Your pickups are unparalleled in the replica market In all the hundreds of demos I've heard nobody nails the pick harmonics correctly except you Seriously man your work sounds incredible spot on
Thanks very much! It took over 20 years of real reverse-engineering work to make this happen. Nothing was easy about it, thousands of hours of incredibly hard work. If you try to do something in your life, NEVER GIVE UP.
I’m on a path to recreate sound and feel of those magical vintage instruments. I’m grateful that someone that knowledgeable is willing to share his experience for free ! Thank you Sir ! From Poland with love Oli.
His pickups are without a doubt the wisest choice for anyone wanting to recapture the sound of a 58-60 burst.👍 With his pu's and the right hardware and i am convinced a Modern CS Murphy Lab will sound the same as a old original. I specifically listed a Murphy lab because those are the only newer Gibson's using the proper clear coat finish that lets the wood breath.
Going to be buying some pickups soon, you are a wealth of knowledge and really appreciate what you are doing in recreating vintage sounds and this TH-cam channel, thank you sir
Hey friend, i wrote you back a couple times, im sure your busy, i wanna try to make a set for myself, just for kicks!!!!! You have inspired me 100% but in the meantime i wanna order a set of yours, i know thees a long wait time i dont care, i wont buy from no one else, how do i order them? And if you can let me which you prefer or what are your top of the line? id appriciate it! i like the PG'S And the ones from the beano video...Also i want a set for my es 335 the t-tops are a little too smooth for my taste, wanna something with a growl lol another classic from you good job! hope to hear from you in good health!! God Bless!
HEY, BUDDY, THIS IS ABOUT THE TENTH TIME I WATCHED THIS! YOUR PICKUPS SOUND LIKE THOSE MAY HAVE SOUNDED IN 1960 LEAVING THE GIBSON FACTORY! UNBELIEVABLE!
Thanks, I'm pretty proud of the work I did to get here. I've been trolled to death and shamed for having a slow wait time, blah blah, but thru 20 years of pounding my head against the wall, and doing countless experiments to prove or disprove my theories and the lab results of materials examinations, I eventually got where I never thought I could get to. Everyone told me I was wasting my time, that I was stupid, it couldn't be done. Do what you love, and answers will always come, but you gotta CRAWL up that mountain and do the work, nothing for free.....
They sounds really good. Nice work. Looking forward to part 3 of your Les Paul that isn't series. Hoping you get it uploaded soon. I'm quite eager to hear the culmination of all the changes. Thanks!
@@SDPickups The biggest misconception people have about PAFs - and I know because I had it - is that they sound creamy and warm, they're not. Maybe that comes from the 'woman tone' thing or maybe from the Boston albums and things like that, I don't know... I really appreciate these videos and the work you do.
A lot of guitarist apparently have no idea album tones were recorded with tons of transformer saturation which mellowed out the tone, from pre amps to eqs to compressors to tape and they have no concept of this . They romanticize a sound that never existed . Only on records .
On most levels it is. But on a business level its not. I don't make pickups like anyone else does, I have to machine my own parts, make my own covers and do the nickel plating, so a set with a full harness can take 12-16 hours if relic'd. So I can't make very many pickups in a month, so I have a long backlog of orders to fulfill and I have stopped taking orders now and just selling the higher priced vintage wire sets to have an income. Its a difficult business, and most are just selling offshore StewMac kit buckers and mindlessly hand winding them, so they all literally sound alike. Your average "pickup maker" is nothing more than an assembly hobbyist and know nothing about DESIGN, and I don't mean how many "K" winds there are or what alnico they're using. The actual truth about vintage PAF's is that they are very complex, the materials don't exist in our times and there is no parts or materials that exist in our time. So you have to make the parts yourself, know the metallurgy, know the actual physical design of every part which was not consistent from year to year. I'm really the only guy that ever did all that reverse-engineering work going back 20 years and it took at least 15 years for the whole picture to emerge to where my work is very very close to originals. Not a business I would recommend to anyone. Way more fun that my original career of 35 years as a graphic designer, though. I get to play my guitar every day and get paid to share the product results from all that hard work. Thanks for the comment.
Good day Sir ,...I learned a lot today watching your videos , would your PG work good in an SG ? also what is the name of that song you play at 10.54 ? thanks
I actually made a specific set for SG's, the HDSG set, I really like it alot, but I've also rewired the SG to the exact way they were and changed all the hardware to equivalent materials closest to the old hardware materials too. Eveything thing matters. th-cam.com/video/FiDANMClgZU/w-d-xo.html
Great stuff! Funnily enough, I have had the most pleasing sounds from a rough cast long a5 degaussed down to 450g. TPL was ~95 on one coil and 65 on the other with a healthy offset and max tension (42awg) for an ~ 20% stretch. Total 8.05k (bridge) on the dot. Unpotted, of course! 👌 Poly wire (tesla). Low carbon steel seems better tonally, although it is prone to corrosion as we see and hard to get now unless you make your own. As ever Dave, big fan of your tone! Thanks for sharing! PS: I 100% agree,through my own experimentation, that the complete 'tonal circuit' as you describe it is essential. I get best results with 9-46 strings and ratchet that TP down tight. I also swear off heavy or locking tuners as they suck the overtones..!
Magnets vary by manufacturer, no two of them make the same sounding magnets. Real PAF's are different than what you're doing, but if you like them, thats all that matters.
Fire & Water intro: 8:27 9:47 Verse: 8:42 10:01 Chorus: 8:50 10:09 Similar leads: 9:04 10:23 Man, that’s some seriously consistent playing and, I must say, your pickup sounds more PAF than the PAF.👏👏
@@SDPickups it’s quite a story. If only I were a biographer instead of a corporate wage slave lol Well here’s a lot of mine; chasing this amazing Kossoff tone. You’ll need earbuds or headphones - Free 1970 live hard panned left, and my R8 and Marshall on the right. Please forgive the occasional traffic noise (I live in SF) and my playing goofs! This is the closest I’ve heard anyone get so far: th-cam.com/video/70BXwUSZoMw/w-d-xo.html
When you aim for the Peter green sound do you reverse it. Or flip it as some people argue what was done to peters pick ups. I’m just curious what your take is on that?
You flip one magnet over so the long edge flips over to the other side. Basically flipping the magnet pole edge over. Turning the pickup around doesn't change polarity.
Well considering that no two Pickups sound exactly like each other(not even two P.A.F's out of the same Gibson!) i would say you impressively made a pickup that is untouchable when it comes to a P.A.F! Your PG in this video has all the hallmark tone traits of a great P.A.F that i like and has the same appearance visually so it is a win/win here! I would give the PG a 10 out of ten!
Well, I don't entirely agree with that. All the PAF's I've played, from virtually every year have the same basic "voice." The only real different is some are brighter, some are less bright. It depends on how much wire in on the bobbins that varied a LOT but there IS a specific recipe they used, of 10,000 total winds. This equates to around 7.3K +/- Those are all very bright but make perfect neck PAF's, clear and bright.
My God! From 00:05min and on... What is this sound, man!? It’s like a totally different pickup compared to what I hear on HB these days. Thanks for sharing that, Sir!
Commercial humbuckers from big companies are nothing like original PAF's. Not a single one of them ever did their homework, or probably ever worked with as many vintage PAF's as I have, nor worked with industry mentors who helped me do all the lab analyses I requested. I did this for years and years, and figured it all out, and none of it is easy to discover.
Its not easy. I don't mass produce pickups. I make about 40 sets a year, and am making most of the parts myself, doing my own plating, my own covers, so just a single set takes a lot of hours to build. Plus I'm 71 now in March, my eyesight is real bad, I have neck pain problems and other old age stuff going on. So, you can buy a set NOW, but you won't get it for about a year and a half current wait time. Sometimes you can spot my sets on Reverb, but they are way overpriced from what I charge, and some are old sets from years ago that are nothing like what I'm doing now.
Stefan, what kind of wire are you using to wind your pickups? I want to try winding my pickup with awg41 wire at 4500 turns per coil. Translated by Google
Great video! Thanks for the comparison. I thought the vintage '60 had a bit more high end bite and clarity, but the PG matched all of the warmth, smoothness and body extremely well. Considering all of the variables, they are very close! What magnet do you have in the PG?
the gibson p u sounded really good, seperation, balance, maybe a very slight higher mid bump compared to your mid bump, l was getting the 'cant you hear me knocking' les paul tone off the 60's ones
Vintage Garnet "MANN" head. Two 6L6's, no master volume, no gain channel. Into Celestion 12 inch Greenback in open back pine cab with Tung Oil finish. No pedals, just turn it up all the way, all pots all the way except bass only a little. And some reverb.
I can't say for sure -- however, I think I like the new PU better than the original. It sounds more open and a little less compressed. Maybe a bit too fuzzy round the edges, but that could mellow out with age. Unfortunately, I don't like the amp that much -- what is it?
the original nuts were a type of nylon, if you drop test the originals they sound like they are made of ceramic. I don't know if thats because of aging or what. Brass was 70's popular, Graphtech is modern stuff, I stay away from modern stuff, its not the history I want to replicate.
@@SDPickups Thank you for sharing your insights on vintage accurate components, I've learned a tremendous amount from your videos and replies to comments. What would you use to replicate vintage nut then? Thoughts on bone?
SDPickups thank you, thankfully I havent ordered it yet, how about the hardware on the PRS 594? I’m thinking with your pickups this guitar would sound very close to a burst? It’s got brass for saddles and the saddles have the shape that you like, meaning pretty flat on top and not too sharp. All the materials listed are vintage-spec. I’m really curious what you think about it. The pickups are pretty decent, not as good as yours but better than Gibsons custom buckers to my ears.
@@zwip778 I really know nothing about PRS except Paul overhypes everything, LOL. I mean that Strat he made, he tried everything to convince everyone that it ISN'T a Strat, then his spiel about how he copied vintage magnet wire. No, you can't copy that wire that was made with copper that wasn't pure, and insulation formulas that haven't been used since those days. Anyway...... I don't know what he uses, but for sure his harness is probably budget stuff like they ALL use. The harness is a big part of old 'burst tone and even Gibson fails mostly there too. The LP harness is four pots and a long triple wired switch, its all a formula for a certain capacitance. I think some of his guitars only have two knobs? That dramatically cuts the capacitance down, so you'll get a much brighter sound there. Even the 3 knob Flying V's, there's noticeable increase from that and the absence of long switch wire as well. All that said, I wired a guitar for Eric Gales, two knobs and had to figure out how the old LP Juniors were wired and used that. He LOVED the guitar, and he is a Strat HERO, and used it on one album he did for Shrapnel. So, a lot to consider there, but pretty sure you would like the pickups. I've heard the pickups he makes and found them annoying personally. The guy subsequently got rid of it. Even the PRS body design is a semi-copy of a Gibson double cut LP JR as I recall.
SDPickups very interesting. I will switch the harness when I buy a PRS. I have a harness in a drawer with good vintage style components (PIO caps, good pots). Thank you for sharing your knowledge with people.
Its a gold top Elitist Epiphone. If you don't know about these guitars, they are better than 90% of Gibsons. NOT MADE IN CHNA. Its funny that GIBSON had these made in JAPAN. In Japan, QUALITY IS KING. I have 7 of these including an Elitist SG. ALL of them have Brazilian fret boards, real abalone fret markers, long tenon neck joints, real maple tops with no veneers, mahogany backs. Gibson quit making them because they were superior quality compared to Gibsons. They have risen in price but are still affordable around $1500. But some Elitists like their 335's are now around $3500 or so. Thats how good they are. But I have modified all of them by installing true 50's wiring with PIO caps (lately using Jupiter Condenser Bee replicas the best out their). All hardware was replaced with equivalent vintage materials. (watch my "The Les Paul That Isn't" four part series to see how I bought real vintage hardware parts and reverse engineered what they were actually made of. I bought one of these years ago and it was so stunning a guitar I bought 6 more thru a couple years and they were dirt cheap because nobody knew about them.
Initially I thought they both sounded almost identical (Which is a good thing) but then I started to pick up a more 3D, throatier sound from the HD PG, wonderful sound :)
Its not what you think it is. First of all its not Chinese, nor Korean. These were made by GIBSON in JAPAN. Japanese quality is far better than Gibson, I have 7 of these and an SG, and they are called ELITIST Les Pauls. They all have long tenon neck joints, the whole body vibrates when you play. They all have Braziliain fretboards, that are non existant anymore. Bone nuts, real abalone markers, full maple cap, no veneers. The hardware and pickups are pretty junky, so they have all been rewired fully including switch wiring, to 50's methods and good quality accurate two layer insulated braided wire. Hardware is all closest materials to what vintage hardware was, Faber bridge, aluminum stop bar, real ABR1 brass thumbwheels and brass bridge posts, like vintage. Go watch "The Les Paul That Isn't," documentary in four parts I did to explain what I did to all my LP's. These days I am using our Four Uncles ABR1 replica I did the reverse engineering and its the ONLY accurate replica ever made, but are in short limited suppy and not cheap. So, these are nothing like the Chinese garbage Les Pauls, and rival any Les Paul Gibson made up to even $4K standards.
Both sound fantastic. Unfortunately most lp style guitars sound just muddy and woofy and dark with stock humbuckers, which cannot be dialed with any amp.
Watch the "Les Paul That Isn't" 3 part series. Most LP type guitars have horrible harnesses, thats one big thing that kills the clarity. But more than that.....
The Epi IS NOT STOCK. All hardware changed to vintage correct materials and metals. Harness thrown away and corrected with full new harness built to 50's materials and wire. Please watch the 3 part series "The Les Paul That Isn't" to see what was done to all my LP's. The great thing about those Elitists were they were made in Japan, real Brazilian fretboard, full maple top, no veneers, full maple cap, bone nut, Grovers, real abalone markers, better than Gibsons. But made by Gibson in Japan.
SDPickups 1 second ago LOL. Its not "just and Epi." Epiphone Elitists, I have 6 of them. MADE IN JAPAN BY GIBSON. These were made in the early 2000's. These are better than most Gibsons, which is why they quit selling them, they were undercutting their own over priced LP's. They are long tenon neck joint, real Brazil fretboards, real dark and beautiful wood, real MOP markers, bone nuts, true full thickness maple caps, Grover tuners. When I bought mine you could get them in mint condition for $800. BUT, they are not stock. They are completely rewired with full accurate 50's tuned harnesses, and ALL hardware replaced to match vintage materials and design. Basically I did what I show in my 3 part series "The Les Paul That Isn't."
Your pick up sounds good Better actually The 60 maybe sounded better on chord's for some reason but so hard to tell on phone speakers Very cool How much is your PAF ?
They are $650 base price a set without covers. I make my own cover replicas, $275 relic or NOS plate, I do my own plating as well. A year wait time. I don't mass produce, just maybe 50 sets a year is all.
SDPickups 1 second ago LOL. Its not "just and Epi." Epiphone Elitists, I have 6 of them. MADE IN JAPAN BY GIBSON. These were made in the early 2000's. These are better than most Gibsons, which is why they quit selling them, they were undercutting their own over priced LP's. They are long tenon neck joint, real Brazil fretboards, real dark and beautiful wood, real MOP markers, bone nuts, true full thickness maple caps, Grover tuners. When I bought mine you could get them in mint condition for $800. BUT, they are not stock. They are completely rewired with full accurate 50's tuned harnesses, and ALL hardware replaced to match vintage materials and design. Basically I did what I show in my 3 part series "The Les Paul That Isn't."
SD pickups are without a doubt the wisest choice for anyone wanting to recapture the sound of a 58-60 burst.👍 With his pu's and the right hardware and i am convinced a Modern CS Murphy Lab will sound the same as a old original. (Burst,SG,ES-335,etc) I specifically listed a Murphy lab because those are the only newer Gibson's using the proper clear coat finish that lets the wood breath.
I bet there are many more things wrong with the Murphys and the CC guitars too. I had a customer who was going to send me his CC guitar to install my work but he decided not to, so I never got to see what they were doing. Am completely skeptical about the "Murphy Lab" guitars. I've seen close ups of their aging and I could they were using a BB GUN on the ones I saw. Little perfectly round indents all the same size, LOL. Its just amazing how much they get away with that know one seems to notice, LOL.
@@SDPickups My 2018 true Historic R9 is a really good Les Paul. it has Nos 60's sprague caps and new wire harness and pots. it has a early 60's ABR-1 so all it needs is a set of P.A.F's. The Custombuckers sound good but are not want i am after. I bought it used and lucky for me the guy that sold it already had did all the upgrades.
In my series "The Les Paul That Isn't" there are four episodes. The guitar was a '60 VOS with Custom Buckers. It sounded ok in the first and second episode, but in episode 4, the HD59 replicas blew the custom buckers out of the water, along with all the upgrades to the hardware I did as well. Custom Buckers are bland and boring, no character at all.
@@SDPickups I dunno man, these A/B’s don’t lie... sometimes I think your pickup sounds more PAF than the PAF. Super consistent playing too 👏👏 Fire & Water intro: 8:27 9:47 Verse: 8:42 10:01 Chorus: 8:50 10:09 Similar leads: 9:04 10:23
Considering that no two original PAFs sound the same, and these pickups were not really matched either, they are surprisingly close with differences coming down to taste.
You know, thats more of a myth than fact. I've played them from every year and the differences are tiny. The biggest difference will be how much wire was wound on them. A 7.5K vintage PAF (which most of them ARE) is always going to be brighter than a 9K or a 10K vintage PAF. But has the same basic "voice." Watch my Black Beauty comparison of vintage PAF vs. my intentional DIRECT attempt to clone the 59's. This '60 PAF comparison was only to a similar model of one of my replicas. There was no intention of copying this '60 PAF at all. The Black Beauty clone set is very very close and was an intentional clone as a controlled experiment to see how well my own materials and processes could come to a single example of a 1959 PAF set.
LOL. Its not "just and Epi." Epiphone Elitists, I have 6 of them. MADE IN JAPAN BY GIBSON. These were made in the early 2000's. These are better than most Gibsons, which is why they quit selling them, they were undercutting their own over priced LP's. They are long tenon neck joint, real Brazil fretboards, real dark and beautiful wood, real MOP markers, bone nuts, true full thickness maple caps, Grover tuners. When I bought mine you could get them in mint condition for $800. BUT, they are not stock. They are completely rewired with full accurate 50's tuned harnesses, and ALL hardware replaced to match vintage materials and design. Basically I did what I show in my 3 part series "The Les Paul That Isn't."
The original PAF sounds a tad smoother and more solid tone imho while yours sounds a tad crispier and breaks up eralier... but the difference is almost imperceptible
Pay attention, its not just "an Epi." These are Elitist Les Pauls, MADE IN JAPAN, not in the USA. They all have Brazilian fretboards, long tenon neck joints, real abalone fret markers, bone nuts, full maple caps with no veneers, full mahogany backs, Grover tuners, real ABR1 bridges, not cheap Nasheville bridges like they put on everything now days. I have 7 of these plus Elitist SG. But they are not stock, I replace all the hardware and harnesses, and use our Four Uncles Restorations 100% accurate ABR1 replicas, hand made and cast to the exact alloys match to the vintage ABR1's we destroyed to get the real deal alloys mixed correctly. These Elisits were made FOR GIBSON in Japan, where quality is KING. They are better than the stuff Gibson makes now that they charge $2500 for, and they use the cheap Nasheville bridges on. The CHINESE Epiphones aren't even close to these fine Japanese guitars. Upgrading the harnesses and pickups and hardware turns them into major weapons of WAR, LOL.
Your pickups are unparalleled in the replica market
In all the hundreds of demos I've heard nobody nails the pick harmonics correctly except you
Seriously man your work sounds incredible spot on
Thanks very much! It took over 20 years of real reverse-engineering work to make this happen. Nothing was easy about it, thousands of hours of incredibly hard work. If you try to do something in your life, NEVER GIVE UP.
@@SDPickupsyou're great man, thank you for this work! Hope someday ill get your pickups...
I’m on a path to recreate sound and feel of those magical vintage instruments. I’m grateful that someone that knowledgeable is willing to share his experience for free ! Thank you Sir ! From Poland with love Oli.
His pickups are without a doubt the wisest choice for anyone wanting to recapture the sound of a 58-60 burst.👍
With his pu's and the right hardware and i am convinced a Modern CS Murphy Lab will sound the same as a old original.
I specifically listed a Murphy lab because those are the only newer Gibson's using the proper clear coat finish that lets the wood breath.
Heyyy nice stule, you make me feel in the 70's
Going to be buying some pickups soon, you are a wealth of knowledge and really appreciate what you are doing in recreating vintage sounds and this TH-cam channel, thank you sir
Hey friend, i wrote you back a couple times, im sure your busy, i wanna try to make a set for myself, just for kicks!!!!! You have inspired me 100% but in the meantime i wanna order a set of yours, i know thees a long wait time i dont care, i wont buy from no one else, how do i order them? And if you can let me which you prefer or what are your top of the line? id appriciate it! i like the PG'S And the ones from the beano video...Also i want a set for my es 335 the t-tops are a little too smooth for my taste, wanna something with a growl lol another classic from you good job! hope to hear from you in good health!! God Bless!
HEY, BUDDY, THIS IS ABOUT THE TENTH TIME I WATCHED THIS! YOUR PICKUPS SOUND LIKE THOSE MAY HAVE SOUNDED IN 1960 LEAVING THE GIBSON FACTORY! UNBELIEVABLE!
Thanks, I'm pretty proud of the work I did to get here. I've been trolled to death and shamed for having a slow wait time, blah blah, but thru 20 years of pounding my head against the wall, and doing countless experiments to prove or disprove my theories and the lab results of materials examinations, I eventually got where I never thought I could get to. Everyone told me I was wasting my time, that I was stupid, it couldn't be done. Do what you love, and answers will always come, but you gotta CRAWL up that mountain and do the work, nothing for free.....
They sounds really good. Nice work. Looking forward to part 3 of your Les Paul that isn't series. Hoping you get it uploaded soon. I'm quite eager to hear the culmination of all the changes. Thanks!
That 60 paf is really bright sounding 👍🏻 looking forward to part 3 of the les Paul that isn’t series!!
As they all ARE.
@@SDPickups The biggest misconception people have about PAFs - and I know because I had it - is that they sound creamy and warm, they're not. Maybe that comes from the 'woman tone' thing or maybe from the Boston albums and things like that, I don't know... I really appreciate these videos and the work you do.
A lot of guitarist apparently have no idea album tones were recorded with tons of transformer saturation which mellowed out the tone, from pre amps to eqs to compressors to tape and they have no concept of this .
They romanticize a sound that never existed . Only on records .
Both sound wonderful and sonically close. Thank you for postting .
The 1960 PAF sounds more warmer and stronger while the HD PG PAF sounds way brighter and a little bit softer compared to the original. Decent video!
Great video, really love your videos please continue uploading. Thank you .
That must be a really FUN job Man.
On most levels it is. But on a business level its not. I don't make pickups like anyone else does, I have to machine my own parts, make my own covers and do the nickel plating, so a set with a full harness can take 12-16 hours if relic'd. So I can't make very many pickups in a month, so I have a long backlog of orders to fulfill and I have stopped taking orders now and just selling the higher priced vintage wire sets to have an income. Its a difficult business, and most are just selling offshore StewMac kit buckers and mindlessly hand winding them, so they all literally sound alike. Your average "pickup maker" is nothing more than an assembly hobbyist and know nothing about DESIGN, and I don't mean how many "K" winds there are or what alnico they're using. The actual truth about vintage PAF's is that they are very complex, the materials don't exist in our times and there is no parts or materials that exist in our time. So you have to make the parts yourself, know the metallurgy, know the actual physical design of every part which was not consistent from year to year. I'm really the only guy that ever did all that reverse-engineering work going back 20 years and it took at least 15 years for the whole picture to emerge to where my work is very very close to originals. Not a business I would recommend to anyone. Way more fun that my original career of 35 years as a graphic designer, though. I get to play my guitar every day and get paid to share the product results from all that hard work. Thanks for the comment.
Sweet! 🎸😊
LAWDY MAMA, DAVE. The HDPG bridge SINGS! i'm feeling another order coming on. Hoping you're well and staying that way!
Great work, great demo. Thanks for sharing Dave!
Impressive, sounds virtually identical to my ears
I love the sound your humbucker SDpickup! ❤️❤️❤️
Good day Sir ,...I learned a lot today watching your videos , would your PG work good in an SG ? also what is the name of that song you play at 10.54 ? thanks
I actually made a specific set for SG's, the HDSG set, I really like it alot, but I've also rewired the SG to the exact way they were and changed all the hardware to equivalent materials closest to the old hardware materials too. Eveything thing matters.
th-cam.com/video/FiDANMClgZU/w-d-xo.html
Great stuff! Funnily enough, I have had the most pleasing sounds from a rough cast long a5 degaussed down to 450g. TPL was ~95 on one coil and 65 on the other with a healthy offset and max tension (42awg) for an ~ 20% stretch. Total 8.05k (bridge) on the dot. Unpotted, of course! 👌 Poly wire (tesla). Low carbon steel seems better tonally, although it is prone to corrosion as we see and hard to get now unless you make your own. As ever Dave, big fan of your tone! Thanks for sharing! PS: I 100% agree,through my own experimentation, that the complete 'tonal circuit' as you describe it is essential. I get best results with 9-46 strings and ratchet that TP down tight. I also swear off heavy or locking tuners as they suck the overtones..!
Magnets vary by manufacturer, no two of them make the same sounding magnets. Real PAF's are different than what you're doing, but if you like them, thats all that matters.
lol upon further review, yours are definitly better!!! amazing!!!
Fire & Water intro:
8:27
9:47
Verse:
8:42
10:01
Chorus:
8:50
10:09
Similar leads:
9:04
10:23
Man, that’s some seriously consistent playing and, I must say, your pickup sounds more PAF than the PAF.👏👏
Its like you just wrote my entire life story ;-) Thanks.
@@SDPickups it’s quite a story. If only I were a biographer instead of a corporate wage slave lol
Well here’s a lot of mine; chasing this amazing Kossoff tone. You’ll need earbuds or headphones - Free 1970 live hard panned left, and my R8 and Marshall on the right. Please forgive the occasional traffic noise (I live in SF) and my playing goofs! This is the closest I’ve heard anyone get so far:
th-cam.com/video/70BXwUSZoMw/w-d-xo.html
When you aim for the Peter green sound do you reverse it. Or flip it as some people argue what was done to peters pick ups. I’m just curious what your take is on that?
You flip one magnet over so the long edge flips over to the other side. Basically flipping the magnet pole edge over. Turning the pickup around doesn't change polarity.
Well considering that no two Pickups sound exactly like each other(not even two P.A.F's out of the same Gibson!) i would say you
impressively made a pickup that is untouchable when it comes to a P.A.F! Your PG in this video has all the hallmark tone traits of a great P.A.F that i like and has the same appearance visually so it is a win/win here! I would give the PG a 10 out of ten!
Well, I don't entirely agree with that. All the PAF's I've played, from virtually every year have the same basic "voice." The only real different is some are brighter, some are less bright. It depends on how much wire in on the bobbins that varied a LOT but there IS a specific recipe they used, of 10,000 total winds. This equates to around 7.3K +/- Those are all very bright but make perfect neck PAF's, clear and bright.
My God! From 00:05min and on...
What is this sound, man!? It’s like a totally different pickup compared to what I hear on HB these days.
Thanks for sharing that, Sir!
Commercial humbuckers from big companies are nothing like original PAF's. Not a single one of them ever did their homework, or probably ever worked with as many vintage PAF's as I have, nor worked with industry mentors who helped me do all the lab analyses I requested. I did this for years and years, and figured it all out, and none of it is easy to discover.
@@SDPickups Tremendous work and much respect, Sir.
Good to know you exist and are here in this world, man!
So how and I get some of there pickups?
Its not easy. I don't mass produce pickups. I make about 40 sets a year, and am making most of the parts myself, doing my own plating, my own covers, so just a single set takes a lot of hours to build. Plus I'm 71 now in March, my eyesight is real bad, I have neck pain problems and other old age stuff going on. So, you can buy a set NOW, but you won't get it for about a year and a half current wait time. Sometimes you can spot my sets on Reverb, but they are way overpriced from what I charge, and some are old sets from years ago that are nothing like what I'm doing now.
Thank you for sharing your research and knowledge.
The PG holds up quite well against the PAF. Very impressive showing I must say!
Great comparison. The PG sounds real nice!
PAF 8:27
PG 9:47
Both pickups sound great and very similar. The 1960 PAF has a little more upper harmonic content (chime). great job!
Stefan, what kind of wire are you using to wind your pickups? I want to try winding my pickup with awg41 wire at 4500 turns per coil. Translated by Google
Elektrisola PE wire. MWS sells it, not sure they have it in 41 gauge though.
Great video! Thanks for the comparison. I thought the vintage '60 had a bit more high end bite and clarity, but the PG matched all of the warmth, smoothness and body extremely well. Considering all of the variables, they are very close! What magnet do you have in the PG?
An A2 from Sensmag. They are a little warmer than other companies.
the gibson p u sounded really good, seperation, balance, maybe a very slight higher mid bump compared to your mid bump, l was getting the 'cant you hear me knocking' les paul tone off the 60's ones
Great playing touch and feel, sweet sounding pickup mate.
Amazing job ! .... sounds very similar to me, very nice Paul kossoff fire and water riffs
When you are playing thru on these tests, what amp are you using? I am simply curious. Tones are amazing, and I am looking forward to Pt 3! Peace
Vintage Garnet "MANN" head. Two 6L6's, no master volume, no gain channel. Into Celestion 12 inch Greenback in open back pine cab with Tung Oil finish. No pedals, just turn it up all the way, all pots all the way except bass only a little. And some reverb.
I can't say for sure -- however, I think I like the new PU better than the original. It sounds more open and a little less compressed. Maybe a bit too fuzzy round the edges, but that could mellow out with age.
Unfortunately, I don't like the amp that much -- what is it?
I like Fender circuits, bright clarity good headroom, most like this amp alot. Its a vintage Garnet. Details in comments above.
Any thoughts on nut material? Graphtech are great, how about brass? thanks
the original nuts were a type of nylon, if you drop test the originals they sound like they are made of ceramic. I don't know if thats because of aging or what. Brass was 70's popular, Graphtech is modern stuff, I stay away from modern stuff, its not the history I want to replicate.
@@SDPickups Thank you for sharing your insights on vintage accurate components, I've learned a tremendous amount from your videos and replies to comments. What would you use to replicate vintage nut then? Thoughts on bone?
Love your content! What do you think of pigtails Abr-1 bridge?
Not authentic copy, ridiculous price. I'm not paying $400 for something that didn't copy the exact design.
SDPickups thank you, thankfully I havent ordered it yet, how about the hardware on the PRS 594? I’m thinking with your pickups this guitar would sound very close to a burst? It’s got brass for saddles and the saddles have the shape that you like, meaning pretty flat on top and not too sharp. All the materials listed are vintage-spec. I’m really curious what you think about it. The pickups are pretty decent, not as good as yours but better than Gibsons custom buckers to my ears.
@@zwip778 I really know nothing about PRS except Paul overhypes everything, LOL. I mean that Strat he made, he tried everything to convince everyone that it ISN'T a Strat, then his spiel about how he copied vintage magnet wire. No, you can't copy that wire that was made with copper that wasn't pure, and insulation formulas that haven't been used since those days. Anyway......
I don't know what he uses, but for sure his harness is probably budget stuff like they ALL use. The harness is a big part of old 'burst tone and even Gibson fails mostly there too. The LP harness is four pots and a long triple wired switch, its all a formula for a certain capacitance. I think some of his guitars only have two knobs? That dramatically cuts the capacitance down, so you'll get a much brighter sound there. Even the 3 knob Flying V's, there's noticeable increase from that and the absence of long switch wire as well. All that said, I wired a guitar for Eric Gales, two knobs and had to figure out how the old LP Juniors were wired and used that. He LOVED the guitar, and he is a Strat HERO, and used it on one album he did for Shrapnel. So, a lot to consider there, but pretty sure you would like the pickups. I've heard the pickups he makes and found them annoying personally. The guy subsequently got rid of it. Even the PRS body design is a semi-copy of a Gibson double cut LP JR as I recall.
SDPickups very interesting. I will switch the harness when I buy a PRS. I have a harness in a drawer with good vintage style components (PIO caps, good pots). Thank you for sharing your knowledge with people.
Awesome sound, loved both of them, maybe yours is a tad hotter? Great playing.
Did you remove the rust?
Not sure what you mean there?
Hey I am sorry but what guitar is that?
Its a gold top Elitist Epiphone. If you don't know about these guitars, they are better than 90% of Gibsons. NOT MADE IN CHNA. Its funny that GIBSON had these made in JAPAN. In Japan, QUALITY IS KING. I have 7 of these including an Elitist SG. ALL of them have Brazilian fret boards, real abalone fret markers, long tenon neck joints, real maple tops with no veneers, mahogany backs. Gibson quit making them because they were superior quality compared to Gibsons. They have risen in price but are still affordable around $1500. But some Elitists like their 335's are now around $3500 or so. Thats how good they are. But I have modified all of them by installing true 50's wiring with PIO caps (lately using Jupiter Condenser Bee replicas the best out their). All hardware was replaced with equivalent vintage materials. (watch my "The Les Paul That Isn't" four part series to see how I bought real vintage hardware parts and reverse engineered what they were actually made of. I bought one of these years ago and it was so stunning a guitar I bought 6 more thru a couple years and they were dirt cheap because nobody knew about them.
@@SDPickups Wow you are great. I always learn from you.
Initially I thought they both sounded almost identical (Which is a good thing) but then I started to pick up a more 3D, throatier sound from the HD PG, wonderful sound :)
That's one fine sounding Epiphone!!
Its not what you think it is. First of all its not Chinese, nor Korean. These were made by GIBSON in JAPAN. Japanese quality is far better than Gibson, I have 7 of these and an SG, and they are called ELITIST Les Pauls. They all have long tenon neck joints, the whole body vibrates when you play. They all have Braziliain fretboards, that are non existant anymore. Bone nuts, real abalone markers, full maple cap, no veneers. The hardware and pickups are pretty junky, so they have all been rewired fully including switch wiring, to 50's methods and good quality accurate two layer insulated braided wire. Hardware is all closest materials to what vintage hardware was, Faber bridge, aluminum stop bar, real ABR1 brass thumbwheels and brass bridge posts, like vintage. Go watch "The Les Paul That Isn't," documentary in four parts I did to explain what I did to all my LP's. These days I am using our Four Uncles ABR1 replica I did the reverse engineering and its the ONLY accurate replica ever made, but are in short limited suppy and not cheap. So, these are nothing like the Chinese garbage Les Pauls, and rival any Les Paul Gibson made up to even $4K standards.
Both sound fantastic. Unfortunately most lp style guitars sound just muddy and woofy and dark with stock humbuckers, which cannot be dialed with any amp.
Watch the "Les Paul That Isn't" 3 part series. Most LP type guitars have horrible harnesses, thats one big thing that kills the clarity. But more than that.....
1960 PAF pure magic, makes the Epi sound like a burst
The Epi IS NOT STOCK. All hardware changed to vintage correct materials and metals. Harness thrown away and corrected with full new harness built to 50's materials and wire. Please watch the 3 part series "The Les Paul That Isn't" to see what was done to all my LP's. The great thing about those Elitists were they were made in Japan, real Brazilian fretboard, full maple top, no veneers, full maple cap, bone nut, Grovers, real abalone markers, better than Gibsons. But made by Gibson in Japan.
Maybe the PG is just a tad thicker?
both have a very warm tone..great video..is that a new epiphone
SDPickups
1 second ago
LOL. Its not "just and Epi." Epiphone Elitists, I have 6 of them. MADE IN JAPAN BY GIBSON. These were made in the early 2000's. These are better than most Gibsons, which is why they quit selling them, they were undercutting their own over priced LP's. They are long tenon neck joint, real Brazil fretboards, real dark and beautiful wood, real MOP markers, bone nuts, true full thickness maple caps, Grover tuners. When I bought mine you could get them in mint condition for $800. BUT, they are not stock. They are completely rewired with full accurate 50's tuned harnesses, and ALL hardware replaced to match vintage materials and design. Basically I did what I show in my 3 part series "The Les Paul That Isn't."
Nice tone! They sound pretty similiar to me
Very nice video Dave, really interesting in the tone difference, what amp are you using?
A simple vintage Garnet "MANN" head. Two 6L6's, non-master, no gain channel, crank it full up into Celestion single 12 Greenback, no pedals.
@@SDPickups very nice sound thanks Dave!
Was it alnico 5 magnet?
Was what A5? Esplain please.
@@SDPickups Yes that i mean, was it roughcast A5 or uoa5?
@@SDPickups Wow, thanks for this information!
Nice tones on both
Your pick up sounds good Better actually The 60 maybe sounded better on chord's for some reason but so hard to tell on phone speakers Very cool How much is your PAF ?
They are $650 base price a set without covers. I make my own cover replicas, $275 relic or NOS plate, I do my own plating as well. A year wait time. I don't mass produce, just maybe 50 sets a year is all.
Impressive... as always.
Nice
What amp are you using here?
Please see previous comments, but its a vintage Garnet, details are above. My next video I will show the amp.
Sounds incredibly good. Especially considering it’s an Epiphone.
SDPickups
1 second ago
LOL. Its not "just and Epi." Epiphone Elitists, I have 6 of them. MADE IN JAPAN BY GIBSON. These were made in the early 2000's. These are better than most Gibsons, which is why they quit selling them, they were undercutting their own over priced LP's. They are long tenon neck joint, real Brazil fretboards, real dark and beautiful wood, real MOP markers, bone nuts, true full thickness maple caps, Grover tuners. When I bought mine you could get them in mint condition for $800. BUT, they are not stock. They are completely rewired with full accurate 50's tuned harnesses, and ALL hardware replaced to match vintage materials and design. Basically I did what I show in my 3 part series "The Les Paul That Isn't."
@@SDPickups but no nitro finish...
SD pickups are without a doubt the wisest choice for anyone wanting to recapture the sound of a 58-60 burst.👍
With his pu's and the right hardware and i am convinced a Modern CS Murphy Lab will sound the same as a old original.
(Burst,SG,ES-335,etc) I specifically listed a Murphy lab because those are the only newer Gibson's using the proper clear coat finish that lets the wood breath.
I bet there are many more things wrong with the Murphys and the CC guitars too. I had a customer who was going to send me his CC guitar to install my work but he decided not to, so I never got to see what they were doing. Am completely skeptical about the "Murphy Lab" guitars. I've seen close ups of their aging and I could they were using a BB GUN on the ones I saw. Little perfectly round indents all the same size, LOL. Its just amazing how much they get away with that know one seems to notice, LOL.
@@SDPickups My 2018 true Historic R9 is a really good Les Paul. it has Nos 60's sprague caps and new wire harness and pots.
it has a early 60's ABR-1 so all it needs is a set of P.A.F's. The Custombuckers sound good but are not want i am after.
I bought it used and lucky for me the guy that sold it already had did all the upgrades.
In my series "The Les Paul That Isn't" there are four episodes. The guitar was a '60 VOS with Custom Buckers. It sounded ok in the first and second episode, but in episode 4, the HD59 replicas blew the custom buckers out of the water, along with all the upgrades to the hardware I did as well. Custom Buckers are bland and boring, no character at all.
Breathing enough?
So far. With a mask these days.
sounds great...how can i contact u ?
Facebook. Stephens Design Pickups. Am always there. Or my website contact link. sdpickups.com
awesome!
They sound exactly the same, lol.
Well, almost. There are differences, but I got pretty close.
That sir, is a high compliment if you didn't realize it.
@@SDPickups I dunno man, these A/B’s don’t lie... sometimes I think your pickup sounds more PAF than the PAF. Super consistent playing too 👏👏
Fire & Water intro:
8:27
9:47
Verse:
8:42
10:01
Chorus:
8:50
10:09
Similar leads:
9:04
10:23
I like yours better it has slightly more depth, but is very similar
Wow Same!! Sat
Prefer the sound of your pickup. Nicely done.
Thanks!
It's legend！
Considering that no two original PAFs sound the same, and these pickups were not really matched either, they are surprisingly close with differences coming down to taste.
You know, thats more of a myth than fact. I've played them from every year and the differences are tiny. The biggest difference will be how much wire was wound on them. A 7.5K vintage PAF (which most of them ARE) is always going to be brighter than a 9K or a 10K vintage PAF. But has the same basic "voice." Watch my Black Beauty comparison of vintage PAF vs. my intentional DIRECT attempt to clone the 59's. This '60 PAF comparison was only to a similar model of one of my replicas. There was no intention of copying this '60 PAF at all. The Black Beauty clone set is very very close and was an intentional clone as a controlled experiment to see how well my own materials and processes could come to a single example of a 1959 PAF set.
HAHA 11TH TIME...YOURS IS BETTER STILL!
when i saw the epi headstock i nearlt shot the cork halfway across the room from my nose!
LOL. Its not "just and Epi." Epiphone Elitists, I have 6 of them. MADE IN JAPAN BY GIBSON. These were made in the early 2000's. These are better than most Gibsons, which is why they quit selling them, they were undercutting their own over priced LP's. They are long tenon neck joint, real Brazil fretboards, real dark and beautiful wood, real MOP markers, bone nuts, true full thickness maple caps, Grover tuners. When I bought mine you could get them in mint condition for $800. BUT, they are not stock. They are completely rewired with full accurate 50's tuned harnesses, and ALL hardware replaced to match vintage materials and design. Basically I did what I show in my 3 part series "The Les Paul That Isn't."
The original PAF sounds a tad smoother and more solid tone imho while yours sounds a tad crispier and breaks up eralier... but the difference is almost imperceptible
in anycase yours it seems to be the closest sound to an original old paf that I've ever heard. Hooray!
ya great, now Im crying in my Boots..in an Epi no less"
Pay attention, its not just "an Epi." These are Elitist Les Pauls, MADE IN JAPAN, not in the USA. They all have Brazilian fretboards, long tenon neck joints, real abalone fret markers, bone nuts, full maple caps with no veneers, full mahogany backs, Grover tuners, real ABR1 bridges, not cheap Nasheville bridges like they put on everything now days. I have 7 of these plus Elitist SG. But they are not stock, I replace all the hardware and harnesses, and use our Four Uncles Restorations 100% accurate ABR1 replicas, hand made and cast to the exact alloys match to the vintage ABR1's we destroyed to get the real deal alloys mixed correctly. These Elisits were made FOR GIBSON in Japan, where quality is KING. They are better than the stuff Gibson makes now that they charge $2500 for, and they use the cheap Nasheville bridges on. The CHINESE Epiphones aren't even close to these fine Japanese guitars. Upgrading the harnesses and pickups and hardware turns them into major weapons of WAR, LOL.
ごめんなさい、もっとうまい人に弾いてもらわないといい音なのかどうかもよくわかんないです。