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Custom Pickups and Rewinds

Chosen for use in custom guitars by Alex Rado/ N.I.C.E. Guitars

Chosen for use in custom guitars by Bill Chapin/ Chapin Guitars

****NOTE****

*** I do NOT work on weekends anymore which means I also do NOT reply to e-mails on the weekends...

Most good pickup makers/companies offer a 30 day exchange guarantee. I give a 90 day "no questions asked" guarantee. If you still do not love the pickup(s) I made for you after 3 months I will exchange, rework, or refund, your choice.

OK, I'm not going to feed you a bunch of sales hype and BS. I make good pickups, as good as any and better than most. "The Best..." is going to be what suits YOU the best, and it may not be mine (if I think that's the case, I'll tell you so). I don't make "copies" of vintage pickups, I can and probably should since there's a huge market and a bunch of hype for "hand wound vintage pickups", but it's mostly nonsense and I don't want to promote that. If you found me it's probably due to referral since I don't advertise or promote. I'll let the referrals, reviews, feedback and guarantee speak for me.

In keeping with my no BS rule, I am going to tell you my pickups are OVER PRICED... That's right, I said it....my pickups are too expensive for what they are. The simple fact is they are JUST PICKUPS. Most of the marketing BS out there is pure "VODOO". That's not to say there isn't some "vodoo" in making pickups, the question is which do you need, if any. I'm a pretty firm believer that there is a stock/factory pickup out there somewhere, already being made, that will suit your needs, and that's also the problem; trying to find "that pickup". So why buy from me? Because I GUARANTEE you will get what you want, and I'm STILL averaging better than 99% first try. I use all of the "vodoo" techniques to get you what YOU WANT from YOUR GUITAR; thru YOUR RIG. I will vary factors such as wire guage, tension, scatterwinding, magnet gauss, potting, etc etc AS APPROPRIATE.

DO NOT expect ANY pickup to make up for using the wrong rig/amp, a poor quality guitar or lack of playing ability. If I were to prioritize factors/expenditures for a player it would be practice/lessons/playing out, amp, decent/suitable guitar and THEN pickups. In a strictly "tonal" sense the BIGGEST factor is the amp/speaker and the volume it's played at....

I hope that doesn't offend anyone but, in order to spend your money wisely and get what you want/need, you need the honest truth. Besides, I'd much rather make pickups for a very particular/demanding customer who knows his rig, abilities, and needs. Because if you don't know those things, then I can't accurately determine what I should make for you, and we may both end up dissapointed..I can make almost anything you might need/want as long as we can determine what that really is.

I have struggled very hard to keep prices competitive with the factory pickups, but time/demand issues have contributed to price increases; simply trying to cut back the demand. I hate having to tell someone they have to wait a month.

For those unaware, being the president of, and running, A.M.P.G.E. has increased the demands upon my time, but it has also greatly increased the options/makers availiable to you, the customer... If it's a small custom pickup maker, chances are that I have been involved in some way.....

Jeeze, looking around at a lot of the "custom pickup makers" out there and thier websites, I REALLY should be more of a salesman and spend some time on this website's design/flash......

The Pickups

**Note: model name specifies only the general construction type. The specific tonal characteristics of the pickup depends largely upon wire choice and output. MY PICKUPS ARE TRULY CUSTOM WOUND. You contact me, we discuss what you're looking for tonally, the guitar the pickups will be installed in, styles of music played and other gear used in order to determine THE OPTIMUM PICKUP DESIGN FOR YOU. Each pickup is wound to customer spec upon order. As noted above, I do not make copies. The pickup I make for you may very well end up being very similar to a 50's fender strat pickup for instance, but only becuase that's what suits you, not because I'm making or selling "1950's strat singlecoils". I do not have any pickups made up in advance; current turn-around is aproximately 6 weeks. Time to your door would also depend upon where you live and the resulting shipping time...

I also offer all of the traditional pickup types not listed, and will make completely custom pickups to spec. I can rewind/repair all types of pickups to include "bobbinless".

"Customer Comments"

**I've quit addding to these. For more see the Harmony Central review database or ask at any one of the many "guitar forums"...

S-90 : a strat pickup modified with p-90's opposing magnets, adjustable screw polepieces, steel contact bar: Add's some p-90 character to a strat pickup, with additional bass response. My personal favorite for a strat. Also really good as a bridge pickup combined with alnico pickups in neck/ middle positions.

"The perfect rockin/ blues pickup!" "sounds more like a P-90 than a strat pickup!" " I love this pickup! Turn the volume down and it cleans up nicely and still retains all it's definition!" "I've never played a pickup that didn't turn to mud when the volume is rolled off! Makes the neck position on my strat much more usefull!"

S-45: most of the S-90. Leaves off the steel bar for a bit more traditional sound, and less bass response than the S-90

T-90: Tele pickup with the same design characteristics as the S-90

"I have to admit, I didn't expect it to sound this good. I compared it side by side to a Fralin Steel Pole 43 in a strat (similar design). It (the T-90) has a real big tone, similar to a tele but with more of everything. The Fralin tends to get muddy where this pickup sounds balanced no matter where the volume knob is set. When bending strings it delivers a nice singing tone, reminds me of a LP Jr w/ a bit of tele twang. The stock duncan squeeled horribly where this one refused to do so......This guy knows what he's doing, this pickup is as good as any on the market, probably better than most....."

Alnico 5: a traditional alnico 5 polepiece pickup w/ or without staggered polepieces. Vintage or hot

"perfection! The notes just seem to bloom!" "Very balanced at any setting"

High Output: ceramic magnet, steel slug polepieces or adjustable screw polepieces.

"very pleased...none of the brittleness typical of high output pickups" "doesn't mud out when turned down"

P-90: just that (baseplates are no longer used)

J-90: a P-90 built using alnico polepieces for more clarity and bit less bottom end (also prevents muddyness) (baseplates are no longer used)

"A great pickup for Jazzy comping...just a bit hotter than a traditional jazz type pickup, exactly what I was looking for.."

HB-90: A Humbucker sized pickup with a true P-90 bobbin inside. underwound w/ 42, typical wind w/ 43, or overwound w/44

upper pickup alnico poled w/ nickel cover, lower pickup showing coil and screw poles of typical P-90 construction.

 

Patent Pending Designs

Dualtone humbucker: one coil uses alnico polepieces, other coil uses height adjustable screw poles and ceramic magnets. Combined has a PAF character to it, when cut to the alnico sounds very strat like.

"everyone knows a cut humbucker doesn't sound like a strat single...this one does!" "very smooth tone in humbucker mode"
Sound Clips

Dualtone II: similar to the original dualtone. uses one coil w/ alnico 5 polepieces, and one coil configured as an s-90. Where the original dualtone is designed to cut to the alnico bobbin primarily, the Dualtone II is designed to be used w/ a coil selector switch so you can cut to either coil for increased versatility and tonal options.

"this is the coolest pickup I've ever played!" "there's nothing this pickup won't do"

 

Completely Custom Pickups: Many specialty designs can be custom made to fit your needs.

custom made alnicoII rail Bass pickup with a custom made archtop pickup ring of ebony.

custom made Dualtone II to fit a P-90 soapbar cavity.

Mini Dualtone II, a Dualtone in Gibson's mini HB size format

No Cost Options:

Singlecoils come with vintage cloth braid wires(standard) or 2 wire plus shield.

Humbuckers come standard w/ 4 wire plus shield, vintage Gibson single lead w/ braided shield (shared ground wiring) is optional.

Coil wire guage is chosen based upon the customer's desired results, as is the output; however I will no longer wind anything with "vintage correct" coil wire (formivar or enamel) unless it is for the restoration of a vintage pickup. This is due to having some of my pickups passed off as truly vintage pickups which is fraud.

Colors Humbuckers are availiable in black, zebra, reverse zebra or "tan".

Covers are not included except for P-90 types. They are availiable "at cost".

 

So, How Much?

**all prices include shipping in continental US.

Rewinds

Singlecoils: $65.00

Humbuckers $65.00/ 1 coil, $75.00/ both coils (humbuckers generally only require one coil rewound)

Bobbinless pickups $100.00(i.e. DeArmond archtop pickups etc)

"Vintage Correct" Rewinds: $90.00/coil (**only for vintage pickup restoration)

Pickups

(general listing, there are simply too many options to list them all individually)

(**prices are for new pickups, but I will also convert a pickup you already have at a discounted price)

Completely Custom Designs: by quote only

Alnico2/3/4or5 Singlecoils: $100.00 (strat/tele/similar)

**60's staggered poles availiable in alnico5 only

S-90/ T-90: $125.00 (***these pickups are tall, occasionally requiring deepening of the pickup routs; it's worth it....)

P-90 w/ bar magnets $100.00

P-90 w/ alnico (2/3/4or5) polepieces $100.00

HBP-90: $150.00 (includes nickel cover)

HBJ-90: $150.00 (includes nickel cover)

Dualtone Humbucker: $150.00

Dualtone II Humbucker: $150.00

Standard Humbucker ("PAF") types: $125.00

Mini Humbucker: $150.00

Jazz Bass(alnico2/3/4/5): $100.00

P-Bass(alnico2/3/4/5): $100.00

**Please Note: Pickup "type" only indicates overall construction. Each pickup is efined and finalized based upon the customer's desired results and their gear. Output, coil wire, amount of "scatter", wire tension, potting/potting material etc, is selected based upon those criteria. I have no hand wound pickups "in stock", each is made to order. You can not simply order an S-90, for instance, since the S-90's which are best for you are not likely the same as those that were best for the last customer. I generally need the type of guitar, it's construction (woods, set/bolt neck, chambers etc.) the rest of your rig (amps/pedals normally used) and style of music/artist focusing on. If your rig is not solid yet please say that as well so I can adjust for more of a "middle ground"(most of us are always messing around w/ new amps/ pedals, but have our "old reliables")