While some pickup manufacturers charge very high prices for their pickups, it seems to my mind that the technology involved in a traditional single coil or humbucker pickup is 70 years old - and really quite simple.
Whilst I am sure such top dollar companies make great pickups, how much of these reputations are marketing and image? Is a single coil from Iron Gear or Tonerider just as good as an Amalfitano or a Mark Foley pickup? Just to name some makers at random...
When it comes to noiseless technology (Kinmans, DiMarzio Areas etc) I can understand the prices - there's a lot of Research and Development going on and that does add to the price (whether or not they sound like a genuine single coil is of course a different matter).
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What I can say is that, having swapped pickups out of my three main guitars (Red Special, Les Paul, Washburn N4), it’s easily the most cost-effective upgrade you can make. Smoother sound in the Red Special and Les Paul compared to the stock units, and greater harmonic content in the N4.
There’s a lot more going on behind the scenes in terms of material selection, construction and wrap pattern which has a critical effect on the tone.
Tbh, there does come a price point where you do have to ask “really?” and some of the boutique wonders (esp US based) will charge extra for their name and the R&D they have done in the past. However some of these are fairy dust merchants, who’s snake oil marketing play a big part in the process.
In the UK right now, I truly believe that we have some of the best pickup winders in the world - and most of them charge very sensible prices. All of them make pickups that are head and shoulders better sounding than anything I’ve heard from Tonerider, Iron Gear, Vanson or any of the other Far eastern offerings.
Opinions about guitar tone are subjective. The "sound in your head" is an elusive moving target. Part of what you are paying for is confidence that Seymour Duncan, Larry DiMarzio and the others can build pickups that will deliver under stage or studio conditions.
Arguably, confidence is more important than how the pickups sound.
The flip side of brand confidence is confirmation bias. The brain and the wallet collude to persuade the ears that an expensive "custom shop", "boutique", "special" pickup sounds better than that same manufacturer's regular production line version of the same general design.
Ultimately, pickups do not exist in a vacuum. They need to compliment the host guitar. An unremarkable pickup can work wonders in the right surroundings.
The Gibson Skylark pickup is, literally, copper wire coiled around a magnet. Attached to a slab of well-seasoned mahogany, it sounds wonderful.
My SD Classic Stacks were £90 each and I spent £55 on a new plate and pots so I could keep my original plate intact.
£325 total but to me it transformed the guitar into exactly what I wanted.
To me, worth every penny.
I use his vintage pafs too and compared to most others they're just as good or better, they cost less and without the b.s
His new paf covers are superb too, makes no difference to tone but they look right
(formerly customkits)
I've replaced stock pickups with custom wound before and ended up putting the stock back on because it suited the guitar better. Other guitars have been transformed by upgrading hand wound pickups.
I personally wouldn't spend more than the likes of BKP /Oil City/Mojo because I'm not a good enough guitar player to make a difference. And I doubt they're much better than what you can get for sensible money these days
Yeah, I agree that the technology is quite old but it's how deep you want the winder to go with their product/process/research that makes the difference. That's miles apart from the dude that's ordering the cheapest stuff from China, cobbling it together, and then marketing himself as a guru.
Rift Amplification
Brackley, Northamptonshire
www.riftamps.co.uk
I have no doubt that any of the UK pickup winders, some of whom are members of this forum, could and do produce pickups that are every bit as good as branded (costly) pickups. In my case, a shop assistant recommend the SDs, a guitar tech the Lollars. Both turned out to be absolutely spot on with their recommendations. You need advice, not opinions, from users who know the characteristics of different pickups to help you decide.
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
They make a lot more sense that buying Throbaks IMO. I wanted Throbaks because the covers look incredible and look even better after a year on the guitar. And so....I was surprised and happy to discover that he was willing to sell the covers seperately for "reasonable" money. (Some of you are reporting that UK builders are now offering accurate covers and I do not doubt that for a moment).
Secondly, I've tried lots of pickups and the guitar makes a huge difference. Pickups that are great in one guitar can sound mediocre in another.
Thirdly, just because Fred Bloggs is handwiring his scatterwound pickups using all original materials does not mean Bloggs' pickups are as good as BKP or Lollar.
Lastly, its a matter of taste. I have dozens of pickups and yet I have 4 guitars with Gibson 490/498 pickups because I like them. I'm also a fan of Gibson Classic 57s even though my BKPs, Lollars, Fralins, Gibson Custombuckers/Livebuckers/Burstbuckers actually have better string separation, clarity and dynamics. No such thing a "better", only "better for me in this particular guitar".