Motor City Pickups

S

SonOfMI

New member
I have a ‘72 LP Custom that I bought with a Duncan JB in the bridge. I want to swap out both pickups. The neck is a Duncan 59 I think. The pickups are newer, but I’m not a fan of Duncan’s really. I’ve been checking out other brands and found Motor City Pickups. I really like the Detroiter and the Afwayu from the clips I’ve heard on YouTube. And I’m excited about keeping this in the state of MI, since this guitar was built on the west side of the state over in Kzoo. This guitar is a player, it’s not a showpiece, but is bright sounding.

I tend towards heavier stuff like Metallica but also dig AC/DC and even some classic rock stuff like Bad Company, tho I do like to play those songs with more dirt than they originally had. My amps are a 5150III 50watt 6L6 combo and a Mesa Mini Recto with matching 1x12 cab. I get most of my tones from those 2, primarily the 5150III blue channel for rock and high gain from the Mesa’s channel 2. If I want something different tone wise I have a Fractal I’ll fire up through a pair of FRFR for Diezel, Marshall or Friedman tones. I have a few guitars, most of them “one trick ponies”, either loaded with EMGs or I have this fetish for Gibson’s 498 pickup which I’ll grab a guitar with that when I’m in a rock/hard rock mood. I wouldn’t mind this LP being more diverse. The YouTube clips I’ve heard make me think I can get good high gain tones with the Detroiter even though it’s not high output. Which would you recommend, that or the Afwayu for this guitar?

And a few other questions…

I’m thinking to order whatever pickup set with aged gold covers. The bridge and tuners on this, while not OEM, are still gold that’s been worn, it even looks natural. How do the Motor City aged gold covers look? I haven’t been able to find photos online and have gotten no replies when I’ve emailed.

And lastly, does anyone know the turn around time right now? I read up on them and it seems like even before Covid slowed everything Motor City Pickups took a few weeks to a couple of months from order to pickups in hand. I’m not in a rush, but would like to know current experiences. Thanks in advance!
 
Hmm... welcome to the forum, mate.

No hello / introduction / preamble in first post?

You're not a 🤖 are you? :confused: :LOL:
 
Most of us here buy used MCPs when they come up…Wade is busy yes but doesn’t seem to respond to messages.
That said, if you order one it may take a while but I haven’t heard of anyone NOT getting a pickup.
I presently have an Angel Dust in one of my Charvels and an underwound Afwayu in another. I think an underwound Afwayu might work for your LP….the issue with this pickup is the large bass response which would be overwhelming maybe in an LP. But I think an underwound Afwayu would work well.
 
They're good pickups but the turn around time is long, and wade isn't the best at responding to potential customers in a timely fashion.

To put it diplomatically.
 
Incredible pickups. I've received everything I've ordered, unlike Arcane. Love the Blackbelt II pickups
 
You could also check into Pariah pickups based in the Detroit area. They have lots of options, responded quickly to an email inquiry I sent and also offered up a few options or custom winds that weren't listed on the website when I described what I was looking for. They had a good turn around time on my orders (3 week wait currently listed on website).
 
Motor City pickups are fantastic. My orders took 3 months almost on the nose.

Consider that guitars, and possibly even more so specialty pickups, are luxury items. If you aren't willing to wait and hope for them to arrive, then you don't really want them.

I got them because I knew these were what I wanted, I was willing to wait and not bug anybody asking where my pickups are every other day. If you don't know if these are what you want, buy used...
 
I would try getting used ones first. Wade makes great pickups but he's not the fastest. I believe he's a one man shop. I've been seeing Afwyu's and Detroiters on the used market lately. The classifieds here are a great place to watch for pickups. I was able to snag a set of Solutions at a great price from the classifieds here. There's also other forums and also Reverb to watch out for Motor City's. If you don't mind the wait, place an order. If you want fast turnaround and a great pickup with awesome customer service, check out JWP pickups. Jim Wagner is a great dude and is a great winder.
 
Drkorey said:
You could also check into Pariah pickups based in the Detroit area. They have lots of options, responded quickly to an email inquiry I sent and also offered up a few options or custom winds that weren't listed on the website when I described what I was looking for. They had a good turn around time on my orders (3 week wait currently listed on website).
Click to expand...
Pariah's are good. I know a couple guys endorsed by them, and their guitars sound great. Been meaning to get some myself but i have a bit of a pickup surplus at the moment.
 
Yep, best thing to do with Wade is to sit tight.
I just ordered a Dim Milk for my Strat bridge pickup.
Y’all can stick the JB Jr up your butts.
I bet Seymour Duncan Custom Shop could
wind a custom one?
 
Racerxrated said:
Most of us here buy used MCPs when they come up…Wade is busy yes but doesn’t seem to respond to messages.
That said, if you order one it may take a while but I haven’t heard of anyone NOT getting a pickup.
I presently have an Angel Dust in one of my Charvels and an underwound Afwayu in another. I think an underwound Afwayu might work for your LP….the issue with this pickup is the large bass response which would be overwhelming maybe in an LP. But I think an underwound Afwayu would work well.
Click to expand...
I have been watching Reverb for a few weeks, thinking I'd try whatever came up and if I didn't dig it, take it out and sell it, but no dice. Seems they pop up here once a month or so.
 
Drkorey said:
You could also check into Pariah pickups based in the Detroit area. They have lots of options, responded quickly to an email inquiry I sent and also offered up a few options or custom winds that weren't listed on the website when I described what I was looking for. They had a good turn around time on my orders (3 week wait currently listed on website).
Click to expand...
I haven't heard of Pariah before, but I'll look into them. Windsor is not Detroit, not even Michigan, but it might be close enough if I dig their stuff. This might not be totally irrational, but it's what I want to do so to me its very cool and it's more because of the history of this guitar. I had an uncle that moved from Detroit to the west side of the state in the early 70's and got a job in the Gibson factory in Kzoo. There's no way I can verify he touched this guitar or even did anything that might have impacted it's build, but I really dig what I heard of those 2 Motor City Pickups and love the idea of the guitar and pickups both made in Michigan. I was going to do the same thing for my Heritage H150 (built in the exact same factory as this LP Custom was) until I picked up this LP Custom, but I'll go in a different direction with the Heritage now probably. If I'm not keen on the wait or whatever with Motor City Pickups, I was inclined to continue exploring my Gibson 498 fetish, which I have a few sitting in a drawer. But I will check out Pariah. If they have something I like more than the Motor City ones I've heard I might spring for them.
 
For something under the radar:

http://www.gravelinpickups.com/products/#guitar
I’ve got a custom set in my 75 LPC. I love them. I called him on the phone and talked tone for about an hour. Talked about what I play, the gear I use, etc.
Basically said I’m looking for Skyes in the bridge and Moore in the neck. He nailed it, imho. Think he’s in MI, too, fwiw.

Here’s an iPhone improv clip:
 
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Love the Detroiter in my SG. Didn't like the 2nd Degree Black belts as much in a Les Paul.
My last few pickups have come from @scottosan, and they're every bit as good as the Detroiter, as well as other high end pups I have. Give him a shout. You'll be glad you did.
 
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