$1,000 Electronics in a $300 Jackson? Plus Some.

[Cygnus X1]

Hooked up a really cool deal with a truly passionate boutique pickup craftsman, Dave Stephens:

http://www.sdpickups.com/

He needed someone to build an amp for him, and I wanted some pickups.

I had NO IDEA just how great a REALLY good pickup could sound!
Closest available guitar was one of my frequent players, a Jap Jackson DKMGT so I put two of his humbuckers in there.
He recommends highest quality pots, so I used three of my 1953 Stackpole 500K's (those are 200 bucks each), and a true 50's Bumblebee tone cap.

He reports he is thrilled with the amp (a modded Cyg-7), and I have two more of his pickups to put in my LP copy.

So...I have been busy.

Day two...
On the other two Stephens Design pups,
Stephens Design VL3 and PF Star:

What an AWESOME combination!
Carefully installed them in an LP knockoff (hey, it's not too bad, better than the Aria Pro I used to have....)

The VL3 sounded really thin at first until I dialed it in to the guitar, adjusting the polepieces and blending it
to the volume of the PF Star.

Used 50's style wiring, independent volumes, .015 PIO in the bridge and .027 BB in the neck.
CTS and Stackpole 500K pots.

I had a grand time dialing in my own Cyg-7 (combo, but plugged into a slant 4x12).
I did NOT have a good first impression due to the downright muddiness of the old (Puke) Epiphone pickups.
Now she is warmed up, quiet as a church mouse, and indescribable for natural tone.

I had to look twice at my gains...they were both at "7" and the guitar was singing.
I love that sound!

[refin]

Soundclips!

[Cygnus X1]

I hope Dave Stephens will get some Youtube clips up.
He has a lot of other clips.
My mixer is down for maintenance.

And my "chops" are stuck in the back of the dishwasher...I think.

[chuckocaster]

we're back to the whole conundrum here...

but quality parts sometimes really do make a difference. glad to hear you got some good pups. they can really transform a guitar,

[Rickenjangle]

I put $320 worth of pickups in my MIM Nashville Tele - seemed kind of daft at the time but it made the guitar a keeper.

Of course, if you're looking to sell a guitar eventually, and you've put a lot into it, it makes it difficult to part with...

[Cygnus X1]

No problem taking the pickups out and putting them into a WORTHY guitar.

I expected a little ball-busting here.
C'mon...those pickups in a shredder???