cheap vs more expensive pickups
- Thread starter Norfolk Bill
- Start date
jmin
Student Of The Blues
Interesting! I’m really becoming more and more convinced that we are living in a time where guitars and amps (and parts) that aren’t made in the good ol’ USA compare far more favorably than they did a few years ago - and at considerable savings. Sort of like what happened in the automotive industry...
MarkDyson
Blues Hound Wannabe
Cool piece, thanks for sharing. As in all things, the decision over whether spendier pickups are the right move involves a lot of other variables, but I agree there are some very good budget ones out there. I don't hate the GFS gold foil set I got from the same place he got the clearance set; my dislike for them is about the style of tone they were designed for and not how "cheap" they are.
There is also (methinks) a much wider margin between the GFS set and the Fender set, and between the GFS set and boutique hand-winds from craftsmen like Jim Wagner. My Memphis came stock with Gibson '57s which are (IMNSDHO) higher-end even than the Fenders he got for $150, and to my tin ear the Wagners blow even them away in terms of clarity and definition, not to mention tone.
Then again, if I found a set at a garage sale for $10 that I thought sounded good I'd be all over that shite.
There is also (methinks) a much wider margin between the GFS set and the Fender set, and between the GFS set and boutique hand-winds from craftsmen like Jim Wagner. My Memphis came stock with Gibson '57s which are (IMNSDHO) higher-end even than the Fenders he got for $150, and to my tin ear the Wagners blow even them away in terms of clarity and definition, not to mention tone.
Then again, if I found a set at a garage sale for $10 that I thought sounded good I'd be all over that shite.
mountain man
Still got the Blues!
This comparison is really meaningless as it doesn't matter with the compressed signal recorded for YouTube cannot ever simulate the live sound you would get if you were in the same room at the same time as when it was being played live. How about lets all compare AM vs FM radio on a hifi stereo........... but that's not live either...........
Norfolk Bill
norfolk uk, just knoodling along
amazing how many people choose pickups from youtube demos or reviews then,,,to me the point was the cheapo ones sounded more than good enough,,,why? because the guy can play 
MarkDyson
Blues Hound Wannabe
amazing how many people choose pickups from youtube demos or reviews then,,,to me the point was the cheapo ones sounded more than good enough,,,why? because the guy can play
Heh. I make my final decision on how different they sound when I play them, not some reviewer, and definitely not based on mangled YT audio tracks. And, yeah, that guy can play tons better than I can, which also makes his tone irrelevant to me.
Again: how do they sound to me, myself and I? That's what I care about. That's also why I don't (as I see it) waste time trying to chase someone else's tone. I don't want their tone. I want mine.
Rancid Rumpboogie
Blues Mangler
Ahhh, the never-ending debate.
CaptainMoto
Blues Voyager
So,
From my position here on YouTube, I didn't hear anything bad.
I've leaned not to trust what I hear on the computer though.
From my position here on YouTube, I didn't hear anything bad.
I've leaned not to trust what I hear on the computer though.
HotLks
Blues - it's in me and it's got to come out.
Bill, you have a very unhealthy interest in controversial subjects!
How about a new thread on tone wood? A comparison between American made and foreign made guitars would be good. Haven't seen one of them in a while.
Go get 'em!
See you down the road!
P.S. It's good to read your stuff again.
How about a new thread on tone wood? A comparison between American made and foreign made guitars would be good. Haven't seen one of them in a while.
Go get 'em!
See you down the road!
P.S. It's good to read your stuff again.
MarkDyson
Blues Hound Wannabe
Bill, you have a very unhealthy interest in controversial subjects!
P.S. It's good to read your stuff again.
Grateful_Ed
Student Of The Blues
Thanks for reminding me...NOT!
It's great that imports forced American car builders to improve their quality, but the down side is that American car companies eventually gave in and started copying Japanese cars. Until that time American cars were pretty unique, styling was king and moved at a rapid pace while technology played second fiddle. Advanced technology and futuristic innovations were introduced every year or two in brand new models.
Now the cars stay the same for five or ten years or more, the dashboard changes and they add more screens, buttons and dials.
I'm sure there's an upside to all of this but not for an old fart like me.
I'll never forget when they moved the headlight dimmer from the floor of the car to the steering column. I nearly wrecked when my foot got stuck in the steering wheel trying to dim the headlights.
MarkDyson
Blues Hound Wannabe
I'll never forget when they moved the headlight dimmer from the floor of the car to the steering column. I nearly wrecked when my foot got stuck in the steering wheel trying to dim the headlights.
Rancid Rumpboogie
Blues Mangler
I have had cheap pickups that sound fantastic and expensive pickups that sound like crap. Usually I can get a pretty good idea of what a pickup will actually sound like when I get it from YouTube demos ... but not always. A recent example of "not" was with GFS ceramic Gold Foils vs. GFS Alnico V Gold Foils. I had a ceramic bridge pickup that was just way too bright. I couldn't tell any difference from YouTube demos, but GFS assured me that the Alnico V version would be warmer and fatter. So I got one. There was a world of difference. As in "no comparison".
I recently got a set of Donlis Alnico 2 humbuckers, based on a review and analysis by a guy on another guitar forum that has compared a number of pickups. The humbuckers have both a nickel-silver base plate and covers for a little over $40 a pair. Haven't had a chance to try them yet, but the construction is excellent and the company is very responsive to requests and suggestions. Both the nickel-silver base plate and cover came from comments made to Donlis after the review linked below.
While it may be overly technical for some, what I like about this guy's analysis is that he shows the minor differences in construction and measured response, but acknowledges that it all comes down to how they sound to YOU.
https://www.strat-talk.com/threads/...-that-isnt-dimarzio-and-costs-only-25.409574/
and the follow-up:
http://www.tdpri.com/threads/donlis-pickups-these-guys-are-listening-to-our-feedback.779632/
While it may be overly technical for some, what I like about this guy's analysis is that he shows the minor differences in construction and measured response, but acknowledges that it all comes down to how they sound to YOU.
https://www.strat-talk.com/threads/...-that-isnt-dimarzio-and-costs-only-25.409574/
and the follow-up:
http://www.tdpri.com/threads/donlis-pickups-these-guys-are-listening-to-our-feedback.779632/
Rancid Rumpboogie
Blues Mangler
I will say that those very expensive JWP pickups I bought were worth every penny. they were roughly $60.00 more than a $300.00 set of Gibson '57 Classics, but they are just awesome ... to my ear they trump the '57 Classics all around. But it's a tough call to justify when you can get a set of GFS Alnico II Classics for about $80.00 that are virtually indistinguishable from Gibby '57 Classics. To many, the added cost just doesn't get you four times as good tone, so it isn't worth it. Guess it just depends on exactly how anal one is about his/her tone and whether or not they're willing to pay for it.
deejaid
Blues Junior
I traded for a Les Paul that had been upgraded with Duncan Antiquities. Everything I read on all the forums raved about how Duncan Antiquities were the closest thing to the original PAF, how great they sounded , etc. Man, I was never so disappointed in a set of pickups once I received the guitar. No worries, as the mystique of the ultimate PAF made them easy to sell, but after that experience my thinking on pickups changed.
I am now a firm believer in Bill Lawrence pickups and wiring, specifically using his Q-Filter. The guy is to pickups what Les Paul and Leo Fender are to electric solid body guitars and amps. And his prices are half the price of boutique pickups. His pickups allow me to get the tone I hear in my head to come through the amp.
Sometimes the expensive boutique just can’t beat the cheaper pickup. Our ears don’t know how much they cost.
I am now a firm believer in Bill Lawrence pickups and wiring, specifically using his Q-Filter. The guy is to pickups what Les Paul and Leo Fender are to electric solid body guitars and amps. And his prices are half the price of boutique pickups. His pickups allow me to get the tone I hear in my head to come through the amp.
Sometimes the expensive boutique just can’t beat the cheaper pickup. Our ears don’t know how much they cost.
I have a set of his Microcoils in a Tele I built. They are terrific pickups, especially for $95/set. Haven't tried the Q-filter, but it looks interesting. Have you tried the L500's?
deejaid
Blues Junior
No, I haven’t tried the L500 though I am considering buying one for the LP Jr. style build I’m finishing up. I have another Q-filter in my parts drawer that I’d like to use on the Junior but would need an L-90 or L500 to pair with it.
My Mustang has a vintage 1970’s L-90 in the bridge and Bill’s daughter Shannon wound a L-298 Strat neck pickup to pair with it. I bought a pair of Wilde L-90’s for an old late 70’s Ibanez Studio I had a few years ago but sold that guitar. Those pickups as a pair with the Q-filter sounded incredible.
So far in my tinkering, the Q-filter works better with his Humbuckers, at least for me. Wired to the tone pot with both a resistor and capacitor the “Q-Tone” reduces the inductance of the pickup, going from full humbucker to a scooped mids, quacky Strat tone. It is really cool and makes the tone control actually useful.
How many times have you played a humbucker equipped guitar and just left the tone pot on 10 because it is mud if turned down even the slightest? Bill’s designs are useful the entire range.
As for his Microcoils, I’d love to try them. If I put together another single coil guitar those are the pickups I am going with.
Did you buy your Microcoils new from Wilde/Lawrence or used? The hardest part of buying from them is the wait times. My L-298 took 4 weeks to get to me. They build everything to order so patience is a must. The pickups are worth the wait though.