Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

[Chistopher]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

Remember the good old days when a $600 guitar came from the factory with $100+ pickups?

Yeah, that markup was killer. I'm glad stock pickups are improving accross the board to the point where you don't need to buy an $100+ per pickup set for every guitar you own.

 

[JMP/HBE]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

Why should they ? Its cheaper to use crappy ones.

 

[esandes]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

Chris, are they though?

 

[donaldr]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

They are hundreds of good boutique pickup winders now, there's a good chance guitar companies are hiring one of those to develop in-house pickups. No reason guitar stock pickups should sound bad.

 

[donaldr]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

I think aftermarket pickup companies should have sit with guitar companies years ago to develop a standard plug for swapping pickups without a soldering iron.
And I don't understand why SD (or Dimarzio or others) is not offering Gibson quick-connect if they want to sell there pickups to Gibson customers. I would try some PG or Slash sets if they were quick-connect. I don't want to ditch the pre-wired board in my LP. And I don't want to buy parts and rewire it either.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

This whole pickup thing, I think, is too traditional. We should be a bit more like the bass players! More open to new stuff and actively demand new stuff...



Seriously!

The thing is, no manufacturer is doing a pickup based on P-Bass split neck, right? So the bottom 3 non-wound strings could be handled with a say HB pickup that sounds thick and powerful for single string note runs, while the wound strings could be handled with a single coil pickup to keep the twangyness and liveliness on them wound strings.

The only one that came closest was the Z design no, of G&L... Z coil. But I dunno their details, maybe not related.

This is just one suggestion... there are tons of others...

B

Railhammer make something similar with blades under the wound strings and poles under the plain strings.

 

[esandes]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

I won't name names, but there's a pickup hot shot at a very reputable guitar maker and I cannot wait to swap out that crap. It's a recent guitar I bought.

 

[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

Seymour Duncan is supplying the pickups for a Fender CS Joe Bonnamasa Nocaster. I guess it just depends on the artist and run of guitars.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

Railhammer make something similar with blades under the wound strings and poles under the plain strings.

Cool... This is the first time I hear of them.

Thanks.

B

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

I think aftermarket pickup companies should have sit with guitar companies years ago to develop a standard plug for swapping pickups without a soldering iron.
And I don't understand why SD (or Dimarzio or others) is not offering Gibson quick-connect if they want to sell there pickups to Gibson customers. I would try some PG or Slash sets if they were quick-connect. I don't want to ditch the pre-wired board in my LP. And I don't want to buy parts and rewire it either.

Why spend pennies extra for a product most of your customer's won't use? The market suggests that the more profitable alternative would be for them to charge extra for a wiring harness that would allow for the user to quickly change in that companies proprietary pickups that the customer would have paid extra for.

If, like you said, all stock pickups are trash, then why would guitar companies pay extra so that a handful of people can more conviently use someone else's product?

 

[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

More pics of the JB Nocaster prototype using SD pickups.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[Mincer]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

More pics of the JB Nocaster prototype using SD pickups.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

I bet that is one hell of a pickup...probably one to challenge the Jerry Donahue. Hopefully Joe will make some clips.

 

[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

Yikes, Tapatalk really compressed that photo. Here's a link to the IG post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CCZln1nJrVb/?igshid=1ccyckz3lyx65

I'll post a video once he jams with the guitar. Looks like he's been playing a Brown Deluxe with a Rangemaster lately.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[RayBarbeeMusic]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

This whole pickup thing, I think, is too traditional. We should be a bit more like the bass players! More open to new stuff and actively demand new stuff...



Seriously!

The thing is, no manufacturer is doing a pickup based on P-Bass split neck, right? So the bottom 3 non-wound strings could be handled with a say HB pickup that sounds thick and powerful for single string note runs, while the wound strings could be handled with a single coil pickup to keep the twangyness and liveliness on them wound strings.

The only one that came closest was the Z design no, of G&L... Z coil. But I dunno their details, maybe not related.

This is just one suggestion... there are tons of others...

B

I've been doing a mod like that on neck buckers for years.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

I've been doing a mod like that on neck buckers for years.

Care to elaborate?

B

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

This whole pickup thing, I think, is too traditional. We should be a bit more like the bass players! More open to new stuff and actively demand new stuff...

As a fan of ridiculously over the top designs and electronics on bass, I do not think they have much of a place on guitar. Likewise, I don’t think the passive simple wirings on guitar really belong on bass.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

PRS does a partial split. (DGT for example) I’m not 100% on how that one works, if it’s a tap on one coil or a resistor Wired like fixed Spin-A-Split. ArtieToo, do you know?

It's a resistor. Not 100% positive it's the same as spin-a-split, but it most likely is. Just a fixed amount rather than adjustable.

Sorry. I don't. But it sounds interesting.

It is indeed wired like the Spin-A-Split, only using fixed resistors instead of a pot: 1.1K for the neck pickup and 2.2K for the bridge.
These values work well for most PAF type and vintage-hot humbuckers. Hotter winds generally don't need the help.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

I bet that is one hell of a pickup...probably one to challenge the Jerry Donahue. Hopefully Joe will make some clips.

Zhangbucker makes a 9.5K/A5 Tele bridge pickup called the Paul Bunyan.
My favorite Tele bridge so far. Extra beef, still pure Tele attitude.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

It is indeed wired like the Spin-A-Split, only using fixed resistors instead of a pot: 1.1K for the neck pickup and 2.2K for the bridge.
These values work well for most PAF type and vintage-hot humbuckers. Hotter winds generally don't need the help.

Even then, it seriously helps with the volume drop.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Fender and Gibson don't use "aftermarket" pickups anymore?

As Gibson and Fender invented their respective pickup types, have spent over 90% of their existence only ever speccing and making their own pickups, this thread has more than just a little missed the point.