Acme: Van Zandt Tele bridge pups--cheap!

Check out Acme Guitar Works' discontinued section, where parts are 25% off. Apparently they will no longer be stocking Van Zandt pups, so if you want 'em, get 'em while you still can at a discount. I just ordered a True Vintage Tele Bridge flatpole for a little over $60 including shippping. I'm stoked! :grin:

Good price on a good pickup. I currently have one in my Esquire, it replaced the SD Broadcaster that was there. I think you'll be happy

Funny enough, I bought a Duncan Broadcaster that I'd planned to use in my Esquire build, but now I may have to try both that and the Van Zandt and see which I prefer. I'm assuming you preferred the Van Zandt, dog fart?

I was thinking about an SD broadcaster but decided to try a VZ.Shipping was great to the UK .Made it all a sensible price even if a Revenue Cutter intercepts the shipment,argh shipmates
thanks for the tip and if its crap I'll come round and cut ye heart with my cutlass.....or at least call you a bad name:grin:

Hey anybody have some feedback on these pup's..other than price? I heard talk of these years ago,but I just put it on a shelf along with some of the other boutique pickup makers chatter. I'm in the middle of a build on what would be a replica/relic E..squire and have heard tons of great stuff about the SD. broadcaster,just wondering if this Van Zandt flatpole tele pup might be too similar..looking for a Fat and thick kinda tone,although that is not in the vane of a 52 era tele.....but ya'll right,it is a great price @acme guitar works.

I love my Van Zandt flatpole bridge and true vintage tele neck set. They aren't the "pickup du jour", but they are very detailed pickups. Lots of clarity to the tone. I mostly use the bridge pickup and play a mix of bakersfield country, rockabilly and tele blues ala early albert collins or peacock era gatemouth brown. Its got a fat tone when cranked up into a Victoria tweed amp. They sound great with tape delay or tube reverb. They are just great all around pickups. Its not exactly 'Bakersfield tone' ala Buck or Merle, its like that tone with muscle. But I like the more muscular tone it brings. It replaced a Duncan Broadcaster. The bridge pickup, the bass is detailed, mids are thick and there is plenty of treble on tap, but its not ice pick unless I want it to be. The neck pickup is smokey sounding with good detail, almost like a strat neck pickup in some ways. Sounds cool for jump blues if you roll off the tone control.

I also have true vintage pickups in my strat and they sound really great in there as well.

Some days I think about Mare pickups, but I really love what the Van Zandt's do and I don't really chase tone anymore, so I stopped swapping pickups a while back on my guitars. I use what works for me and focus on playing, learning my parts and making my tone better by learning my eqpt.

....looking for a Fat and thick kinda tone,although that is not in the vane of a 52 era tele.....

if the build is "vintage" = vulcanized flatware, a5 mags, 42awg coil wire, then the fat tone yer after is in the turn count ... you want in excess of 10000 turns for an ohms measure that's well in excess of 8k. ask me how i know this .... :cool:

Hey Rob,okay I'll bite and that said what would you suggest in the 8k range for a vintage "E"..squire build?. Also that same sale @ acme has the flatpole version tele bridge pickup wound to a 8k,the price is right,but for me it can't always be about price. I'm also wiring this single pickup with the (Eldred) cocked-wah tone,and was curious if a 8k.or hotter pickup will not be ideal for an "E"..squire build?..thx's

Hey Rob,okay I'll bite and that said what would you suggest in the 8k range for a vintage "E"..squire build?. Also that same sale @ acme has the flatpole version tele bridge pickup wound to a 8k,the price is right,but for me it can't always be about price. I'm also wiring this single pickup with the (Eldred) cocked-wah tone,and was curious if a 8k.or hotter pickup will not be ideal for an "E"..squire build?..thx's

you have an incoming pm ..........

Funny enough, I bought a Duncan Broadcaster that I'd planned to use in my Esquire build, but now I may have to try both that and the Van Zandt and see which I prefer. I'm assuming you preferred the Van Zandt, dog fart?

I just put the VZ in this past weekend so the honeymoon has just begun, but I think the VZ is a slightly better pickup. I still need to try it in a band contex though. That said, I don't think you can go wrong with either if you're looking for that early '50s tone.

If that doesn't help I would suggest taking your $60 and talking to Rob Distefano about winding a Lion for you. I bought one and put it in my McCawber build, That's a very high quality/great sounding pickup. I was going to try it out on my Esquire, but I came across the VZ and curiosity won. Rob posted in this thread, give him a pm

If that doesn't help I would suggest taking your $60 and talking to Rob Distefano about winding a Lion for you. I bought one and put it in my McCawber build, That's a very high quality/great sounding pickup. I was going to try it out on my Esquire, but I came across the VZ and curiosity won. Rob posted in this thread, give him a pm

Yup, the Cavalier Lion's already on my short list.

In my experience, Van Zandts are great pickups. I have a "True Vintage" set in my AVRI 57 Strat and I love it. I can definitely recommend their products.

VZ's are great p.u.'s,both Tele & Strat. Just don't tell the " boutique police "
how good they are. :wink:

Only the 'hot' ones are left, has anyone played with these? how far are they off from the regular vanzandts?

Only the 'hot' ones are left, has anyone played with these? how far are they off from the regular vanzandts?

I've not played the hot version, but I assume it has more winds than the standard True Vintage.

FWIW, my True Vintage Flatpole measured 6.8k on a multimeter. I haven't had a chance to hear it yet, as I'm still in the finishing stage on my pinecaster.

I took the advice and got a True Vintage from Acme and it really is great .Just right .Loads of cool twang but useful warmth and tone .Its coupled with a twisted Tele neck and I love the set up ,thanks for the info Rockdog
Acme charged me very little postage to the UK ,7USD which was the correct amount roughly .If others charged similar I would buy more .But many charge 30 USD which is a huge price hike thats nearly all profit .
I may well try a set of Van Zandt s in my future Strat build ,pity Acme are stopping selling them by the look of it ..I have ordered a P wood body from GFS to try .