GFS Pickups ... Garbage?

  • Thread starter Thread starter JerEvil
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JerEvil

JerEvil

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I keep seeing the name but don't know anyone that actually uses them. They are cheaper than dirt. $70 for a pair of humbuckers. I was looking at these:

http://www.guitarfetish.com/Alnico-Fat- ... _c_68.html

thumbnail.asp
 
Garbage is a little bit of a strong term. How about bargain or affordable or cheap import?
 
chumbucket":1vpqnr7h said:
Garbage is a little bit of a strong term. How about bargain or affordable or cheap import?
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I would disagree in that reasonably priced gear can be awesome. It can also be garbage. I guess my question should be, do they hold their own against, say a Seymour Duncan or do they sound like a $35 piece of gear?
 
I've been playing a Giles USA guitar for a couple of months that has a couple of GFS pickups in it. They actually sound really good...good enough for me to gig with. The price makes it even better.
 
SkyhighRocks":1fgvpq8a said:
I've been playing a Giles USA guitar for a couple of months that has a couple of GFS pickups in it. They actually sound really good...good enough for me to gig with. The price makes it even better.
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See. now were talking. Do you know which model they are?
 
Never used one, but there are usually plenty of great deals on brand name pickups in the classifieds.
 
I installed one of the crunchy rails in a friends guitar once. Sounded as good as an X2N to me (I don't like X2N's).

I've got GFS's new Redactives in 3 of my ESP Vipers and I LOOOOOOOVE them. They are a vintage voiced active that IMO is what the EMG 57 and 66 want to be.

For the money I think they are worth the risk. But you can get known good sounding duncans used for not much more.

But to me the Redactives are easily worth EMG prices. It's awesome they aren't though.
 
I had a dream 90 for a bit... In the neck of an Epi Paul...

Undistinguished, kinda muddy. Did have the P90 tonality, just no personality.

Gave it to Jerry D to fuck with...
 
nwright":2nhwjsg0 said:
I installed one of the crunchy rails in a friends guitar once. Sounded as good as an X2N to me (I don't like X2N's).

I've got GFS's new Redactives in 3 of my ESP Vipers and I LOOOOOOOVE them. They are a vintage voiced active that IMO is what the EMG 57 and 66 want to be.

For the money I think they are worth the risk. But you can get known good sounding duncans used for not much more.

But to me the Redactives are easily worth EMG prices. It's awesome they aren't though.
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Nice. I thought I remembered you mentioning the Redactives. Maybe I'll risk the $65 on a pair of the passives.
 
I like them. I have a least 5 sets on different guitars. The like the crunchy pat & veh, the best. I should look into those you're looking at.
 
kissmyace":2wzterwv said:
I like them. I have a least 5 sets on different guitars. The like the crunchy pat & veh, the best. I should look into those you're looking at.
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How would you compare them to other pickups you've owned? Any clips?
 
No clips, but the 2 I mentioned are pretty close, both in LP type guitars(epi, agile). Both have a nice bite to them and the veh neck sounds a little more full. I have a single coil size hb in my tele, that sounds good, but is a little too hot. Coulda got a little less hot one, I guess. I have their p90 style, hb size pickups in another LP( Mean 90's), I really like. They have a nice grind to them, but have some noise, being single coils.
 
I've had a few.. the rails are pretty solid. I liked the neck one well enough..as good as the dimarzios i was trying mind you they were an area 58 and an HS3 so it would sound meatier. Their VEH pup didn't impress me much but i did only try it in a darker strat so maybe i should have tried it in a brighter guitar. I'd say they can sound good depending on the pup. So much of it has to do with the wood of your guitar.. with any pup really. It's all a crap shoot.
 
I had the Power Rails in the neck of my Petrucci and it was outstanding.
 
Kapo_Polenton":1hm5m3yf said:
I've had a few.. the rails are pretty solid. I liked the neck one well enough..as good as the dimarzios i was trying mind you they were an area 58 and an HS3 so it would sound meatier. Their VEH pup didn't impress me much but i did only try it in a darker strat so maybe i should have tried it in a brighter guitar. I'd say they can sound good depending on the pup. So much of it has to do with the wood of your guitar.. with any pup really. It's all a crap shoot.
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True. Going to head to the YouTube and check out some vids.
 
Had a Lil' Puncher in the neck of a Tele. Great pickup!!
 
I had a pair of their VEH pickups (Van Halen ones). Really good hot PAF type pickups.

Sounded really good, looked and felt well made. No problems with them.

I'd get then again for sure!

And as a bonus £60 for the pair shipped to the uk!
 
I've put a few in other people's guitars and a few in mine. Here's what I noticed with the GFS pickups:

The hotter you go, the muddier they get. I know this is true in general with all pickups, but the same output SD or Dimarzio would have better clarity, detail, and openess than the GFS pickups.

Sometimes the screw holes on the plates were off a bit. Maybe quality control issue? They still fit, but seems there were wide tolerances, and maybe sit a little cocked, or needed a pickgaurd routed a bit for the pickups to fit (due to bobbins being a little wide).

They make a ton of models, but I would stay on the lower to medium output side of things for clarity and detail sake.

I have a GFS Fatbody tele neck pickup that ended my search. The bridge was knocked out by a Fralin, but the GFS neck pickup was better than the Fralin. Go figure. If your looking for a clearer, juicier, more strat like tele neck pickup - get one of these.

I think they are a good source to try different styles of pickups for your particular guitar. Ask yourself how many sets of pickups you try out in a guitar before you hit the right combo. I'd rather spend $60 on a pair from GFS than $200 on a boutique set 5 or 6 times over. Figure out what magnets and winds you like in that guitar and if the GFS pickups aren't all the way there for you, at least you narrowed down the field when you look for pricer pickups.
 
boost":25wvfqlk said:
I've put a few in other people's guitars and a few in mine. Here's what I noticed with the GFS pickups:

The hotter you go, the muddier they get. I know this is true in general with all pickups, but the same output SD or Dimarzio would have better clarity, detail, and openess than the GFS pickups.

Sometimes the screw holes on the plates were off a bit. Maybe quality control issue? They still fit, but seems there were wide tolerances, and maybe sit a little cocked, or needed a pickgaurd routed a bit for the pickups to fit (due to bobbins being a little wide).

They make a ton of models, but I would stay on the lower to medium output side of things for clarity and detail sake.

I have a GFS Fatbody tele neck pickup that ended my search. The bridge was knocked out by a Fralin, but the GFS neck pickup was better than the Fralin. Go figure. If your looking for a clearer, juicier, more strat like tele neck pickup - get one of these.

I think they are a good source to try different styles of pickups for your particular guitar. Ask yourself how many sets of pickups you try out in a guitar before you hit the right combo. I'd rather spend $60 on a pair from GFS than $200 on a boutique set 5 or 6 times over. Figure out what magnets and winds you like in that guitar and if the GFS pickups aren't all the way there for you, at least you narrowed down the field when you look for pricer pickups.
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Sounds like wise advice. Thanks for the post.
 
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