Just installed my Keystones...

WOW... I knew they were going to be good, but this is ridiculous. sjtalon was absolutely right, the bridge pickup is not at all harsh in any way. These were exactly what I was looking for. They still retain a traditional telecaster tone, but with a lot more depth. I set the height based on Bill's nickle measurements and they sound so good that I don't even want to experiment with different heights. The only issue I had installing them, besides the fact that I'm terrible with a soldering iron, was that the neck pickup was too tall to mount to the body of my highway 1, so I drilled my pickguard and mounted them that way, which worked out perfect anyway.

Something i haven't seen on this forum much is how wonderful they sound overdriven as well. I plugged them into my POD at church with my Xotic AC Booster and they just sounded amazing. I don't even know what else to say, so I'll stop rambling.. Bill Lawrence has another customer for life thanks to TDPRI!

I bought a set for my Stratocaster, but haven't installed them yet (my new pickguard should be here in a day or so). I'm anxious to hear them. I pulled out a set of Toneriders, and frankly I expected them to be better. Based on what you've said now I want to get my Telecaster a set!!! The GFS ones are a bit ice-picky, and I have to roll off the tone to get a decent tone. Bill and Becky are terrific folks to deal with.

I was terrified of the ice pick, but the keystones just don't have it, they're excellent. I'm considering a set for my strat also, let me know how you like them!

will do, I post my review.

WOW... I knew they were going to be good, but this is ridiculous. sjtalon was absolutely right, the bridge pickup is not at all harsh in any way. These were exactly what I was looking for. They still retain a traditional telecaster tone, but with a lot more depth. I set the height based on Bill's nickle measurements and they sound so good that I don't even want to experiment with different heights. The only issue I had installing them, besides the fact that I'm terrible with a soldering iron, was that the neck pickup was too tall to mount to the body of my highway 1, so I drilled my pickguard and mounted them that way, which worked out perfect anyway.

Something i haven't seen on this forum much is how wonderful they sound overdriven as well. I plugged them into my POD at church with my Xotic AC Booster and they just sounded amazing. I don't even know what else to say, so I'll stop rambling.. Bill Lawrence has another customer for life thanks to TDPRI!


So how exactly do I wire my Keystones,which wire goes where? Had 'em sat there a while 'till i decided which guitar to fit them in,going to put them in my 96' B Bender.I think the stock pup's are a little sterile sounding.
Thanx

Black and blue wires to ground (earth..back of a pot)


Whites (positive) to the switch

Yeah, I just treated the black/blue wires as if they were one wire. My only issue is that the ground comes back off the volume pot to the ring under the bridge and after I desoldered the old pickup, my bridge didn't want to sit right so I had to resolder the ground ring several times to make sure I got it as flat as possible. As I said, I'm really bad with an iron.. I'll just have to buy keystones for all my guitars to get the practice in!

I really am not good at soldering, and I bought one of these:
http://www.toneshapers.com/Webpage.aspx?WebpageId=70
They're great if you change p'ups a lot. Just plug em in, and it gives you some options of changing cap values and also blender or not...I think they make a Tele one too.

I have been raving now about my Keystones for I believe two years and still think it's the best bang for the buck purchase I have ever made. My brother is a convert. He was a strict Strat player with EMG Pups but now also plays primarily a Tele with Keystones.
I know there are a lot of great PUPs out there but I feel like I have a set of one of the best and almost feel guilty for the price I paid for them.

Yeah, I just treated the black/blue wires as if they were one wire. My only issue is that the ground comes back off the volume pot to the ring under the bridge and after I desoldered the old pickup, my bridge didn't want to sit right so I had to resolder the ground ring several times to make sure I got it as flat as possible. As I said, I'm really bad with an iron.. I'll just have to buy keystones for all my guitars to get the practice in!


You wouldn't need the ring under the bridge to ground it anymore. The Keystone has the metal base plate and the screws that mount the pickup will have everything ( bridge plate, strings) grounded via the Blue wire, that's what the blue wire is for.

You wouldn't need the ring under the bridge to ground it anymore. The Keystone has the metal base plate and the screws that mount the pickup will have everything ( bridge plate, strings) grounded via the Blue wire, that's what the blue wire is for.


Ahh, I see now. Thanks for that bit of info, that makes my life a lot easier!

:cool:

I'm really digging the Keystones in my Tele. I hooked 'em up with a 5 way and a cap and I'm loving all the tonal variety I can get. Amazing value pups.

Black and blue wires to ground (earth..back of a pot)


Whites (positive) to the switch

Thanx for that :grin:

Welcome to Bill's Keystone Family! Get yourself an MIM Tele, set it up proper, drop these guys in, and you have yourself an instrument comparable to any MIA Tele!

They are great...I bought a set and put the bridge unit in my Esquire and the neck in my MIM Ash Standard - pickup heaven!

Does anyone know if the Strat Keystones are as great as the tele version?

[QUOTE=TeleCarl;2953754] ABSOLUTELY!!!! All you have to do is listen!! Just close your eyes and compare them to the others,some costing 3 times what the Keystones cost.They also appear to have the least amount of noise from any single coil pup I've EVER heard except that of the new Micro and Mini coils Bill and Becky have to offer.Just my opinion,for what it's worth.

+1 on the Keystones. I put a set in my Tele about a month ago. Great sound, good people to deal with.


Mike

Loves me mine.
Best pup for the money IMO.

Won't somebody please say something negative about these pickups? I have to rein in my spending here, and you guys aren't helping!

Won't somebody please say something negative about these pickups? I have to rein in my spending here, and you guys aren't helping!

No, Mr Gumby. You can hardly call it 'spending' when you're talking about Bill's pick-ups, they're far too cheap for what they offer. :-)

I had the Keystones in my America Deluxe Strat. They are great pickups! Very clear, bright, articulate. They are very sensitive to how you play. They do have a little bit of hum but much less than Fender's single coils. Better yet, they're not expensive at all! I got my set of 3 pups for $75. Where else will you get that kind of deal for such a high quality product??

I have since moved them to my MIJ Strat. It's pretty well beaten up but they still sound fantastic!

Bought a Lawrence acoustic soundhole pickup in the 70's, never should have let it go. Since then have used them in Les Pauls and Teles. Have used blades, single coil, stacked humbuckers, etc. Just put Keystones in one Tele, and have ordered 2 more sets. They always sound great!! Don't forget to check out the website for Bills' advice on wiring, string guages, etc.