I don't understand the high end Pickup Market

Killcrop

Killcrop

Well-known member
Some of these boutique pickup makers are charging $850 or higher for a pair of humbuckers. $375 for s single coil pickup. Just one.

Pickups are maybe the most simple technology in guitars. It's just wire wrapped around some magnets. There is no magic.

Who is buying this stuff?
 
Yeah, but they come with this cute keepsake box.

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Only 3 or 4 makers that I know of charge prices like that (they do sound very good though IME), but it’s another reason (not that I need more) why I mostly just use good vintage pickups, most of which cost a lot less than that and sound better more importantly and the ones that are more $$ at least are worth it and should hold their value better than that
 
I view pickup and amp replicas about the same. It’s hard to know if the builder really knows what a top of the mountain example really is.

Between vintage variance and how subjective this stuff is anyway it’s a gamble until enough examples are out there…like Germino and Metropoulus.

Like how many of the hundreds of PAF guys have compared a bunch and have the ear to replicate what the majority of buyers would consider the best ?
 
Meanjoegreene said:
I view pickup and amp replicas about the same. It’s hard to know if the builder really knows what a top of the mountain example really is.

Between vintage variance and how subjective this stuff is anyway it’s a gamble until enough examples are out there…like Germino and Metropoulus.

Like how many of the hundreds of PAF guys have compared a bunch and have the ear to replicate what the majority of buyers would consider the best ?
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Those PAFs are all wildly different too - at least the vintage ones are
 
Meanjoegreene said:
Yeah, that’s what I mean. You’ve got all these different PAFs. So who’s to say that whatever set some winder is claiming to replicate is any good anyway.
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I've definitely heard some "super expensive PAF replicas" that don't sound anything like the PAFs I thought sounded good
 
Killcrop said:
Some of these boutique pickup makers are charging $850 or higher for a pair of humbuckers. $375 for s single coil pickup. Just one.

Pickups are maybe the most simple technology in guitars. It's just wire wrapped around some magnets. There is no magic.

Who is buying this stuff?
Click to expand...
It's just stuff for stupid people with money.......


That don't know any better :dunno:
 
there are huge differences, but for me it's more knowing which PU will suit what guitar than the price or "quality". i had PUs make or break a guitar, but never spend more than 300/350€ for a pair of humbuckers.
that was already too much in my opinion, although i will probably make no loss if i sell them.
i am impressed by the lack of mud in some handwound PUs i own, but then i think you could replicate this with a custom cnc winder if you really want to.
 
my friend wanted to find something similar to my tom holmes pu.
after hearing a doug rappaport vid demoing a tone specific pickups which are a bit spendy, i had a high degree of confidence in those. the benefit of hearing a great player demo gear is they have enough experience to draw out the finer elements of the item they demonstrate.

i suggested a pair of them to my friend who threw them in a jem.
made it the best sounding jem i’ve ever heard and the best humbucker he has amidst a sea of duncan, dimarzio, fralin and gibson.
 
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