be a lot more nice than the clean ones, but I use my neck pickup for clean anyway. Blended and in single mode it sounds ok... sort of jangly but not too bright. Blended in bucker mode you can't even really hear the neck because of the volume boost. Through my Vox Cambridge 30 Reverb I like the single sound more... it seems more smooth and not as bright. Maybe it likes solid state amps more than tube. Either way, I like the sound the most because it's telecasterish but with way more balls when I need it. The humbucker setting just sounds killer and cuts through a wall of sound just like you'd need it too.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play all sorts of things, but mostly I'd say I play in a band that sounds like Mogwai. We do the whole quiet to loud buildup. This is a great pickup for that because I can play quiet and clean or even quiet and dirty... but when I switch to bucker it's just this huge tone. I don't really know what it's unsuitable for, I don't play anything bluesy or countryish, but it has a suitable amount of twang to it so I'm sure it'd do fine.

Overall Rating

Comments: I would definately buy this pickup again if I had another telecaster that I wanted to sound huge. They're dirt cheap too, so that's a huge plus. I've been playing for something like 8 or 9 years, so I'm still learning. I have an Epiphone LP Classic fitted with kent armstrong vintage PAF pickups. I've got a mexican strat, and this telecaster which I'm about to move to a new fender body with a Seymour Duncan Phat Cat p90 in the bridge. I play through a fender hot rod deluxe and a Vox Cambridge 30 Reverb... sometimes simultaneously.

I love this pup... I got it because it was so much cheaper than the competition that I didn't mind blowing $30 on something that might suck. It didn't! I think this sound is exactly what I want for my telecaster right now... but I also think people never find that *Tone* because their tastes change all the time.

As a sidenote, my GFS Alnico vintage neck pickup was ass... had some weird grounding issue that muted the sound if my string got too close to the pickup cover. Totally obnoxious. Can't wait to put the SD P90 in.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: mikey <snatflazin@hotmail.com>

Gibson '57 Classic Reissue (Passive Humbucker)

Submitted at: 21:24, 12/14/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive 2 wire nickel
Impedence or other specs: These are NOT the plus pickup
Price Paid: US $94.
Purchased from: AMS

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: 2003 Les Paul Standard 50's neck
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: BurstBucker Pro's and not soon enough!
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: The ones that sound good!
You musical style(s): Rock, Southern Rock, Blues, Jazz
Reason for pickup change: Stock BurstBucker Pro's did NOT do it for me. Too soft and mushy. Could dial in some really nice clean tones only for specific applications but not versatile enough for me. NO bite. I thought it was my guitar but the new 57 Classics brought my guitar up to a true professional level.

Sound

Perceived output level: Solid familiar PAF tone, very useable range, Not as loud as BurstBucker Pro's
Tone: Balanced is a good description, never muddy or trebly, just Rich and Fat!!
Sonic evaluation: I got this guitar stock with Burstbucker Pro's. While the Pro's can get some pretty tones, I could not get a solid edge out of them. They always stayed sorta mushy. I first replaced the bridge BBPro with a 57 classic and immediately realized an improvement in all around character. It was not as loud as the BBPro but tougher and stronger in tone. About a week later I purchased a second 57 Classic for the neck position and Wow!! What a difference! It sounds absolutely beautiful. My rig has tone that will give you the friggin giggles. The Burstbucker Pro's seemed to be missing a mid frequency that lost their punch and simply could not give me as good a tone as the 57 Classics. 8.5 lb Les Paul Standard, 50s neck, .010 - .046 strings, Marshall 1987xRI dry into Carvin 4x12 with 2 Greenbacks and 2 G12H30's, 16ohm. External miced effects through G Major stereo processor into Carvin pwr amp split into an Avatar 2x12 closed back cab with Carvin G12s speakers.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play a broad range of classic rock, If you play metal get EMG's

Overall Rating

Comments: These are the pickups that will stay in this Les Paul. When you get a good thing don't let it go! When you have good sounding gear you play better than you actually can and you sound better than you actually do :)Follow that? ;) I've been playing since the Beatles released "I want to hold your hand". I have a Bill Lawrence Strat and an Ibanez RG w/Trembucker. These cover all the bases. I have owned a lot of gear and giged with a touring band around the states. After it all I own just what's listed in this review and a couple pedals that I don't use. The 57 Classics were the final missing link in my quest for tone. They give me all I need. They rate a 10 perfect score!!

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Curtis

Gibson '57 Classic Reissue (Passive Humbucker)

Submitted at: 4:55, 12/16/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Around 7,5
Price Paid: N/A
Purchased from:

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson ES 335
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: THIS ONE !
Other pickups on guitar: Classic 57+
Artists using this pickup: Do know - donīt care
You musical style(s): Everything guitar orientated
Reason for pickup change: Muddy bottom harsh treble no mids

Sound

Perceived output level: Vintage
Tone: Hollow, empty, dead,dull,liking walking in clay with shatterd glass in your shoes
Sonic evaluation: ES 335 with Marshall SLP, Elmwood 3100, DRZ 6545, Budda Superdrive, Orange AD30, Fender Twin, Marshall JCM 800,900. Only amp thatīs reasonably clear with this mud p-up is the Orange

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Maybe jazz. Jazzers seem to like non articulate bass. With rock it sucks

Overall Rating

Comments: I hope someone steals it but leaves the guitar unharmed. Iīve been playing for 25+ yrs. I love the 335 but with this p-up in neck position? Uurk makes me wanna puke. Iīm definately replacing it. Donīt know with what yet.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 2

HighOrder Pickups A3 Humbucker

Submitted at: 19:14, 12/16/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: 8.7K
Price Paid: US $50
Purchased from: www.highorderpickups.com

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Agile 2800 DLX (LP copy)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: GFS Fat Alnico
Other pickups on guitar: High Order A2 Humbucker 7.8K
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock - Black Crowes, Cry of Love, Sister Hazel, Tesla, Led Zeppelin
Reason for pickup change: Wanted more clarity and treble

Sound

Perceived output level: Medium output, slightly less outputthan the GFS Fat Alnico or stock Agile alnicos
Tone: Balanced tone, a bit more open than the Alnico 2 neck
Sonic evaluation: Sounds great in my Agile LP copy through my Peavey Classic 30. The pickup is very articulate without being sterile. The overtones really come alive and the tone seems to have a bit more character than what the previous pickup offered. This pickup seemed to bring my Rangemaster to life and is perfect for Classic/Hard Rock. Even at 8.7K it can get raspy when you dig in and if their isn't enough bite I can just kick in my Tubescreamer, Rangemaster or BSIAB2 to get a bit more dirt.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup is perfect for thos wanting a vintage tone with a bit more clarity than what an A2 might offer. If you tend to play mostly hard rock/metal you may want the A5 maximus wind that Jeff offers.

Overall Rating

Comments: Buying any product without trying it out is always a risk but this purchase was a definite investment. First, the pickup's craftsmanship exudes quality and looks much better than the mass-manufactured pickups. The sound exceeded my expectations and I constantly find myself playing it through a clean amp even though I primarily wanted it to get a vintage distorted tone. Great value for your $$$

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: No Opinion

Submitted by: powerplayj

Kinman AVn Blues Plus Set

Submitted at: 9:15, 12/14/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Noiseless Single Coil
Impedence or other specs: extra hot bridge pickup
Price Paid: gbp 200
Purchased from: Soho Soundhouse, London

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Fender American Series Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock Pickups
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: Hank Marvin (different model) lots of others...
You musical style(s): Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk etc.
Reason for pickup change: Needed noisless.

Sound

Perceived output level: slightly hotter than stock
Tone: Very balanced, smooth, warm. Bridge is amazing, as fat as my tele. Middle is juicy and poky. Neck is a bit too warm for me but great for Clapton-type blues. In-between positions lack some of the clucky character of good strat tone but you can coax it out. All in all these are SMOOOOOTH pickups.
Sonic evaluation: Vox Tonelab, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 40W. These pickups are incredibly quiet - NO BUZZ!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: These are great if you only have one guitar because they can be thick and sound amazing overdriven but if you want the more traditional nasal sounds, go for the AVn Traditional set or some Bareknuckles or something...

Overall Rating

Comments: If they somehow evapourated from my guitar I would buy some more typically stratty vintage pickups, but when I bought these I only had one guitar and needed a more general sound and they did the trick. They sound like studio professionals, too perfect for some, but great if you want that smooth tone.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 8

Submitted by: Jonny

Kinman AVn Blues Set

Submitted at: 11:36, 12/17/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Single Coil
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $300.00
Purchased from: Kinman

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Eric Johnson
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: The stock EJs
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: I don't know
You musical style(s): Blues Rock Folk Country Jazz (Not much classical but I like it)
Reason for pickup change: To get a real strat sound without the noise and hum.

Sound

Perceived output level: Will overdrive with clarity and definition, sound like a chime or quack
Tone: You name it they do it (Just Amazing)
Sonic evaluation: I am using a Mesa Nomand45, Marshall JTM30, Vox Tonelabs and a Line6 PXT .All of these sound very good with the Kimans

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Use these for any style you would select a strat to play

Overall Rating

Comments: I have had these pickups for 6 months now and I finally got around to writing a review. These are the Holy Grail for Strat lovers. I have found that sound and I will not play a fender without Kinman pickups from here on in. They are designed so well and are so easy to install. The sound of these pickups are historically accurate yet expanded to get sounds even the EJs don't have. The quack and chime sounds are very good and they overdrive without getting muddy. The tone controls are unique as well allowing sounds you would NEVER get from Fender pickups.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Lace Music Products AlumiTone

Submitted at: 16:34, 12/14/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive transversal single coil
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $127
Purchased from: Warpdrive Music (off eBay)

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: PRS SE EG
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Korean designed by PRS
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: None to my knowledge that I can verify
You musical style(s): Folk, rock, pop, blues...
Reason for pickup change: I felt the originals lacked character and I really bought this guitar for its quality as a platform from which to re-specify it to my likings.

Sound

Perceived output level: Slightly more than average stock.
Tone: A bit bassy and middy so the bass-side should be lowered for a more balanced output.
Sonic evaluation: Lined they sounds almost acoustic with lots of chirp and dynamics, through an amp they're a marriage in heaven between a Lipstick and a Soapbar but of utmost quality. These are clean meaning outstanding definition and no fuzz, not clean meaning sterile and uncoloured. With my hair on end I anticipated these to be more Lacy in sound than they were. These respond extremely well to your style and how hard you dig into the strings, even here much like an acoustic would.

Clean I prefer these with reverb and fattening effects, such as chorus and detune. It's very present and firm with that rounded 'honk', so typical for Lace, in the mid-ranges.

Distorted you need to cut back on treble a great deal. Their glassy character works well driven hard and are a perfect match to the mahogany body of the PRS, giving it almost a Gibsonesque, sweet Soapbar sound, still with the sparkle of a lipstick. Infact they're so clean they can take much distortion without losing much definition.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I think they are a great choice from A-class cleans to rather high-gain situations, jazz to rock. I wouldn't hesitate on putting these in HB-size into a semi-acoustic.

Overall Rating

Comments: From experience I know lots of people have something against Lace pickups, but these stellar designed things I think would be embraced by just any guitarist, except for the heavy-heavy guys. You know something is in the going with these on.

I was looking for an Eric Johnson kind of sound but with more character and these pickups are God-sends. Chose between these and the Fender '57/ '62s he uses. Never had the opportunity to try the Fenders in person but I don't see any reason for looking back.

These sound larger than life and I think the next guitar I get will have AGI-Lace pickups installed and not the Gibsons I intended for it. It's a pity Transensors won't work in tandem with other pickups, but I guess that's the only con - Oh, and these require a pickguard conversion so that the square pickups will fit the rounded outcuts of a standard Strat pickguard.

These pickups come in various finishes and I actually believe 2 were rock-tubled and one was 'grafiti-finished', meaning tumbled just a little. Like I said they now come in Humbucker-size, although still in single coil operation.

Judging from what's available today I would definately give these pickups a 10. These are the next generation pickups - free from hum and high defintion - what more can you ask for? I wish Lace would expand their Alumitone line so that more flavours will become available.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Jonas Carlsson <jonascarlsson@telia.com>

LeoSounds MudCat

Submitted at: 7:47, 12/16/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive Single Coil
Impedence or other specs: 9,3 kOhm* (Bridge) / 8,2 kOhm* (Neck)
Price Paid: Euros 95
Purchased from: http://www.leosounds.de

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Squier by Fender Standard Telecaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Original Pickups
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues, some Jazz
Reason for pickup change: The Squier Standard Tele is a good, "cheap" Choice, but with these Pickups this guitar gets a appreciation.

Sound

Perceived output level:
Tone: This is the Twang that I like @ TeleCasters
Sonic evaluation: Marshall and MadAmp

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues, some Jazz. I mostly love the middle PU Position

Overall Rating

Comments: On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Thomas Trueten <thomas@trueten.de>

Maniac Music Sustainiac Stealth Plus

Submitted at: 19:23, 12/13/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Active Single Coil
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: $229 + $100 install
Purchased from: www.sustainiac.com

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: American Deluxe V-Neck
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Samarium Cobalt
Other pickups on guitar: Samarium Cobalt
Artists using this pickup: George Lynch and me
You musical style(s): rock, metal, fusion, blues
Reason for pickup change: Finally got enough cash for a sustainiac.

Sound

Perceived output level: pretty much balanced with the rest of my pup's in terms of gain.
Tone: Balanced
Sonic evaluation: The pickup itself (the transducer when the effect is switched off) is pretty close to my samarium noiseless cobalt. I have no real complaints. It's a tricky install but the tech finally got it right, and it sounds good. the harmonic mode is really hard to tweak (in terms of instalation, so id imagine it takes some experience to get that mode to sound pristine).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: this criterion is fine. a total non issue.

Overall Rating

Comments: Id definitely replace this unit. the only issue with it is the expense of the installation. it is essentially a full rewire and is much more time consumming than a mere pickup change. the install ran me 100 bucks in bumf*ck connecticut which is worlds cheaper than it would be in NYC (my home town), especially considering the amount of tweaks it had to go thru (the tech tweaked it a good 3 times while i was in the store). once it was all up and working, it was pretty much smoot sailing. $229 might seem like alot, but that's diminuitive with respect to the feature.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Will <lordofthe_stringz@hotmail.com>

Manlius Guitar Pickups Custom Humbucker

Submitted at: 15:32, 12/16/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Humbucking, a larger resistance rating
Impedence or other specs: 14.5k Neck, 16.5k bridge - AlCiNo IV magnets
Price Paid: US $$100
Purchased from: Ebay - ManliusGuitar.com

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Johnson crap strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Seymour Duncan Distrotion
Other pickups on guitar: n/a
Artists using this pickup: Don't know, though I heard Jon Scofield may have some?
You musical style(s): Rock
Reason for pickup change: Wanted to try handwound pickups, not very pleased with my Duncans.

Sound

Perceived output level: These are hotter than most, but the magnet helps alleve some of the brittleness I found with the Duncans
Tone: Clear for there resistance/impedance, very noisless,
Sonic evaluation: Guitar into a Vox Ac30 (off the top of my head). Smattering of effect pedals, namely a Boss Octave pedal, Loop station, a ross compresor, and TS9

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock and a little jazz

Overall Rating

Comments: Really what I was looking for, I'd buy them again (in fact already have another set!). Been playing for about 10 years, my main guitar is a standard les paul from about 88 I believe. I really love the complexity of the tone and the ability to keep much of my true tone through effects. I really enjoyed working with Mick, helped me the whole way and together we found a pickup that was perfect for my tastes. Unlike the fella before me, I had no problems and am thankful I got away from the somewhat uneven tone of my duncans. All I can think is perhaps he had them wired wrong, or maybe he dropped them! Probably the best pickup I have owned. And I mean that.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Garry

Manlius Guitar Pickups Custom Humbucker

Submitted at: 12:57, 12/17/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: N/A
Purchased from:

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass:
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change:

Sound

Perceived output level:
Tone:
Sonic evaluation: For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Overall Rating

Comments: Hi, this is a follow up of an earlier review.

Well, a few days after I posted a somewhat critical review here - and a full month since I had last heard from him - Mick sent me the following email:

"Sorry about the delays with these findings. I sent out a set of pickups, wound the same as yours, to an electrician friend of mine across state to run some tests for me. What he came up with I probably should have figured out myself Apparantly the wiring harness/schematic I use inside I installed backwards. He got the hum-like noise when he flopped the leads around. So this should be it. Although it appears you may have found a solution, I have included the correct wiring below."

So there you go, better late than never. You've got to like a guy who can admit when he makes a mistake. As I said in my earlier review, the sound was good, it was the noise and perceived lack of support that I didn't love. It took 3 months, but at least I've got my answers. I should also mention that I've been offerd credit towards a future order - a nice gesture, to be sure. I'm giving a new rating to average with my old one.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: John <dajos@sbcglobal.net>

Matchmaker P-90

Submitted at: 23:34, 12/17/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: single coil - passive
Impedence or other specs: 6.8 ohms neck and bridge
Price Paid: US $18.95
Purchased from: ebay dealer blueflamemusic

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Tele clone
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: n/a
Other pickups on guitar: n/a
Artists using this pickup: n/a
You musical style(s): rock
Reason for pickup change: n/a

Sound

Perceived output level: medium output - much better than the overwound models offered by other makers
Tone: very balanced
Sonic evaluation: I installed these in a telecaster ( w/ Jazzmaster trem) and play through a Fender Champ. I've owned a number of P-90 equipped guitars and most of those were wound over 8 ohms. I play a lot of instro-surf/ rockabilly and really had to roll the volume back in order to keep the output reasonably clean. I purchased these new on ebay through the dealer "blueflamemusic". I had never heard of Matchmaker, but the price was great and I really wanted to try a vintage wound P-90. Oh, they came with white covers too. Very cool. When I received them, they appeared well built and had braided leads. The neck and bridge are RWRP too. When I installed them, I mounted them low in the body to start. I loved what I heard and haven't moved them yet. Very clear, not too much bass and not too trebly. Dig into the strings and they'll still do the P-90 growl.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: surf and rockabilly

Overall Rating

Comments: I'd buy these again in a heartbeat. My only gripe is that they didn't come with mounting screws. I added screws to an order I placed with Warmoth. A suitable replacement might be hard to find in a local hardware store. I've been playing off and on for years ( on for the last 5)and currently own a Strat and an Esquire. I'm satisfied with the these pickups - I've tried more aftermarket pickups than I can recall and these compare favorably. Great bang for the buck!

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Submitted by: Brendan <brenparrott@yahoo.com>

Seymour Duncan George Lynch Screamin' Demon

Submitted at: 17:34, 12/14/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: D.C. resistance 10.00k, resonant peak 7.00kHz
Price Paid: US $75
Purchased from: MF

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: kramer FOCUS 6000
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock bridge
Other pickups on guitar: Stock single coils
Artists using this pickup: G. Lynch
You musical style(s): rock and roll, 80's metal, old punk music
Reason for pickup change: stock bridge pickup wasnt working when i had bought the guitar body.

Sound

Perceived output level: Medium output PAF voiced.
Tone: emphasis on highs with full mids and full bottom end
Sonic evaluation: Im using a Kramer Focus 6000 slant H-S-S solid Alder body on a kramer Striker 600ST maple neck with rosewood fretboard. The amp im using is a marshall valvestate vs100 combo. I have replaced the original valve with a tung-sol 12ax7 to give it a little more warmth. This pickup sounds excellent with my set-up. BIG warm tone, not too bright, I can dime the overdrive on both OD channels with out it becoming muddy and noisy. Harmonics scream out and are very pronounced. The bottom end can get some good chunk when palm muting, I also like how percussive it is. The pickup isnt harsh or in your face, its smooth and clear but it can really growl when you get the overdrive turned up. Its pretty responsive in this guitar, finger tapping solos are really pronounced. The pickup sounds wonderful on the clean channel, very warm and clear I think its very well balanced in my guitar..not obnoxiously bright and trebly like my SH-13.

I also had this pickup in an ESP ltd EX-350, i wasnt nearly as impressed with it in that guitar. Im thinking its because the pickup wasnt F-spaced for the floyd rose tremolo. The kramer also has a floyd, but the pickup is at a slant so the poles are under the strings, kind of offset, makes a unique sound.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This pickup is recommended for the bridge position (make sure you get a tremspaced one if you have a floyd)

Overall Rating

Comments: I would likely buy this pickup again if anything happened to it. Its definately a sweet sounding piece. I think it really compliments my guitar and amp set up. I really dont hate anything about it, its very unique. I have always used high-out put pickups in the past, but i was just tired of the harshness and noise, and having to turn the gain down to get rid of the muddy tone. I now realize that medium-output pickups matched with high-gain amps can have amazing sound.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Keith Gosnay <turbo9000@mail.ru>

Seymour Duncan SP90-3 Custom P90

Submitted at: 8:59, 12/15/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: single coil
Impedence or other specs: dont know
Price Paid: AUD 160
Purchased from:

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Gem
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock pick-up
Other pickups on guitar: SP90-1 neck
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): rock, alternative rock
Reason for pickup change: wanted a hotter, thicker sound

Sound

Perceived output level: hot
Tone: good tight bottom end, strong on the mids. Very thick on this guitar
Sonic evaluation: Gibson Les Paul Gem into a Laney VC50 2x12 combo. Use my band mates LC30 for clean sounds. Man this pick-up is hot! hotter than any other P-90 i've ever played.. its perfect for those who have P-90 equipped guitars who love the glassy clean tones of the neck pick-up but want a screaming bridge pick-up. It thickened up my tone quite considerably, with saturated distortion you would definately swear it is a hot humbucker. It has less sparkle and jangle as the stock p-90 but you can still get that sound by making EQ adjustments and backing off the distortion. Great for lead for those who solo using their bridge pickup. pinch harmonics jump off the fretboard. It really is like a high output humbucker but with a little more clarity.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: awesome choice for those who play rock/alternative music. My dream guitar would be one with a neck p-90 and a humbucker in the bridge but i dont like the idea of having mismatched (looking) pick-ups. well this does the job very well... Those who love the clean sounds of their p-90s (eg Jazz players) should think twice though as some of the sparkle will be lost.

Overall Rating

Comments: I would probably try the SP90-2 Hot, just to see whether i could have more of the sparkle but still a higher output. But seriously, no complaints here... this guitar rocks now

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Seymour Duncan SH-14 Custom 5

Submitted at: 11:44, 12/15/2005

Product Info

Pickup features:
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $$60
Purchased from: eBay

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez SC1620 Prestige
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Ibanez V2
Other pickups on guitar: Ibanev V1 neck pickup
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Fusion
Reason for pickup change: The V2, which is generally a very good pickup, was a tad too bright and brittle in this guitar.

Sound

Perceived output level: Medeum hot.
Tone: Full with a good ballance of warmth vs. edge.
Sonic evaluation: My goal was to get a warm overdiven sound similar to the sound Jimmy Herring gets from his PRS. I like a really smooth singing tone with a little bit of edge, but I hate those higher pitched harmonics you get with some of the more modern pickups. I think this pickup works well for that kind of thing. With the pickup lowered far from the strings, it is mellow, with the pronounced "ahhh" sound that the SH-11 has, but when you move it closer, you get a more driven sound. Depending on your amp settings, you can get a very singing tone, or a more rocking tone. I'm using a Yamaha DG80-112, and can get a very smooth sustainy sound, or a little more raunchy sound depending on how I set things. I think you could get into much more raunchy EVH style sounds if you wanted to. One nice thing is that, while not as detailed as the V2, I still get good note definition at higher gain settings - I can play a Dom 9 chord and it doesn't sound like mud, like it would with a Les Paul.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good for Fusion, Classic rock etc.

Overall Rating

Comments: All in all, I think it is a very good match for this guitar. It has characteristics of a classic distortion type pickup, but is still musical, balanced and articulate. My amp excels at producing warm compressed leads that are not harsh, and this pickup works well in this setting. With a harsher amp, the Custom 5 could be a lot more aggressive. I have also tried the SH-11 Custom Custom, and I'd say the SH-14 is very similar, but a little more outgoing, and not quite as warm.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Submitted by: Sven

Seymour Duncan JB Junior (Single coil-sized humbucker)

Submitted at: 23:42, 12/15/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: passive single coil sized humbucker
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: N/A
Purchased from:

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone strat copy
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock single coil
Other pickups on guitar: stock
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): hard rock, metal, funk
Reason for pickup change: wanted humbucking sound in bridge and no single coil hum on high-gain settings.

Sound

Perceived output level: I would say it's a pretty hot pickup. I have a 57 classic plus in the bridge of my epiphone les paul standard( much better and more satisfying pickup anyday compared to jb jr.) and with the same setting on an amp you can tell there's a significant jump in gain with the JB when it's distorted.
Tone: My problem with the pickup is : too much treble when distorted. It doesn't sit comfortably with other pickups or guitars that I use. It has a good bass chunk that I like and the mids are close. Clean the mids are much too present and it sounds dark compared to the single coils.
Sonic evaluation: I currently use the les paul as my main guitar with a POD XT Live through a Cavrin 2 by 12" solid state 150 RMS combo driving a 4 by 12" carvin cab(monster volume!). This is what I use for live playing and have the epi strat for a backup. Whenever I use the strat with the JB JR., it makes my sound on the verge of ear piercing.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: The JB Jr. would probably be good for Pantera (you could definetly hit those ear piercing highs with this baby!).

Overall Rating

Comments: I would say if you are looking for the humbucker sound go with the real thing. I've been playing 12+ years and I know what my ears like to hear. I have heard some pretty crappy full size humbuckers too (most stock ones on korean imports; they always seem to be unpotted and very microphonic). Overall, the JB JR is a desent pickup and you will not have to worry about microphonic feedback because it is potted. If you are looking for a metal or hard rock sound and you have it in your main guitar be sure that you will be turning down the treble on your amp. I personally would not buy this pickup again because it has too much treble for my tastes.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 6

Submitted by: Dr. Z <zatzerfield311@hotmail.com>

Seymour Duncan PA-TB2 Distortion Trembucker

Submitted at: 12:16, 12/18/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Humbucker with Parallel Axis design, ceramic magnets 4 condutor wiring
Impedence or other specs: 21.30 DC Resistance 3.90 Khz Ressonant peak
Price Paid: R$ (brazilian currency) 300
Purchased from:

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson Top Plus NR 1996 made in Japan
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock humbucker
Other pickups on guitar: PATB-1 (Parallel axis Original Trembucker) & PA-STK-1 (Parallel axis Stack)
Artists using this pickup: ME!, not even a clue about the others...
You musical style(s): everything from blues 'till metal
Reason for pickup change: Stock pickup was a bit weak and has TOO MUCK high-midey.

Sound

Perceived output level: hotter than stock, about 50% hotter.
Tone: Cutting tone, tight bass and full plenty of midrange and highs
Sonic evaluation: I bought this pickup a couple years ago, and i tried it on several stuff, mine and of my friends. When I decided changing the pickups of my guitar, i bought all of them at once, with a Fender super switch (4P5T) and Push-pull Pots. I have now 15 different tones in my guitar, 6 of them using this pickup. I LOVE the tone I have with this stuff. My setup is:

Guitar - Morley Bad Horsie - Sansamp Tri-AC - BOSS PQ-4 (parametric equalizer) - Peavey

Audition 110 Transtube 25W combo

Since I'm not playing with any band I don't need anything else. I was looking for a fat and powerful humbucker, like sounding a chord through a 4x12" cabinet make walls rumble and windows break but doesn't wanted it to be muddy or dark. If you play metal, you maybe scoop the mid's at the amp, but a mid-scooped pickup will make my guitar unsuitable for anything else. I also wanted lot's of punch. I have all of it with this pickup. This is a very amp responsible pickup, so you can play almost everything with it, but sometimes you have to be tricky; If you want something early Blackmore's tone you REALLY have to get something more single-coil. So, if you have this pickup and tap one coil, you can get it. Mine have parallel/split/series switching so i get several tones and ALL OF THEM are useful. Good for distorted and overdriven modern tones in series configuration, Amazingly good for overdriven vintage tones in parallel or split configurations, but sometimes you have to lower guitar's volume. In other words, powerful and versatile.

Some months ago I lended my guitar to a friend because he was on studio with his band... and he loved the tone too... through an alltube marshall head with 4x12" cabinets, GREAT metal tone... My guitar with .011 strings sounded as powerful as his guitar with .013 strings with DiMarzio Tone Zone pickup on bridge...

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This one is a bridge pickup, but it doesn't have a neck position model. It may be too hot for styles of music, but you always wire it on parallel instead of series (common way to wire humbuckers coils) and lower volume your amp, but keep in mind this is a very HOT pickup.

Overall Rating

Comments: I've been playing for almost 10 years now, and this is one of the BEST pickups I've played with. If i compare it with DiMarzio Tone Zone, mine is a bit hotter and has more low end. If I compare it with Seymour Duncan JB, Mine is hotter and much warmer. JB is kinda dead, a bit mid-scooped and low end isn't tight, but is good for some 80's stuff, maybe a bit hot for late 70's stuff.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Tiago

Seymour Duncan SH-14 Custom 5

Submitted at: 21:19, 12/18/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: humbucking passive
Impedence or other specs: alnico5 magnet
Price Paid: US $69.00
Purchased from: rainbow music in tucson ,az

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: fender american deluxe strat
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: jb and duncan distortion
Other pickups on guitar: none
Artists using this pickup: don't know , how bout me!
You musical style(s): metalcore
Reason for pickup change: looking for more bottomend and warmth

Sound

Perceived output level: a little less output than jb.medium output
Tone: more bass than a jb and less piercing highs compared to duncan distortion
Sonic evaluation: b-52at100 all-tube head.custom 4-12 cab with 75watt celestions.line6ax100,frankenstein strat with jb bridge and paf proneck.my main baby is single humbucker american deluxe fender strat.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: melodic metalcore.great for metal, rock,even clean it's warm and soft.bridge position recommended

Overall Rating

Comments: i would buy another one if it was destroyed!i've been playin for 16yrs,and tried the invader when i was a kid,typical all gain and crappy tone.i tried a duncan custom too bright!bill lawerence L-500 same tone as duncan custom very bright!tone zone yuk!finally got a jb and got a lot closer to what i was looking for,mids are great!played a jb for about five yrs.i just recently bought a b-52 at100tube head,great head but has very hot highs.both strats i have sound some what too bright.my american deluxe had 2 jbjr's and 1 lil59.but very bright.my frankenstein has a full size jb sounds better but need more bottom and less highs.bought a single humbucker pickguard for the deluxe strat and put in a duncan distortion i,had lying around and sounded horribly trebly.finally crossroads between a breed humbucker and duncan custom 5.i chose the duncan cause i've always played them.the custom 5 is great cause it does what i need for my setup.it warms the highs in my amp and boost the lows the way i like them to be.this pickup is very warm and not too bright which was what i was looking for.now i'm happy with the combo of my pickup and my amp sound.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: armando e moreno <pastedirect@yahoo.com>

Tonerider Pure Vintage

Submitted at: 22:01, 12/18/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Single Coil Set
Impedence or other specs: 5.67K, 5.79K, 5.59K (written on the back)
Price Paid: Hong Kong Dollars 800
Purchased from: Direct from Tonerider

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass:
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock Mex Fender Pickups - Not bad, but not good
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Not sure
You musical style(s): Rock, blues, anything goes
Reason for pickup change: The Mexican pickups were pretty flat and just didn't have any top end chime - I was lusting after some high-end strats (we get a lot over here at Tom Lee Music), and wanted to get closer to that tone from my Mex.

Sound

Perceived output level: Suprisingly full for a "vintage" set
Tone: Bright, shiny, rich, full
Sonic evaluation: Nothing too fancy, I use a Roland Cube 30 - which is easily enough to wake up the neighbours. A JCM in our band practice room is where I really gave this pickups a good test though. I just bought a Big Muff as well, and gave that a good stomping on.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Great match for anything strat related!

Overall Rating

Comments: In Hong Kong we get all kinds of nice guitars - Fender's, G&L's, Gibsons, you name it, but pickups are pretty thin on the ground, only the standard Duncan, Dimarzio and EMG triumvirate are available. I heard about Tonerider pickups from the guy who runs a local studio and rehearsal room, and thought I'd give them a try. Andrew send me a couple of mp3s of the Pure Vintage set, and they sounded like exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a strat that can sound great with just a little distortion on them.

Deliver was quick, and installation trouble free. Very nice vintage wire was used and each pickup was individually marked with the position and the resistance of each pickup. Overall these must be the "cleanest" set of pickups I have ever seen. Hardly a trace of wax potting and very shiny solder joints, even the magnets are shiny and bright with no trace of pockmarking.

And the tone? Well, just awesome. Can something be too stratty? Amazing chime, great string balance and amazing playability in all five positions. I put the bridge up pretty high with the Roland, but soon dropped it down with the trusty swiss army knife when I started with the Marshall. I have now decided to keep the Mex as it is, althouth they have Japanese-made Titanium saddles in stock in a local store, and they might just complete the job.

In short, an amazing find - Hong Kong gets all the great import stuff of course, but to find something locally made than can perform this well, and at this price, is pretty wild really.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: JD Connor <james_connor88@yahoo.com>

Vintage Vibe Guitars P-90 Ceramic

Submitted at: 8:23, 12/16/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Passive P90s single coil
Impedence or other specs: Neck is about 10 and bridge about 11
Price Paid: US $135
Purchased from: Vintage Vibe Guitar

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: McInturff Zodiac Ported top semi-hollow
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: DiMarzio DLXs
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Me
You musical style(s): Rock'n'Roll, blues, pop
Reason for pickup change: DLXs were brittle, dry and bad sounding in this guitar. Needed something to bring out the good wood of the guitar.

Sound

Perceived output level: Seems a little hotter than another guitar I have with McInturff T90s (P90s) in it.
Tone: Very balanced and open. The semi-hollow ported top guitar has a hand in that. Great string definition in all switch positions. Not overly high endy type of tone, but there is an edge as you'd expect from a P90. Very 3D tone. Deep cleans.
Sonic evaluation: I'm using this with a Fender '64 VibroVerb RI with 1X15. The clean tone is excellent. All three switch positions have their own great tone. The neck sounds like the fattest best sounding Strat neck pickup on steroids. The combo get you tone like a really great bell. Highs, mids and lows just ring. The bridge pickup is not the honky midrangey type of bridge P90. The guitar may have something to do with that again, but you get a bit of honk, but it isn't the overbearing kazoo like tone you get from some. There is depth to the bridge clean tone as there is with the neck pup. Add a the overdrive in and the definition remains even with a goodly amount. The pickups sound like they are great single coils with a bit of humbucker. Excellent tone. You can get that P90 attitude in the bridge position, but the tone remains musical. Very open and uncompressed.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play all styles of music, some better than others, but depending on the guitar these could satify anyone who wanted a good P90. Roll off some tone for a jazzy neck sound, add some verb and echo for ambient tones or a little drive for blues or rock rhythm or solos. Might not be the best for metal shredding. Great for anything else

Overall Rating

Comments: These are terrific pickups. Pete Billtoft is a great guy who seems like he'd work with you to get the tone right. He gives a 30 day money back period to get comfortable with the tone. I considered some others, but thought I'd give Pete's a try and they won't be coming out of this guitar on my watch.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

WCR Crossroad

Submitted at: 20:51, 12/15/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: humbucking
Impedence or other specs: probably about stock
Price Paid: N/A
Purchased from: WCR

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: '98 les paul double cut standard
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: gibson 490R and 498T
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: I dunno...
You musical style(s): blues kinda stuff
Reason for pickup change: I just bought this guitar a couple weeks ago, I sounded decent, but the tone was thin compared to my other les paul. the doublecuts usually have a lighter and brighter sound.

Sound

Perceived output level: about the same as stock, but it seems alot hotter just because they're so clear and bright
Tone: really bright... real punchy. I find myself rolling back my tone knob more now instead of leaving it on 10 all the time like I used to. roll the knob back to 2 or 3 and you got that early clapton tone no problem
Sonic evaluation: These pickups really brought this guitar to life. before it sounded thin and crispy. Now its loud, warm, fat, clear and crispy. These pickup simply bring out the true sound of your instrument. The stock ones were holding it back.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: yup

Overall Rating

Comments: I like these pickups. They kick ass.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Solo Pro

Submitted at: 15:48, 12/7/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $$ 60
Purchased from: Ebay

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: 1996 Fender American Standard 3-color sunburst / maple neck (signed by Eric Johnson,Tommy Taylor, Chris Maresh
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock 1996 fender amstd bridge pickup
Other pickups on guitar: stock
Artists using this pickup: don't know
You musical style(s): rock - jazz - blues - funk
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickup was too weak, also too noisy with a loud amp.

Sound

Perceived output level: Hot
Tone: middy, woody sounding
Sonic evaluation: Vintage 1967 fender princeton reverb amp Line 6 AxSys 2/12

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: this pickup is a perfect match for my style(s) Don't use it in the neck position - it's too hot

Overall Rating

Comments: I love that this pickup takes the piercing high off the Strat and replaces it with a hotter, woody, more balanced, thicker lead tone. More like a Gibson. It sounds amazing with overdrive. But clean it is kind of middy so I roll off the tone knob to about 6 - 7. I am very happy with it.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

DiMarzio PAF Pro (Humbucker)

Submitted at: 23:37, 12/10/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $59
Purchased from: Musicians Friend

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez RG220B
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock pickups
Other pickups on guitar: FRED in bridge
Artists using this pickup: Zillions
You musical style(s): Satch meets Keaggy with some EJ in there somewhere
Reason for pickup change: I read these reviews to find the right sound - got some great advice. The stock pickups were not what I wanted.

Sound

Perceived output level: Hotter than a real PAF or Gibson Classic '57 - pushes a tube amp into overdrive really easy
Tone: The tone is mid heavy without loosing highs or lows - like if you took a PAF and doubled the mids
Sonic evaluation: I'm using this with an Ibanez RG220B (which is a great guitar if you like RGs and are a minimalist) with a Tube Works 2100R amp Mojotronics Si Fuzz and Mojotronics Saucy Jack overdrive/distortion into a Morely PWR/Wah/Fuzz. I also go straight into a '78 Fender Reverb Deluxe some times.

I compaired the sound to a Strat - made from Warmoth parts with Fat '50's pickups; and I compared it to a Les Paul Standard with Gibson Classic '57 pickups.

The PAF Pro has an awesome, warm yet biting, mid rich sound. Compared to the Gibson Classic '57 the PAF Pro has a bit more output, with at least as much dynamics and articulation. I actually prefer the sound of my RG 220B with a PAF Pro over that of the neck sound of the Les Paul with Gibson Classic '57s.

Besides having a great, strong, clean clear sound, the PAF Pro has a lot more dynamics than the Gibson Classic '57 - mostly because it has a bit more output and when you dig into a note you hear that note pop right out. Also, if you set up the amp to be at the edge of overdrive, if you hit a not hard you get a great warm crunch that has a lot of harmonic complexity. If I want the PAF Pro to sound a bit more like the Gibson Classic '57 - I just back off the volume and tone controls just a hair.

When used as a single coil (just one coil - not in parallel) you get a great single coil sound, but it is a bit on the hot side. This single coil sound (using the coil closest to the neck) makes a very nice strat-like sound - but it lacks the lowend like the Fender Fat '50s produce. Sonically, the single coil sound is a bit more like an HS2 in single coil mode - generous high end with warm mids and tight lows. Not a bad single coil sound at all.

In parallel, the sound is very similar to just the single coil sound, but lacks the "jingly" dynamics. I did not really like the parallel sound... but some might like it.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock, Fusion, Blues, Jazz. As a neck pickup the PAF Pro packs a punch, but is great for all styles I play. You have to use the volume/tone controls if you want to play jazz/fusion with this pickup.

Overall Rating

Comments: If this were stolen; I would first stop and contemplate how (or why)they took the time to just steal the pickup an not the whole guitar... If they stole the whole guitar I would be upset for sure... however, if stolen I would absolutely replace it.

I've been playing for 32 years. I own a ton of gear.

I guess what I really like about the PAF Pro is that it has a great warm PAF sound - you just don't have to work that hard to get a great sound. It's that Santana "black magic woman" sound only a bit bolder with a bit more low end. But, when used clean, my RG sounds wonderful for fast articulate legato lines and extended chords come out with great definition and a warm harmonic complexity. You have to work to get a bad sound out of this pickup.

The only thing I did not like about this pickup was that I use 9-42 strings and there is a bit more emphisis on the thicker strings. I can tweak this out, but I like the pickup hight where it is so I play lighter on lower strings.

With this pickup, my Ibanez can cover the complete range from Strat to Les Paul and I really don't feel the need to take all of these guitars around with me - the Ibanez with the PAF Pro covers all these areas very well with the coil split switchable from single to series humbucker.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Mike <developerlinux@hotmail.com>

EMG ZW 81 85 Set

Submitted at: 13:48, 12/11/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: active h-buckers
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: N/A
Purchased from:

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Jackson Sl2h
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Came on guitar
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Wylde,King and many more
You musical style(s): oldschool rock and metal,hardrock,blues,thrash
Reason for pickup change:

Sound

Perceived output level: one of the hotest pups ouththere(probably bit less than duncan metal wire)
Tone: 81 is nothing but piercing treble(in a good way),85 is dark sounding.
Sonic evaluation: Jtm vintage marshall all tube,ds1 but mainly amps dirty channel-i like natural sound of guitar and amp and EMG s are just a bit too sterile for that

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play a bit of everything and these are deffinitely not for that,not versatile even a bit.I would not say they are not good,they are awesome but they just dont have any warmth and niceness.

Overall Rating

Comments: I am replacing them with duncan custom 5 trembucker and PRS mccarthy,with coil tapping/splitting push pull pot(which you cant do on EMGs except 89).I have played for 14 years mainly strats,and just realised that you cant get anything better than strat,just different.If you find yourself to be EMG player nothing will come even close to them(max distortion with no feel or soul and lousy clean),they also look beautiful on any guitar.Also if you like using lots of effects they are awesome for that,i just like natural amp and guitar sounds and EMGs are just too sterile for that

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 9

Submitted by: Nik <nikola_milovac@hotmail.com>

ElectroKraft Vintage Tele

Submitted at: 15:37, 12/5/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Beautiful sounding, 50's inspired, vintage wound single coil/passive pickups
Impedence or other specs: Mid 7's for the bridge and mid 6's for the neck
Price Paid: US $100.00
Purchased from:

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Custom built tele
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Fender OV's, Dimarzio TK's, Duncan Antiquites, among others....
Other pickups on guitar: Nada
Artists using this pickup: None, but I think Vince Gill, Arlen Roth, Steve Warnier, Brad Paisly, et al would love these.
You musical style(s): A wide variety of blues, country, jazz and finger plucked altered tunings
Reason for pickup change: No reason really. Actually, I was quite happy with the OV's, Antiquites and Twang Kings with this guitar. The Antiquites are just great sounding, classic tele pickups and the Twang Kings are perhaps the sleepers of the tele aftermarket pickup kingdom. Great tone to dollar ratio. However, I was looking for something more....a set of balanced pickups that would give me amazing clarity and touch sensitivity. I found what I was looking for with the Electrokrafts.

Sound

Perceived output level: Output wise, these are on par with other vintage winds I've used.
Tone: Incredible balance between the neck and bridge pickups. The neck pup has a luscious sweetness that transcends most of the dull, bass heavy offerings on stock teles. Most aftermarket neck pups are good. This one is supurb.....allowing various subtle shadings to come forth from ones fingers. Plays softly and you are rewarded with a delicate, yet fat tone. Dig in a little deeper and feel the emotions of your playing come to the forefront. The tone is luxurious. Fat, sweet, woody and open. The bridge pickup is amazing! The first time I fired it up, I heard that glorious tele tone one hears on the radio from various country artists came spewing forth in spades. I won't say "hot", cause it's a vintage wind, but hot rod tele playing is right there with this pickup. Easily one of the best sounding bridge pickups I've ever used. Words like "Chime", "Liquid" "Piano" come to mind. Playing the low strings through a good tube amp with a bit of reverb is a revelation.
Sonic evaluation: I have several teles for different uses. My usual suspect has a humbucker in the neck and a hand wound P-90 style tele bridge pickup for my blues playing. I also have a nice vintage tele that I rarely play. It sounds delightful, but the vintage radius is not my cup of tea, so I wanted something to bridge the two. This guitar has filled the bill nicely and the EK pups are a big part of the reason.

I love hand wound pickups and have several examples from various winders. I really appreciate the various tonal differences each winder brings to the table. They each have a bit different recipe and we are the winners being able to sample the various flavors and season our guitars to taste.

Suffice to say, while you may have never heard of ElectroKrafts, they are as good as it gets.

The tones are so versitile. From fat, killer blues tones, to subtle jazz phrasing to hot wired country, they do it all.

How well a pickup responds to the guitars tone control is a major selling point for me. I've tried many pickups that sounded pretty good, but were dead to the tone control. These pickups are a real eye opener in that regard. The amount of varied tones availabe with a simple twist of the tone knob is exceptional.

So, as far as sonic evaluation goes....twangy, spanky, shimmery, glassy, liquid, fat,rich, detailed, complex, balanced and inspiring....all those things come to mind when discussing these pickups.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Overall Rating

Comments: Heavens yes......I'd order another set in a heartbeat!

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Papa Tone <scatterwound@hotmail.com>

Fender Texas Specials (Single coil)

Submitted at: 22:53, 12/5/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Single Coil
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $130.00
Purchased from: Guitar Center

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: 1994 Fender American Standard Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: SRV, and a list of others who will remain nameless
You musical style(s): From Robert Cray-tone to deathmetal
Reason for pickup change: Gratuous pickup upgrade from the American Standard S.C.s in the guitar

Sound

Perceived output level: These definitely are HOTTER than the stock, but not Seymour Duncan SH-6 hunbucker hot. If you want hotter than the 57/62s and NOT get into the humbucker zone, this is the pickup for you.
Tone: Bassy and middy, not so tinny and trebely as the stock. The definitely sound different than the stock pickups.
Sonic evaluation: I am using these PUPs with a Laney AOR 50 with Sovtek EL34s, EH 12AX7s, and a Mullard 12AT7 phase inverter. The tone is awsome. These pickups are definitely an upgrade to the stock pickups standard to the USA American Standard Strat. I REALLY loved the sound the stock PUPs had, and upgraded to the Texas specials after carefull consideration. The upgrade was a success (DO READ HOW AND WHY BELOW!). If you are sitting on the fence on weather to buy them to replace the stock PUPs, rest assured that you are not radically changing the tone and sound of the guitar (like if you used a S.D. hotrail). The thing I noticed is that the attack was a little more pronounced, with the 'correct' amount of compression on attack (if that makes sence). The belltone is there, and the 'stratty' sound is retained.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Wimp rock to deathmetal. These pickups can do it all. My native style is Satrianni/Malmsteen/Eric Johnson. If your trip is the Pantera sound, stick to a Seymour Duncan-type Humbucker. These PUPs will sound too hollow for you.

Overall Rating

Comments: I normally dont give 10s, but these PUPs deserve it. If you want a vintage tone on your strat, except hotter, these are the PUPs. You get hotter at the cost of middy-ier and bass-ier, but you do get to loose some of the nasaly weakness Strats are known for (when amplified loud and live). This PUP is not quite in the humbucker zone, but unlike weak PUPs (like those on the YJM Strat), these sound great just plugged in with NO PEDAL. The KEY IS THE PUP HEIGHT. I have found that a full 5 milimeters is required to reduce the mudding instead of using the 3/32 inch typical PUP string height. A milimeter DOES make a major difference, and these PUPs will mud for you if you have them too close to the strings. I went from muddy crapola to magic-tone-of-the-gods by playing with the PUP height. PUP HEIGHT REALLY DOES MATTER. My best advice is to put the PUPs at the 'normal' 3/32 and increase the height while plugged into your rig and back it out a little at a time with lots of testing. I was one of those who would just set PUP height at the manufacturers spec and bitch about the tone: you gotta mess with the height to dial in the sound for your strings and current setup. These pickups are a fantastic deal, and I put the 25 years I have been playing on the line to back that up. Im no expert, but its the best 130.00 bucks you can put into a strat if you want to be SAFE where you wont turn it into an Ibenez by humbucking it, but still get some testicles in the sound.

AND, these are CUSTOM SHOP pickups...

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: Mike <mrr3000gt@starband.net>

Fishman Powerbridge with Powerchip

Submitted at: 8:46, 12/5/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Active piezo bridge
Impedence or other specs:
Price Paid: US $250
Purchased from: Guitar Works

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Les Paul Classic
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: Gibson 57 Hum buckers
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues, Rocn and Jazz
Reason for pickup change: Improve the sound and flexibility

Sound

Perceived output level: Unbelieveable tone and power
Tone: Tone varies from sweet acoustic to powerhouse when the powerchip is on
Sonic evaluation: I use a Mesa Boggie Lone Star Special head with two Boogie cabs with 12" speakers

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play in a band that does mostly classic rock it really shines

Overall Rating

Comments: It is the same system that is in the LP Slash model. I think it actually sounds better. Love it just need to be care with the Powerchip! If the guitar was stolen I would definately have this conversion done again.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 10 Fantastic value

Submitted by: lfinder <lfinder@comcast.net>

GFS Pickups Hot TC Alnico

Submitted at: 12:06, 12/5/2005

Product Info

Pickup features: Single coil "hot" tele bridge pup around 10K
Impedence or other specs: Why, around 10K
Price Paid: US $ used
Purchased from: Trade

Instrument

Model of guitar or bass: Homebrew tele
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: None...just a test drive..........
Other pickups on guitar: Manlius humbucker
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change:

Sound

Perceived output level:
Tone: Spanky, girthy and trebley!
Sonic evaluation: The jury is still out on this one. It does have some beef and power and matches well with the neck humbucker. With a bit of overdrive, the tone is fat and spanky. While a hotter than vintage wind, it still has a nice twang to it...just more girth.

This pickup has a TON of treble bite to it. Of course, most tele bridge pups do. Where the GFS fails in my humble opinion, is in it's ( I've found this to be the case with a Dream 180 & Retrtotron Brooklyn also ) inability to respond to the guitars tone control. While I do like the inherent tone of the GFS pups I've tried, they are very unresponsive to the guitars tone control. YMMV. I'm just talking about my experiences.

Now, before you say "change the pot and cap stoopid!" I'll let you know I searched and tried many pots and cpas to find the right combo. Works well with the other "botique" offerings I've used.

So...while I like the pickup and will leave it in for a while, I'm less than thrilled with tone roll off capabilites. Those of you who play teles know the magic lies when rolling the tone and volume controls back a bit. I'll continue to experement with the Hot TC and see if I can't reach a happy medium. One thing I do like is how it sounds in the two pup combo with the Manlius. Verycfunky, bluesy and cool.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Mostly blues baby.....

Overall Rating

Comments: For the price, this is a no brainer. If it was more expensive, I'd be more critical. For $20 though, you'd be hard pressed to find a better bargain.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this pickup a: 7

Submitted by: Twang-Gor <spanky@gmail.com>

I want to make a submission!!

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