Jon Moore Custom Humbucker

Humbucking, double cream bobbins, standard sized PAF pickups, potted with A5 magnates. Bridge is 10.61k ohms resistance and neck is 9.40k ohms resistance.

The guitar I use is a 2001 Gibson Historic/Custom Shop '68 Les Paul Custom, Custom Authentic with nickel hardware. I changed out the stock Busrtbucker 2 and 3 pickups which sounded empty of energy and life.

I won this set of custom made pickups on EBay for $144. I communicated with Mr. Moore several times telling him that I wanted a cloned set of the "GoodWood" pickups which another WCR makes. Here is the description of the GoodWoods which rang my bell off the hook;

"For those of you who have heard the "Fillmore Set" pickups and dug em, you will love the Goodwoods. The Goodwoods are basically centered around a PAF design but better, hotter output and fatter in the tonal range, especially the bottom end. I found the Goodwoods to be fat warm and sassy, with a tone that makes you warm and fuzzy. Extremely versatile by rolling off the volume knob and they clean up surprisingly well in both clean and over driven settings."

I have had an original '58 Les Paul Standard bought from Guitar Trader when they were in Red Bank NJ, back in 1978 for $1050 with a repaired crack in the peghead and the gold top removed and a coat of Oxblood stain, with several coats of clear over it. No dings, scratches or excessive wear.

The amps I use are an EVH 5150 3 Fender produced, 3 channel 100 watt which is almost overpowered for what it does. This head is run through a Top Hat 11 ply Baltic Birch 4x12 cabinet with cream tolex and gold piping with two English made Celestion G12 H 30's and 2 Vintage 30's.

This rig is then sent into a LUCE A/B box which is also fed by a Line 6 Spyder 3 150 watt head which has the modeling channels, some of which are off the hook and make my happy. This head is also run into a 4x12 Baltic Birch cabinet from Avatar (http://www.avatarspeakers.com/),
with Celestions top of their line 'modeling" speakers, which the Owner told me were the most expensive speakers which Celestion made at that time; Lucky Me! I snagged this cabinet off EBay for $412 delivered to my front door.

The sound of the pickups in Channel 1 of the Van Halen Head on ultra clean and with most of the gain taken out of the "Blues" channel on the Line 6 is AMAZING to my ears especially in the neck position with the tone backed down to about 7. The highs, mids and lows are well balanced.

Anyhow, I have always been trying to find that sound that guitar made, with other Les Pauls and with J. Moores new "God-Wood" pickups, which We named them, (HA!!!) installed into my favorite 10 pound Ebony black '68 Les Paul Custom, they sound so nice that the initial test drive was almost unreal! Everything I was looking for was present. The highs, the lows, the overtones, harmonics and a bit of magic mixed in. I have been playing since 1968 and come to believe that even tho You have a killer axe with the best of everything, if You do not practice and develop Your own unique sound, it will be difficult to be satisfied. "Desire and Practice" is the KEY, according to EVH and I have come to believe this true.

Overall rating is wonderful! I also have a one of a kind set of reversed cream/black Di Marzio Michael Schenker pickups an endorsed Friend of mine received from his Di Marzio Rep and gave to me which I have installed in my 2005 Gibson '54 Les Paul (Jeff Beck) Oxblood. When I need to go into hyperdrive, I use this guitar, so I have a nice balance between the Les Psul Custom w the God-Wood JS Moore pickups for my clean tasty work and the majority of my rhythm guitar work and the Oxblood for my lead work when I need some hard attitude.

I've gotten two different pickups from Mr. Moore, and I must say the man has a magic touch. This review is for a DiMarzio VHPAF that I had him rewind after I broke it changing out the magnets.
7.2k, rough cut Alnico 2, matched wind if I recall correctly. Unpotted as well.

Installed in an Epiphone G-400 that was a present to a family member. It's in the neck position, and it is replacing the stock epiphone pickups. I replaced the stock epiphone pickups because... well, they're terrible. It was an outstanding instrument, but the pickups had to go. I also put a gibson 490T (came out of a les paul studio) with A4 in the bridge. Great combination there, each pickup is distinct and has something to offer - all three positions are equally usable and distinct.

This is the single richest and sweetest sounding humbucker i've ever come across. There is a complexity that I haven't heard in any other pickup, and every frequency seems very very detailed. The lack of potting may contribute to this, as unpotted pickups are supposed to sound 'livlier' but this is my first unpotted pickup.
Normally, Alnico 2 doesn't work well in neck humbuckers (there are exceptions, see the Pearly Gates neck and Antiquity neck pickups that Seymour Duncan makes) The problem is that they have a lot of midrange, and many times lack definition in the neck position. Not so with this bad boy - because of the lower wind, there is more of an emphasis on treble and bass frequencies than one gets with a hotter wind. In addition, the fact that this was hand wound (scatterwound) means that even more treble gets through. The result is a pickup with the sweetness of A2, but the articulation and depth of an A5 pickup.

For the record, I played this through a 50-watt plexi clone - I play classic rock, blues, country, even early metal when the occasion calls for it. Seeing as it is a neck pickup (anybody who uses a neck pickup for metal rhythm is either insane, ballsy, inexperienced, or any combination of the three. I'm not saying it hasn't been done, just that it's not typical), it does all the things I ask of neck pickups - arpeggios ring clear and true, blues lines bite and then sing, even clean chord work has shimmer and dimension.

I would say, however, that this wouldn't work too well as a bridge pickup or under high volume seeing as it's unpotted. Great for the studio and small gigs, not so much for the arena crowd.
Jon really outdid himself with this one, I am ordering from him again next time I am in need of a pickup.

If destroyed or stolen, I would get another in a heartbeat. Hell, neither of those things have happened and I know I'm getting another one with my next humbucker-equipped guitar! I've been playing for about 7 years now, and I have something along the lines of 6 guitars - a strat, a les paul, a jazzmaster, a kramer one-pickup shred machine, and the SG that this pickup resides in, in addition to a twelve string acoustic. Even if I only had one guitar, this would be in it, without a doubt. Compared with a Pearly Gates neck pickup it has less midrange and isn't as 'smoky' sounding. Less raunchy if you know what I mean. I have an Alnico Pro 2, also from seymour duncan, that I haven't had a chance to try yet, so when I do get a chance I'll post a review.

If you don't mind spending a few extra dollars (A new Pearly Gates will run you 89$, Jon Moore's humbuckers run anywhere from $95 to $110), Jon Moore definitely winds a killer humbucker. I haven't tried any duncan custom shop pickups, so I can't really vouch for that, but Jon Moore's humbuckers are head and shoulders above anything I've tried to date.

Well, actually, the Pearly Gates neck pickup is amazing too, but they're different kinds of awe-inspiring. Still...

PAF-like humbuckers--A2 magnets, High 7s on the neck, low 8s on the bridge,(can't remember the exact spec,) even windings, nickle cover.

I bought a used Ibanez SZ520 used at a local store, the neck on this one is amazing. The stock pickups were ok, but hot and a bit gritty, I wanted a much smoother sound and after looking around decided to try Jon Moore's pickups. While changing the pups, I also changed the electronics from the stock to CTS pots, Sprague Orange drop cap and some 6nines teflon coated copper wire I had.

The instrument was transformed. I'm not kidding when I say it has the sound and sustain of an early humbucking 'Paul. The sound is incredibly smooth and clean, but with a sparkle on top that I wasn't quite expecting. The neck pup stays clean on chords and the bridge pup is the same sound, but with bridge position sound.

To say that these pups exceeded my expectations is an understatement. If there are drawbacks, they are the limitations of the design, they won't saturate the pre on my Deluxe Reverb. (a '67 with 1940s brown base RCA outputs, got lucky, bought the tubes before they went nuts pricewise.)

Humbucker set, vintage wind.

A2 magnets: neck = 7.8, bridge = 8.5

Unpotted.

Installed in a 1956 Gretsch Country Club. Replaced some old Schecter coil tapped pups, No coil coil taps on these.

Low output winds, played mostly clean into a Mesa Blue Angel head with a variety of cabs, depending on the size of the job. Right now there's a Jetter Gain Stage Red, a Greer Ghetto Stomp, a Damage Control Womanizer on my board along with a DL4.

All I can really say is I wanted pups that sounded great clean, and would not overpower an amp's input stage. The guitar is a wonderful sounding instrument to begin with, and these pups are doing a great job. Touch sensitive and seriously versatile: neck sounds great, big and fat but still very clear, and the bridge will give some twang for a humbucker, when it's backed off a hair yet will just sing when opened up and the amp being pushed.

I'd buy them again, and will soon, for another humbucker guitar I own. They're great pups.

I bought these on the recommendation of another pup winder, that is a single coil specialist.

I have been a pro player for 31 years, and have owned some highly sought after guitars in my day, and know what they are supposed to sound like. I'd still be happy with these if I had paid two or even three times the price.

Custom Humbucker pair. Alnico 4 bridge pup with 8K impedance, Alnico 2 neck pup with 7.5K impedance. No pup covers.

Put these into a Washburn HB32DM mahogany hollowbody guitar. http://www.washburn.com/products/electrics/hollow/hb30_hb32.aspx Body style is similar to a Gibson ES-335. Stock pickups were ceramic and dull. Also replaced the caps with 0.022mfd Hovland Musicaps, pots with 500k CTS, new 3-way Les Paul toggle switch, Switchcraft jack and braided wiring. Essentially all new electronics and wiring. The guitar was a nice player and worth hanging on to but just needed an electronics transplant, especially in the pickup department.

Very nice touch sensitivity, timbre and chime. Clean tones are clear, bell-tone and defined. With an overdrive pedal, gives the guitar more character and sustain. Crisp not muddy or dull. Play through a THD BiValve amp into a 2x12 openback cabinet with a Celestion Blue and an older Celestion Vintage 30. Pedals are predominantly a MJM Blues Devil, Menatone Red Snapper and Blue Collar for overdrive. Also use a Chad Matthews custom Delay and Compressor for shaping my sound. Music style is primarily blues and rock.

I think the quality of gear can make a good guitarists tone better. Adding these pickups to a guitar that has "the feel" was the perfect marriage. Jon is great to work with and makes an awesome product. I would encourage anyone to buy a pair of these pickups. He will work with you to shape the tone you are looking for, and you will not be disappointed. I will mention what others have said, get these before the secret is out and the price goes up. You can buy name brand production pickups for about the same price as a pair of custom made pups. It is hard to compare other pickups because you just can not road test a product like pickups when you want something that is specific to your sound and your guitar. I would definitely buy another pair when another guitar project comes up.

Set of custom wound humbuckers. 9.7 neck & a 16.0 in the bridge with an Alnico 8. Golly wow, Batman!

Pickups installed in a brand new custom built Jarrett Zaffiro for a customer in Virginia.

Jeee-zus H! Pickups wound in order to allow player to use a drop D tuning without muddy mids. Hot doesn't begin to scratch the surface.
Alnico 8 magnets give these things an absolute kick in the butt.

These pickups are hand wound by Jon Moore in Canada. This guy is a remarkably talented pickup designer, and what's more, he's painfully honest. We are a small builder in Connecticut who will continue to use his services.

Passive Humbucker PAF type
Neck 7.9K Bridge 8.4K

2003 Gibson '59 Reissue about 8.5 lbs. -Real- "Bumble Bee" tone caps
Replacing Lollar Imperials, Burstbuckers before the Imperials.
The Burstbuckers were too harsh on the top end. The Imperials were a big improvement. But still edgey.

Med PAF output.
I play loud. I like raging tube amp tone and compresson. These arn't potted and they will take a LOT before they get microphonic (squeel)
These are articualate and balanced the grind is bright and VERY smooth. The neck pickup gives a nice hollow round sound. Think B.F.G. on the first ZZTop album. Turn down the volume on the amp, beautuful clean sound
I told Jon what sound I wanted, He did it.
He's got a good handle on cause and effect with humbuckers.

I'd pull these out of the guitar IF I was going to sell it
I play through a JTM45 Offset Ressiue and Fender Custom Shop Dual Professional.
I've been playing off and on for 30+ years. Alot more for the last 20
For 10 years I had and played an original 1960 Les Paul Custom (3 PU) through an original '66 JTM45 BluesBreaker Early style with KT66 in it. They got to be stupid expensive so I got rid of'em. I got spoiled, The 59LP and jtm 45 reissue with Mullard pre amp tubes Moore pickups and bumble caps... I got the sound back.
I didn't put the price in... Should have been more...

See below - follow-up to my 02/07 report.

Orville Les Paul - see original report for details.

This is a follow-up to my review of 02/07.

I've had these Jon Moore pick-ups in the Orville for about 2.5 months now, and had the opportunity to play in 3 key situations - at home alone or with friends at low volume; band practise; live gig. In each case the J Moore pick-ups have simply provided superlative sound and incredible range.

The hybrid tapped coils work well and give you all you need for tonal versatility and amazing amounts of variety - especially when playing live. A few nights ago I played a gig where we were one of two bands. We played a broad range of covers - everything from country tele twang sounds to bluesy Strat styles to AC DC crunch. At the end of our set the guitarist and keyboard player from the other band approached me and said "That was amazing! How did you get Strat and Tele tones from a Les Paul with humbuckers?!" They were in the house for our set and figured the guitar pretty much nailed those tones, as well as providing great humbucker grind.

The other very interesting thing about these pick-ups that I didn't mention in my original comments is that they provide a very cool thinned out, out of phase type of sound if you use one pick-up in single and one in humbuck mode, and the pick-up selector set for both pick-ups. If you have both volumes full-up, the tones are very thin - very funk rhythm guitar - and very cool. Adjusting either the neck or bridge pick-up volume control even slightly provides significant changes in tone, moving away from the out-of phase to a fuller sound as you dial out (turn down) one or the other pick-up. The tonal variations are almost infinite.

In fact, that's the coolest thing about these guitar pick-ups. You have the following at your fingertips: Humbucker neck, bridge, both (with all kinds of variation depending on the adjustment of the respective volumes of each pick-up); Single coil mode neck, bridge, both (with all kinds of variation depending on the adjustment of the respective volumes of each pick-up); Out of phase funk style with both pups (with all kinds of variation depending on the adjustment of the respective volumes of each pick-up). It may sound like its complex but in fact its dead easy to wring pretty much any sound you can imagine from these pick-ups. I also believe that a big part of the versatility comes from the hybrid coil-tap format John uses, combined with the toneful, mid-level output we selected for these pick-ups.

Just to be clear, I'd say that in a studio situation (or at home) you can certainly hear the difference between Strat and Tele pick-ups and the coil-tap of these humbuckers. I have a few G&L Strats and Teles to compare to. But live, with a band going full tilt and the guitar blended in, it sounds passable and can even fool experienced musicians (as per the above comments).

In my original review I commented about there being more bass output from the neck in humbuck mode than I expected. After a quick email exchange with John I lowered the height of the neck pup and found that all of the qualities I liked remained, with that little bit less bass that I was looking for. Simple!

Overall, I have to say these are the most amazing pick-ups I have on any guitar I own. Those pick-ups include Seymour Duncans, Dimarzio, G&L, Peavey, Kinman, Fernandes, Burny, Gibson, Greco, Carvin - and both single, soapbar and humbuck variations of each of the above. Perhaps the greatest compliment I can pay to John and his work is that the Orville equipped with the JS Moore pick-ups has become my #1 go to guitar for almost anything.

I took a chance on these pick-ups and I can only encourage any of you who are intersted in experimenting with different sounds from your guitars, to try the same. These Jon Moore pick-ups have been a revelation for me and re-invigorated my playing. Its so much FUN to quickly dial in great, great sounds and just play.

I have another set of his PAF humbuckers as well as a custom neck soapbar that I recently received. The neck soapbar was recently installed on a Dillion Birds In Flight PRS knock-off, along with a Rio Grande Bluesbar bridge. On first listen I found that combo pretty cool too, and will add a report about that one once I have had some time to live with it.

Humbucker, passive, neck..AII 7.6K, bridge AII 8.5K

Replaced both bridge and neck pickups in an '88 Orville by Gibson Les Paul Custom. I replaced them because I wanted a more vintage PAF sound than I was getting in the stock pu's. More Warrenish.

Output seems to be on the same level as the replaced pu's. I use either a Vox ADT30 or an Orange Rockerverb 50 thru a Geezer 2x12 cab loaded with Celestion Greenbacks. Effects are Vox wah and a Pigtronix Disnortion OFO pedal. The big surprise to me was that the tone from my Orville which was very good to start with sounded muffled in comparison. I think the tone is more bell-like and crystaline than the stocks and definitely more articulated. I play mostly rock and blues. I started to give them a nine because nothing is perfect, but really, for my purposes they're a 10.

If lost or stolen, I would definitely replace the whole guitar in short order with the same set-up. The Orville is great with these pickups. I have been playing for 2 years and listening for several decades, so I have a good inventory of sounds to compare it to. The only way to really compare it would be, for example, Warren Haynes to play this guitar through his rig and see how it sounds with him playing it. Are you listening Warren??!!!!
Other gear I own are: an Eric Johnson Strat, a PRS Custom 22, Seagull Folk Cedar-Top acoustic and my favorite "beater" an Oscar Schmidt OE30 335 knock-off.
I love the clarity of the pickups and there is nothing to hate. I pretty much bought these per the reviews(thanks guys and/or girls!) and the price. I had not replaced pups before in anything else. I'm totally satisfied with the pickups and especially with Jon's quick service and the fact he's easy to get info and progress reports from.

Single coil or humbucking: Custom made humbuckers using A3 magnet in the neck and A4 in the bridge, hybrid coils, tapped

Impedance or other specs: Neck measures approx. 8.5k in humbucker mode and 6.8k in single coil; Bridge measures approx. 9.0k in humbucker and 7.5k in single coil. Pick-ups have nickel covers and are unpotted

What model guitar or bass did you install this in? 1997 Orville (Gibson Japan) Les Paul.

What position is it in? Neck and Bridge

What pickup are you replacing? Stock Orville Humbuckers

Other pickups installed on the instrument? None

Reason for changing the pickup? The stock pick-ups were okay, but a little bland or polite. I wanted something with a bit more edge, but that didn't stray far from the stock PAF sound that is the hallmark of the Les Paul.

What's the output level like? See "Features" section above

What amps and effects are you using it with? I play into a number of different tube combo amps in the 30 - 50 watt range with either 1 x 12', 2 x 10" or 1 x 15". I don't use effects much, although I sometimes use a Keeley modded Blues Driver and Crybaby wah, and have a Seymour Duncan pick-up booster that has been useful at times.

Tone - Bassy, middy, muddy, trebly, balanced? Here's the tonal recipe I gave Jon: dynamic and punchy; warmer tones and sweet highs with no ice-pick treble; great cleans; singing sustain; ballsy and a little edgy/raw at full volume; bridge to "grind" a little - get a little raunchy - at full tilt but cleans up and retains its tone when you back off the volume; great overall clarity/note clarity when overdriving an amp with single note leads or with chords; as noiseless or silent as possible.

What style of music do you play? My playing style tends towards classic rock, R&B, funk and blues. Players whose sounds I like are Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, and Dickey Betts for their ability to combine sweet singing sustain, overdrive and great cleans (not that I will EVER sound like any of them - not in my wildest dreams). The pick-ups are a perfect match for the guitar and the sounds I am seeking.

For which positions is this pickup (un)suitable? None

How long have you been playing? I have been playing in spurts for about 35 years, always on the casual side of the spectrum. I have just gone through a prolonged "player drought" due to work commitments and am working my way back into the guitar. However, live music reproduction has been a big part of my life throughout that period, as well as some studio recordings I have produced (but not played on). I have a pretty discerning ear for sound and tone.

What other gear do you own? Way too many guitars and combos for a hacker like me. In direct comparison to the Jon Moore Orville I have 3 other Japanese Les Pauls - 1979 Greco with original neck and vintage Gibson bridge pick-ups; 1982 Burny Super Grade with original VH-1 pick-ups; 1985 Tokai with Dimarzio Virtual PAF's. All have long neck tenons.

Did you compare it to other products? I compare the Jon Moore equipped Orville on a regular basis to the other 3 guitars and pick-ups listed above. Each has a unique tonal palette, but I have to say that the Jon Moore humbuckers have truly succeeded in creating a wonderful character for a guitar that essentially had very little before. Talk about your basic Cinderella story - these pick-ups are definitely the "glass slippers" for the ball! The tone is simply ravishing.

Anything you wish it had? Nothing

Are you satisfied with this pickup or still searching for that sound? I have to say it - I couldn't be happier. I had some hand in it since the initial concept for the pick-ups was based on my guesstimate of what might work. But the artistry and craftsmanship of the design and execution of the pick-ups was all Jon. Simply put the custom humbuckers have surpassed my expectations. These are truly GREAT pick-ups. They are never coming out of this guitar.

I also realize that we are supposed to insert some critical comments, but the the truth is that these pick-ups were exactly what I was looking for. And since the "recipe" came from me it would be hard to fault Jon for that part of it. The one thing that suprised me was that there is more bottom end in the neck pick-up than I expected - but its coupled with really satisfying mellow mids and top end, that can jump out a little more sharply when you dig into the strings. Overall, the balance of these two pick-ups is ideal for me and my style.

In single coil mode you won't mistake these for a vintage Strat - they will never have that piano sound nor the out of phase quack you can get from the Fender guitar. But they do provide a very passable thinner sounding humbucker. Actually, in single coil mode the pick-ups remind me of the P90 style pick-ups on a 1989 G&L Special ASAT I have. Very similar tonality. Just a note (although it should be obvious) - the pick-ups exhibit a little bit of noise in the single coil mode, but not as much as an unshielded Strat.

Anything else you'd like to share? I feel that Jon Moore is one of the best-kept secrets out there for getting your own unique tone. Where else can you even think about getting a pair - a PAIR - of custom wound pick-ups made to your specs for around $120 US? That's crazy cheap and I suggest that if you're interested in having Jon do some work for you that you get on the phone/net quickly before his prices go up. Look for his work on Ebay in the pick-ups section or go to Jon's website at www.tonefordays.com That's how I found him, I took a chance, and I'm extremely happy that I did. In this guitar and to my ears (note the qualification) the Jon Moore Humbuckers are the ideal match.

The entire transaction with Jon was as smooth as could be and I have to tell you that he is also one of the nicest guys you would ever want to do business with. Classy, prompt, good communicator and able to interpret my words into exact matching pick-up sounds. There is true art to be found here.