GFS Pickups RetroTron Memphis

Humbucker with single coil tap wired as a humbucker - Bought both neck & bridge pickups

using these with a Oscar Schmidt OE-40n hollow body guitar both neck and bridge were purchased. Chaned for ridding guitar of muddiness and lack of detail in sound.

Output is rather low, used with 2 4-el84 outs amps, one's a Crate the others an EL84 Peavey, both have 4 tubes 30 watt output (el84 outs)I play rock, picking and chicken picken, Jazz blues R&B some funk. Sounds best with the Peavey and a Eminence Governor 8 ohm 12' This is a very SWEET Combonation indeed!!!!

Pickups are great for that Gretch like sound, mine really allows the sound of the hollow body guitar to shine... sounds like a million bucks now.

Not a good choice for metal, punk or that brown scooped sound, Break up is very low since it has low output...

For sound think of the early to late Beatles (using combo positions) Tom Petty and Birds, the mids push through your mix, great for recordin' and even a little Kurt Cobain using neck position, the highs arnt overly pronounced.(i think these are clearer than some used on professioanl recordings)

These can be subjectable to the amp youre using, I havnt tried these using 6L6 or EL34 type amps with larger Cabinets, but Im sure they have their places with these amps as well....

I love the clear sounds of the PUPS, not a bit of muddiness very articlated sound. Clear bell like notes, a nice smooth bass sound on the neck position pickup not alot of bass on the bridge. I bought the gold for the natural hollow body guitar. This is not a stock pickup sound, I dont think a person can buy this sound at normal working man Stock guitar budgets.

I've purchased and installed many GFS pickups - some better than others. I have a Ric 360/12 with vintage toasters that is the ultimate 12-string sound. I own several vintage Gretsches that sound wonderful, as well. I have an old Ibanez doubleneck that was crap, even with DiMarzio and Seymour Duncan replacements. I put a pair of Liverpools on the 6, and a pair of Memphis on the 12. Now, when I do Petty/Beatles/etc, I get Gretsch and Ric tones comparable to the originals. Excellent investment, great service from GFS.

The Ibanez stock pickups were awful. Seymour Duncans and DiMarzios were just way too modern. These GFS pickups do capture the vintage tones of Filtertrons and toasters.

Output is ok - but that's the point. Using with an AC-30 or Valvetronix, very, very close to Gretsch Country Gent or Ric 360/12. Not for modern tones, but again that's the point!

I would consider buying GFS again, as I have done many times in the past. These aren't Seymour Duncans, but I don't believe that's the market they are shooting for. These are - different. While they do have 4-conducter, the sound is far too weak/thin to bother using in single coil mode.

Passive, humbucker with single coil tap capabilities
I wired as a humbucker - both neck & bridge pickups

Epiphone SG (looks like a G310)
Replaced both neck & bridge pickups
The pickups that were in the SG when I bought it were muddy sounding, especially the bridge pickup. Decided my Ibanez had a good standard humbucker sound, so I wanted something that would get me an early British Invasion/Byrds sound.

Output is moderately low.
I play through a Vox AD60VTX and Vox ToneLab.
Tone is a little trebly, which is what I was looking for. Gives me great early 60s tones through the Fender & Vox emulations on my amp, as well as wider variation of tone through the higher gain models. I mainly play blues & classic rock, and these pickups are a perfect match for those styles. To my ears, either pickup would work in any position, but they are made specifically for the neck and bridge position. If I had a middle position, I'd probably use another neck pickup.

I'd definitely buy these again if they were stolen!
I've been playing for over 35 years, and I also have an Ibanez RG550, a G&L SC-3, a Digitech Bad Monkey, a Line 6 JM4 Looper, a JangleBox compressor and I use a Danelectro Fish & Chips 7-band EQ with a BBE Sonic Stomp Maximizer in the effects loop of my Vox amp. I also have a Carvin X-110 amp as a backup.
I looked at other pickups, but for the sound I was looking for, as well as my budget, the GFS Memphis pickups fit the best. It gets the jangly sound I was looking for, but gives me more that I wasn't expecting.

Passive Alnico II Humbucker, mechanically equivalent to a standard dual coil pickup (e.g. PAF)

Installed in bridge position on my Gibson Les Paul Goldtop reissue (dated '90s).
I always found the PAF's pickup as the Achilles' heel of this guitar, my ears are used to single coil pickup (think Strat / Tele / Rickenbacker / P90) so I decided and tried to subsitute them for a Retrotron Memphis coupled with a GFS Dream 90 at the neck.

The output level is slightly less than PAF's but of course this pickup is lacking the dark mid / low bias of the former and that's why I chose it, it is definitely jangly and open sounding.
I use different amplifiers (Fender Vibroverb, Cicognani Brutus Live, a combination Marshall JMP1 + 9005) with some effects sparingly insterted (Line6 M13, Rat Deucetone, EH Dlx Memory Man) and I eventually can enjoy my Les Paul which now rings like a piano.
The music I play and the syles that inspires me are the sort of R.E.M., Neil Young, Clash, Police just to name a few.

I have been using this pickup for the last 6 months and I absolutely would buy it again if stolen/broken.

I play at amateur level since I was 16 so it's 29 years now, just a few gig here and there in small clubs and local festivals in summer.

The Memphis should be comparable to TV Jones Classic but it costs close to 1/3 so I decided to save money.

I am pretty satisfied with it, so much that I am going to buy another one for the bridge position of my Duesenberg Carl Carlton, again matched with a Dream 90 for the neck.

The price I mention below is including shipping expenses.

Neck Pickup, specs and info can be found at the Guitarfetish website.

Installed this in the neck position of a Hamer XT sunburst flattop. Replaced the stock pickup as it was a little on the weak side when playing clean.

Definitely a low output pickup that doesn't distort well. Maybe some light overdrive and that's about as far as I would gain it. The GFS website advertises this as "Rickenbacker Beatley vintage tone jangle" and that's no lie. Through either a VOX amp or clean Fender amp, you can come very, very close to replicating all the great Beatles, British Invasion, 60's rock. This is an EXCELLENT rhythm pickup. The notes come through very clear, not overly bassy and not overly trebbly.

Very satisified with my choice of pickup. I had wanted to get a 60's vibe out of the Hamer, so after much research, I chose this Memphis Retroton. Definitely would buy it again. I matched it with another GFS product (DREAM 180) in the bridge and I think I turned my guitar into a very versatile axe capable of handling all those great 60's songs.

Humbucker passive

Installed in my Gretch 5120 electromatic. I first tried a Liverpool in the neck and a Nashville in the bridge positions. The Liverpool was O.K. but I didn't like the Nashville.

GFS bills these as sounding like Rickenbacher toaster pickups, but in this hollow-body they seem to come closest to that vintage filter-tron tone. Played through my Fender Blues Jr. or my little Vox Cambridge they sound incredible. Very close to TV Jones at 1/3 the price.

I play blues and country rock and some jazz. These PUs do it all. Been plying over 35 years (really has it been that long?)

As described by others.

I put this into the bridge position on a Chinese Squier Strat which had a surprisingly nice playing feel (for a $219 instrument) but whose stock HSS pickups understandably lacked vibe.
I initially put a TV Jones TVTron (the hot model) into the guitar. I admit it was ridiculous of me to install a $160 pickup in a cheap guitar, but I had used the Jones on a borrowed guitar and had really liked it. As it turned out, because that was the juiced version of the 'Tron, it sounded a little more like a Gibson-style humbucker, when I was shooting for a more "jangly" option. So I yanked the Jones and used it when I bought my second humbucker-equipped guitar a bit later on.
One minor but cool thing is that the Memphis has a pearloid center section which matches the pearloid pickguard on the metallic blue guitar. I've since stuck two GFS chrome lipsticks into the other positions, and some proper slotted Fender-style tuners into the headstock; now the guitar is a head-to-toe jangle machine with a sweet vintage / Frankenstein look to match.

Output of the Memphis is moderate.
I generally go straight through into either a '79 Fender Princeton Reverb or a recent Koch Studiotone. It sounds great with both, but for max jangle the Koch (which has an Eminence Private Jack installed) yields a more convincingly British vibe. The sound is pretty balanced, with a lot of even-sounding highs and good note separation. I've tried it with an old Ibanez compressor and that addition evens things out nicely for recording.
This isn't a pickup that give me what I consider to be my "core" sound, which is geared towards blues and a more focused midrange punch. As another flavor, however, it's hard to beat, especially at the price.

I'd replace it if I had to do so. It's a definite bargain, and adds genuine character without breaking the bank.
I've been playing for 30+ years, and am constantly looking for different sound combinations to keep things interesting. I have a couple of Fender amps, plus the Koch, and a small army of mostly single-coil guitars (Fender, St. Blues, Godin and others) to keep me guessing. Lately when I grow dissatisfied with the sound I'm getting out of whatever pickups are in a guitar, I've been reaching for GFS replacements. They offer a real improvement at a moderate price, and I've been pretty pleased with all of them.

Features? It coil taps and looks really cool and drops in a humbucker hole and sounds good for that I would give it a 9.5-10

I installed these in a Schecter C1ea. I put them in 3 positions. A memphis neck in the neck and middle and a Memphis bridge Yes I know they only come with 2 holes. I routed the guitar for a center pickup. I replaced a pair of seymour Phat Cats and a gfs humbucker. I have been after a certain tone for a while and decided to try these after I installed a pair in a dean 12 string. My guitar also has a modified version of a G&L bass/treble control set up on a stacked concentric pot. It helps clear mud out of certain pickups.

These are not High gain pickups sou the output level is not raging but it is good. I play though a boss GT 5 and just use the effects and not the models into a crate vintage 30 that has been tamed by a weber mini mass. The tone is bright and can be chimey. I have them in three positions so I can get really strat like tones without the buzz but it also throws down a great humbuck dirty tone if I role the tone off just a touch. They also combine with the piezo to round out the acoustic tone through my amp. Combined with the custom tone control I have to say they work well. I play a blues rock sound. If I go for high gain these need a little bass help but thats not my sound.

Versatility is a big deal for me. I really don't like switching guitars a lot. With this and my G&L s500 I feel like I am pretty well covered on electric. I also have a Breedlove acoustic and a Schecter bass. I have been playing for 35 years and am pretty well set on my tone. If the guitar got lost or stolen I would probably look to replace the set up because it just sounds so good and is versatile. I don't remember liking my tone this much before.

Humbucking passive

Deltatone Les-Paul style
Replaced neck and bridge
Replaced stock pickups, the stock ones were too dark sounding

The output on these are pretty strong. I use a Peavey Bandit, one of the first transtubes that came out in 1995 and it drives it nicely. I use an Ibanez tubescreamer 808 reissue for distortion and a H2O chorus/delay. I play all different styles, mainly rock, blues, county,folk, bluegrass, gospel. All positions are very usable and sound as expected for this type of pickup, very articulate and shimmery, almost like they have a touch of chorus built in.

Been playing since the late sixties. I own 20 or so other guitars, a few high end ones including a luither built tele and a vintage reissue Strat. I would buy these again if they were lost or stolen. I bought these just to have something a little different than what I already own and am very happy with the tonal qualities of these pickups. Can't really think of anything to improve them. I especially like the retro look, at first the gold plating looked a little pitted but buffed right out so really no issues I can think of, just a good set of pickups for a good price.

Humbucker/dual coil design replicating the Gretsch/TV Jones Filtertrons of the 50's and 60's. Drops into standard humbucker mounting rings on most any similarly-equipped guitar.

Installed into an S101/ES335 copy in both neck and bridge positions, replacing the factory(Epiphone)standard humbuckers, which were muddy sounding. Also wanted to try and replicate some of that Rickenbacker 12-string jangle in the high end.

These are moderate output humbuckers, dead quiet. I play behind a Randall RG200DG3 hybrid combo with another 2X12 extension cab, all loaded with Celestion Seventy 80's. These pups are very well balanced and full, and have that sweet, chimey high end on the E and B strings above say the 14th fret. Perfect for any semi or full hollowbody guitar; the more maple the better. Excellent for Beatles, Tom Petty, Byrds, and similar cover tunes from the 60's and 70's rock library. They sound excellent through a mild compressor, like the EH Soul Preacher and a phaser like the Small Stone; again, vintage psychadelic-era rock vibe.

Yes, I'd replace in a heartbeat. I purchased these before I got around to actually making the investment in a Ric, for which I also went to GFS for a pickup modification/change(NYII's). I think the price of TV Jones and even the new Gretsch/Fender pups, makes the GFS Retrotrons an easy and affordable choice. I've been playing and teaching music for over 40 years; I'm not easily impressed, especially with all the ultra high gain, active pup designs for the various metal genres. Installed in a semi- or full hollowbody guitar, these things are magic.