stevie_bees
Cat In The Hatministrator
Anybody know anything about them, or used them?
GFS pickups
- Thread starter stevie_bees
- Start date
FenderFan79
Member
Re: GFS pickups
I have a set of their Vintage staggers in my Strat and I think they sound great for the price.
I have a set of their Vintage staggers in my Strat and I think they sound great for the price.
bert123
New member
Re: GFS pickups
They are a good value pickup.
I have a set of Lil' Killers in a Strat I put together for my daughter's band. The D-A-G strings can get 'boomy' very quickly in adjusting each PUP height.
I just finished assembling a Tele for myself and used the 'Alnico Fat Body' in the neck and the "60's Alnico Hot Tele Bridge'. I have not had much time with them sound can only say I'm pleasently surprised by the balance in output. The neck is clear for chords and the bridge can get rude. Also used a 4-way switch so with the pole piece neck PUP I did not have to worry about regrounding the cover.
They are a good value pickup.
I have a set of Lil' Killers in a Strat I put together for my daughter's band. The D-A-G strings can get 'boomy' very quickly in adjusting each PUP height.
I just finished assembling a Tele for myself and used the 'Alnico Fat Body' in the neck and the "60's Alnico Hot Tele Bridge'. I have not had much time with them sound can only say I'm pleasently surprised by the balance in output. The neck is clear for chords and the bridge can get rude. Also used a 4-way switch so with the pole piece neck PUP I did not have to worry about regrounding the cover.
Butch Snyder
ObsoleteChickenPickingologist
Re: GFS pickups
I have a set of Modern Vintage Lil Punchers and a 10k Lil Killer in my Tele. They're not the best; but for the money, they cannot be beat. I have no complaints about them at all.
Note - I am thinking of having MJ make me a set of Customer "Duncan" Bardens...
I have a set of Modern Vintage Lil Punchers and a 10k Lil Killer in my Tele. They're not the best; but for the money, they cannot be beat. I have no complaints about them at all.
Note - I am thinking of having MJ make me a set of Customer "Duncan" Bardens...
S
Skarekrough
Guest
Re: GFS pickups
I've got a set of Dream 90's in one of my Les Pauls, a set of Dream 180's that are going into my Epi Dot Studio and a set of the "Jimi" single coils in a Strat. I've also got to put a Puncher in the neck of my Telecaster and I ordered a Fat Alnico humbucker bridge and a Killer 10k for the neck of a Strat.
They make some great products. The Dream 90's consistently floor me. They're not true vintage-toned but with some work they get there. But I also like how they can get cranked up and not get mushy.
They're not just good "for the money", they're actually really good pickups.
What are you looking to get from them?
I've got a set of Dream 90's in one of my Les Pauls, a set of Dream 180's that are going into my Epi Dot Studio and a set of the "Jimi" single coils in a Strat. I've also got to put a Puncher in the neck of my Telecaster and I ordered a Fat Alnico humbucker bridge and a Killer 10k for the neck of a Strat.
They make some great products. The Dream 90's consistently floor me. They're not true vintage-toned but with some work they get there. But I also like how they can get cranked up and not get mushy.
They're not just good "for the money", they're actually really good pickups.
What are you looking to get from them?
Butch Snyder
ObsoleteChickenPickingologist
Re: GFS pickups
The main caveat to them is QC. When you get them you need to take a careful look at them to make sure that everything's put together right. One of the blades on my bridge position Lil Puncher was a bit too high. I was able to lower it; but it wasn't right....
The main caveat to them is QC. When you get them you need to take a careful look at them to make sure that everything's put together right. One of the blades on my bridge position Lil Puncher was a bit too high. I was able to lower it; but it wasn't right....
gripweed
Jolvisologist
Re: GFS pickups
Butch, do you have any insight into how the Lil Punchers compare with the Bardens? There is an obvious quality difference, but do the Lil Punchers at least get in the Barden ballpark?
Butch, do you have any insight into how the Lil Punchers compare with the Bardens? There is an obvious quality difference, but do the Lil Punchers at least get in the Barden ballpark?
Butch Snyder
ObsoleteChickenPickingologist
Re: GFS pickups
I have very limited experience with Bardens, but from what I have experienced, the Bardens are more chimey than mine. They are cleaner and more hi-fi sounding. The Lil Punchers sound more like an older Tele pickup to me...
I have very limited experience with Bardens, but from what I have experienced, the Bardens are more chimey than mine. They are cleaner and more hi-fi sounding. The Lil Punchers sound more like an older Tele pickup to me...
Low_fidelity2100
New member
Re: GFS pickups
I've got a set of the Dream 90's in My jazzmaster, and I love em. I dunno how close they are to Phatcats as I've never tried phat cats. But they do Sound quite close to an actual p-90. Not exact, But close enough for me.
I also Have a set of they're "Modern vintage lil' punchers." They were in one of my tele's for awhile. But theres a few issues with them That I just couldn't deal with, so I removed them. Mind you They sound fantastic, they really do sound totally amazing. Not sure if they sound like Bardens (like they claim) cause I've never gotten to try a barden loaded tele, so I dunno. They do sound great though. But Like I said theres some "issues" i just couldn't deal with, And apperently Others have had the same issues (although I didn't learn that until AFTER i'de got them, installed them and Shortened the leads, so I couldn't return them).
Issue #1 The Rails are way shorter than the string spread (on my tele at least, and accourding to the telemodders board, apperently its the same for others teles too). On both the bridge and the neck model the High e and Low e were both Basically Not even above the rails at all. On the bridge they were close to being over the rails, But the Neck They weren't even Close. So as a result ya hit a G chord (for instance) and Your missing your Low G note, and your High G note. Which makes playing clean rhythm on the neck pickup, Basically impossible. If I wanted to hear only 4 strings, I'de have started playing bass instead.
Issue #2 The Radius of the rails is 7 1/4" Where as the radius of My teles neck (and Basically every fender except vintage and reissues) is 9 1/2". So That helped to compound the Problem of the short rails. Not only Where the E strings Barely audiable. But due to the radius of the rails The D and G strings were WAY louder than everything else, Making the E's sound even quiter by comparison....So be forewarned, about those ones at least.
When I discovered that, I sent an E-mail to Guitarfetish. And They were totally honest and tried to be helpful. Which I totally respect. He said he'de gotten a few other complaints of that same problem, and suggested a few things to do to help fix it (or at least lessen it). One was to Have my Nut AND my Bridge modifyed for a narrower string spaceing (which I'm not gonna do just to accomidate some cheap pickups). Another suggestion from them was To Significantly Raise the high e Side of the pickups to help the strings balance out some (helped a TINY amount. But not much, and also resulted in my Hi e string getting caught under the edge of the pickup occasionally). And the last (which someone else had also suggested Before the guy at guitar fetish) was to Grind the Rails Radius To be Much flatter, so that the strings volume would balance more evenly (tried that and It did help some what, But still not enough to really "fix" the problem to my satisfaction, and doing this also makes it so you can't return/exchange the pickups).
None of the suggestions worked, But at least the guy was honest, And Nice, and Tried to help. They're deffinately good people to deal with, I just happened to have a Bad experiance with some of they're pickups. (Sucks that I ended up having to modify them Only to learn they still didn't work for me, and as a result couldn't return or exchange them. But oh well.)
So like Butch said. I'de suggest CLOSELY inspecting everything before you install them, and also Not cutting the leads until ya find out if they'll match up with your string spaceing and all that before hand. So as to still be able to return/exchange them if ya need to.
(I'de never had a single issue with string spaceing issues before that, So I didn't even THINK to check that before hand. So just be forewarned, an don't make the same mistake as me. Haha.)
I've got a set of the Dream 90's in My jazzmaster, and I love em. I dunno how close they are to Phatcats as I've never tried phat cats. But they do Sound quite close to an actual p-90. Not exact, But close enough for me.
I also Have a set of they're "Modern vintage lil' punchers." They were in one of my tele's for awhile. But theres a few issues with them That I just couldn't deal with, so I removed them. Mind you They sound fantastic, they really do sound totally amazing. Not sure if they sound like Bardens (like they claim) cause I've never gotten to try a barden loaded tele, so I dunno. They do sound great though. But Like I said theres some "issues" i just couldn't deal with, And apperently Others have had the same issues (although I didn't learn that until AFTER i'de got them, installed them and Shortened the leads, so I couldn't return them).
Issue #1 The Rails are way shorter than the string spread (on my tele at least, and accourding to the telemodders board, apperently its the same for others teles too). On both the bridge and the neck model the High e and Low e were both Basically Not even above the rails at all. On the bridge they were close to being over the rails, But the Neck They weren't even Close. So as a result ya hit a G chord (for instance) and Your missing your Low G note, and your High G note. Which makes playing clean rhythm on the neck pickup, Basically impossible. If I wanted to hear only 4 strings, I'de have started playing bass instead.
Issue #2 The Radius of the rails is 7 1/4" Where as the radius of My teles neck (and Basically every fender except vintage and reissues) is 9 1/2". So That helped to compound the Problem of the short rails. Not only Where the E strings Barely audiable. But due to the radius of the rails The D and G strings were WAY louder than everything else, Making the E's sound even quiter by comparison....So be forewarned, about those ones at least.
When I discovered that, I sent an E-mail to Guitarfetish. And They were totally honest and tried to be helpful. Which I totally respect. He said he'de gotten a few other complaints of that same problem, and suggested a few things to do to help fix it (or at least lessen it). One was to Have my Nut AND my Bridge modifyed for a narrower string spaceing (which I'm not gonna do just to accomidate some cheap pickups). Another suggestion from them was To Significantly Raise the high e Side of the pickups to help the strings balance out some (helped a TINY amount. But not much, and also resulted in my Hi e string getting caught under the edge of the pickup occasionally). And the last (which someone else had also suggested Before the guy at guitar fetish) was to Grind the Rails Radius To be Much flatter, so that the strings volume would balance more evenly (tried that and It did help some what, But still not enough to really "fix" the problem to my satisfaction, and doing this also makes it so you can't return/exchange the pickups).
None of the suggestions worked, But at least the guy was honest, And Nice, and Tried to help. They're deffinately good people to deal with, I just happened to have a Bad experiance with some of they're pickups. (Sucks that I ended up having to modify them Only to learn they still didn't work for me, and as a result couldn't return or exchange them. But oh well.)
So like Butch said. I'de suggest CLOSELY inspecting everything before you install them, and also Not cutting the leads until ya find out if they'll match up with your string spaceing and all that before hand. So as to still be able to return/exchange them if ya need to.
(I'de never had a single issue with string spaceing issues before that, So I didn't even THINK to check that before hand. So just be forewarned, an don't make the same mistake as me. Haha.)
stevie_bees
Cat In The Hatministrator
Re: GFS pickups
A guy is selling a lil punchers set on ebay, I was curious.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=260081874972&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=016
A guy is selling a lil punchers set on ebay, I was curious.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=260081874972&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=016
mixedmedia
New member
Re: GFS pickups
Are the Jimi pickups better to be installed with a reverse slanted bridge or normally?
Are the Jimi pickups better to be installed with a reverse slanted bridge or normally?
kevlar3000
Bullet Proof Toneologist
Re: GFS pickups
I have a dream 90 I got as a curiosity, and I just dig the thing. More bottom and smoother top than a tradition P-90, but the vibe is really there. I have been playing the guitar exclusively since I tossed it in. In an A/B with my 56 Jr, the real deal is brighter has more jangle to it, a bit more of a monster to control at high volume. I found mine for 12.00 and got way more than I expected.
I have a dream 90 I got as a curiosity, and I just dig the thing. More bottom and smoother top than a tradition P-90, but the vibe is really there. I have been playing the guitar exclusively since I tossed it in. In an A/B with my 56 Jr, the real deal is brighter has more jangle to it, a bit more of a monster to control at high volume. I found mine for 12.00 and got way more than I expected.
The JEM Ghost
New member
Re: GFS pickups
I have installed a Hendrix-set and a Premium Texas set in a friend's Strat-models a while ago, like others stated earlier, not bad pickups for their price (they are cheap indeed), but I think they are overhyped on their website and in some user reviews for sure!
They are not in the same park imho as Seymour Duncan and other well known manufacturers. They are for sure not as consistent as well, quality and control are a step down from those brands. They did not sound bad, and indeed they sounded "surprisingly" good for that price, they did not sounded real good either, let's say better than stocks but not as good as you realy want them to be. Kent Armstrong pickups are made in Korea as well, and they don't have the same quality and control as say a Duncan, but better than GFS imho, and they sound great on top of it too.
Be careful when reading reviews on like Harmony Central, because as I stated before GFS's are hyped and it is easy and tempting to follow the hype...
Final conclusion: The GFS pups i have tried were not bad ones, but not real good ones either, still bettter than stock and because they come for a low price, worth their money.
I have installed a Hendrix-set and a Premium Texas set in a friend's Strat-models a while ago, like others stated earlier, not bad pickups for their price (they are cheap indeed), but I think they are overhyped on their website and in some user reviews for sure!
They are not in the same park imho as Seymour Duncan and other well known manufacturers. They are for sure not as consistent as well, quality and control are a step down from those brands. They did not sound bad, and indeed they sounded "surprisingly" good for that price, they did not sounded real good either, let's say better than stocks but not as good as you realy want them to be. Kent Armstrong pickups are made in Korea as well, and they don't have the same quality and control as say a Duncan, but better than GFS imho, and they sound great on top of it too.
Be careful when reading reviews on like Harmony Central, because as I stated before GFS's are hyped and it is easy and tempting to follow the hype...
Final conclusion: The GFS pups i have tried were not bad ones, but not real good ones either, still bettter than stock and because they come for a low price, worth their money.
S
Skarekrough
Guest
Re: GFS pickups
You could do a reverse-slant as if the bridge pickup were from a lefty, but I think that's likely to be overkill.
I have to say though...the Jimi pickups sound great now that I have had some time to really play with them for a bit. With some tweaking the dynamics are all there and sound vintage authentic.
You could do a reverse-slant as if the bridge pickup were from a lefty, but I think that's likely to be overkill.
I have to say though...the Jimi pickups sound great now that I have had some time to really play with them for a bit. With some tweaking the dynamics are all there and sound vintage authentic.
pinto79
New member
Re: GFS pickups
I have a Lil Hot Puncher in the bridge my Kramer (Tele style pickups) and a Modern Vintage neck.
Honestly, that guitar sounds absolutely amazing. I don't have the strin spacign problem that Low Fidelity has. I got an early version of the neck model that seems to be wider than the later ones, or my nut is a tad narrower. It's 1 5/8" with a Floyd, so the bridge is definately wide, and the 10" radius doesn't cause any issues... anyway... Great sounding pickups a reasonably priced to boot.
I have a Lil Hot Puncher in the bridge my Kramer (Tele style pickups) and a Modern Vintage neck.
Honestly, that guitar sounds absolutely amazing. I don't have the strin spacign problem that Low Fidelity has. I got an early version of the neck model that seems to be wider than the later ones, or my nut is a tad narrower. It's 1 5/8" with a Floyd, so the bridge is definately wide, and the 10" radius doesn't cause any issues... anyway... Great sounding pickups a reasonably priced to boot.
