"GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

[GilmourD]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

I don't know if the GFS is a true P90 or not. Of course, this may not matter to you depending on what sound you want. Seymour really does not have a bad pickup, so I am sure there is something you will like.

My understanding is that it's actually a really good P90 in there.

Blunge, I'd go with the bridge version.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

My understanding is that it's actually a really good P90 in there.

Blunge, I'd go with the bridge version.

Well, they certainly are cheap enough to find out.

I may order a set just to see and mess around with.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

Those Mean 90s are one of their better rated and most popular pickups. I haven’t tried them myself but I have a set of the Dream 90s which I really like. For that matter, I’ve really liked every set of pickups I’ve purchased from them and I wouldn’t be afraid of the Mean 90s in any way, shape or form.

Oh yeah, and definitely go with the bridge version assuming the slot you’re putting it in his in a typical bridge position on the guitar. I wouldn’t over think it too much if I were you.

 

[alex73013]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

Howdy Duncan believers. I think that I can finally get an answer about "Guitar Fetish" and their pickups here. I believe that we get what we pay for. What better forum to find out about pickups than here? Does anyone have any personal experience with these? Thanks & Peace. Rednefceleb.

I've tried both versions of GFS humbucker sized p90's and didn't like them. But I also didn't like the SD Phat Cats, but the Phat Cats are better. Their Brighton Pickups in the neck and middle position are awesome. The humbucker sized single coil gold foil I tried in the bridge I had to put the screw side directed away from the bridge to make it sound fuller. It sounded pretty good that way. I've also had the Old School Slick Humbucker bridge pickup that sounded pretty good but not as good as a SD 59. I tried their Gray Bottom single coils in the middle and neck and they were terrible. I also have the NYIII bridge in a LP JR style Gretsch which is awesome. So it's a mixed bag as far as what I find good. I also have the hot PJ bass set wired in series that sounds really good to me but I'm primarily a guitar player so my since of bass tone may be skewed but I was going for a Black Rebel Motorcycle Club tone and broken up 60's heavy on the mids bass tone which I think I've achieved. But definitely those Brightons in the neck and middle are awesome and the NYIII works great as well.

 

[blunge]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

My understanding is that it's actually a really good P90 in there.

Blunge, I'd go with the bridge version.

Thanks, it should seem straightforward but worth asking. There's a youtube of someone with the TV Yellow Ltd Edition of 2011 with a Mean 90 in it going through a good Fender with a couple of pedals, and it just sounds right!

 

[dhuber]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

I used the 1963 Strat Vintage Wound Professional Pickup Set for a few years and just recently replaced them with Texas Specials. I tend to change pickups a lot and even from A to B to C and then back to A again. There's nothing wrong with the GFS pickups I've tried. I've tried mid to upper level brands too. My experience has been if a pickup emphasizes one sound characteristic you loose another no matter who's name is on the pickup. Another over looked pickup is the plain Fender American Standard pickup. I used to pick these up used for $60 a set on eBay. I really like the Fender Am Std in a live situation. They are on the bright side and help my guitar cut through the mix. The GFS 1963 Strat Vintage Wound Professional Pickup Set is warmer and balanced and really nice for plugging in at home with no accompaniment.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

Their Brighton Pickups in the neck and middle position are awesome.

I've been curious about these. Do you happen to know the DCRs for their calibrated Brighton set? The specs aren't listed on their page. Also, do those topless chrome covers look like they're removable?

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

My own experience with GFS pickups has been limited, but I've tried the Surf90s and liked them a lot for sorta underwound, 60s tones. Also have a VEH bridge humbucker, which is great- a little beefy yet not as loose as one might expect from a slightly overwound A2. Mine reads 11.2K with virtually no coil offset. I get the impression this one might do pretty well with other mags too. But I like it as is, never felt the urge to alter it.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

My own experience with GFS pickups has been limited, but I've tried the Surf90s and liked them a lot for sorta underwound, 60s tones. Also have a VEH bridge humbucker, which is great- a little beefy yet not as loose as one might expect from a slightly overwound A2. Mine reads 11.2K with virtually no coil offset. I get the impression this one might do pretty well with other mags too. But I like it as is, never felt the urge to alter it.

That’s nice to hear about the VEH. One of the two projects I’m working on right now is a HSH that I plan to actually do as HSS, and I have just decided this past weekend to use a VEH in the bridge, a TruCoil in the center, and a Mean 90 in the neck.

I don’t actually have any experience with any of the three yet. I’ve heard great things about the Mean 90s, and I selected the TruCoil because it’s the most powerful single coil pickup they have (hoping it will be able to keep up in volume with the bridge humbucker). As for the VEH in the bridge, I liked the limited sound samples they had and saw some decent examples on YouTube, but I was still feeling a little bit like I might be rolling the dice. Thanks!

 

[Artie]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

That's sweet! I notice "BriGuy" on the headstock. Are you a guitar builder?

Anyway . . . back on topic. I love my "Tuxedo" Dream 90's in my Iceman, and I love my Dream 180 in my Peavey Rockmaster, which has become my most played guitar.

It's funny that so many people comment that GFS reviews are "spotty". How many people in this forum dis the JB? Duncans best selling pup of all time.

Artie

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

It's funny that so many people comment that GFS reviews are "spotty". How many people in this forum dis the JB? Duncans best selling pup of all time.

Artie

Very good point. It's really a matter of personal taste/preference. Contrary to alex73013's experience with GFS P-90s I have used many Mean 90s in the past 10 years and absolutely love them. I started using Dream 90s a year ago and love those too. I have a set of GFS Strat pups (can't recall which ones and I'm too lazy to go check) and they are great also.

You get what you pay for? No, not always. That's definitely not true if you compare Gibson with Epi, and it's not true with pups...with (at least some of) GFS pups, you get much more than you pay for.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

That's sweet! I notice "BriGuy" on the headstock. Are you a guitar builder?

Anyway . . . back on topic. I love my "Tuxedo" Mean 90's in my Iceman, and I love my Dream 180 in my Peavey Rockmaster, which has become my most played guitar.

It's funny that so many people comment that GFS reviews are "spotty". How many people in this forum dis the JB? Duncans best selling pup of all time.

Artie

Thanks! I’m really more of an “assembler“ than a builder. I just don’t have the woodworking skills to do what I would consider to be true builds. That one was my first and I’ve done two more since. Right now I have two more in the works… Three if you count the one that I’m doing as a joint project with my daughter. All of them use mostly parts from GuitarFetish.

Finished:

In the works:

You mentioned the Dream 180, and I have to agree with you about them… Definitely one of my all-time favorite pickups. I put a set in my RG a couple of years ago and they sound fantastic! They’re also what I’m planning to put in the “green Strat“ project above.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

You get what you pay for? No, not always. That's definitely not true if you compare Gibson with Epi, and it's not true with pups...with (at least some of) GFS pups, you get much more than you pay for.

I couldn’t agree with you more!

I’ve discovered in the past couple of years that I really enjoy doing guitar projects. I would truly love to throw Duncans in everything, but as a guy who is supporting a family of seven (three kids and two grandkids at home), money is simply too tight. The GFS pickups are a fraction of the price and, although they don’t have anywhere near the selection, I’ve been pretty happy with everything I’ve purchased from them.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

...I selected the TruCoil because it’s the most powerful single coil pickup they have (hoping it will be able to keep up in volume with the bridge humbucker).

I'm not sure the TruCoil is actually their most powerful singlecoil- bear in mind that its DCR will be high because of its extra noise cancelling coil. Myself, I prefer the middle pickup to be a little quieter so it's naturally a bit cleaner compared to the bridge & neck. But I think the TruCoil should balance OK for you.

 

[mupi]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

I bought the GFS KP - 60's-70's Grey Bottom Non Stagger Strat pups and put them on my used Squier Affinity past Friday. There was absolutely no improvement. No improvement in the level or sustain or tone. You would think they would make a big difference as the stock pups on a Squier Affinity would be junk. Not really. I bought the Kwikplug stuff with the solder less Kwikplug harness. So there was not much room for any error. All you have to do was remove the existing guts and put the GFS stuff.

Very cheap looking stuff. Well that's what you get when you pay $100 total for 3 pups and the hatness

I am not sure if the pups should have threaded holes. The base plate looks like cardboard instead of plastic and there are no threads in the holes. Basically the screw threads itself when you turn it into this soft base plate!! I didnt like the feel of this. So flimsy. also the wires that connect the pots to the switch were too short. They were barely long enough to reach the holes on the pickguard. The wire for the output jack would not go through the existing hole on the guitar due to the Kwikplug. So I had to make the hole bigger using quarter inch drill bit. The hole had to be at an angle. if you have seen the inside of a Squier you know what I mean.

It was not easy to fit pups in the slots in the guitar body mainly because the pup wires now go across due to the Kwikplug instead of going up and down. So it was tough to put the wires into the slot. I managed to put them in but not impressed by the sound at all. My Squier had a buzzing sound before. Not due to high frets. I had filed down pretty much all high frets on this guitar and set the action high. But there was still a buzzing sound. So I thought I would change the pups.

After changing the pups, the guitar still has the buzzing sound. Another thing I didnt have before was that the sound goes up and down like a reverb effect though I dont have any effect applied. Overall I think it is a waste of money to spend on such cheap stuff. As always you get what you paid for. I am going to toss my used Squier. I send the GFS stuff back. I dont really care if they dont give me a refund. I know I was dealing with cheap stuff and wasnt expecting a miraculous sound. That guitar and the GFS stuff are no longer in my sight

I had already bought a new Squier Affinity from GC and that seems to play well. My old Lyon by Washburn is still playing great. Bought it for $50 from local Craigslist from a very honest person who seemed to have taken good care of it. The new Squier is actually my backup guitar. Stuff back then were well made. For the same money now you get junk made in China. So I will stick with my Lyon and backup Squier for now and buy a better guitar later instead of wasting time and money doing cheap mods on a cheap guitar. I am planing to get the Yamaha Pacifica 611 or the Schecter Sun Valley with the Sustaniac

 

[Chistopher]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

Sounds to me like you were expecting meh pickups to turn a meh guitar into a good one. Not even CS pickups can fix some of the problems your guitar has.

 

[mupi]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

Nope. I wasnt expecting a miraculous sound. I bought it for all the hype about those grey bottom pups. The embellishment at the GFS website is as if those are some miracle pups from heaven. Just marketing hype. I thought they would make my guitar at least play normally and of course not like a $2000 Fender. They are no better than the stock pups on a cheap Squier. I didnt want to put a $300-400 Seymour Duncan loaded pickguard on an used Squier.

My guitar probably has other issues. I expected those pups to at least sound normal. But they didnt. Like I said they had this modulating sound though I was not using any effects. That Squier was cheap enough to toss it in the trash and I returned the GFS stuff. I dont expect them to refund my money which is ok as it is not a great loss for me. Live and learn. I would rather buy a slightly more expensive guitar like $400-500 range than do any mods on a cheap guitar using cheap parts.

I dont know many brands as I have researched only Squier, Epiphone and Yamaha (Pacifica 311 and 611 are only list). I did try the $499 Ephiphone LP Standard and didnt like the ergonomics. Could not play it as easily as a smaller Start style body because of my hand position. Also tried the Squier Contemporary Strat ($349). It is basically junk made in China though it is $349. My old Lyon is better than that $349 Squier. I cant find the Squier Delux anymore at GC or Sweetwater. I have to search other brands in the $400-500 range. Or increase the budget and go for a MIM Fender or the Schecter Sun Valley with the Sustaniac. I dont like the position of the pots/switch on that Schecter as they seem very close to where my fingers will be.

The problem is that there is no store where I can try those mid level guitars. I am tried of having to return stuff online. Local GC either has cheap ones or more expensive ones in that locked (forbidden) room to which no one goes

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

Whatever your feelings about the GFS gear, I think most will agree that their hype is some of the best around.

 

[Ascension]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

My only experience was buying a supposed vintage spec Alnico 5 Tele neck pickup. First off it was a standard wind instead of being a RW/RP + it just sounded ok but uninspiring so it came right back out and was replaced by an Alnico II pro Duncan. Heard good things about them but my experience was not steller.

 

[Artie]

Re: "GFS" Guitar Fetish P'ups?

You mentioned the Dream 180, and I have to agree with you about them… Definitely one of my all-time favorite pickups. I put a set in my RG a couple of years ago and they sound fantastic! They’re also what I’m planning to put in the “green Strat“ project above.

The Dream 180's should be sweet in that Strat. Reading back through this thread, I realize I misidentified my own pups. It's Dream 90's I have in my Iceman. Not Mean 90's. Now, I'll have to try the "Mean" version after all the talk about them.