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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.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
http://www.porterpickups.com/products/pickups/humbucker-pickups/anthem-paf/
Click on the sound sample at the bottom, sounds lovely.
Why don't you come up here to the workshop, I'll install a range of boutique PAF clones into your own guitar that you can try blind. Once you've picked your favourite I'll tell you what they are and how much they cost. That way you'll know which ones (if any) work for you. No 'snake oil', no marketing BS, just your ears and fingers.
Deal?
Rift Amplification
Brackley, Northamptonshire
www.riftamps.co.uk
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Tell that to the Bare Knuckle Riff Raff
Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
Its a serious offer by the way
Rift Amplification
Brackley, Northamptonshire
www.riftamps.co.uk
I know BK have their bobbins made ... and indeed their covers and baseplates ... in the UK, glad to hear there is another. For most of us the tooling costs are far too high for the volume we sell.
Below: Top bobbin is a cheaper PVC Chinese made one. Lower one is a correct reproduction PAF one. The PAF style one has a slightly wider winding area too.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
An idea I'd propose, though, on the exploitation front - it could be argued that the ignorant are being exploited. There definitely seems to be some people (I just mean in general) who either fully or partially believe that when prices are set they're justified in some way based on manufacturing costs, quality differences etc. So these people are only paying more because they believe that they must be getting more or else the price wouldn't be so high. When, as as been pointed out, the reality is that the price is limited by nothing other than whether someone is willing to pay it.
Something that always sticks in my head was when I was young and my mate was tasked with getting the shopping in while his parents were on holiday or something and when he was looking around for coffee or something I asked which one he was looking for and he said he was just looking for the most expensive one because that will be the best. As if the companies will all be completely honest about how good their product is in relation to others and price accordingly. There actually is sections of most markets based purely around the idea that some people will pay very high prices for things so things are sold at that price purely to meet that demand that isn't based on any real life qualities.
Having said all that, I don't think the ignorant rich consumers should be protected from themselves or anything; I think the supply and demand pricing (at least for things like pickups, not everything) is fine. Just observing that not everyone looks at the product for what it is then decides if the price is reasonable - they look at the price and think that it indicates honestly the quality of a product.
Rift Amplification
Brackley, Northamptonshire
www.riftamps.co.uk