TV Jones Classic TV Tron

Passive low-ohmage humbucker

I tried the pickups in several different guitars, Gretch, Fender Tele, etc.

The poles need to be really close to the strings for an adequate output. If the pickup is too far from the strings, basically it loses all its character.

If you know "That great Gretsch Sound", TV Jones pickups give you a less complex and less sophisticated version of it. If they were cheaper than the stock Gretch filtertron, this would make sense, but since they are actually more expensive, I see no reason to prefer TV Jones to Gretsch. You get a "cheaper sounding" pickup for more.

TV Jones are almost as good as stock Gretsch pickups but not quite. They sound similar to Gretsch but are kind of one-dimensional. There's that marketing vibe with smaller manufacturers' pickups, and these particular ones are not bad, but Gretsch ARE better. I ended up replacing them with Gretsch filtertrons.

Pickup features: Reproduction 50's Filtertron humbucker made to fit standard humbucking rings
Impedence or other specs: Not sure exactly, but very low for humbucking

Model of guitar or bass: Guild Starfire III w/Bigsby
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Rio Grande Bastards (P-90 in humbucking size)
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Copy of the ones in Brian Setzers main 50's Gretsch.
You musical style(s): Rockabilly, alternative country, blues.
Reason for pickup change: The Rio's do what they are supposed to do well, but were a little too hot for this guitar and the style that I play. I need something that will let the amp do the work and let the tone of the guitar come through better.

Perceived output level: Low
Tone: Twangy yet sweet and balanced. Perfect for the stuff I do.
Sonic evaluation: I use both a rebuilt 50's tweed Twin and a rebuilt 5E-3 tweed Deluxe with a modified reissue Fender tube reverb. As for effects, I stomp on an Ibanez analog delay and an Ibanez TS-808 Tube Screamer (though I really want a Klon).

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Tonal nirvana. My search for a Gretsch without the over-inflated price is over. Well done, Tom.

Comments: I would most certainly buy these again. Ive been playing for 28 years, and I find that the older I get, the lower output I like my pickups (I like to hear the wood and the tubes). These are not meant to be pickups to play Metallica with, but are instead meant to be used with a great guitar in combination with a great tube amp. The combination I have now makes me play and sound better than before. I have found "THE SOUND" for me. I've played a new Gretsh with the stock company pickups, and they sound very hard and harsh in comparison (they don't fit easily into the humbuking ring anyway). I didn't know anybody even made a humbucker size Filtertron until I ran across TV Jones by accident. Tom is also a real nice guy to talk things over with. A+++.