Boutique pickups and their prices

hotpickups

Wow I'm feeling all self conscious now but hey if someone else benefits as well as me then why not. Damn youtube trolls are my fear who comment on playing etc

normula1

Trevor is warming up his typing fingers 

hotpickups

normula1 said:

Trevor is warming up his typing fingers 

Is that clever Trevor ?

gringopig

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munckee

I'd be interested in that video. I've paid 40 to 75 per pick up from Seymour duncan and several British makers. The highest price was for an alegree filtertron he made to my spec in a couple of days and sounds outstanding in my tele and feels like a bargain. 

For that quuality and ability to discuss my requirements I would certainly pay 90 plus. 

Alegree

munckee said:

I'd be interested in that video. I've paid 40 to 75 per pick up from Seymour duncan and several British makers. The highest price was for an alegree filtertron he made to my spec in a couple of days and sounds outstanding in my tele and feels like a bargain. 

For that quuality and ability to discuss my requirements I would certainly pay 90 plus. 

Noted for next time you come back

earwighoney

TheGuitarWeasel said:

The most expensive part of a 'PAF' replica is a good 'period correct' cover. These can add £40+ to the price of an individual pickup. 
My own Beanos are seen as very much upper mid price, at £95.00 each uncovered. However add a pair of aged, 'Timemachine' covers, and you are talking £135.00 each £270.00 the pair. They are perfectly fine open topped, in fact some would argue 'better', and a pair of standard modern covers would only add £20 to the uncovered price ... however people still seem to want posh covers.

Here are a few interesting facts: China has pretty much a world exclusive on alnico, and every humbucker magnet you will have in your boutique pickups will come from China ... from, most likely, the same factory.
Unlike 60 years ago, there is really only one PVA plain enamel wire manufacturer: Elektrisola ... again, all your pickups will have Electrisola wire ... likely bought from the same wholesaler. 
Unless the pickup maker is relatively large, they will be buying in baseplates, bobbins, pole shoes and slugs and that will be from one of perhaps only three suppliers worldwide (in this country, as far as I know only one pickup maker is large enough to commission their own parts direct from manufacturers).  

So aside from packaging, marketing and 'winding ethos' when you buy high end PAFs you are buying the same parts (providing they only use high end options), no matter the maker. 

Research and development time is not cheap, overheads for professional pickup makers involve having to eat and pay the rent ... so you pays your money and you takes your choice. 

Interesting info about some of the materials to make pickups coming from the same suppliers.  Thanks for posting that Ash. 

RiftAmps

earwighoney said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

The most expensive part of a 'PAF' replica is a good 'period correct' cover. These can add £40+ to the price of an individual pickup. 
My own Beanos are seen as very much upper mid price, at £95.00 each uncovered. However add a pair of aged, 'Timemachine' covers, and you are talking £135.00 each £270.00 the pair. They are perfectly fine open topped, in fact some would argue 'better', and a pair of standard modern covers would only add £20 to the uncovered price ... however people still seem to want posh covers.

Here are a few interesting facts: China has pretty much a world exclusive on alnico, and every humbucker magnet you will have in your boutique pickups will come from China ... from, most likely, the same factory.
Unlike 60 years ago, there is really only one PVA plain enamel wire manufacturer: Elektrisola ... again, all your pickups will have Electrisola wire ... likely bought from the same wholesaler. 
Unless the pickup maker is relatively large, they will be buying in baseplates, bobbins, pole shoes and slugs and that will be from one of perhaps only three suppliers worldwide (in this country, as far as I know only one pickup maker is large enough to commission their own parts direct from manufacturers).  

So aside from packaging, marketing and 'winding ethos' when you buy high end PAFs you are buying the same parts (providing they only use high end options), no matter the maker. 

Research and development time is not cheap, overheads for professional pickup makers involve having to eat and pay the rent ... so you pays your money and you takes your choice. 

Interesting info about some of the materials to make pickups coming from the same suppliers.  Thanks for posting that Ash. 

It's quite common in this industry, and as Ash rightly pointed out most small mnfrs cannot afford to have every component custom made for us so parts are most likely sourced from a small selection of distributors and suppliers.

Of course, does that all matter? Maybe, maybe not. Although, if I went head-to-head against Gordon Ramsey with the same cooking ingredients his meal would probably turn out tasting better