GFS Pickups VEH

This is for the VEH humbucker, bridge position, the meter shows 11.6k impedance.

I dropped this into the bridge positon of a 2000 MII Squier Standard Strat. Used this and a Dream 90 in the neck, replacing the stock single coils. I'm trying to simulate a setup I have (and LOVE) on a USA strat with a Lindy Fralin HO Humbucker/P-92 config. Didn't make sense to go with $260 worth of Fralins in a guiter this cheap, and the GFS pups set me back only about $70 for both.

Output level is medium high, cuts well. I play through a Marshall HDFX rig mostly, occasionally use an Orange Tiny Terror or Vox AC30 for recording. The tone is very bold, but balanced and surprisingly articulate with all strings ringing nicely and with good separation. The sustain is actually amazing, particularly in a Squier. This is an outstanding bridge pickup for heavy rock with max gain, but cleans up very nicely for blues and jazz. Surprisingly versatile, with plenty of cojones. You can spend more money and get better tone, but not that much better.

As I said, can't really compete with a $150 Fralin in this price range, but surprisingly this pickup doesn't suffer too much in the comparison. It blows the HO humbuckers I've used from DiMarzio or Duncan out of the water, for significantly less dinero. If this were stolen, I'd have no problem coughing up $40 to replace it. I love the roar under high gain, the sustain, and the textural complexity of the clean tone. I've been playing for about 25 years, been building guitars for about half that long. Factoring price into the overall rating, it's a solid ten. If you're looking for a great heavy rock humbucker for a bargain price, look no further.

Double coil, NECK position, about 8ish K. Black, no cover. Splittable and whatnot (but I didnt.. I just wired it straight up).

In my Agile LP 2000 2TS.

Neck.

Replace the stock ceramic pickups.

GFS Fat Pat in bridge.

No clue.. I use it.

Stock pickups were.. ok.. but no character really. With distortion they were okay, but rolling back a little didnt work well, and clean was compressed sounding. But I bought the guitar knowing I would replace the pickups.

Hot, but not too hot. Like an overwound PAF.

Currently with a blues junior ltd (w/celestion)

Balanced. Although I cant really tell THAT much since it's in the neck position.. I dont know what it will sound like in the bridge with the slightly higher output the bridge comes with.

The pickup surprised me. I was thinking it would sound like a PAF, not much edge, maybe a little bassy-middy. NO. This sounds like what I want in a neck pup. It's balanced, clear and articulate, edgy, screams when I ask it to, and cleans up when I want it to. Actually, I love this pickup. Does it sound like the Halen Brown sound? Hmmm.. Yeah actually, it does sometimes - but remember, it's a NECK pickup. It's very full sounding, but clear. Pretty good power, not so much like a super distortion, but more like a hot rodded paf-36. Or maybe a better sounding paf-pro. But balanced (the paf pro has a little much mid). I am really enjoying this pickup. I play in a cover band, doing everything from old 60s dance blues to 80s hair metal to some country here and there.... and really, it sounds incredible especially on the heavy rock leads. Very full, rick, smooth. Gives me warren haynes, niel schon, slash, schenker, page, townshend. Harmonics, even in the neck position, just jump off when I want them to. However, for heavy riffing, I use the bridge gfs fat pat currently, although, I do like the fat pat (and the crunchy pat too, which I have in my other guitar along with a dream 90) - I am thinking I really want to try this in the bridge version. I hope I am not disappointed, but I really dont think I will be.

Rock: Classic, modern, heavy, blues, 80s, pop, etc. All rock.

I only have it in the neck so far. I say so far... because I will probably pull the trigger on a bridge version.

Rating a 9 for this - it does what I wanted it to do, it does what I bought it for, it is technically capable of what it says it should do, given the wiring possibilities.

Ok. overall, I give it a 9. Nothing is a ten. No, actually, the dream 90 in the neck position is a 10. but that is a different type of pickup altogether.

Playing 35 years. Pro and Semi-pro.

Nothing I hate about it. Yet. I want to try the bridge version now. THEN I will tell you if there is anything I dont like about this pickup.

Compared it to 35 years of duncans, dimarzios, fralins, mightymites, andersons, oem's, gibsons, fenders, laces, and whatever else.

Nothing i wish it had. except maybe a million dollars stashed inside.

Satisfied. Totally.

Going to try the bridge version next.

"VEH" (vintage extra hot)"brown sound"
passive humbucker

Installed in the bridge postion on a ESP LTD EC-50
Had an esp stock pickup

lives up to the title "extra hot"
great for all kinds of harmonics
great tone
great for heavy metal and rock n roll
i usualy play on a marshal amp which sounds amazing with this pickup

i love everything about this pickup
i would no doubt buy another one for my other guitars
(epiphone les paul, fender strat)
i am completely satisfied with the sound of this pick up

Humbucker 11k output I think.

I installed it in my "Frankenstrat" that I built. Bridge position. This was a new build with no other pickups wired. I bought the pick up because of the price.

Output level on this pick up is AWESOME. I'm not sure if the people who have reviewed it even played it. I was impressed the instant I plugged it in. I did have to bump the bass up on my Line 6 Spider 3 cabinet, but I'm not sure if it was just down because of my other guitars pick ups. I am a big 80's rock fan. Lots of harmonics and lots of squeels. This pick up delivers every time! I'm not sure about the brown sound, because I don't think my set up caters to "brown sound". My amp is definately more heavy sounding, but I dig it a lot!

It it was destroyed, I would definately get another. I've actually ordered several more already.

I've been playing for 20 years. I have too much gear to mention. I build guitars for a living, and I will definately be offering these as an option from now on.

VEH "Vintage Extra Hot" humbucker
11k
Alnico 5 magnet
Asymmetric Wound

What model guitar or bass did you install this in? New Fender Stratocaster MIM (SSS to HSS Conversion

What position is it in? Bridge

What pickup are you replacing? Factory Single Coil

Other pickups installed on the instrument? GFS "Jimi" Reverse Stagger Wound Single Coil Set

Any artists using this pickup? None that I'm aware of...

Reason for changing the pickup? Factory pickups were too Bright, Hrsh, Srill, Thin

What's the output level like? A bit hotter than a standard vintage humbucker, but still has very good note articulation and dynamics, so it's hot without being too hot and muddy...

What amps and effects are you using it with? I use a variety of amps but the main ones are a JCM800 (2204), Fender Twin Reverb, and Guitar Rig 3 for the quick setups.

Tone - Bassy, middy, muddy, trebly, balanced? Balanced and Hot without being overly hot

What style of music do you play? Is this a good match? I play a wide variety of music, from Country/Blues, to Contemporary Christian, through good old fashioned Classic Rock...

For which positions is this pickup (un)suitable? For Bridge Psition only...

If it sounds great, why the "9"??? Nothing is a "10"... There's always room for improvement, but for what I was looking for ( a great compliment to the Reverse Stagger Jimi's, this was almost perfect...

If it was destroyed or stolen, would you buy it again or get something else? I would set up a replacement guitar EXACTLY the same way. It gives me the best of a number of different styles without killing the wallet. I took a chanck and came up aces on the ENTIRE guitar...

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own? Been playing for the better part of 23 years, have the equipment listed above along with 6 guitars... See my review of the GFS Jimi set for more details if hear about the gear...

Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one? As I'm an avid DIY'er, I compare specifications as well as components to the sales hype. The other pickups in the running were the Seymour Duncan "Pearly Gates" and the Seymour Duncan "Alnico II Pro). I chose this one, mainly for the cost savings, but also because GFS lists the components on the website, enough so that I could tell what I was getting before putting it in the guitar. I guess you could say that I took an educated chance and won... This combination is EXACTLY what I was looking for

Are you satisfied with this pickup or still searching for <b>that</b> sound? This guitar is done. It has the Tone, feel, response, comfort that I have been looking for, for quite a long time. I'm very happy with the results and it will stay in it's current form... Remember, nothing is a "10", but it comes closer than I've ever been

bought the neck, ~10k with slightly different impeadance coils, and the bridge ~12k white standard paf type pickup, suppossed to be an alnico magnet

installed in a ibanex 520s in bridge and neck, replacing stock pickups

medium output, kind of flat sounding. should have sounded better just based on specs

I was dissapointed in these, was hoping for more of a tone zone/norton sound out of them. I have several other S model Ibanezes and RG models and ToneZone/Norton pickups and these VEH pickups sounded kind of weak compared to them. It could be because of the floating tremolo, but still should have sounded better.

Made by GFS
VEH "Vintage Extra Hot" humbucker
11k
Alnico 5 magnet

Had it in my kramer 1985 baretta reissue for a short time. The pickup was in the bridge spot. I replaced the stock Gibson/Kramer JS-91T humbucker. I heard it was the "Brown Sound" pickup, so I decided to give it a try

The pickup is wound to 11k and has an Alnico 5 magnet. I was playing it through my stock Peavey ValveKing 112. This pickup is the farthest thing from the "Brown Sound." It was very thin and shrill sounding and I would compare it to the stock Epiphone humbuckers. But on a positive note, it was very clear and articulate with gain and sounded decent on clean, but still very thin sounding. Just didn't have any real character to its sound. Overall I was not impressed with the sound. If I had to give it a van halen sound, I would say it sounded most like the "Fair Warning" or "1984" era stuff.

It this humbucker was lost, stolen or destroyed I wouldnt buy another one. I like how this pickup remains clear and articulate under gain. I hate how thin and shrill sounding it is. Like I said before, I compare it to the stock Epiphone humbuckers. But then again it was only like $35, so I guess it is true.......you do get what you pay for. This pickup is no longer in my Baretta; I decided to go with the seymour duncan SH-11 "Custom Custom." My baretta now sounds 1000 times better!

Humbucker 11k. Asymetric wounded.

I installed GFS Dream 90 on a neck position and VEH on a bridge position on my Burny MIJ Les Paul. Pickups I replaced were GFS Vintage 59, very good pickups, but this combination now is the best thing you can do to your LP.

Output is hotter than vintage, but not to hot. So, the sound is really very similar to this EVH sound. It is full of harmonics, it barks and growls, but still somehow remains clear. Pinch harmonics are great. I think that the nearest pickup to VEH is Dimarzio Norton, but VEH is better. It opens this typical muddiness of mahagony body in a great way. My guitar now sings an barks, and shows temperament and dynamics better than before. I am a real guitar modding junkie and I own seven beautiful guitars. I tried Duncans, Dimarzios, GFS-s and Toneriders. In general I actually like GFS and Tonerider more than the big names.

I am playing music about 30 years, mostly metal, jazz and some Gothic music. After all this years there is a simple wisdom how to pick a right pickup. I should not be to hot/powerful, because hot pickups are muddy. And uneven wounded humbuckers are always much better. I don't know why, but this is the fact. VEH is something special. Great product. Congratulations to Jay and his team.