Anyone checked into Klein pickups?

Wow, I haven't logged in here since 10/2009 - I've been having too much fun at work, making babies and playing geetar!! Woohoo! Yall miss me....?:biglaugh:

Anyways, I did a title search for "Klein" and was blown away that there was not the first result....zero threads about Klein pickups!!!

I've known about Chris Klein (not the actor) for about four yrs now but still haven't bought any pickups from him. I think I will be trying a set for my tele soon though.

But check out his strat sets and clips - HOLY CRAP do they sound good! The Jazzy Cats are supposed to be some really authentic sounding Big Dipper/JM type tones.

http://www.kleinpickups.com/c-2-stra...r-pickups.aspx

I use his pickups on an Esquire-type guitar and a two-pickup Telecaster-type guitar. The Esquire uses the Tri-State version 2 pickup, which gives me three sounds. The Tele uses a custom version of the Tri-State version 2 -- only two taps, the full and the middle tap -- with the Klein neck pickup. I love these things.

Cool. I'm currently running Don Mare Hot Bakelites which I love but wouldn't mind trying something new, I've had them for 2+ yrs now. Tried a Ron Ellis 50Broadcaster that I dind't care for (I know, I'm crazy right!) and a Florence TE50 (A5, too bright and tight, too much headroom). Never tried any Lollars although I would go with the 52T or A3's.

I'm looking at the Klein '52 or '54 set actually. All I hear is rave reviews....are they really all that?

I now see why I have not been here since 2009; this place is a ghost town.

Maybe it's just that nobody is really interested in these pickups.

Swapping out expensive p'ups that you love just because you've had them for two years? I can't relate. I had a set of pickups in my main Strat-style guitar for 15 years before swapping them out last month. They worked great. The new ones are great, too, but better. Probably be another 15 years before I'm in the market.

Yep, if I continue to be inspired with what I have, I've got no reason to switch.

This was a parts tele that I put together and I don't consider a $100 pickup an "expensive" pickup, that's pretty avg. these days (also depends on how much disposable income you have, for some that's chump change). And this is my first tele so of course I'm gonna try 2-3 different pickups in it.

So you like your new strat pickups, they sound better? Just think, you could have had that "better" tone yrs ago if you would have experimented a little.

Hahaha, just kidding guys. Everyone is on their own journey, I realize that.

My strat, which is also somewhat new to me (K-Line) has Lollar Blackface neck and middle and Special in the bridge. They are a little dark for my taste, a little too much going on. I'm probably gonna end up trying a set of the Lollar/Detemple Sweet Spots. Mike's a heck of a nice guy to talk to and if you don't like em, you can return them. I figure the pickups used in a custom build that sells for over $6k can't sound bad and is probably worth listening too.

Actually, I played a lot of guitars with a lot of different pickups and never found anything that really sounded much better... The pups I just installed were only recently introduced.

They're EMGs. Most players would probably expect to hate them. :)

That's actually one reason I like this forum so much. This forum isn't really distracted by the newest flavor of the month. They love their gear but they're not obsessed with it.

I'm pretty happy with CS'54's that came in my strat. No complaints. I've played a bunch of strats, but this guitar with this set really clicked.

Yep, it's all about finding the right combination. I'll let yall know how the Sweet Spots work out. Not the flavor of the month by any means, they have been available for quite some time and I first heard of them back in '07/'08.

Klein's are the best I've heard - got them in 9 guitars now. Pulled the custom shop stuff out of the teles and strats and the Kleins go right in, with major improvements. As close to vintage as possible.

DonR

I've looked at them but don't have the cash or something to put the in. Maybe one day tho.

Are they replicas of pickups 'then' or pickups 'now'?

I've heard the scooped set, whatever that is, through a brown Vibro-queen. Sounded like a good 50's set to me. Lots of harmonics. I'd buy 'em.