Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: tomjackson on January 10, 2010, 10:52:50 AM
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Okay I want people to add to this based on their experiences. I'll put in 5 levels from cheap no name cr@p to boutique hand made beauties. Levels are based on Tone, quality of pickup and customer service.
I've not had loads of pickups so some of these are guesses based on what I've read to set the ball rolling:-
Level 1 - No compromise, hand made
BKP (obviously the top of level 1), Lollar, Fralin, Bulldog etc
Level 2 - High quality aftermarket pickups, mass produced rather than made to order
Seymour Duncan, Dimarzio, Fender Cusom Shop, TV jones etc
Level 3 - Good quality, far east production mid price
Tonerider, Gotoh (Add more here)
Level 4 - Stock Far east pickups on well know guitars
Epiphone, Squire, Wilkinson general cheap replacements
Level 5 - Turds. £7 off ebay for a fully wired strat guard from hong kong
No Brand name
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Off course tone is subjective so you may prefer your level 5 Tele pickups to your level 1's. So it's just for fun.
And before anybody says largely pointless!
I would like to have every manufacturer on earth listed soon!!
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Both Duncan and TV Jones will make custom pickups on order.
Duncan's custom shop belongs in Level 1.
TV Jones pickups aren't mass produced. They operate in a small market segment. Lollar probably produces more pickups than TV Jones. TV's customer service is right up there with BKP and that must count for something.
TV Jones is Level 1 in my book.
GFS would be a nice one for level 3.
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I agree completely with Ratrod re. TV Jones and Duncan Custom Shop. They're level 1.
There are a LOAD of US manufacturers you need in Level 1:
Throbak
WCR
Tim Shaw
etc
What about the other UK hand made guys such as Over The Pond Guy who makes PAF replicas and Wizard?
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Where would you put a Suhr Aldrich?
What's the point of this anyways? :?
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There is no point hunter, I was bored. Well I suppose it may help people who can't afford top draw pickups choose cheaper models until they can afford ther likes of BKP.
Okay, TV Jones and SD CS to Level 1 and the ones TF has noted, I've not heard of all of them....
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If anyone asks me for a pickup upgrade on a budget, i usually advise 2nd hand Duncans, Tonerider or GFS.
Stay away from used DiMarzio pickups, unless they're from the 70's and 80's. There's too many faulty ones floating around.
For money no object: BKP, TV Jones and if you need something really special for JM's, Jags, Gretsches, Ric's etc.: Curtis Novak.
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irongear would presumably go in level 3 (haven't tried them, just based on what i've heard).
as said, there are going to be tons of ones for level 1.
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i would seperate out dimarzio and seymour duncan. SD's are always better, especially in an appropraite guitars. Most of the complaints about them are when they are chosen poorly
TV jones are definately the best at what they do and that makes them top level