Noiseless pickups never sound as good as the clunky old designs. As soon as you cancel 60 cycle hum, many other frequencies are notched out of the frequency response and you get a rather lifeless sounding tone, sad but true. I never found any noiseless single coil type pickups to really have that luscious kick real single coils have, or I'd be making and using them....
Unfortunately no, you can't nail perfectly a vintage set of pickups of any kind. 2 reasons being, vintage magnet wire is very different now than what was made back in those days, and magnets aren't quite the same either. One can get pretty darn close, especially if you have the pickups to compare side by side with while trying to duplicate them, but if you like yours, KEEP 'em ;-)
Sounds great. Can you really reproduce the sound of a specific set of old pickups? I have a set of 65 Strat P/Us that I would love to sell if they could ever be accurately copied. The repros done by a well known winder sound very, very nice but also sound completely different from the '65's . I wonder if the effect of the passing of time on the components is the most important factor no matter how closely the materials and construction techniques match up....
I would own two sets of your P-90 pickups if they were half what you're charging for them. I love all these choices from the boteek winders, but the prices are getting out of hand. Most folks are looking at putting these things in guitars that are barely worth as much.
@vibroluxor 99.9% of all boutique pickups are nothing more than kit parts wound by hobbyists. The Vintage Lab P90's/ PAF's / and TTops are completely different. The majority of the parts in these are machined and plated (if necessery) in my own small machine shop by me, from select metal stock that most closely resembles actual reverse engineered vintage parts. There is about ten times the actual production time involved in these sets and they are priced accordingly. You get what you pay for ;-)
@SDPickups I completely respect that you feel tthat way, I wouldn't expect anything less. But let's be honest - the engineering for these things has been done already. You're not creating the PAF or Single Coil, you're copying them. You are welcome to charge what you want, and if people are willing to pay then we can say they were worth it, but for me, a gigging musician who doesn't own a guitar worth over $500, I know that a pickup that costs 30% 50% more won't make me 30% 50% better.
@vibroluxor The engineering was done over 50 years ago with materials that don't exist anymore. Believe me, on PAF's alone I have spent a solid 8 years studying actual vintage materials in those pickups, studying the technologies of the period, paying labs to analyze parts and tell me what they are and how they were made. I have thousands of dollars invested in time and lab work. Not to mention years of experiments to replicate vintage materials. Its not a simple thing as one would think...
@vibroluxor There really isn't anyone I know who has ACCURATELY reproduced these pickups, this is my passion and specialty. The pickups were simple but no one gets the details right, nor has done a TRUE reverse engineering effort to the extremes that I have full time. If I could sell cheaper I would, but to recreate every detail and material correctly takes tremendous time. I empathize with gigging musicians, and I will do layaway for them. But yes, TALENT is more important than gear.
@SDPickups For the followers of this thread - I have decided to take Dave up on his offer to "layway", I'll use gig money to pay for 'em as it comes in. I do feel that from the various sound demos out there, and my experience with Gibson and Fralin P-90s, SDs have more "Vibe". I'll always have a problem with spending this much money on something so seemly simple, but I find tone to be hugely inspirational, and these pups have tone.
@vibroluxor Thanks for the comment. I also will accept partial trades if musicians have gear I'm interested in. If the pickups don't nail it for you, you also get a free one time adjustment or exchange, you only pay for postage. So, you don't get stuck if its not working for you.
@hq72hotmale Commercial pickup parts aren't made in China, they are made in Japan and Korea. The VL90 parts and screws are made by myself and US made. Pretty much ALL alnico magnets sold in the US are made in China. They totally dominated the market and drove all the US and Korean alnico makers out of business by selling nearly at cost. But, they make absolutely fabulous magnets that are as good or better than vintage. I've had many custom magnets made for my work that look and sound vintage.
@cochomotion Its my Victoria Regal II, a very vintagey type design, cathode biased power tubes with a 15 inch alnico speaker. It can use one power tube or two and use many different types; I probably had a single 6V6 in it during the demo, or 2 6L6's, don't really remember.
They are still there, the P13 reissue set, just enter "sdpickups" in the search term here on YouTube and you will see all my pickup videos, the P13's are the ones you are talking about....
Those are the P13 set, there are two videos here in my SDPICKUPS page, just click on that by the "subscribe" button on the upper right to see al my videos.
No they are not potted, none of the originals were ever potted. I can pot them but you will lose a whole dimension of tone and they will get a bit hard sounding....
This man is a pickup magician! One day, when I have the scratch, I'm gonna get me a Charlie Christian pickup for a flying V burn victim that I shall restore to its former rockin' glory!
This is the next VINTAGE LAB product, based on lab analysis and back-engineering of authentic vintage materials and pickups. This clip is done through my Victoria Regal II with a pair of 6l6GC power tubes, for maximum headroom in this amp. Amp is dimed. Set is available now, any questions, ask away....
amazing tone
llamawizard 3 months ago
Very good sound !!.. do you sell pickups like this ?
geordie54 3 months ago
@geordie54 The website is listed at the end of the video, go there ;-) and check the price list....
SDPickups 3 months ago
Noiseless pickups never sound as good as the clunky old designs. As soon as you cancel 60 cycle hum, many other frequencies are notched out of the frequency response and you get a rather lifeless sounding tone, sad but true. I never found any noiseless single coil type pickups to really have that luscious kick real single coils have, or I'd be making and using them....
SDPickups 11 months ago
amazing playing and tone but unfortunately-60 cycle hum.
CDNBOBify 11 months ago
Unfortunately no, you can't nail perfectly a vintage set of pickups of any kind. 2 reasons being, vintage magnet wire is very different now than what was made back in those days, and magnets aren't quite the same either. One can get pretty darn close, especially if you have the pickups to compare side by side with while trying to duplicate them, but if you like yours, KEEP 'em ;-)
SDPickups 1 year ago
Sounds great. Can you really reproduce the sound of a specific set of old pickups? I have a set of 65 Strat P/Us that I would love to sell if they could ever be accurately copied. The repros done by a well known winder sound very, very nice but also sound completely different from the '65's . I wonder if the effect of the passing of time on the components is the most important factor no matter how closely the materials and construction techniques match up....
KnuckleWhisperer 1 year ago
I would own two sets of your P-90 pickups if they were half what you're charging for them. I love all these choices from the boteek winders, but the prices are getting out of hand. Most folks are looking at putting these things in guitars that are barely worth as much.
vibroluxor 1 year ago
@vibroluxor 99.9% of all boutique pickups are nothing more than kit parts wound by hobbyists. The Vintage Lab P90's/ PAF's / and TTops are completely different. The majority of the parts in these are machined and plated (if necessery) in my own small machine shop by me, from select metal stock that most closely resembles actual reverse engineered vintage parts. There is about ten times the actual production time involved in these sets and they are priced accordingly. You get what you pay for ;-)
SDPickups 1 year ago
@SDPickups I completely respect that you feel tthat way, I wouldn't expect anything less. But let's be honest - the engineering for these things has been done already. You're not creating the PAF or Single Coil, you're copying them. You are welcome to charge what you want, and if people are willing to pay then we can say they were worth it, but for me, a gigging musician who doesn't own a guitar worth over $500, I know that a pickup that costs 30% 50% more won't make me 30% 50% better.
vibroluxor 1 year ago
@vibroluxor The engineering was done over 50 years ago with materials that don't exist anymore. Believe me, on PAF's alone I have spent a solid 8 years studying actual vintage materials in those pickups, studying the technologies of the period, paying labs to analyze parts and tell me what they are and how they were made. I have thousands of dollars invested in time and lab work. Not to mention years of experiments to replicate vintage materials. Its not a simple thing as one would think...
SDPickups 1 year ago
@vibroluxor There really isn't anyone I know who has ACCURATELY reproduced these pickups, this is my passion and specialty. The pickups were simple but no one gets the details right, nor has done a TRUE reverse engineering effort to the extremes that I have full time. If I could sell cheaper I would, but to recreate every detail and material correctly takes tremendous time. I empathize with gigging musicians, and I will do layaway for them. But yes, TALENT is more important than gear.
SDPickups 1 year ago
The music at the beginning of the video is just stock music included in Apple's iMovie.
SDPickups 1 year ago
@SDPickups For the followers of this thread - I have decided to take Dave up on his offer to "layway", I'll use gig money to pay for 'em as it comes in. I do feel that from the various sound demos out there, and my experience with Gibson and Fralin P-90s, SDs have more "Vibe". I'll always have a problem with spending this much money on something so seemly simple, but I find tone to be hugely inspirational, and these pups have tone.
vibroluxor 1 year ago
@vibroluxor Thanks for the comment. I also will accept partial trades if musicians have gear I'm interested in. If the pickups don't nail it for you, you also get a free one time adjustment or exchange, you only pay for postage. So, you don't get stuck if its not working for you.
SDPickups 1 year ago
what's the name of the intor song? :D
arrelite 1 year ago
are your pickups now made in the usa as on your site it does say
Quote''MACHINED IN MY OWN MACHINE SHOP''end quote
none of them are made in china ?
this is a question i am curious about?
hq72hotmale 1 year ago
@hq72hotmale Commercial pickup parts aren't made in China, they are made in Japan and Korea. The VL90 parts and screws are made by myself and US made. Pretty much ALL alnico magnets sold in the US are made in China. They totally dominated the market and drove all the US and Korean alnico makers out of business by selling nearly at cost. But, they make absolutely fabulous magnets that are as good or better than vintage. I've had many custom magnets made for my work that look and sound vintage.
SDPickups 1 year ago
what is the amplifier in that demo ?
cochomotion 1 year ago
@cochomotion Its my Victoria Regal II, a very vintagey type design, cathode biased power tubes with a 15 inch alnico speaker. It can use one power tube or two and use many different types; I probably had a single 6V6 in it during the demo, or 2 6L6's, don't really remember.
SDPickups 1 year ago
Hi -thats nice - greetings from germany -winni
bugaddi51 2 years ago
I am impressed.
vecinto 2 years ago
Fantastic!!!
Grandma Mary
Fr3derick 2 years ago
They are still there, the P13 reissue set, just enter "sdpickups" in the search term here on YouTube and you will see all my pickup videos, the P13's are the ones you are talking about....
SDPickups 2 years ago
I want to give a second life to my old Kay k-20t (SG model) and your replica seems to sound better than current real gibson p90.
RythmTR 2 years ago
what happened to your harmony inspired pickups?
newking70 2 years ago
Those are the P13 set, there are two videos here in my SDPICKUPS page, just click on that by the "subscribe" button on the upper right to see al my videos.
SDPickups 2 years ago
these are not potted?
newking70 2 years ago
No they are not potted, none of the originals were ever potted. I can pot them but you will lose a whole dimension of tone and they will get a bit hard sounding....
SDPickups 2 years ago
Your pickups sound really great. You've discovered the formula of gold !
jp6l6 2 years ago
Fantastic pickups Dave! Yet another set that I now need to get for myself......
soundmasterg 2 years ago
This man is a pickup magician! One day, when I have the scratch, I'm gonna get me a Charlie Christian pickup for a flying V burn victim that I shall restore to its former rockin' glory!
ramonesacidpillsh 2 years ago
Real Deal Tone!
Your pickups are stunning man, amazing work. Can't wait to get a p90 style guitar to try them on.
ohmmigawd 2 years ago
This is the next VINTAGE LAB product, based on lab analysis and back-engineering of authentic vintage materials and pickups. This clip is done through my Victoria Regal II with a pair of 6l6GC power tubes, for maximum headroom in this amp. Amp is dimed. Set is available now, any questions, ask away....
Dave Stephens
SDPickups 2 years ago