Anyone tried these?

[nexion218]

I'm not a single coil guy to say the least, but one of these popped up in the local ads and looked into them. They sem to have an interesting design:

https://lawingmusicalproducts.com/dr-lawings-blog/the-new-z-series-pickups-from-zexcoil

 

[GuitarDoc]

"Interesting" indeed.

They look very expensive and un-tweakable...you can't change pole pieces or magnets, you can't raise or lower individual pole pieces, not sure how you could split the pup. And since all of the parts are proprietary, it would cost a lot to replace anything on it.

If they were indeed amazing sounding/performing pups, unique in this respect from any other sound of existing pups on the market, they might be worth a try. But I can't see it myself. There are already too many choices with active and passive singles.

 

[Masta' C]

Zexcoils are pretty much a direct competitor to Kinman when it comes to great sounding noiseless singles, but they are not as well known. The Zexcoil noiseless singles are now on their 2nd generation and are regarded very highly (as were the originals).

I think the individual coils for each string is a really cool concept and I wouldn't dismiss them simply because they can't be mag-swapped...99% of players would never mag-swap a single coil anyway. As for adjustability, most players never mess with the pole piece height on their singles, either. Plus, there's no odd "vintage stagger" that has to be compensated for with these, so it's not that big of a deal in the first place.

If the pickup is a good price, I say give it a try!

 

[Clint 55]

I would try that for sure.

 

[RayBarbeeMusic]

Yes tried them, didn't like them. 1) they don't sound like single coils, and by that I'm talking about the ones that are supposed to, not the ones that sound like humbuckers, To my ear, even an old 90s stack sounds more authentic, much less newer products like Areas. 2) They have neo magnets, and neo has a sound and response particular to it. I didn't care for that aspect either.

YMMV, so you might like them *if* you aren't expecting them to sound like a single coil. They have their own sound, I didn't like it.

 

[Masta' C]

That's good to know!

I do know that the newer series are a tad different than the original series in terms of construction, tone, and output. Most reviews are very good, though, for both generations.

I had reached out to the company after doing a lot of research on them about a year ago and they were very helpful. Ended up sticking with Kinman, but have been tempted by the Zexcoils ever since.

 

[Condemnedsoul]

Came across this site many years ago, and once I saw them, I couldn't unremember them.




https://texasbluesalley.com/oldtonezone/gear-index/zexcoil-underwound-set

https://texasbluesalley.com/oldtonezone/gear-index/zexcoil-pickups-custom-set

https://texasbluesalley.com/oldtonezone/gear-index/zexcoil-pickups-signature-set

 

[nexion218]

@Doc: Well I guess it's win some, loose, right? They work around one set of problem and creating another set of problems in the process.
@Masta'C: the guy is asking ~200 USD for the SV5+/SV2/SV5 set and then I'd need a SSS guitar to put them into... So my question regrading these was mainly out of scientific interest than anything else. I'm a sucker for new/unconventional solutions and infrmation on new/unconventional solutions. Not in a Mincer-way though, just simply interested in them...