TV Jones TV Classic

After purchasing a 2007 Gretch 5120 (and after having played the Setzer 6120 model at a local guitar shop), I decided to contact TV Jones and see what could be done to match that "Setzer sound" on my 5120. TV Jones was very helpful in selecting the new "guts" for my 5120 including tone pot, 3-way bridge/neck/mix switch, customer wiring harness, and 2 TV Jones classics with silver english mount bezels and 3 spacers to get the pick-ups right next to those strings!

while I've never used so much dental floss and tinker toys trying to pull all of the wiring harness, pots, etc. through a guitar, it was all worth the tedious process. I replaced all the origianl 5120 electronics with the TV Jones components.

WOW! After finishing the upgrade and making some saddle hight adjustments at the bridge, I was ready to take the 5120 back to the guitar store and play it side-by-side with the Setzer 6120 signature model that I would love to have purchased if I had unlimited resources. Nearly perfect reproduction of the growl when you dig in, extra clean notes upon finger picking... The operation was a success!
I enjoy playing a wide range of music, but especially jazz, blues, and country-fried rock through a mint condition 1970 Fender Super Reverb (4 x 10) with reverb/leslie and the occasional use of a POD XT.

I will buy these pick-ups again if/when I buy another guitar. Although, the next one will likely be a strat body and I may go for one of the spankier versions that TV Jones makes for that style of guitar. That will be for those "70s rock-n-roll" moments. I ahve been playing guitar for about 25 years and I have finally found the sound that makes me comfortable in most playing situations. Setzer has been one of my guitar idols for many years and anything that helps me get a little closer to actually reproducing his iconic sound is a good thing. In another 25 years, I may actually ber there ;)

Humbucker in TV Jones "English Mount" to suit Gibson/Standard Humbucker rout

Placed into the bridge position of a Warmoth Tele shaped guitar "The Kevcaster" - Alder body Maple and Rosewood neck. Has two Strat pickups in the middle and neck. A 57/62 and Tex Mex respectively.

This TV Jones replaces a bill Lawrence L450 humbucker. The reason for changing, well I like the BL and enjoyed it for a few years, I just Bought a Tokai ES-130 (335 style) and will look cover all my heavier songs with that. I started to think I might like some more twang in the Kevcaster and thought a stock Tele pickup might do but I have a real nice Fender Tele and so started to think differently. I have always liked the Gretsch style of twang and eventually (I've benn thinking about this for a year or so) went for a TV Jones in English mount.

Until you hear this pickup you won't believe the quality - it has great character, rings, chime, grunt and poise all in one. The Kevcaster sounded dry and middly with the BL but now has a richer ringing sound, I believe a bit more sustain and lets the harmonics out earlier. A good deal of twang if you need it and also good grungy credentials. It matches well with the neck Strat pickup to create a Tele 'middle position' type sound (I have it wired that way).

I would but again in a heartbeat. It is beautifully made too - real old American quality. I cannot say fantastic value as it is expensive at $130

TV Jones Classic pickup passive humbucking pickup. Bridge
TV Jones Supertron pickup passive humbucking pickup. Neck

I put this in a 6119-1962HT (Tennesse Rose)in the bridge position. I put a TV Jones Supertron in the neck position. I was at the CAAS (Chet Atkins Appreciation Society) meeting in Nashville a couple of weeks a go and I had the opportunity for TV Jones himself to install these pickups in my guitar. They made a BIG difference in the sound. I had stock HiLotron and then stock filtertrons in this guitar. The Superton Neck and TV Classic in the bridge was a recommendation form TV Jones which is a slight variation of the combination that Gretsch uses but the sound is excellent!
In questioning whether the cost was worth it. The answer is yes.
Two people played this guitar after TV Jones had changed the pickups at the CAAS and they had the same thing done to their 6120's.
My reason for the change was that the pickups just did not have the smoothness, tone and sustain that I wanted. The guitar always sounded good but I wanted a bit more.

Perceived output level: Lower output than modern pickups, but definitely much better sounding,from sweet smooth to a big growl, these pick ups deliver.
Tone: NOT muddy, it is smooth and clean unlike typical humbuckers. Nice ring, punch and sustain. The are not harsh or brittle sounding.
Sonic evaluation: Wonderful sound. I had a professional guitarist, Ray Cummins, play my guitar after the pick up change. He had played it before the change and he said that the sound was great and it was money well spent. The clarity and tone was something that he immediately noticed.
To get the tone I want, I have always had to use string sets starting with .011, .014 and so on. I was able to drop to a lighter set and still get great tone. To me that was fantastic. The pickups a very well balanced tonally.
I have used this on a Fender Twin, Peavey Trasntube 112 and a Hughes and Kettner. It sounds great.
This pick-up would be good for Finger-style and Jazz.
If you are going to more of a rock style in your playing then perhaps the TV Jones Powertron series would be what would be needed.
The down side of the Supertron is that there is no adjustment in that there are no pole pieces for adjustment, just the two metal bars running across the pick up. Maybe there is a way to design a segmented bar that will allow for adjustment. This has not been an issue so far in that the pickup is very well balanced. I just like to be able to adjust things on my guitar.

I would buy these pickup again with absolutely no reservation.
I have been playing for 35 years.
I have owned a Gibson Les Paul, Guild Starfire 6, Gretsch Nashville, Custom Built McKinley Guitar, Washburn J6 and J9, and many others.
I have compared these pickups to many others and these are a QUALITY product built by a true craftsman. TV Jones is a pleasure to deal with. He is knowledgeable and a genuinely nice person. He looked at my guitar, asked me about my playing style and what I wanted and he made a "killer recommendation" for a set of pickups. If you have invested in a guitar, spending a little extra to get the best sound possible makes good sense to me. The price is high by comparison to other pick ups. That is a down side but a "boutique set of pickups" versus a "factory made set" is the decision that you are going to have to come to for this one.
I realize that there are a lot of good pick ups out there. I am fortunate enough to have obtained this set for this guitar. Good luck in your search for the "perfect pick-up"

TV Jones classic pickups passive humbucers

GRETCH G5125 replaced both neck and bridge de-armond pickups for TV Jones classics Setzer who else! I obtained them through ebay cheap

not sure of out put level but volume level about the same as the de-armonds I use a DSL401 Marshall 40 watt valve amp and a VOX AD30vt amp no effects except a bit of reverb I play late 50s to late 60s music rockabily or hot rodded country and the pickups are perfect for it, with the amps working hard clean the pickups give a real authentic sound that only the Gretch's made,the standard de-armonds are good in there own right but the TV Jones have a lot more body and fuller sound I mistakenly used a 473uf cap instead of the recomended 022 with the 500k pots and still loved THAT sound

I would buy the same pickups in an instant if the others were lost or stolen after gutting the thief!! I"v been playing for about 30+ years and still not famous, so sad. my other gear consists of a few arch tops of different makes and a long line of tele style guitars most of which are going to get the TV Jones treatment, I"d thought I would never get excited over a pickup after trying so many brands claiming to give THAT sound but here they are!! also remember the pots and caps do help the tone so make sure their right as well

Passive humbucking pickup. I don't now the impedence. Each pickup has 12 cylindar-headed pole screws (2 per string).

I'm playing a 2005 Gretsch Jet Firebird. I replaced the stock Gretsch alnico Filtertrons in both the bridge and neck. The reason I changed the pickups is that there was something tonally lacking in the stock pickups - I liked them a ton but was still looking for something more. Also, they were really microphonic, which usually wasn't a problem but sometimes added annoying noise - which is a problem.

The output seems higher than the stock pickups. I'm playing through a Top Hat Club Royale and use a ZVex Box of Rock. I love this setup, which is quite simple, and it sounded great with the stock pickups but with the TV Classics it sounds incredible. Very harmonically rich, well balanced and very warm sounding. Also, the stock pickups were very microphonic, whereas these are not (which is great!).

I play music that's best described as indie/punk/klezmer in a band with a violin and lots of vocal harmony, so I have a lot to compete with, frequency wise. These pickups really help me cut through - since the change the way my guitar sounds is so much better.

If destroyed or stolen I would go straight to TV and order a new pair - hell, if my guitar was stolen i'd probably outfit my crappy balsawood les paul with a set until i could replace the guitar.

I've been playing for 12 years, and have owned my fair share of instruments - a les paul, a fender telecaster hs, and a rickenbacker 330 - some with great tone (the Ric and les paul) and some with bad (telecaster hs).

When I found my gretsch I pretty instantly fell in love with it. Tend to be pretty picky about tone and was nervous replacing the stock pickups because I liked how they sounded (just wished for something more) and was concerned about paying good money for these. However, these pickups have a great reputation (as does this company) and I figured it was worth a go. I'm really glad i did this as it seemed to really fill out my tone to a place that is really harmonically rich and exciting. I love love playing with the TV Classics in.

Pickup features: humbucker,passive
Impedence or other specs: 3,9 neck 4,9 bridge

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion II
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Gibson,the original
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Setzer?
You musical style(s): everything really
Reason for pickup change: wooliness of humbuckers got to me,needed more single-coil clarity but within the bigger sound of humbuckers

Perceived output level: like telecaster bridge
Tone: balanced twangy growl,lovely treble response with slightly overdriven rythmn and very articulate lead tones when pushed harder
Sonic evaluation: Bassman reissue with yellow jackets, Gibson Howard Roberts,G&L ASAT,Fender Jap strat with Haeussel pick-ups.
The G&L is the greatest guitar I`ve ever played but the Howard Roberts with TV Jones PU takes it to another level as the sound gets double as big.It`s like playing the G&L on steroids,sort of an extension of the G&L sound,wonderful!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I have to play and record all styles, so veraity is the name of my game.The TV Jones Classic make this possible now.

Comments: haven1t heard a better humbucker that suits so many different styles,I`d buy it again, no question.
playing for 30 years.
I rang TV Jones, he answered the phone himself, he was very helpful and kind and in no way trying to sell his product forcefully, a real gentleman of a dying species.
If you like your sound a bit on the Gretschy side and want to get rid of Humbucker dullness give these pickups a go, you won`t be disappointed.

Pickup features: Humbuckers
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 2002 6120-60
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock Gretsch
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Setzer of course!
You musical style(s): Roots Rock, Blues
Reason for pickup change: I bought the 1960 reissue 6120 thinking it would be my dream guitar. It sounded crappy. Even my wife would say at gigs when I tried to play it "please put down the Gretsch and play your Tele, it sounds so much better". My main guitar is a '91 Amer. Std Tele with stock pickups.

Perceived output level: Great output, was trying to match teh level of teh tele and these did it, maybe even a bit hotter.
Tone: crisp, and sounds great when breaking up a bit on the amp.
Sonic evaluation: I play through a '91 Fender Blues Deluxe on the clean side with a Fulldrive. Sounds great on this rig. I just bought a Mesa Rect-O-Verb yesterday and I can't wait to hear them on that rig!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: rock, country, blues, rockabilly, surf, these pickups will do it all, at least to my satisfaction.

Comments: Called TV Jones on the number on their website and was helped by none other than Mr. T.V. Jones himself. I explained to him my dilemma with the stock pickups (which he informed me were ceramic core) and told him I wanted something that would match the level and vibe of my tele pickups. He enlightened me that although the tone and Character would be different from the tele, it being a completely different guitar, that he thought I would be happy with the TV Classics and if I wasn't he would take them back and send me Super Trons or whatever I wanted until I was happy. Well, I'm happy. Extremely happy with the TV Classics. The last three gigs I played I used the Gretsch, and the last two it got more playing time than the Tele. YEE HAAW, My big fat orange dream guitar now sounds like a dream guitar. These pickups even got rid of nasty feedback issues I was having with the stock pickups as well! Even my boss in the audience (my wife) is happy with the way it sounds.

Pickup features: Humbucking reproduction of original Filtertrons
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 1991 6120
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Stock Filtertron
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Filtertrons
Artists using this pickup: don't know, But believe it or not Pete Townshend recorded every album from Who's Next to "Who by Numbers, " using a Gretsch 1620. Yes, "Won't Get Fooled Again," is a 6120 through a Fender Bandmaster.
You musical style(s): Roots rook, Garage rock, Neil Young. Richard Thompson. No rockabilly.
Reason for pickup change: Old pickup fizzled out.

Perceived output level: Loud
Tone: Filtertrons sound different, depending on wht model they're used on. Listen to "Bargain" on "Who's Next" it's the same guitar that on "Won't Get Fooled Again."
Sonic evaluation: One of the most uniqu sounding pickups ever. It depends on what model guitar it's used on, but on a 6120, you can get everything from "Fender=like" twang, to downright chrunch.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: couldn't say

Comments: As soon as i found out as a 20-year old that Townshend was getting the sounds on "Whose Next", "Quaraphenia," and "Who by Numbers" with a 6120 that Joe Walsh gave him, I knew I had to have one. I'm extremely pleased that TV Jones is making these pickups, and that Gretsch guitars are back in production. when i was looking for a 6120. be fore the reissues, i couldn'd find one for less than $5,000.
The one thing I love about these pickups is that they are loud, but don't loose their twang and clarity.

Pickup features: Dobble coil passive humbucking
Impedence or other specs: 4.1ohm (neck), 4.7ohm (bridge)

Model of guitar or bass: 6121 Roundup re-issue
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Factory ceramic
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): All styles but this guitar is mainly for rock and/or country
Reason for pickup change: Ceramic pickups made this guitar sound muddy as hell. You'd play the guitar unamplified and think it had a nice hollow, warm upper mid sound but once you plugged it in, it sounded like crap.

Perceived output level: Closer to old stock Gretsch pickups
Tone: Nice and balanced. Very warm sounding, great twang!
Sonic evaluation: Played through Blonde Fender Bandmaster, Blackface Bassman w 2 x 12 and Supro Thunderbolt

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Great match for the music I wanted to play with this guitar. Don't forget Billy Zoom use a Gretsch solid body.

Comments: These pickups saved this guitar. I had given up on it ever sounding halfway decent, now I plan to use it all the time. I would buy them again without a doubt. Been playing 30 years or so and have accumulated a crazy amount of guitars and amps. TV Jones was extremely helpful; he knows his guitars, especially Gretches! Plus he?s fun to talk to and a true gentleman.

Pickup features: Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Gretsch 6120 Brian Setzer Hot Rod
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Factory Filtertron-style (Ceramic Magnet)
Other pickups on guitar: Stock Rythym Pickup (soon to be replaced due to this great experience)
Artists using this pickup: Brian Setzer
You musical style(s): Wide Ranging (Rockabilly/Psychobilly/Punk/Modern Rock)
Reason for pickup change: Stock Pickups seemed to lack character, and the bridge Pickup had a low output even for a medium output type guitar

Perceived output level: Output higher than stock Pickup
Tone: Aewsome Tone, exactly what I had been dreaming of!
Sonic evaluation: Gretsch 6120 Brian Setzer Hot Rod (the guitar this Pickup was purchased for) and Gibson SG Special. Amp Setup is a 2004 Mesa Dual Rectifier and a Tweed Fender Blues DeVille (which is fed by the line out of the Recto and provdes spring reverb). The SG needs no pedals or boosts, but the Hot Rod had less than 1/2 the output of the SG.
The reasons for purchasing the TV Jones Pickup:
1) Stock Pickups seemed to lack character; Too brittle when overdriven, too bland when cleaned up.
2) The need to balance levels on stage led to using a Duncan Pickup Booster/Maxon OD 808/Boss Blues Driver/ with the Hot Rod just to get the same level as the SG, which just killed the natural tones and responsiveness the Guitar should be providing.
The new pickup has it all: Definition, twang, balls, character. I also purchased a new USA Wriring Harness from TV Jones and had this implemented with the new Pickup. Outstanding all the way around!

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play a wide range of styles (Rockabilly/Psychobilly/Punk/Modern Rock), and this pickup has brought the guitar to life. It absolutely twangs when low to medium overdrive tones are sought, and has punch and definition when dirty tones are used

Comments: I am 100% satified, and in fact now will be replacing the neck pickup! TV Jones has allowed the guitar to come back to life, with soul and character and their Customer Service skills are stellar
Thank You!