Patrick McDonald Handwound Pickups Alnico V Strat

Classic 1959's (single coil) reversed polarity and reverse wound middle p/u for humbucking capabilities

I installed my Patty pups in an Agile ST-804
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/Agile/ST802/10/1

I replaced the Chinese stuffed in this wonderfully crafted axe.

This was a set of three.

I wanted the warm but gruff Stevie Ray sound. Patrick assured me this would get me the sound I was looking for. boy was he right!

These aren't over aggressive pups and with the right tube amp settings and guitar settings, I can make the Strat sound like an amped acoustic. The RW/RP mid pup is an excellent idea (why more mfg's aren't doing this.... are they? They should). Nice leads and warm bluesy tones from my Tweed Ltd. Ed. Fender Blues Jr. (upgraded Jensen 12" speaker). Is that SRV or Eric "Slow Hand" Clapton on my friggin couch????

Note: I switched all my hardware on the Agile with Fender pots, cap, jack and pick guard.

I got a $1500 Strat for $550. SWEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Like others have said before, just holding these pups you feel transported back 30 years. Absolutely amazing quality and detail. I personally like the simple (yet ample) packaging. It's almost like getting a birthday card from your grandma. It can't get more personal. You feel like you have an "inside" guy sending you cutting edge equipment he wants you to try out before the rest of the world gets to see them!!!

At first I considered the Tweed but wanted a little more meaty sound. I wish he had the 1969's but I'll never regret these 59's.

Just an update to my previous review now I've had some time with these pickups.

These went into a new build, bought as a matched set, in all positions.

Output is definately not hot, they are about right for the era they are made to reproduce. The bridge pickup is great, I'm not a big fan of most Strat type bridge pickups, but this is bright without being piercing (No ice pick here) positions 2&4 have great quack, as another reviewer sauid, great Knopfler tones, certainly among the best I've heard and I've been puting top notch pickups into my own builds and custom upgrades for others for arround 30 years. Just love the neck pickup, great definition. I'm still impresed, maybe more so than when I first put them in.

I'd certainly buy from Patrick again, the build quality matches the sound quality. The price is right and they are prety quiet too for single coils.

Handwound vintage 1959 set.
Scatterwound, alnico V magnets, fibre bobbins, wax potted, cloth covered push back wires, all the authentic stuff!
Beautifully made. Wound 5.9 to 6.1.

Partcaster, Fender alder body, Allparts maple neck. Fender "greasebucket" controls.

Exactly what patrick promised. Authentic tone for the era. Faithful late 50's Strat tones, just what I was looking for. Took a little tweeking to find the ideal height for these, but setting up all pickups takes a little time. Great tones on all 3 pickups, I even like the bridge piskup, which I usualy avoid with most Strat single coils. I've got to give a 10 because they give me the sounds I was looking for.

I'd definately buy these again and will probably try more of Patricks pickups. I've been playing, building and repairing electric guitars for 30 plus years and have used more pickup brands than I care to remember, including most of the big names. These pickups are easily as good as any I've ever used. I worked out long ago that name and price aren't the be all and end all. This guy is building quality handwound pickups at a middle of the road mass produced price, what's not to love?

Single Coil Alnico V Handwound

1. Mexican Strat
2. All 3
3. Stock

1. Excellent output
2. Peavey Classic 30 mostly clean w/ some reverb, but sounds good through Boss CE5 Chorus, MXR Phase 90, Big Muff Pi, Tech 21 Tri OD, etc.
3. Tone = pure Strat, exactly what it should sound like

1. Definitely buy it again
2. over 30 years, Gibson Les Paul, Fender Tele, Gibson Hummingbird, etc.
3. Love the tone and the price
4. researched bazillions of pickups, decided to try these and am very happy
5. No
6. Very satisfied
7. Buy some now before he makes a name for himself and the prices go up

Set of three vintage single coils. Range from 5.7 (neck) to 6.1 (bridge). Wax potted, all vintage materials. Beautifully built.

I put these in a MIM Strat body with a 1980s MIJ Squier neck, replacing the MIM ceramic pups. The MIM ceramics are hot, not bad, really, but somewhat one-dimensional. Wanted a wider range of vintage tones. I have another FrankenStrat with Van Zandt Blues, which gives a more SRV/Hendrix tone, and I want a vintage Strat as well. Of course, you must shield the body cavity and the input jack to cut the 60-cycle hum.

These are subdued, given the impedence levels, but have a great range of tone. With a good tube amp, the basses are clanky and deep, the mids and trebles are snappy. The bridge setting is a little trebly, but if you take your time and adjust the pickup to its sweet spot, it really nails the vintage '50s sound, without being shrill. Setup is crucial to get a good balance for these pickups, but once you dial it in, these pickups sing. I'm using a Swart Atomic Space Tone, which is a great amp for stellar Strat tones. These pups should come standard with the Mark Knopfler Signature model, because they truly nail his tone. I give it a 9 only because I generally favor AlNiCo 2 pickups. I also bought a set of his AlNiCo 2s, that I will use for another Strat project, and I can't wait to hear those.

Been playing for 35 years - I have Teles, a Guild jazzer, and a Tokai Reborn Old Les Paul, but I'm really a Strat guy. After buying/selling lots of Strats, I'm cutting it down to three partscasters that give me everything I need. I was so impressed with these AlNiCo Vs that I immediately bought a set of his Alnico 2s. Patrick McDonald makes killer vintage pickups that are amazing bargains. Get them now while he's just starting out - in a few years he won't just be selling on eBay, but commanding higher prices. Great customer service as well.

Single Coil
5.9 Middle Position

What model guitar or bass did you install this in?
This pickup has been installed into the middle position in a partscaster.

Tone - Bassy, middy, muddy, trebly, balanced?
Balanced
What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?
Classic Rock, blues. The pickup is a very good match.

If it was destroyed or stolen, would you buy it again or get something else
I would not hesitate to purchase another from Patrick McDonald.
How long have you been playing?
Since 1964
Are you satisfied with this pickup.
Yes

Single coil passive Strat pickup set. Neck is 5.75k, middle 5.8k, and bridge is 6.1k. Very tidy winding and wiring which features vintage push-back wiring. Classy. These are scatterwound, which was the method for the original vintage Strat pickups of the 1950. They reek of pure quality.

Mexican Strat body in Midnight Wine color with a 1980s MIJ Squier by Fender neck. Replaced the glued-on ceramic magnet pups that came with the MexiStrat. I found the MexiStrat pickups too hot - not bad, really, for cheap pickups, but one dimensional. I was looking for a very vintage sound, and these McDonald pickups delivered it. Both body interior and jack plug are shielded with copper foil.

These are not hot, which can constrict the sound, IMO. I'd describe them as slightly underwound, but that's a good thing. These are AlNiCo 5s, which are by their nature brighter than AlNiCo 2s, so pickup height adjusting is crucial to prevent shrill tones, especially with the neck pickup. But once you lower it to the right spot, the bridge is spanky but not shrill at all. The neck pickup is just GORGEOUS - it nails the SRV sound exactly on position 1 - also Mark Knopfler on position 2, and 4 for a good honking quack for lead playing. I usually hover in the neck pickup zone. I'm playing this through a Swart Atomic Space Tone 20-watt all-tube amp without effects, and these pickups deliver an exact vintage tone that is very articulate. No mud at all, even on the neck pup at high volume. With the amp on 11, it breaks up nicely, but you'll need a preamp or pedal to really drive these. These really sing at high volume. These are really quiet, but of course like all Strat pickups, they need to be shielded properly. And don't forget to shield the jack plug!

I have another FrankenStrat with Van Zandt blues pickups for a more gainy sound, but I wanted a pure but rich vintage sound to complement it. If you are looking for a pure, lovely vintage Strat tone, these pickups are it. They really smoke at high volume, but are articulate and very responsive to all levels of the Strat volume knob. Once you dial in the pickup heights to the sweet spots, you are in vintage heaven. I would like to hear his AlNiCo 2s as well. These pups are a tremendous bargain right now because Patrick McDonald is just starting out his business and selling them on eBay. Once the word gets out, his prices will surely rise to match the quality.

Single coil stratocaster pickup set. Staggered Alnico V magnets, Heavy Formvar wire. Scatterwound. 5.9k-6.1k ohms.

Installed in alder body/maple neck partscaster. I was looking for scatterwound pickups with vintage construction/specs. Got them for an unreal price! I have tried Duncans and Fenders, but these handwound pickups RULE!

Great! Glassy, ballsy, clear, and articulate. No harshness at all. The bridge pickup is actually useful, unlike may strat bridge pickups. The neck and neck/middle positions are as good as it gets. There is a certain, hard to explain sound quality in these pickups- perhaps "vintage" is the word. Typical single coils hum- but that is to be expected. Great string and pickup to pickup balance.

Played through a slightly driven Fender tube amp= tone nirvana. I play mostly blues and rock. Perfect for most tones that I was looking for. Obviously not for heavy music/punk/ect.

If they were stolen I would try to get another set ASAP. For the price, they can't be beat. I compared pricing to other handwound sets. I don't know how he can sell them at this price. Good communication and direct dealing with Patrick. He wound up a set exactly as I asked for.