Product: Vintage Vibe Guitars HS90AT
Price Paid: US $100.00
Submitted
01/25/2005
at
04:08pm
by
Dave.
Email: dwhiteside9 at shaw<dot>ca
Features
:
Pickup features: single coil
Impedence or other specs: neck: 7.1, 8500 turns, bridge around 7.8 or 10,000 turns
Instrument
:
Model of guitar or bass: walnut/lacewood tele thinline
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: gibson burstbucker pro alnico 5
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: unknown
You musical style(s): blues, classic rock, jazz
Reason for pickup change: wanted clear tone, as opposed to mud.
Sound
:
No Opinion
Perceived output level: a bit higher than say a sock tele or strat.
Tone: clear, open, sparkling and defined
Sonic evaluation: Laney vc30. My setup is a fairly heavy custom tele thinline with a big fat warmoth boatneck maple, rosewood neck. I play with heavy strings: 12,15,19,28,38,58. I believe that the pickups are only part of the sound chain, nevertheless important. I have tried so many pickups over the years: gibson, harmonic design, seymour duncan, dimarzio, fender. I now won't spend big bucks on pickups when this simple technology can be had reasonably from guys like Pete at Vintage Vibe.
these are Humbucker size single coils; the workmanship appears to be excellent; big, fat single coils with big, thick pole pieces to get the job done right.
I have never tried p-90 style pickups before. I have always been a tele man, but my first guitar was a 69 SG which i bought in a Toronto pawn shop back in '73. I always liked the sound of Leslie West's Les Paul Jr. in "Mississippi Queen". I asked Pete to wind me the pickups to achieve this tone. This was easily accomplished the first time i plugged them in. The tones I get from this guitar are amazing. Where gibson humbuckers sounded extremely bassy, these pickups give a clear, sparkling, single coil sound; think spank and punch like a strat or tele in the neck, but with it's own unique sound and better sustainnad unique character. Crank the bridge and you have beautiful, singing leads ranging from roy buchanan, roll off the treble and you get that smooth paf sound like dickey bett's opening licks in "Southbound".
I love the fact that these pickups retain their clarity when distorted: think tragically hip's "Courage" rhythm, Pete Townshend's "won't get fooled again".
Each pickup is extremely sensitive to pick attack, probably due to height adjustment and the big fat pole pieces.
Pete will wind whatever he feels suits your playing style. I had delivery in 10 days to Canada. Highly recommended
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: these pickups can achieve everything from mellow jazz, throaty blues, to hard rock.
Overall Rating
:
10
Comments: I've been playing for 39 years and have several teles, a prs, and other guitars I have made. I will keep these pickups in this setup for my own sound and yes, i would replace them immediately.
Product: Vintage Vibe Guitars HS90AT
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted
04/16/2004
at
08:52pm
by
Dave Maineman50
Features
:
Pickup features: Single coil P90s, passive, and made to fit in a humbucker cavity
Impedence or other specs: Neck & Middle PUP 8.24k ohms Bridge 9.97k ohms
Instrument
:
Model of guitar or bass: Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: EMG single coils
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): I'm a rock 'n roll guitar player who studied at Berklee Coll. of Music
Reason for pickup change: I liked the EMGs, but always wished the neck and bridge PUPs were just a little fuller.
Sound
:
No Opinion
Perceived output level: About the same as the EMGs and PAFs
Tone: Full, clear, refreshing, balanced, warm, never muddy, and can still quack like a Strat
Sonic evaluation: I play a Strat and a PRS through a Bogner 101B and 4x12 with Greenbacks.
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play in a blues-based rock trio. The PUPs sound good in all styles of music
Overall Rating
:
10
Comments: I left a review earlier covering a set of Pete's P90s that I bought for my PRS. I liked them so much, I ordered three for my Strat. I already had the cavities routed for EMG humbuckers tapped for single coils that I tried a few years back, so it was just a matter of having Pete wire three of his P90s on a new pickguard and slip it in. The guitar looks cool and it STILL sounds like a Strat! But the PUPs, when played separately, are much fuller. Needless to say, with two guitars wired with his PUPS, I'm a fan of Pete's P90s. The PUPs are like finding a Mercedes or a Lexus priced the same as a Dodge or a Buick, why would you not want to go for the upgrade? The P90s solved the problems I had with single coils and humbuckers: the PUPs are full sounding and balanced, and there is no tone loss when rolling the volume down.