DeArmond Gold Tone

Passive humbucker...

I put this in a Squire Tele special. That's the only tele I have found with a single coil in the neck and a humbucker in the bridge. I have a Custom Shop Texas Special single coil in it. The stock pickup was crap and I wanted to get a different sound out the tele.

The out put is about the same as the stock squire ones but I wanted something that would work with the single coil. I am using it with a flextone III and a 67 Bassman head with 2x12 green back cab. It sounds really clear and chimey clean and can get some ranch when overdriven. The tone is well balanced. It's kind of like a SD 59 but with out so much bass. I like it it's different but classic. I play blues/indie/rock mix. Works great for that combo. I wouldn't use it for metal but that is not what I play.

I would be hard pressed to find another one but I would look. I have been playing for over 10 years and I own a DeArmond m75 (which is what it came out of), a es335, and this tele special. I love the sound and it mixes well with the texas special.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs: Not sure

Model of guitar or bass: Dearmond Jetstar
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: none (stock)
Other pickups on guitar: two goldtones
Artists using this pickup: none that I know of, but honestly... someone should be...
You musical style(s): Blues, funk, jazz, some classic rock
Reason for pickup change: NA

Perceived output level: The neck has slightly more output than the bridge, i suppose they are a tad hotter than normal PAFs
Tone: Bridge: trebly and middy with lots of bite, but not piercing Neck: deep full rich and creamy, verrrrry balanced
Sonic evaluation: I have a Deluxe 90 Fender, which goes perfectly with these pickups.. couldn't be happier. The Neck is so creamy and sweet its unbelievable. Honestly, fender should go out of business for getting rid of dearmond. The pickups, which are (or were) made in the US in California, are honestly amazing. The neck is so saturating and creamy. It maintains graet note clarity and defintion clean. The best word for it is creamy... The sound from the neck is so smooth.. with just a touch of reverb you'll cream your pants. The bridge is exactly the opposite, which is purrrfect. The bridge is clear and defined with just enough edge and cut.
These pickups.. are so good

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play blues, funk, jazz, and some classic rock

Comments: If these were lost, it'd be a shame, because i probably can't find a replacement. i will hold on to these until i die.. or pass them on to my offspring, should they play guitar... I'v ebeen playing for a few years.. I have another guitar loaded with EMGS (HELLLL YEA). I am most certainly satisfied with this pickup. It is THE classic pickup for any style of music.. the bridge can even cover some metal vaguely.

Pickup features: Passive humbucking
Impedence or other specs: Unknown; called Fender, they didn't know

Model of guitar or bass: Fender/De Armond S-73; Korean Raven RM 680; American Strat
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: The S-73s come stock with these; korean generics on the Raven; singles coils on the Strat
Other pickups on guitar: Rio Grande Big Bottom Bastard P90 middle pup on Strat
Artists using this pickup: not very many probably, but it's their loss
You musical style(s): Alternative, melodic grunge, psychadelic folk
Reason for pickup change: Not warm and bassy on the Korean; on the strat, wanted hums and have coil tap for single coil sound. Did not change pickups on Fender/DeArmond because I love these. I bought two more sets after playing the S-73.

Perceived output level: A little more than normal, but not shrill and metally. I love 'em.
Tone: Best I've ever played, except maybe on a $3,000 plus custom shop Les Paul that only matched and not surpassed them in tone, for what my ears like.
Sonic evaluation: I will end up with only an American Strat with these Gold Tones in the Bridge and Neck, and the P90 Rio Grande in the middle position. I play through several amps, and these pickups optimize them all. They warm up solid state amps (my late night headphone practice amp, Dan Electro Nifty 70) and they just totally beautify a tube amp. I have several tube amps: a '59 Fender Bassman Reissue Combo, 45 watt with 4 10 inch speakers; an early 70s Fender Princeton Reverb 12 watt with one 10 inch; an early 70s Champ (4 watt?, I forget) with one 8 inch; and a Traynor Custom Reverb YSR-1, (I think, , 50 watt head) with four 12 inch speakers cab. I can't say that I've played hundreds of guitars, but I've played dozens. I own my own little guitar shop and to be honest, I sell mostly Korean guitars. Been playing over 20 years and haven't played dozens of high dollar Gibsons though, but I've played a few, and quite a few Fenders. I used to have a 1963 Gibson ES 225T, and most of them didn't sound as good, and only a few seemed to equal these Gold Tones, for the sound that I like. I just think these are oddball pickups that are heroic. I hate the gold foil on them. It looks like real metal, but when I was trying to set my pole piece height, the foil tore! I thought it was metal chrome with gold plating on it, but it's only solid metal/chrome on the edges and it has gold foil grid type inlays in the middle. I hate this because now my pickup is torn???? Wacked out design! Foil! But, I love the sound of these. I also hate that I can't find the specs on these so that I can buy some other well-known, readily-available, interchangeable parts pickups with identical components/specs/windings, etc., since these are discontinued. Fender doesn't know the specs, at least the guy I spoke with didn't, and he didn't seem to have it available, he said. Anyway, maybe someone at De Armond would know. I'll see if I can call them...maybe. Anyway, these have the most perfect sound I've ever heard on any humbuckers, and in fact, even for clean tones, I'd say they are almost a clear and "bell-like" as single coil pups. I expect that they'll be excellent tapped down to single coil with a coil tap switch, and hopefully, will match Strat tones, but I'm waiting to get this strat back from being set up with two Gold Tones and a Rio Grande P90 in the middle. I don't know why these were discontinued, but in my opinion, they need to be brought back, but with a non-foil pickup cover in the middle. Somebody in marketing should maybe get behind these more, because I think that they're great sounding. Maybe if they could make all the components to fit Seymour Duncan magnets and all that, then they'd be rebuildable. Anyway, supposedly, now Fender absorbed the De Armond brand of guitars into their Korean or whatever Squier line, and now has reissed the S-73 (Gibson SG kind of clone) with some "Seymour Duncan designed" (does that mean Korean clone pickups according to SD specs?) pickups as now standard in it. Also, I think they said the S-73s don't come with the beautiful transparent wood grain like before...a step down on both counts in my opinion. I would have hoped that they would have at least put some real Seymours on there to go with the original made in USA, at least on the pups, approach. I don't know. Maybe the guy at Fender wasn't saying that. His data wasn't that sure and maybe they do have USA pups on them.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Folk-rock, renaisscance grunge, psychadelic.

Comments: I'd buy another set for $39 each today, and maybe two sets. Original list on these was about $120, but they're gone, unless you find some new old stock/used ones some where. If Fender and De Armond ever read these, I think your balance on these pickups is the best I've ever played/heard, whatever for my taste. They're extremely versatile and I wish that you would release the specs on these, and release another pickup with identical specs, or maybe Seymour Duncan will or already has one identical to these, and maybe De Armond cloned it...I don't know. De Armond is a pioneer in the pickup field, as is Seymour Duncan, so I don't know who copied who. All I know is that these are my sound and I absolutely love them. Why in the world would you discontinue them; just under-advertised? What an unsung hero of a pickup, in my opinion. If anyone knows the specs, it would be nice if you could tell me how to get them, or share them with me, or tell me where to get some more of these pickups, cheaply...I'm poor!

Pickup features: Passive Humbuckers with a bridge and neck designation
Impedence or other specs: Approx. 8.2kohm neck and 8.5kohm bridge

Model of guitar or bass: De Armond S-73 and De Armond M-77
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: same
Artists using this pickup: unknown
You musical style(s): 60's Rock, Folk-Rock, Blues and Country
Reason for pickup change: These are De Armond stock pickups on the Korean manufactured guitars. These pickups were made in the USA.

Perceived output level: Similar to a vintage PAF or PAF wannabe.
Tone: These pickups are balanced with a slight lean to the treble spectrum.
Sonic evaluation: These pickups are great for anything but nu-metal. The can be very clean or very dirty and they excell at both. I would recommend that they be used with tube amps

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: These pickups can be used for all music except nu-metal.

Comments: These pickups are some of the best stock pickups I have ever found. The neck position can do clean or dirty and the Clpaton "Woman Tone" is there too. The bridge is great for leads and can be a little bright bur just roll back the tone control on the amp or guitar and you will be in heaven. These pickups seem to never get muddy. Clarity, vintage vibe and bell like tones are there to be found and used

Pickup features: Humbucker, passive with 4 conductor leads
Impedence or other specs: didn't measure

Model of guitar or bass: Dearmond Jetstar, Guild X170
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: on Guild-Gibson 57 Classic Plus, and Guild Humbucker
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: not enough
You musical style(s): jazz, blues and rock
Reason for pickup change: Searching for the perfect tone and response that each instrument can offer up. I am not afraid to experiment. I need my instruments to speak back to me to give me the sound that I hear in my head!

Perceived output level: much the same as the others
Tone: clear, bright and musical, juicy with a happy, smooth top end
Sonic evaluation: Fender Hot Rod Deville, Super Champ, Gretsch 6161, Vox AC15. For a fat warm, juicy and clear,or a bright jazz tone, this is it. My underrated Guild X170 sounds like an expensive Gibson model (like an L5) as in Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell and all those other jazz and R&B masters. All that's missing is the Polytone amp! My Dearmond Jetstar is a mahogany solid body like a large Gibson SG. These pickups sing and soar on a solid body! The tone is like that of the 60's blues artists, Bloomfield, Albert or Freddy King. Stinging or warm, sweet and full. All combinations and settings give outstanding and rewarding tones to die for. Don't forget B.B. too. I crave good clean tones first because you can always dirty it up after, but these pickups give such a sonic treat that you will be tempted to play clean from here on out. They are thick and full sounding while very alive.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: These are perfect for classic jazz and blues. The tone for rock is something I haven't strived for But they give me what I need as far as response and this will help me find the tone that's perfect for me while not just cloning someone else's tone.

Comments: I need more of these for other guitars that might come along or if I ever lost these! or for other players who need to be enlightened! In a music store, all the Dearmond guitars sounded fabulous. Guitarists on stage have sounded fabulous with these. The Vox amp gives such a sweet and rich pop tone or a thick and mature jazz tone that is just saturated. I have been playing and listening to guitars for 36 years and I have heard it all. I enjoy many styles and differing tones but these pickups have ended my search for the ultimate humbucker tone. I have played and owned so many that I can't tell you. These sound like the best Gibsons I have ever heard. If you wanted to buy an old Gibson 335 or Les Paul for their great tone, hang on to your bankroll and buy these p/ups to install on your favorite axe. So sad that they may be discontinued. Fender sells them as parts, custom ordered through dealers or Smartparts in ILLinois. If not that way, buy yourself a "blowout" Dearmond guitar from SamAsh or Mus. Friend for 250.00 and take the pickups off it. They are worth it! And you'll have a cool guitar left over to put those discarded Gibson or S. Duncans on! There is one perfect height for these p/ups that once you findit, you will hit the magic sweet spot that is worth searching for , where you'll think that all of a sudden you just hit a switch or something that turns on the tone. With a screwdriver, you can experiment , and these babies tilt so that you can achieve a different result by bringing different coils closer to the strings for more variety or leave them level. This gives a thicker or thinner response. There are other great p/ups out there but none have had such a strong impact on me and I have tried many. I hate all those muddy sounding ones or the ones that are only 1 dimensional, which is why I have most often preferred single coils for pure tone, but there is a need for humbucker tone too!

Pickup features: humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: DeArmond S-73 and DeArmond Starfire
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: These are the stock pickups on these guitars.
Other pickups on guitar: DeArmond Gold Tones
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): 60 covers, power pop, punk, Brit pop
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level: moderate
Tone: sounds a bit bright and mid-rangey in the hollow body; sounds PAF perfect in the solid body
Sonic evaluation: These are the stock pickups on my DeArmond S-73s and my DeArmond Starfires. I have two of each guitar. I usually play through either a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe driving 2 Carvin Legacy 2 X 12" cabinets with Celestions or a Crate VC 50 head into 1 of my Legacy cabinets.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: 60s covers; power pop; some punk; Brit pop

Comments: I've been playing over 22 years and have owned Gibsons, Rickenbackers, Fenders, Parkers, Epiphones etc. I have also tried my fair share of different pickups - including Gibson 490R/490T, 490R/498T, 496R/500T, P-94s, min-humbuckers; Seymour Duncan Alnico IIs, Custom Custom and others; Rickenbacker high output "buttons" and the lower output "toasters," Fender types, etc. These are about the best sounding pickups I have ever heard in a solid body guitar. They have the clarity of single coils but the fullness of a humbucker. I was truly amazed at their clear, well defined tone. No mud at all in the neck. The bridge is bright but not piercing.
I purchased my DeArmond S-73s as project guitars. I was going to swap out the pickups for Gibson 57 Classics in one guitar and Harmonic Design Z-90s in another. After playing the DeArmond pickups, I kept them. In the semi-hollow body, the bridge pickup is a little too bright. In the solid body guitars, they are flat out awesome: as good a PAF tone as a real PAF. I bought an extra Gold Tone at Musician's Friend when I saw that they were blowing them out for $39.99.
I got lucky and stumbled upon these. Yes, they have "that" tone for solid body guitars. I love 'em.

Pickup features: humbucking passive
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: m-72
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: same
Artists using this pickup: don't know
You musical style(s): all types
Reason for pickup change: none

Perceived output level: hot
Tone: neck is warm but not muddy at all ; bridge is a little hotter but has more bite very balanced
Sonic evaluation: using a electar 60w tube amp but have also used a line 6 spider
this guitar with pickups is excellent better than my buddys kramer
and sounds better all around than the gibson gothic les paul i tried.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: all kinds of music played with these.

Comments: i would buy it again in a second esp for the price. as a matter of fact i have ordered more pickups from mf i hope to try them in a yamaha guitar so we will find out how they sound.

Pickup features: Humbuckers, Alnico 5 magnets, 4 conductor leads. Nickel-silver cover
Impedence or other specs: Bridge 8.5K resistance 5.2 H inductance. Neck 8.2K and 5H

Model of guitar or bass: DeArmond X155
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: None
Other pickups on guitar: None
Artists using this pickup: Probably none. who knows
You musical style(s): Everything except country
Reason for pickup change: Didn't change them. They came with the jazz box, and they are staying with it. I think these pickups are really kinda good. actually...

Perceived output level: About the same as Gibson PAF
Tone: Open and balanced.
Sonic evaluation: Hollow body Jazz guitar through a vintage 69 Fender Bassman. Very open and natural sounding pickups. Not really bright, but not as colored in tone as Gibson PAF's. If you want them to sound more like a PAF, rolling off the tone a little gets them close.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Pickup would fit applications that a gibson PAF currently fills.

Comments: I don't believe I'll replace these stock pickups. They are US made by Fender for use in DeArmond guitars only. (however, I see that musicians friend is now selling them for only $40 each!) They are billed as "the classic that never was" by Fender. I'd say that for the money, you really can't go wrong. (Assuming that you are looking for a PAF style pickup.) Mind you that one's preference for tone is a very personal thing, but I have compared these pickups to Gibson stock PAF's (73 les paul custom 490's), Schaeller golden 50's, and EMG 89's. I prefer the DeArmonds over all but the Gibsons, and that's no bullshit. I may wind up buying a pair of these for my 79 Gibson "the paul" in replacing the EMG 89's.