Are joe barden pickups worth it?

[man-in-moon]

In my pickup search for my tele I came across the joe barden modern tele bridge. I have never used any of their pickups and was wondering what people thoughts on them were.

[ICTGoober]

Re: Are joe barden pickups worth it?

Expensive and worth it.

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Are joe barden pickups worth it?

The answer for you personally depends on whether you can afford to spend that much on pickups.
If cost is no object, they are widely recognized as being among the very best.
If price is a major consideration for you, there are other excellent pickups which cost quite a bit less.

[Golem]

Re: Are joe barden pickups worth it?

I like them but I’ve been meaning to try bill’s dual blade from Wilde pickups since he taught Barden used to work for him. They’re almost one third the price.

I prefer to use a compressor with Bardens.


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[mojosman]

Re: Are joe barden pickups worth it?

Well, Danny Gatton swore by them...so I’d say that’s as good of a Tele pickup recommendation as you can get.


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[GuitarDoc]

Re: Are joe barden pickups worth it?

A pickup...ANY pickup...is only "worth it" to you if YOU like it. If you don't like a pickup, even if it has Gatton's endorsement and it only costs $25, it's not worth it. Why would you even buy any pup if you didn't like it? And if you LOVE it, then it IS "worth it" to YOU.

[formula73]

Re: Are joe barden pickups worth it?

I'd start with L-45's and if you like those take the plunge into Joe Barden.

The only issue with L-45's is they only come in one strength.

Can’t go wrong with Bill and Becky.

[Golem]

Re: Are joe barden pickups worth it?

People always mention Gatton but I feel like Bruce Springsteen is the most famous person to use them. I’m not sure when he started but I was looking got a good sound sample and I know you can seeing them live in almost every stadium show in his vevo.


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[ICTGoober]

Re: Are joe barden pickups worth it?

People always mention Gatton but I feel like Bruce Springsteen is the most famous person to use them.

Bruce is NOT known for his guitar playing.

[jmcorey]

Re: Are joe barden pickups worth it?

Laith Al-Saadi also uses them in his main telecaster.


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[formula73]

Re: Are joe barden pickups worth it?

Bruce is NOT known for his guitar playing.

Agreed. It’s more of a prop than anything else.

[man-in-moon]

Re: Are joe barden pickups worth it?

I may try them in a better guitar later on. I do t really want to spend almost as much on pickups as what I spent on the guitar.

[mojosman]

Re: Are joe barden pickups worth it?

I may try them in a better guitar later on. I do t really want to spend almost as much on pickups as what I spent on the guitar.

I’ve always wanted to try Lindy Fralin’s Tele pickups, I hear good things. I don’t know if you’re a member over on the TDPRI board, but there’s lots of Tele know how over there. I’m sure you’ll find folks that have tried every Tele set on the planet. Lots of good info


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[man-in-moon]

Re: Are joe barden pickups worth it?

The Fralin blues special was always my choice for the bridge on previous teles. But with this one I want a hotter sound. I have been a member on the TDPRI forum for awhile but just recently started posting on there.

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Are joe barden pickups worth it?

Rather than going with somebody's predetermined model, you might consider Zhangbucker - David will custom wind to your specs and his singlecoils are excellent.