PICKUPS ___ The 'Need To Know'

PICKUPS

If you have ever changed the Pickups in a guitar you know it can transform that guitar into an entirely different instrument. Like many I got interested in construction which lead to a curiosity in why PU's cost so much. I was shocked that about a good half of the price is for design. You can buy everything but the wire for about $15. Cloning PU's is not rocket science. Magnets with the same specs can be made by anyone without any audible difference. Wire can have subtle density's and difference variables in circumferences so there are preferred brands. Bought on huge spools in bulk it too can be as low as $5 a PU. Companies like Seymour Duncan can not make quantities of hundreds of PU's of a single model a day so they make all the OEM pickups in Korea. 

Korean, Indonesian  and even some MIJ guitars that have Duncan PU's have the Duncan's made in Korea. No they are not dumbed down they buy the wire from the same U.S. companies. I got hold of a pair of Duncan '59 PAF's and compared them both physically and sonically. If I did not label which was which I would not be able to pick out which was which. Yes they sounded identical. One thing I know for sure it is hard not to love a great vintage PU. They are what they are and most brand names offer them. Getting an excellent made one by a reputable Korean maker who already makes the pickups for Gretsch, BC Rich, Dean, Gordon Smith, Ibanez, Schecter, Guild and Strandberg is a given. In fact I got a set of Strat PU's 2 days ago. If they are as good as I feel they will be I intend to sell them under my LENARD Re-Inventions brand. I hope to sell a complete set for under $100.00.

 

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