Bought A Zhangbucker on a Whim

[Leon Of Late]

Found one on sale on another forum I frequent. It’s one of his Pure Handwound series humbuckers, an A2 Brownbucker at 9.2K. Apparently it came out of a custom guitar of some sort. At any rate, it came with a beautifully aged and relic’d RS nickel cover, and those are fairly pricy covers to just buy. I went ahead and took the cover off, as that is how I will likely use the pickup and I needed to see if the color was going to work. If I had to use the nickel cover, right now that limits me to my Les Paul unless I want to change both pickups in any guitar. I digress.

Once the cover was off, a pair of beautifully aged double cream bobbins were staring up at me, with wonderfully relic’d nickel screws. I was quite happy and pleased. It goes very well with my collection.

Moreover, does anyone have experience with this pickup, or with David’s Pure Handwound series in general? I’m just looking for some general idea of what I might expect out of it, beyond the brief blurb you get on the website. For now, it will either go in a USA Dean Hardtail, mahogany body, maple cap double cut with an ebony board, 24 3/4” scale or an R7 Les Paul. My real design for it I think is if/when I get my double fat Strat project off the ground. This in the bridge, an older PG or APH in the neck, GOTOH 510 Series Trem (maybe the EV510T-FE), not sure yet.

Anyhow, just looking for some wisdom if it is out there.

Cheers.

 

[Matt_Herman]

I have a Telebucker 5, Pure Handwound. This model is a clear low-output neck model, intended to balance well with bright vintage-y bridge pickups.

It’s the best pickup I own, sounds beautiful and crystalline in both neck and middle slots, with clear low notes.

(I have a set of Pure Handwound Tele pickups on order, I expect them in another few weeks)


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[Artie]

I have one Zhang-wound single coil in the middle of a Strat. It's the best Strat middle pup I've heard. Perfectly balanced. Not too much of this, or too little of that. Just perfectly balanced with a nice rich harmonic content.

 

[Leon Of Late]

I have a Telebucker 5, Pure Handwound. This model is a clear low-output neck model, intended to balance well with bright vintage-y bridge pickups.

It’s the best pickup I own, sounds beautiful and crystalline in both neck and middle alots, with clear low notes.

(I have a set of Pure Handwound Tele pickups on order, I expect them in another few weeks)


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Matt...

Thank you for sharing your experience and thoughts, I genuinely appreciate it. It’s great to hear that it’s your favorite pickup. I haven’t read a lot about these pickups, but what I have found has been overwhelming positive. I am not looking for the Van Halen sound, just a hotter than vintage PAF tone that I can use for general Classic Rock, Hard Rock and some Old School Metal. I have an old 80’s Custom and an 80’s JB, but I didn’t want to go that hot with this pickup. It sounds like I may really have a winner with a unique tone. I might have to try it out in a guitar before I get my project done that I have in mind for this.

Thanks again.

 

[Leon Of Late]

I have one Zhang-wound single coil in the middle of a Strat. It's the best Strat middle pup I've heard. Perfectly balanced. Not too much of this, or too little of that. Just perfectly balanced with a nice rich harmonic content.

Artie,

I always appreciate your reviews and input, as you really know your stuff, and from reading your posts I’ve learned we have quite a few musical genres in common, which make your opinions even more valuable. Sometimes you end up finding the best things on pure chance. I didn’t really need this pickup, I had no idea what color the bobbins were, but I had read a few good things about the pure handwound and if I had ordered directly from David I would have ordered either the Pagey II or the Brownbucker anyhow. Those are the 2 that are in the output range and tone profile that most interest me.

I may check out his single coil pickups too. I want a new set for my Strat. I am bored with my SSL/APS/APS and I’m not sure if I want Antiquity Surfers or something Custom Shop. I just feel like going off the rails. I’ve never ever been in love with my Strat and maybe I need some completely different style pickups to make that happen?

Thank You Artie.

 

[Artie]

Sometimes you end up finding the best things on pure chance.

That is SO true. This pup started life as a new SSL-5. I installed it in the bridge of my Strat. While putting it back together, one wire was sticking out between the pickguard and the cavity, preventing the pickguard from laying flush. Of all the tools on my bench that I could have chosen to tuck it back . . . I chose an Exacto knife. One slip, and I stabbed it in the coil. :banghead:

I never actually got to hear the SSL-5. It sat around for a couple years before I got the idea to send it to Dave. At least that part was a good decision.

 

[esandes]

A what bucker?

 

[Leon Of Late]

Ouch Artie....that is a painful story, and something that would unfortunately likely happen to me as well. You always think you can pull it off, but the one thing that can can go wrong, always does.

 

[Leon Of Late]

A what bucker?

It’s called a Zhangbucker. That is the name of the company. Here is the link to the site.

www.zhangbucker.com

 

[Artie]

Zhangbuckers are wound by David Plummer. He's a forum member under the name Zhangliqun.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

David's been my favorite boutique winder for several years now. I have five of the Pure Handwounds:

A2 Brownbucker bridge with an A3 Pagey II neck
A4 Duanebucker bridge with an A2 Woodbucker neck
A2 Slugbucker with "Splat" option - a tap in one coil for partial splitting without the need for resistor wiring

Each and every one of them is spectacularly great. There really is a special clarity to these.
They seem to have extra air & sparkle; being unpotted adds to that 3-D quality I think.
Remarkably well-defined across strings in chords. Really nice cleanup, too.

The necks chirp & chime without sacrificing sweet complex woodiness. This is starting to sound like a wine review...
The heavier winds are full & rich yet not overly dense - they sing but stay airy, if that makes any sense.

Also have a few of his stock models: a standard Slugbucker, an overwound Paul Bunyan bridge for Tele, and a tapped Paul Bunyan for Strat.
They're extraordinary pickups in their own right. Still, the handwound Slugbucker does have clarity & dimension above and beyond my regular one.

I've loved every Zhangbucker I tried. Especially the Pure Handwounds.

 

[AlexR]

^ Same

I have fewer pure handwounds, mine are limited to 1 strat neck pickup and a set of humbuckers.
His regular winds hit the spot, the pure handwound just go a little further into '3D' territory.....where there seems to a bit more 'depth' to them.

 

[Leon Of Late]

I really appreciate all of you taking the time to share your experiences with David’s pickups. I’m really looking forward to text driving the one I have to see how much I like it, especially after reading all of the positive comments.

 

[Artie]

I'm really looking forward to text driving the one I have . . .

Don't text while driving.

 

[Leon Of Late]

Don't text while driving.

Ah yes, thank you for the important PSA reminder Artie. I need all the help I can get, as you can see!

 

[Artie]

Don't we all?

 

[doctadre]

Hey,

Been back on the forum after quite a while out. I have a number of Zhangbuckers, either bought used at good prices or direct custom orders from David who is very helpful and knowledgeable. I have them on various guitars, from PRS Customs and Singlecuts. Depending on what you need, they are awesome custom and hand-built pickups up there with the best of them. I had a pair of brownbuckers in an old PRS Custom 22 years ago and from what I remember, I dug them. Vintage hot flavors with complexity in there.

Today I have mainly duanebuckers and superslugbuckers for bridge with pagey 2s for the neck on multiple guitars. All very good! The mismatched coils add complexity and pure handwound gets you closer to the unique variability in the vintage holy grails. If you have a splat coil split, it is also very cool as it gives you a beefier, truer single coil split option. But either way, they are great.