Is this a mislabelled bridge pickup?
- Thread starter pinkymb
- Start date
pinkymb
New member
Maybe, who knows maybe it's half decent? But now I know it's definitely a bridge pickup I'll probably just move on to something else as the bridge position on this build is only routed for a single coil.
Well that stinks...I'm not one to immediately say "fake!". Mostly because I dont understand why people buy stuff from a known counterfeit marketplace in the first place.
Guess we know people are trying to poorly fake older models too.
Now I realize I've seen stuff like this before. The seller doesnt use the brand name because legally they're listing will get pulled.
..but the model number is not protected and that comes up in searches. I've seen where they have all the packaging too, but the logos are edited out for the photos. Probably same thing with he baseplate.
Guess we know people are trying to poorly fake older models too.
Now I realize I've seen stuff like this before. The seller doesnt use the brand name because legally they're listing will get pulled.
..but the model number is not protected and that comes up in searches. I've seen where they have all the packaging too, but the logos are edited out for the photos. Probably same thing with he baseplate.
freefrog
Well-known member
Yes it might be half decent and even decent or great: albeit quality is random with such products, some knockoffs are really good sounding.
But no, it's not "definitively" a bridge pickup: 8.1k is the DCR expected from 5000 turns of average 42AWG per P.A.F.ish bobbin. This is the basic recipe from when neck and bridge models didn't exist yet.
Decades after the first P.A.F.s, FWIW, Gibson keeps mounting identical pickups in neck and bridge positions: a few days ago, I've tested exactly the same DCR (and inductance) on neck and bridge Burstbucker 61's mounted in a 2026 LP std : both clocked at 7.8 to 7.9k from the output jack - IOW: once substracted the parallel resistive load due to two pots per pickup, these BB61's probably measured... 8.1k each.
pinkymb
New member
Exactly yes, on the listing you can see the blurring over the baseplate where the logo is to obscure it.
I understand people want cheap pickups but this is most likely a false economy here. Plus what's the point of buying a faked brand name pickup?! you can't even see the logo once it's installed! I'm sure this pickup is subpar compared to say a Tonerider PAF which can be bought for a similar price and you know exactly what you're getting.
pinkymb
New member
That's very interesting! I'm just wary of how neck and bridge pickups might be voiced with resonant peaks being different for each position. But how likely is that with a cheapo knockoff? Also just going by the listing on Ali express lists the resistance for the bridge as 8.1k, and the reviews saying the same thing, I.e. both pickups look identical and had to be measured to determine which was which. Sure I could try this pickup in the neck but as I have to wait a few more weeks anyway for other parts I might as well just buy something else in the meantime. I'm just not sure I even want this thing anymore! Even if it is decent sounding or whatever.Yes it might be half decent and even decent or great: albeit quality is random with such products, some knockoffs are really good sounding.
But no, it's not "definitively" a bridge pickup: 8.1k is the DCR expected from 5000 turns of average 42AWG per P.A.F.ish bobbin. This is the basic recipe from when neck and bridge models didn't exist yet.
Decades after the first P.A.F.s, FWIW, Gibson keeps mounting identical pickups in neck and bridge positions: a few days ago, I've tested exactly the same DCR (and inductance) on neck and bridge Burstbucker 61's mounted in a 2026 LP std : both clocked at 7.8 to 7.9k from the output jack - IOW: once substracted the parallel resistive load due to two pots per pickup, these BB61's probably measured... 8.1k each.
freefrog
Well-known member
Yes, N & B PU's can be voiced for their respective positions but again, it's not a necessity and it has nothing to do with price. The Burstbucker 61's mentioned in my previous post had exactly the same measured resonant peaks, FWIW. And a set of Duncan SSL1 single coils includes three identical pickups.
That said, resonant frequencies can vary for other reasons than those already evoked in my previous posts: two pickups with the same measured DCR can exhibit distinctively different peaks (and conversely).
Last but not least, these last 45 years, I've mounted really more than once bridge pickups in neck position and conversely. All comes down to how the specs of a PU promote or not the "vibrational modes" inherent to an instrument.
Regarding what to do with the fake SH1: I'd try it, in whatever position, just to take advantage of what is at disposal.
Now, do what you want and be happy.
100%
Try it. If it turns out to sound great....do you really care who made it or were its made??
If it is fake at all......( that im not the guy to know)
*Any* 'new' SD-labeled pickup is suspect if not bought from an authorized dealer at a price well below what they normally go for. Prices are strictly regulated through contracts, and if this pickup was some OEM or batch of pickups that made it to the seller through some grey market means, ask a lot of questions. Still realize they could be lying and post a pic of the our thread specifically for that. Unless you get a consensus answer that yes, it is real, and it is a deal, don't hand your money over. Still, you are better off posting a WTB thread in our special subforum and get them from a forum bro, usually at a great price.
xxxplorer
Well-known member
I prefer 'bridge' PAFs in my neck personally. More of a smokey sound. But as Frog explained... there were no bridge and neck models at first. But almost all of my neck pickups are bridge versions of their set (Darkburst, Crossroads, even Godwood). I even... Gasps... LOVE the JB in the neck. For that thing.
ehdwuld
A Ficus
The reason people purchase the "labeled" counterfeit pickups is to flip them to unsuspecting people like the OP
The average price for a used SD is Round $50
If you purchase this for what amounts to half that. Reposting on ebay as authentic will net you profit
People do this for profit
There ia no OEM batch that is being sold off
Thats just delusional
The average price for a used SD is Round $50
If you purchase this for what amounts to half that. Reposting on ebay as authentic will net you profit
People do this for profit
There ia no OEM batch that is being sold off
Thats just delusional
For sure there's tons of shady people doing that. The other side is people who buy direct from the overseas sites and don't understand they're not legit. They see it as just another Amazon where everything is supercheap,
Worse, I've talked to people who don't even understand what a counterfeit is, let alone more complicated things like an authorized dealer, or that, no, a US company doesn't sell their products wholesale to an overseas company to sell them back to the US at below cost.
Going back about 15 years when Hamer was tanking their OEM 59s found their their way to eBay.
Worse, I've talked to people who don't even understand what a counterfeit is, let alone more complicated things like an authorized dealer, or that, no, a US company doesn't sell their products wholesale to an overseas company to sell them back to the US at below cost.
Going back about 15 years when Hamer was tanking their OEM 59s found their their way to eBay.
Just to add. I had no idea there were such a thing as counterfit Duncan pickups. I learned that here. Which was why I bought my 3 recent pickups through authorized dealers like sweetwater and the freind.
If it were not for here I am that guy who searches ebay for the lowest price.
So your not alone.
If it were not for here I am that guy who searches ebay for the lowest price.
So your not alone.
You'd think that selling bootleg stuff wouldn't be worth it at the price they charge, but anything with a recognizable name is bootlegged these days. Pickups that are brand new aren't crazy expensive, but it doesn't matter. We have lots of people here that are good forum members who sell stuff they aren't using that we can vouch for, but lots of people don't know about that.
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