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

[esandes]

https://youtu.be/gXUZ5JVMCJQ

I would expect the SD Slash set or at least the A2P set in a Slash guitar. Disappointing. BTW I'd hate to have a guitar taken apart like that if I was going to buy one.

It seems to me that Fender has turned their backs on aftermarket pickups. They used to use many different SD pickups on many of their models. Now their pickups are Fender developed.

I don't know if Gibson ever used non-Gibson pickups from the factory. But in this case I think they should have at the very least.

If I'm not mistaken, Japanese guitar brands pretty much use aftermarket pickups exclusively for the higher end guitars.

Discuss.

 

[Mincer]

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

I think these days, they can make more $$ if they design everything. I have no idea about the Slash model- he is a big enough artist to insist on a pickup set. But I think the less aftermarket parts, the more $ to be made, and that's the most important thing, eh?

 

[beaubrummels]

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

One way to save money is not pay additional license fees and commissions/whatever for signature/endorsement. Keeping it all in house, they get all the money.

 

[Mincer]

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

One way to save money is not pay additional license fees and commissions/whatever for signature/endorsement. Keeping it all in house, they get all the money.

Yes, and who knows...maybe Gibson and SD tried to hammer out a deal. Maybe Slash wanted to use his pickups but Gibson said 'It is our pickups or no signature model'. We will never really know.

 

[PFDarkside]

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

In the case of Fender they have Tim Shaw on board. They literally invented the Fender style single coil (and still make some very nice ones) and now with Shaw they will probably make some good HBs now too.

I’m sure quite a few of us have thought of the concept of the Double Tap here, I know I have.

 

[dr.barlo]

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

In the case of Fender they have Tim Shaw on board. They literally invented the Fender style single coil (and still make some very nice ones) and now with Shaw they will probably make some good HBs now too.

I’m sure quite a few of us have thought of the concept of the Double Tap here, I know I have.

Double Tap?

B

 

[Chistopher]

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

What use is there pay extra for someone else to make your pickups? There are two types of guitar guys, I'd say 90% of people will buy the guitar regardless of the pickups and never even touch them, and the other 10% is just going to take them out because the #1 unspoken rule of guitar modding is "Never keep the stock pickups, regardless of the quality".

If a company sees that it doesn't matter what they use because the majority of the customers either don't care as to exact pickups, or won't use them anyway, they will go with the cheaper option every time.

 

['59]

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

In the case of Fender they have Tim Shaw on board. They literally invented the Fender style single coil (and still make some very nice ones) and now with Shaw they will probably make some good HBs now too.

I’m sure quite a few of us have thought of the concept of the Double Tap here, I know I have.

I quite like Fender stock pickups most of the time. I probably buy them aftermarket more so than I do Duncans.

Oh, and just because someone was going to have to say it eventually, Gibson and Fender never used "aftermarket" pickups, at that point they're just stock.

 

[Zombiwoof]

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

I've seen Dimarzio pickups on a recent Fender Signature model Strat. Pretty sure they've used them on other Sig guitars too. That's the only guitars I would expect to see aftermarket pickups on.
Al

 

[Mincer]

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

I do believe that using an artist's signature pickups (or even just what the artist uses) helps sell a signature guitar. When you start replacing parts with cheaper ones, you get away from the perceived value of the signature model. If I was in the market to get a signature guitar, I want it to have the exact specs of the same guitars that made all those famous songs.

 

[ICTGoober]

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

Fender used Lace Sensors for a time, and they were quite popular.

 

[PFDarkside]

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

Double Tap?

B

Imagine a Humbucker that splits “hotter” than one single coil.

For example, the Bridge 59 sits at 8.2K when full. I’ve not measured it split, but it’s probably 4.1K per coil, right? When splitting and combining with singles it’s a little weak, same with split by itself. So, you wing one coil up to 6K or so (whatever will fit on the bobbin) and tap it at 4.1K. When you wire the pickup in series you use the 4.1K tap, but when you split you use the full 6K on that single coil. (The other cool remains 4.1K, no tapping, etc.)

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?

 

[dr.barlo]

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

Nice!

That's related to what I was suggesting in the stillborn forum pickup discussions...

But as I remember from the Brobucker times, the most you can fit into a HB bobbin with #42 wire is like 5-5.5K. It sounds good... but a 7.5K #43 Custom 5 split sounds way better... Thus, if you wanna get up to 6-6.5K (for a decent tele kinda tone) with the #42 wire you'd need another tap on the other coil. Once that is needed (i.e. both coils being tapped), why not do the following: Loving Deluxe minis, my thinking is to have a bucker that has a ~6.25K mini HB mode together with the regular 8.5K PAF mode. See?

Gibson Deluxe minis sound quite good, very teleish...

B

 

[chadd]

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

Nice!

That's related to what I was suggesting in the stillborn forum pickup discussions...

But as I remember from the Brobucker times, the most you can fit into a HB bobbin with #42 wire is like 5-5.5K. It sounds good... but a 7.5K #43 Custom 5 split sounds way better... Thus, if you wanna get up to 6-6.5K (for a decent tele kinda tone) with the #42 wire you'd need another tap on the other coil. Once that is needed (i.e. both coils being tapped), why not do the following: Loving Deluxe minis, my thinking is to have a bucker that has a ~6.25K mini HB mode together with the regular 8.5K PAF mode. See?

Gibson Deluxe minis sound quite good, very teleish...

B

That's an interesting concept, definitely something I'd be interested in trying out.

I've always found it funny that minis sound more like a big single and 90s sound more like a humbucker.

 

[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

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

I didn't think he took the guitar apart by that much in the video. Nothing a couple of screws can't put back in place. Pretty standard for me, especially if you want see under the hood.

As far as artist models and in house crafted pickups, I can see why it makes sense as a business. As a consumer, I would prefer to use what the artist is has in their guitar.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[eclecticsynergy]

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

Zhangbucker makes something called the Splat, where the "split" wire is actually a tap part way into one coil, so when split you get all of one coil and part of the other.

This partial split is a bit different from PRS' resistor version. With the Splat you get the full signal from a shortened section of wire, whereas with resistor split you're getting an attenuated signal from the whole coil.

In practice, I'm not sure there would be any audible difference between the two methods.

IME resistor splits work really well. Just figured it was worth mentioning the Splat.

David winds some fantastic pickups; I've got a number of them.

 

[esandes]

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?

 

[BluesIsBlood12]

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.

 

[Artie]

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?

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

 

[dr.barlo]

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