GFS 60's repros- Review

[Joobsauce]

Well I finally got the guitar back from my tech and I must say these pickups are GREAT!

First impressions- Sounds awesome! Very clear, articulate, very responsive, and did I say clear? I doesn't have the "punch" of most single coils I've played, but thats because these aren't wound to 6-7 k, these are nice and under wound to the GFS's sites 5.35.

These pickups have plenty of sparkle, and they aren't too bright at all. The bridge pickup isn't ear piercing, but still sounds ok, though I might upgrade to a humbucker in the furure. Never really liked bridge single coils no matter how theyre wound.

The mid pickup is a bit dark, but still a great low end rhythm pickup, great for say SRV pride and joy. Good high end, a great combo of tone there.

The neck pickup sounds just like a strat should. or muddy at all, very balanced. It's a little low on output to do SRV Texas Flood or Walter Trout stuff. It doesn't have the bite of a hotter pickup but it does the job. Very very nice cleans that come out of that.

Now the 2 and 4 positions sound great, but I'll be damned that the middle pickup is reversed wound, not straight wound. I might shoot GFS an e-mail but I must say that the 2 n 4 positions sound very glassy and quacky even with the RVMP it sounds great.

All in all, I'm impressed with the sound these make, even though I've only tried them through a vibro champ and my crate VTX 15. Sure turned my $100 stagg stratostang combo thingie into something that will definitely sound as good as an American strat, but still won't play like one yet. I'll have a nice trem and tuners on it in a bit, and maybe an SRV sig oval strat neck, but for now I'm thoroughly pleased.

-Sean

PS- soundclips will be up when I get a chance probably sunday.

[Russ]

Good glad to hear you are pleased with them

[elicross]

UPS estimates I'll have mine on Friday. w00t!

But I don't think I'm confident enough in my playing to post clips. Maybe if I first....

[snake eyes]

any soundclips of 60's repros?

[Joobsauce]

any soundclips of 60's repros?

"PS- soundclips will be up when I get a chance probably sunday."

I'll have some up through all the positions

[stevefried]

If you see the "Ended up a good day" thread, I had the same thing happen with the non-rwrp middle pickup. Dave at GFS sent out the new pup immediately after I emailed him. I posted just a couple of short clips.

[Joobsauce]

WOO SOUNDCLIPS!!!!!

Here's some chords using all the pickups-
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...songID=6139196

And here's Stevie Ray Vaughan's "lenny" using the neck pickup.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...songID=6139188

All recorded using a crappy 15watt crate practice amp. It sounds better through a real point to point tube amp but I work with what I got!

[Russ]

Kind of muddy no!

[Joobsauce]

Kind of muddy no!

All in the amp settings, these can go from thick to thin with the turn of a dial, very versatile and thats why I like em!

[jimo]

Thanks for posting! They sound great. I was trying to decide between the repros and the keystones. cheeers!--------JIMO

[snake eyes]

that "Lenny" sounds great. I just might grab a set of the 60's.

[Joobsauce]

that "Lenny" sounds great. I just might grab a set of the 60's.

Thanks! A little sloopy, but with a little tweaking I can NAIL the "lenny" tone, and the tone he has on "tin pan alley". I just with these were wound a little hotter to say 5.95 to drive an amp harder but they just lay down a mean clean tone as is. Especially for a cheap $100 poly finished junky hardware stagg stratostang thing, they're great!

For my next strat I'll end up with copperhead 59's because I've heard good things about them, but GFS is high on the list here. Great service, quick shipping and great tone as good as any other manufacture out there.

A+ for GFS, I'll gladly do business with them again. For my les paul clone I might try they're humbucker sized P-90's.

[snake eyes]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=jqqXz_obZmA&feature=related

will they get close to this sound?

[elicross]

It's just about impossible to tell anything about a guitar's tone from a video shot with a consumer camera and compressed for YouTube....

[Joobsauce]

It's just about impossible to tell anything about a guitar's tone from a video shot with a consumer camera and compressed for YouTube....

I'm with you.

But from what I hear, with the right amp you'll get that sound.
EDIT- Also, strings will make a VERY big difference. If you want more bottom end girth, sue daddarios or GHS nickel rockers or for a more mellow sound use fender strings or ernie balls. Strings almost make as much difference as an amp or pickups do.

[elicross]

The sound clips sound good to me. I still don't have my 60s Repros. Turns out GFS canceled the UPS ticket that estimated delivery for Friday because the pickguard hadn't been assembled yet. I get the feeling their system automatically begins the UPS shipping process for any item that's in stock -- but of course even though all the components for my hand-wired pickguard were in stock, they still had to be assembled. So the Friday estimate from UPS was a little...premature. I did kinda think that was too good to be true.

Dave at GF says I'll get a new tracking number when the guard is assembled and ready to ship. I'm looking forward to getting it and seeing if they make my Squier sound as good as my Fender...or better.

[Joobsauce]

I think you'll be very happy. My stagg is cheaper than a squire and it sounds GREAT now. The pickups that were in it were ceramic and very hot, shrill sounding. You'll love them, I sure do!

[elicross]

Got mine from UPS yesterday and had them hooked up in maybe 15 minutes -- a hand-wired pickguard is a great way to go if you're into instant gratification!

I like 'em a lot. At first, I thought they sounded like hammered crap, really distant and thin, and I was ready to be disappointed -- then I realized I'd left the wah turned on in my multi-FX box and the pedal fully depressed.

Once I straightened that out, I heard how they really sound, and I was very pleased. The 60Hz buzz will be hard to get used to after months of using Vintage Noiseless pups exclusively...but it's not nearly as bad as the buzz I got from the crappy pups that came stock on my Squier.

I don't think they necessarily sound better than the VNs on my Fender -- except in position 1, maybe -- but they do sound great. And more importantly, they sound different from the VNs, so now I have two guitars I'll actually play, as opposed to a Fender I play all the time and a Squier that sits in a closet. They sound good enough that I'm now thinking about what else I could do to improve this Squier and make it a real keeper...a new bridge, maybe, or at least new saddles and block.

The construction on the hand-wired guard is excellent. Extremely clean, with very nice, full-sized pots, a "real" switch, and a Sprague Orange Drop cap. It does add a significant amount over the price of the pups alone, but when you figure in the cost and quality of the other parts and the quality of the work, I think it's worth it -- especially if you're already looking at replacing all of your electronics rather than just the pickups.

[elicross]

Well, I still like these pups a lot...but a few days with them has me convinced the same thing has happened to me that happened to someone else who recently got a set of 60s Repros (was it you, Joob?). Specifically, the middle pickup seems to be an RWRP pup. I'm definitely getting a hum-canceling effect in positions 2 and 4 (something I didn't notice right off the bat because I spend so much time on the neck pup). It also looks like the polepieces in the middle pickup aren't beveled, which makes me think it's not even a 60s Repro.

I've E-mailed Guitarfetish about it. I'm sure they'll make it right. The guitar sounds great as it is, but I know if I don't follow up on this, I'll always be wondering if I got exactly what I ordered and if it could sound even better than it does. Normally I'd be pleased to have no hum in two positions, but the whole point of ordering these 60s Repros was to get a sound as vintage-y and classic Strat-y as possible. If I want to get away from the hum, I've still got the VNs on my main axe.

[Joobsauce]

Yep mines reverse wound too. doesn't bother me at all though. I'm actually doing a gig tomorrow and I'm not bringing the GFS loaded stagg. Too many tuning issues and stuff, I need new tuners + saddles. Actually, a roller nut and new trem would be ideal. But I'm going to take "gasp" a squire. It's one of the best playing and sounding strats I've ever played or heard, and it's a squire!!!! Plus, it's my baby, my first live. :) The GFS's sound a little glassier, but the squire gives off a MEAN Texas tone, great for SRV.

But all in all, I'm still in love with the GFS 60's repros too, they're great!

EDIT- got the tuning issue resolved, I'm goin out with the 60's repros and I'll let ya know how it sounds!

[stevefried]

I got a RWRP with my set, Dave at GFS sent out a non right away. I probably would have been happy with the RWRP but their webpage says you get extra "quack" without it and I just had to know. How bevelled are these? Mine look like they've got just a little rounding on the edge. I've seen pics of some pickups that have very bevelled edges. The pics on the website all look the same as far as bevell goes. Am I missing something?

[elicross]

I probably would have been happy with the RWRP but their webpage says you get extra "quack" without it and I just had to know.

That's exactly the boat I'm in! I gotta know.

Weird that three of us (you, me, and Joob) all apparently got 60s Repros sets with RWRP middles. That makes it seem like they're purposely sending them out that way -- but that sure doesn't match the description on the web site. I wonder if they got so many complaints about having no hum-canceling in 2 and 4 that they started sending the sets out with RWRP middle pups...and they only replace them when somebody knows enough to say "Hey, this isn't quite right."

How bevelled are these? Mine look like they've got just a little rounding on the edge.

Well, I noticed that the description of the 60s Repros says it has beveled polepieces, and it looks to me like all the poles on the neck and bridge pups have a very slight bevel -- not as much as the ones on my Fender VNs, but a definite rounding -- but the middle pickup doesn't seem to have even that. The G and D poles especially look perfectly flat, with no bevel at all.

(Would flipping the polepieces over have anything to do with making a pickup RWRP? Maybe that's why the middle one doesn't seem to be beveled; the polepieces are upside down?)

Did you have to return your middle pup, or did Dave just shoot a new one out to you?

[Joobsauce]

elicross, reverse wound is exactly as it sounds. Everything is the same but the pickup is wound the opposite direction of the other 2. But that is odd about the bevels, never even noticed that at all.

[elicross]

Well, I knew the "RW" meant the wire was wound in reverse, but I thought maybe the "RP" (reverse polarity, right?) might mean the polepieces were flipped.

Just trying to come up with an explanation for the lack of bevel on the middle pup, really.

[stevefried]

The reverse polarity means that if you put them face to face, they stick together or have opposite poles. If they are the same they will repel each other face to face. They just sent out a new middle pup right away with an apology. I did not return my middle pup (my bad? Dave if your reading this let me know...) My middle pup has exactly the same little bit of rounded offness as the other two. BTW if I haven't mentioned how much I like these...I love them!

[elicross]

The reverse polarity means that if you put them face to face, they stick together or have opposite poles.

Yeah, each end of the magnet has a different polarity. So if you have two pickups that repel each other and flip one of them over, they'll stick together. That's why I thought maybe the polepieces in the RWRP pup might be flipped.

(As I understand it, the polepieces in a pup aren't always magnets, but I believe they are in a pup like this.)

[stevefried]

I see what you mean now. I checked the RWRP I have and it has the bevell. Also, on the bottom the poles are definitely not bevelled so they must be bevelled for the polarity of the pup.

[elicross]

I took a closer look at my pickups under bright light, and now I'm convinced none of the polepieces are beveled. So it may be I got the wrong set of pups entirely.

I E-mailed GFS about it, and Dave's going to have UPS pick them up at my door and ship them back at his expense -- which is way, way better than you can say about most online or catalog retailers. Most places I've dealt with in the past would require me to make a trip to my local UPS Store and ship the merchandise back on my own dime. Based on this and the quick response I've gotten to my E-mails, I wouldn't hesitate to order anything from GuitarFetish.com.

[elicross]

Just an update, in case anyone's interested: I got the loaded pickguard back on Monday (very quick turnaround from when GFS received it, which was last Wednesday afternoon). Turned out the pickups were correct, but the middle wasn't non-RWRP as described on the web site. So Dave swapped out the middle pup and shot it back to me Express Mail.

Now I feel like my little Squier's about as vintage Stratty as it can be. Sounds great. Nice and chimey, with that great single-coil low end on the wound strings. At way less than $100 for the set, I think the 60s Repros are a great way to upgrade a budget Strat.

[Joobsauce]

I still love mine too man, this set is great!

[champxd]

I put these in a mexican strat which I liked, a fatstrat. now its gone, just hated the gfs and I now know what GFS stands for GOD###F### S###. sold it, just too clean made every string ring out on the fret like the neck was out. stick with fender pickups they work right.

[elicross]

I now know what GFS stands for GOD###F### S###.

Well, I'm glad you're here to tell all of us who like them what awful crap they are.

[cooltone]

just too clean

that'll keep folks from buying 'em.

[melody]

I put these in a mexican strat which I liked, a fatstrat. now its gone, just hated the gfs and I now know what GFS stands for GOD###F### S###. sold it, just too clean made every string ring out on the fret like the neck was out. stick with fender pickups they work right.

OK....

[champxd]

Well, I'm glad you're here to tell all of us who like them what awful crap they are.

I know. A lot of people seem to like em. I just don't like hearing every fret on the guitar sound out loud and clear.My playing may have a lot to do with that.I have been playing about twenty seven years and have owned a lot more strats then I can remember.just blowing off steam.
enjoy.

[melody]

Dam I lost again!

[cooltone]

Dam I lost again!

I'm still waiting for my trophy...

[Russ]

I have heard many many strange things on forums , I can dissagree or agree , and understand what it is I am debating, but this is beyond my relam of understanding, what the fuck does,... just too clean made every string ring out on the fret like the neck was out.... Mean! just when I thought I heard it all!!!!!!!LOL.

[melody]

I'll have to make some up.

I'll keep trying then...

[melody]

I have heard many many strange things on forums , I can dissagree or agree , and understand what it is I am debating, but this is beyond my relam of understanding, what the fuck does,... just too clean made every string ring out on the fret like the neck was out.... Mean! just when I thought I heard it all!!!!!!!LOL

Russ,


I hear ya I read that and though, WTF?!?!