Tonerider & irongear - what's the deal?

moz91

So are their humbuckers really any good??? I'm after a couple of buckers for 'projects' and though Id look at these... Want a hot-ish PAF neck to match an aldrich bridge in a les paul; so thinking a rolling mill, rock song or maybe even a generator.
Then something vintage PAF for the neck position of a 'Keef tele - alnico 2 tonerider or irongear blues engine maybe...
Any experiences (good and bad!!) with these??
Thanks!

imalone

Irongear are pretty good and have good customer service. Haven't tried either of their pickups you suggest, but they should be the ones that match the hot-PAF / vintage-PAF you're going for. I've got a hot slag and jailhouse which are quite hot. Haven't used tonerider.
It'll be pointed out shortly that there are a few UK builders who will hand wind you something even better for not much more (Oil City are another company who do great service), but the cost of irongear is certainly hard to beat.

RocknRollDave

I put a pair of Tonerider Alnico II Classics into my cheapy PRS SE, which previously had nasty S/S/H p/ups and it was a massive improvement. I don't know how they compare to more expensive aftermarket p/ups, simply as I have no experience of the latter. Comparing the PRS now against my LP Studio, the former is clearer, more open..but that's to be expected anyway with the two different styles of guitar.

Short answer: I like them and I'd use them again, certainly if I was going to do the Tele/ neck humbucker thing (which is very much my bag, so I can see the appeal there).

underdog

I've always found irongear very good, and used single coil, buckers and P90s in various guitars.

TTony

moz91 said:

So are their humbuckers really any good???

At the price point, they (Iron Gear) are excellent.  I used to use them extensively, putting them in self-builds, and upgrading/modding standard guitars.  The Blues Engine / Dirty Torque combination is excellent, and is (still) in a couple of my guitars.

But - as I said - I *used to* use them.  I've not bought a new IG for a good few years, and have migrated up-market a little, as I've become aware of the qualities of the many small UK builders.  With Oil City, Bulldog, Mojo, Cats Whisker (et al), you get a much, MUCH, better pickup, for not a lot more money, with the option to speak directly with the pickup winder and perhaps get something a bit different wound for your specific requirements.

Most of my pick-up money has gone to Ash at Oil City in the last year or two, and I've yet to be anything other than completely amazed with the quality of his stuff.

IanSavage

I'm a bit of an Iron Gear fanboi; replaced an SD JB in a guitar that I bought with a Dirty Torque and found the Iron Gear while similar to be slightly better to my ear. Certainly wasn't £40-ish worth of difference there, anyway.

 

I've got a Steel Twin in my hot-rod Esquire (awesome pickup), have an aged Dirty Torque set incoming (POSSIBLY to go into the LP I've just bought, possibly for a selling-on project), and used / fitted for others Steam Hammers (FUCK ME, they're high-output; controllable though), Hammer Heads (much the same, maybe a touch less controllable ), and some Jailhouse Rails in a Strat(probably my least favourite of the ones I've used, although still not bad at all; seemed a bit 'neither-here-nor-there' as they couldn't really do a convincing PAF-y humbucker sound but weren't very Stratty either).

Fuzzdog

I've dropped Iron Gear humbuckers in a few things - they're decent (but not spectacular) pickups, even if you forget the price.

The Dirty Torque/Blues Engine combo really is a nice one - I've put those into some guitars which had far more expensive things in there originally, and been happy with the result.

The Steam Hammer is still my favourite pickup out of anything for widdly 80's high gain nonsense.  Stick one in the bridge of something with a Floyd, add gain, and the results are usually fairly embarrassing, but huge fun. )

Andyjr1515

I would put in ToneRider Alnico IV Classics above stock Gibsons' any day. Done side by side comparisons with two genuine Gibsons and there was no comparison... my own and the owner's personal opinions only, of course.

moz91

Cheers for the responses! Thinking blues engine or an alnico 2 classic might do nicely for tele neck...

I'd thought about the likes of oil city etc but basically I'm trying to spend as little as possible! Somewhere c.40quid a pickup - I've a JB humbucker and a set of area t's to sell which are funding said purchases; so I thought rather than going second hand on the tried and tested duncan 59 I'd try something different!

Any experiences with the tonerider rocksong? Overwound alnico 2 iirc

dilbert

moz91 said:

Any experiences with the tonerider rocksong? Overwound alnico 2 iirc

Certainly have. It's a spanking pickup, enough grunt to drive an amp into dirt but cleans up a treat when the volume is backed off or you pick a little softer. A very responsive and musical pickup but the thing that pissed me off royally with Tonerider, was the limited colours available. 

I think I bought mine from Dangleberry via the bay and in the end settle for a zebra model to fit my Crimson OLP. The tone was superb, the quality was very good indeed. 

I also have a Tonerider Alnico IV in the bridge of my HSS strat and I really like that too.   

dchwhite

moz91;439073" said:

Cheers for the responses! Thinking blues engine or an alnico 2 classic might do nicely for tele neck...

I'd thought about the likes of oil city etc but basically I'm trying to spend as little as possible! Somewhere c.40quid a pickup - I've a JB humbucker and a set of area t's to sell which are funding said purchases; so I thought rather than going second hand on the tried and tested duncan 59 I'd try something different!

Any experiences with the tonerider rocksong? Overwound alnico 2 iirc

Have you seen the oil city workshop clearout thread? Oc hbs for just over £40...

TheMarlin

TTony said:

moz91 said:

So are their humbuckers really any good???

At the price point, they (Iron Gear) are excellent.  I used to use them extensively, putting them in self-builds, and upgrading/modding standard guitars.  The Blues Engine / Dirty Torque combination is excellent, and is (still) in a couple of my guitars.

But - as I said - I *used to* use them.  I've not bought a new IG for a good few years, and have migrated up-market a little, as I've become aware of the qualities of the many small UK builders.  With Oil City, Bulldog, Mojo, Cats Whisker (et al), you get a much, MUCH, better pickup, for not a lot more money, with the option to speak directly with the pickup winder and perhaps get something a bit different wound for your specific requirements.

Most of my pick-up money has gone to Ash at Oil City in the last year or two, and I've yet to be anything other than completely amazed with the quality of his stuff.

+1

Spend a few quid more, and go Oil City or Mojo.  You can't go wrong

Marlin

Jez6345789

There is still a good bit of sonic difference between Asian built with a uk branding and something genuine like Oil City. With the Christmas sale OCP should be a no brained.

thomasw88

I think you'll be fine with Irongear or Tonerider, their pickups are very good.

I've had around 30 sets of pickups from all the big boys and cheapy makers.      my conclusion is that 'better'  is subjective.

moz91

Thought all the oil city HBs on the classifieds were bridge? I'd go for one new but I'm really trying to spend as little as poss!!
Inclined more towards irongear than tonerider I think, although the rocksong sounds decent...
Rolling mill for les Paul, Blues engine for tele maybe...
So much choice!! (

mark123

iv'e tried to get a set of rocksongs   brand new and amazon ,dangleberry music ,e bay all the shops are sold out even the other humbuckers are either sold out or very low ,its as if their is no new stock coming over ?anyone know anything ?

Adam_MD

It's just over 2 weeks to christmas. They're probably very popular at the mo.

jonnyburgo

I put a set of Iron Gear Rolling Mills into a Korean Tokai and it totally transformed it. Having said that I put a set of Seth Lovers into a Sheraton and they blew my mind, but was the sound 4 x as good? Hmm, not really sure.....

siraxeman

Got a pair of Rocksongs in my PRS Custom 22...prefer 'em to the Dragon IIs I took out. They were fine for dirty stuff but too dark for my likings on cleaner stuff. The Rocksongs are brighter and still a highish output pup...If I was gonna buy some buckers again tho I'd go for something tamer as my tastes have gone more towards lower output pups now as they give the best cleans usually and can still sound fat for dirty sounds. I require articulation..but a sweet tone. Hot pups are often more of a one trick pony IMO.

mark123

been looking at other options and the humbuckers have alnico magnets 2 versus 4  whats the difference?(sorry to sidetrack thread but may help o.p too)

am I guessing alnico 2 low vintage output and alnico 4 higher output (I don't know if I noticed an alnico5 as well??)

zenzeypher

They're very good pickups, tone riders if say have the edge, I bought an alnico set off here and decided to take them apart. The build quality was very high, nicely put together and sounded lovely.

It's cheap because it's Chinese made and some of the parts are sourced there (the side of the box shows from which country the components come from)

Again well made and just as good as the high em makers I'd say. Maple splice, decent quality plastics and metals.

I had a few cats whisker pickups that resembled that of the artec variety so it goes to show.