Joe Barden clones ?

[clapointe]

I'm wanting a set of Joe Barden Tele pickups but I'm not paying $320 for a set !!! Any great sounding clones out there ?

[Don Mare]

Originally Posted by clapointe

I'm wanting a set of Joe Barden Tele pickups but I'm not paying $320 for a set !!! Any great sounding clones out there ?

theres a guy overseas that sprang up when Joes were ebaying for $700. a set

I dunno the link -- anyone ?

prolly still big $$$ cause the dollar trade rate and shipping will add up fast


BTW .. Classic TV Jones Filtertrons are also 4k like Bardens and humbucking like Bardens - they are kind of close in some respect in that way - being just 4k..etc..
Fender makes that Cabronita

[Bardenstruck]

Originally Posted by clapointe

I'm wanting a set of Joe Barden Tele pickups but I'm not paying $320 for a set !!! Any great sounding clones out there ?

I bought a new set of Barden Gatton much cheaper here
http://splitrockguitars.com/

Truly fantastic pups... just love em.

[GuitarJonz]

Originally Posted by clapointe

I'm wanting a set of Joe Barden Tele pickups but I'm not paying $320 for a set !!! Any great sounding clones out there ?

IMO, they don't exist.

If cost is the issue I'd take it a bite at a time, keep an eye on ebay and get a used Barden neck pup to start, for about $120.00, pair it with most any standard tele bridge pup, no problem. Then, when funds allow, get a used Barden bridge pup for about the same.

[Derek Kiernan]

Originally Posted by Don Mare

theres a guy overseas that sprang up when Joes were ebaying for $700. a set

I dunno the link -- anyone ?

Harry Häussel's bladed pickups

[Ringo]

I don't know how they compare having never owned a set of Bardens, but Bill Lawrence has some dual rail Tele and Strat pickups that are reasonably priced, L45s, IIRC Bill also made the Gatton pickups for Fender while Barden was shut down for a while.
I have a L45 Strat pickup, it's very articulate , notes and chords are well toned and defined.
I have had the GFS dual rail and the Lawrence pickups sound MUCH better , no comparison.

[rangercaster]

Peavey DB-2 used on the Peavey Cropper model ... you can buy a used Peavey Reactor AX (tele clone) which has them also (i have one sitting next to me) ... along with the PUs you get a nice guitar !!! the pickups do come up on Ebay occasionally or you could contact Peavey for old stock ...also Guitar Fetish or Bill Lawrence are good ...

[Don Mare]

Harry's and Joe's blade pickups are quite deifferent beasts, despite playing in the same category; while the Barden p.ups are renown for (and sometimes rejected because) of their extended hi-fi range, Harry's manage somewhat to give up some hi-fi effect in favour of a more traditional and noiseless tone.
If you ask me

quoted from harry web pages

[Chrismo]

Some people have had great results with GFS Lil' Punchers.

[maestrovert]

i've got a set of Bardens in a Tele custom built by Ron Kirn, and a set of GFS Cool Vintage Lil' Punchers in one of my Sparklecasters.....both sets of P-ups are wired with a push/pull vol pot for series/parallel switching in addition to the standard Tele control configuration(3 way, vol/tone)....
Jes' mho, but the Lil Punchers compare very well with the Bardens, and especially so considering the price differential....

[maestrovert]

Originally Posted by Derek Kiernan

Harry Häussel's bladed pickups

this link was flagged by my AV as having a trojan...

[crackpot]

Originally Posted by clapointe

I'm wanting a set of Joe Barden Tele pickups but I'm not paying $320 for a set !!! Any great sounding clones out there ?

What is it about the Bardens you like? The sound? That they're quiet? The look?

[Derek Kiernan]

Originally Posted by maestrovert

this link was flagged by my AV as having a trojan...

If that's the case, I apologize. I use a Mac. Google seems to catch sites most of the time.

[haydosenior]

I fully agree with maestrovert - I have had GFS XL Lil Punchers (Modern Vintage) in my lefty standard Tele for 12 months now - fantastic!!! I also have split coils and on either single or humbucker they are beautifully sweet and clear. I wasn't sure what 'icepick' meant until I bought the Tele and heard the stock single coils - they were rubbish. Can't recommend Lil Punchers enough - and boy were they cheap, even shipped to Australia.

[sekt88]

Originally Posted by Don Mare

quoted from harry web pages

Although Harry´s other pup are fantastic, I did not like his bladed pups at all.

There is no alternative to the Joe Bardens, at least to the old one. I haven´t heard the new ones.

[brokenjoe]

C'mon, shell out the dough for the Bardens. It's what you want anyway, isn't it? Why settle for something less?
I've got old Bardens in my tele, and I'll never look back. It's a one time purchase, and definately worth the price.
No hum; no loss of volume on bent notes because of the rails; big tele tone; a neck pick-up that is nicely balanced with the bridge; wonderfully touch sensitive.....
No, I don't have anything to do with Joe Barden. I forked out close to $500. for a pair about 12 yrs. ago.
Smartest gear purchase I ever made.

[livepulse]

I just got the Barden's about 4 months ago and they're worth every penny! Like brokenjoe mentions definately worth the price since it's a one time investment. I got them on ebay for $280, which i considered reasonable.

Just do it mate, there's no competition and you'll never go back to something else!!!

[fullerplast]

I have Barden, Haussel, and Lawrence blade pickups. It's easy to hear the differences. None sound like traditional pickups. In terms of power and punch in a mix, the Bardens rule. Haussel are a bit more mellow, and the Lawrence one yet more step towards a rolled off high end.

IMHO, no Barden clone exists other than cosmetically.

[jamesie]

Originally Posted by livepulse

I just got the Barden's about 4 months ago and they're worth every penny! Like brokenjoe mentions definately worth the price since it's a one time investment. I got them on ebay for $280, which i considered reasonable.

Just do it mate, there's no competition and you'll never go back to something else!!!

i´m with you - that´s the point - i have the bardens in my ash dlx bb tele since about one year and i´m very, very satisfied with them

conclusion for me is - only bardens sounds and plays like bardens and that´s good so

[Bardenstruck]

Originally Posted by clapointe

I'm wanting a set of Joe Barden Tele pickups but I'm not paying $320 for a set !!! Any great sounding clones out there ?

Hey guys, they're all on sale now till April 15th!

http://www.splitrockguitars.com/JoeBardenPickups.html

[KT88]

Tried the Haussel, it's not a Barden. There is a Cool Rails or something from Duncan or Dimarzio but no. A Barden is a Barden, end of story.

My $.02...

In 2003 Bardens were $135. My favorite pickup at the time was the SD Alnico Pro II which were something like $40 when I bought them in '96 (great pickups by the way). Bardens were WAY more than other pickups but I wanted more punch, no hum, and a single coil sound. Fred's music used to sell them for ~$120. I hesitated forever, pulled the trigger, got the pickups and KICKED MYSEKF for not buying them sooner.

Right now they are close to the price they were a long time go and with free shipping. Get them. Get them and play your guitar.

[Doug 54]

HOW difficult would it be for a pup maker-- copy a Barden to the T ???
(yes- a bad pun!)

(unless we're in patent territory--- the legal stuff).


My gosh.... this area of electronics is older than all of us!!

[KT88]

>HOW difficult would it be for a pup maker-- copy a Barden to the T ???

it wouldn't. When Bardens stopped being available, he was making them for Japan and one site had a tour of his shop with him making pickups. Don't look like rocket science to me. Not to marginalize the product or the man of course. And he has a healthy dose of respect for Fender and the traditional pickups. Barden had a few people that worked for him before the "issue" he had (no idea how they are set up now) that obviously were trained to produce the product. The materials would not be hard to get. What I think the question really is: what is his share of the pickup market? Would it justify trying to compete (which means match the quality and consistency)and get a piece of it? I think it boils down to the fact that his share is small. And even if you do make something, the Gatton connection can't be taken away from him. You can't compete with that particular element from a marketing perspective. Also, I think like Haussel possibly experienced - they are not to everyones liking. His were not very hi-fi. I did see a new Rio Grande with blades, but I suspect they are doing more of the power bucker thing with theirs. When Bill Lawrence did the model for the Gatton tele, he remarked with some surprise about how they sounded. My point being, that while he can make a copy, he might not have the inclination to want that sound to come from a product of his.

[Doug 54]

excellente' points !!!

still, it seems some smaller scale pup maker would have niche'd in to the Barden market-- esp when Barden was not making pups.

[KT88]

>esp when Barden was not making pups.

I am with you on that one, people were going bat crap on ebay at the time, I was thinking the same thing myself.

[Chrismo]

Anyone try out the Duncan Hot Rails set? They just came out with a matching neck pickup.

[nosuch]

When I asked for Haeussel Blade Pickups the reseller Acy responded with this:

Fender Tele, Swamp Ash, One piece maple neck, Vintage Bridge, Joe Bardens

http://www.acys-lounge.de/soundfiles...rry_bblond.mp3

• Same Fender Tele, Swamp Ash, One piece maple neck, Vintage Bridge, Now with Haeussels, Neck Alnico 2, Bridge Alnico 5:

http://www.acys-lounge.de/soundfiles...rry_hblond.mp3

• AGL Demo Tele, heavy Ash Body, maple/maple Neck, modern Bridge, Haussel Blades Alnico 2

http://www.acys-lounge.de/soundfiles...arry_hblue.mp3

he used a Marshall JTM45-100

[sekt88]

Originally Posted by nosuch

When I asked for Haeussel Blade Pickups the reseller Acy responded with this:

Fender Tele, Swamp Ash, One piece maple neck, Vintage Bridge, Joe Bardens

http://www.acys-lounge.de/soundfiles...rry_bblond.mp3

• Same Fender Tele, Swamp Ash, One piece maple neck, Vintage Bridge, Now with Haeussels, Neck Alnico 2, Bridge Alnico 5:

http://www.acys-lounge.de/soundfiles...rry_hblond.mp3

• AGL Demo Tele, heavy Ash Body, maple/maple Neck, modern Bridge, Haussel Blades Alnico 2

http://www.acys-lounge.de/soundfiles...arry_hblue.mp3

he used a Marshall JTM45-100

Ich mag die Häussel Klingen TA´s immerhin nicht.

[KT88]

I've played the Hot Rails in a strat - wow, those are really hot. DC is not the full picture, especially on a Barden because of how efficient they are, but my (Strat) Bardens measure 3.8-4k. Hot Rails are way higher in output and have the typical dark overwound sound. No idea about the Tele set, maybe one in just the neck would suit some people.

[ACYS]

Hi Guys!
As some of you posted: A Barden is a Barden, ............ and a Haeussel is a Haeussel. I´m working close together with Harry, and doing a lotta prototype testing for new pickup models. So I would say that absloute cloning to the max is´nt really possible. There is so many points when building a pickup (it is not so easy as many think) starting with the right materials, the blades (what alloy), the magnet, the magnetization, the wire, the winding, the strength of the winding, the exact dimensions, the shape of the blades or screws, ................................. and so on!

You can only get close to an ideal, but you won´t reach it. Look at the hundreds of PAF ´59 clones on the market. Did ya ever play a real 59 PAF? They all sounded way different, so how can "one" pickup be a ´59 model?

As "Fullerplast" wrote, the Haeussels are less "biting" then the Bardens, and that´s a point why some Barden users buy our blades. Depending on used magnets the sound will be a bit closer to the bardens (ceramic) or in another direction with alnico magnets.

So if you are looking exactly for Barden sound, buy Bardens. And if you like the Haeussels, buy a Haeussel! Way easy!

Nice day, cheers: "ACY"

P.S.: I also like the Bardens, and that "special" bite you get, specially when playing the bridge pickup! And I really love Danny´s sound!

[nosuch]

Originally Posted by sekt88

Ich mag die Häussel Klingen TA´s immerhin nicht.

I think both sound ok, the bardens seem to cut through better, the haussels are a bit warmer. personally I decided not to go with any of them (thanks anyway ACY for the good consultancy) cause I just love the way a traditional single coil interacts with my playing. I have installed a pair of nocasters now which give me hum free operation in the middle position (which I use a lot anyway) and the real deal feel and sound.

[Bardenstruck]

Has anybody tried Barden's Two/Tone humbuckers?
Are there any sound or video samples out there? I have a feeling the Two-Tone could be a perfect neck p/up for a Fat Tele... What do you think guys?

[GuloGulo]

What I've always wanted to know about the bardens is 3 things .

Magnet type, output level and resistance. Kind of irks me bardens are so secretive and don't even tell you these things. Its not like just knowing those things alone you can clone one. Because I always can't justify the price if I don't know what they are exactly.

[KT88]

magnet type - steel blade, ceramic magnet
resistence - for a strat, they are around 3.8-4.2 kohms
output - more than the dc resistence would indicate, though they are not hot at all.

Joe will tell you what they are, he;s posted this info on message boards before, and used to have some of it on his old web site, but he'll tell you (and he's right) that those #'s don't mean enough and he des not like the fact that people assume things based on those facts. I think that kohm readings, while helpful, are used too much as a definitive measure. They overdrive my amp about as much as Fralin vintage hots, but more if I raise them higher to the strings. They also sound louder than some of my other pickups because of the mids and lower trebles that the human ear picks up on better. Gatton said that the first ones were too dark, so they kept unwinding them and unwinding them until they sounded right. My understanding is that they are wound to be very efficient so while the dc resistence is low, they sound stronger than a typicl singlecoild would with those readings.

[Chrismo]

Originally Posted by KT88

magnet type - steel blade, ceramic magnet
resistence - for a strat, they are around 3.8-4.2 kohms
output - more than the dc resistence would indicate, though they are not hot at all.

Joe will tell you what they are, he;s posted this info on message boards before, and used to have some of it on his old web site, but he'll tell you (and he's right) that those #'s don't mean enough and he des not like the fact that people assume things based on those facts. I think that kohm readings, while helpful, are used too much as a definitive measure. They overdrive my amp about as much as Fralin vintage hots, but more if I raise them higher to the strings. They also sound louder than some of my other pickups because of the mids and lower trebles that the human ear picks up on better. Gatton said that the first ones were too dark, so they kept unwinding them and unwinding them until they sounded right. My understanding is that they are wound to be very efficient so while the dc resistence is low, they sound stronger than a typicl singlecoild would with those readings.

As Don Mare stated, they read 4K, but WOW are they loud.

They are the loudest singlecoil I've used - yet it's still an incredible tone.

I love it for what it is. The bridge pickup may not be my favorite, but that neck pickup rivals my S-telly neck pickup as far as my favorite Tele neck pickup.

[GuloGulo]

Originally Posted by KT88

magnet type - steel blade, ceramic magnet
resistence - for a strat, they are around 3.8-4.2 kohms
output - more than the dc resistence would indicate, though they are not hot at all.

Joe will tell you what they are, he;s posted this info on message boards before, and used to have some of it on his old web site, but he'll tell you (and he's right) that those #'s don't mean enough and he des not like the fact that people assume things based on those facts. I think that kohm readings, while helpful, are used too much as a definitive measure. They overdrive my amp about as much as Fralin vintage hots, but more if I raise them higher to the strings. They also sound louder than some of my other pickups because of the mids and lower trebles that the human ear picks up on better. Gatton said that the first ones were too dark, so they kept unwinding them and unwinding them until they sounded right. My understanding is that they are wound to be very efficient so while the dc resistence is low, they sound stronger than a typicl singlecoild would with those readings.

Thanks for the info. I just wanted to know because that ohm reading tells me its a low impudence pickup similar to G&L's, which explains the bardens hi-fi sound. I've known for a long time low resistance pickups have a better sound its just the nature of magnetism. I've been at a crossroads buying them or not. I mean I'd only be getting them because I love Gattons sound and since I play a lot of his tunes I thought why not have the same sound. I still can't justify that 200+ price tag, considering you can get really good pickups for half that.

[fullerplast]

Originally Posted by GuloGulo

What I've always wanted to know about the bardens is 3 things .

Magnet type, output level and resistance. Kind of irks me bardens are so secretive and don't even tell you these things. Its not like just knowing those things alone you can clone one. Because I always can't justify the price if I don't know what they are exactly.

I mean I'd only be getting them because I love Gattons sound and since I play a lot of his tunes I thought why not have the same sound. I still can't justify that 200+ price tag, considering you can get really good pickups for half that.

Gotta say, this seems like a somewhat strange thought process......

You can have cheap and a different tone than Bardens, or you can have Bardens at the going rate.....regardless of what the magnet type, output level, and resistance may be.

(In fact, DonM's comparison to Filtertrons based solely on DC resistance also seems like an odd comment from a pickup maker...they are very, very different in every other way. )

[Bardenstruck]

Originally Posted by nosuch

When I asked for Haeussel Blade Pickups the reseller Acy responded with this:

Fender Tele, Swamp Ash, One piece maple neck, Vintage Bridge, Joe Bardens

http://www.acys-lounge.de/soundfiles...rry_bblond.mp3

• Same Fender Tele, Swamp Ash, One piece maple neck, Vintage Bridge, Now with Haeussels, Neck Alnico 2, Bridge Alnico 5:

http://www.acys-lounge.de/soundfiles...rry_hblond.mp3

• AGL Demo Tele, heavy Ash Body, maple/maple Neck, modern Bridge, Haussel Blades Alnico 2

http://www.acys-lounge.de/soundfiles...arry_hblue.mp3

he used a Marshall JTM45-100

Great samples! Do you know by any chance which neck p/up model was used for the second track? Is that a "true" single coil?

[Ronkirn]

Sorry, but there are no Joe Barden clones out there, only a few pickups that LOOK like the Bardens.

But that said, the pickup is only one of many components that contribute to the final voice.

rk

[Bardenstruck]