Pickup Comparison: Jim Wagner Godwood vs ToneNerd Psykes CLIPS!

[LPMojoGL]

Did a pickup swap on my Gibson Explorer. Figured I'd make some recordings while I was at it.
Here are the results.

This isn't exactly an apples to apples comparison.
The Godwood is like a hot-rodded PAF. It packs a wallop, and hangs with most high output pups, but has a vintage vibe. Tight, upfront mids, open, super dynamic. Love what it did in the Explorer when I replaced the crappy Gibson 496r and 500t.
The Psykes is a handwired pickup based on an old-school, don't make em like they used to, Gibson Dirty Fingers. Those are currently going for $350-$700+ on Reverb. Scott painstakingly dialed in his Psykes to be as close to a great, old Dirty Fingers as he could get it, while improving the noise and controllability with some much needed wax potting. The result is a high output pickup, with outstanding clarity and surprising dynamics, that will suit your needs when you want something to push your amps in a bit more modern, less middy/vintage direction.

For the Soundcloud clips, I was playing into a 1984 Marshall 4104, SM57 on a V30, PG27 on a GB.
Godwood always played first, followed by the Psykes.

First up, AC/DC style, straight into Marshall:


Next up, some Drop D:


And finally for the bridge pup, kind of a thrashy thing:




Here are some neck pup comparisons. This ToneNerd neck pickup is an expiremental one-off. Scott was high on solder fumes and Chuck Norris IPA, listening to ABBA vinyl backwards. This creation is truly touched by another world. It's kind of his Psykes wind, with a fat A5 magnet instead of 3 ceramics. It measures 16.3k, vs the Psykes at 16.7k. It spanks the Marshall in the best way, yet cleans up near as well as the Godwood. I told Scott folks are going to want this if they ever get a chance to hear it.

Here's the first clip, again, Godwood first, ToneNerd next:


And some blues rock kinda thing:

 

[LPMojoGL]

Here are a couple of Youtube clips.

Here is the Godwood into the SLO OD channel, gain at 4 on the dial, master volume at 1, Strymon DIG in the effects loop, through a Bogner OS2x12 loaded with a V30 and 1979 G12-65, recorded with a Samsung S22:


Same thing, different day, different pup - Psykes:

 

[Junk Yard Dog]

Tonenerd Psykes seems to have more sizzle and balls, at least on my crappy laptop speakers.

 

[thegame]

Godwood sounds much clearer. More character, better pick attack and string to string definition.

 

[LPMojoGL]

Godwood sounds much clearer. More character, better pick attack and string to string definition.

Interesting. First thing I noticed after the swap was the clarity of the Psykes.

 

[scottosan]

Godwood sounds much clearer. More character, better pick attack and string to string definition.

As I would expect from a PAF vs a 17k ceramic.

 

[scottosan]

Different tools, the Psykes will shake the walls with the thunderous low-end