Jimmy Page/Keith Richards pickups?

[The Teleist]

Hi all. I've been thinking about buying a Palo Escrito tele for a while. Yesterday i posted a question on here about them - weight, tone etc. My playing styles are Led Zep/Rolling Stones/Eric Clapton sort of thing. One guy said that if I was to get this tele I might want to change the pickups to get that sort of tone. Anyone know or have any suggestions what i could change them to, assuming i get one?

[RodeoTex]

Jason Lollar says he winds pickups for Keith Richards and from what I hear he is very accessable and helpful.

[wetland10]

Originally Posted by RodeoTex

Jason Lollar says he winds pickups for Keith Richards and from what I hear he is very accessable and helpful.

He has a very good product, but I'm not sure the winding for Keef is exactly accurate. I've been told Keef bought a guitar in a shop that had a Lollar pickup in it and really liked it.

Aside from that, in his most famous guitar he has, I believe, a Fender Champion lap steel pickup. Don Mare's 0038 is VERY close to that pickup. I own one and you can really get nice tones out of it. Also, since it is 11K, you can get into the Jimmy Page area, sort of.

That's my two cents.

Wayne

[Chrismo]

I'm lookin' into Fred Stuart's pickups, since he did a lot of the original winds for Keef back in the day.

[DMace]

Originally Posted by Chrismo

I'm lookin' into Fred Stuart's pickups, since he did a lot of the original winds for Keef back in the day.

Yep, Stuart's Lapwrap is allegedly the wind that Keith preferred.

[DMace]

I should add though that the amp you use is going to have a lot more to do with getting those tones than the pickup. imho.

[The Teleist]

Thanks chaps. Good to hear about the Keef side o' things, anybody got any idea about Jimmy? Bear in mind i know VERY little about pickups, so if you could explain it in simpletons terms i would be grateful.

[DMace]

Jimmy's Tele had low-output pickups, the polar opposite of Keith's. Don Mare winds a set to get that tone, the Graf Airship set.

[Staggered Mag]

Originally Posted by RodeoTex

Jason Lollar says he winds pickups for Keith Richards and from what I hear he is very accessable and helpful.

Keith strikes me as someone who will pickup a guitar and play it. If he doesn't like it he moves on. I never thought he was a big gear tinkering type. Just my opinion.

[Chrismo]

Originally Posted by The Teleist

Thanks chaps. Good to hear about the Keef side o' things, anybody got any idea about Jimmy? Bear in mind i know VERY little about pickups, so if you could explain it in simpletons terms i would be grateful.

Something very low output - as suggested Don Mare makes a set that nails it. But anything with a vintage output should get you in that ballpark.

[Laundromat]

Get in touch with Don and tell him what you're after. He might be able to squeeze both those tones in a pickup...

[Perry D.]

Originally Posted by Laundromat

Get in touch with Don and tell him what you're after. He might be able to squeeze both those tones in a pickup...

Yup, It's called the Stingray!

[The Teleist]

Originally Posted by Laundromat

Get in touch with Don and tell him what you're after. He might be able to squeeze both those tones in a pickup...

This Don Mare guy, i assume, as i've never heard of him, that he's American and as such lives in Ameica. I live in England so could someone clarify this for me? Cheers!

The vintage low output pickups sound like a winner, though. What do you guys think to a low output vintage style pickup at the neck and a Keef-ish one at the bridge, or would that just be terrible?

[wetland10]

Originally Posted by The Teleist

This Don Mare guy, i assume, as i've never heard of him, that he's American and as such lives in Ameica. I live in England so could someone clarify this for me? Cheers!

The vintage low output pickups sound like a winner, though. What do you guys think to a low output vintage style pickup at the neck and a Keef-ish one at the bridge, or would that just be terrible?

Yes, he is in the US. You can find him here:

http://donmarepickups.com/

He has a page for International orders.

Wayne

[DMace]

You're going to want a balanced set of pickups, or else the volume won't match up. If you're in England you should look into Bare Knuckle pickups. I've only read reviews (all great) and heard clips, but what I've heard sounded fantastic.
http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/ZT-yardbird.html

[DaleH]

Originally Posted by Staggered Mag

Keith strikes me as someone who will pickup a guitar and play it. If he doesn't like it he moves on. I never thought he was a big gear tinkering type. Just my opinion.

I read an interview where he says he has a Music Man with quick conectors on the pickup leads so he can swap pups to try things out. But when you own 3000 guitars you have a lot of pickups.

[The Teleist]

I'm guessing that everyone from the 'old days' i.e Keef, Jimmy, Clapton, Gatton and so on, all used stock pickups? And the only way we can attain such a sound is to buy replica sounding pickups or spend thousands on a 1950s/60s Tele/LP?

[DMace]

Originally Posted by The Teleist

I'm guessing that everyone from the 'old days' i.e Keef, Jimmy, Clapton, Gatton and so on, all used stock pickups? And the only way we can attain such a sound is to buy replica sounding pickups or spend thousands on a 1950s/60s Tele/LP?

Keef had Fred Stuart at the Fender Custom Shop rewind his Tele pickups. I don't know about Clapton and Jimmy. My guess would be stock.

[Laundromat]

Clapton's Blackie had CBS era pickups with grey bottoms, at least when the Custom Shop disassembled it.

[The O.K.]

Originally Posted by Staggered Mag

Keith strikes me as someone who will pickup a guitar and play it. If he doesn't like it he moves on. I never thought he was a big gear tinkering type. Just my opinion.

Sometimes I think we all think too much. When all these guys, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton (60's era), Jimmy Page, Ray Davies, etc...picked up a guitar in the old days, and it made a row, they loved it. I don't know if they every paid much attention to what PUPs a G-tar had. Needless to say, if they didn't, those Teles, and Gibsons got some nice sounds out of 'em.

[The Teleist]

you may have a point there. Perhaps i should just pick up a guitar,play it, and if i like the sound of it, buy it. JEEZ IT'S ALL SO SIMPLE!

[The O.K.]

Originally Posted by The Teleist

you may have a point there. Perhaps i should just pick up a guitar,play it, and if i like the sound of it, buy it. JEEZ IT'S ALL SO SIMPLE!

It is, isn't it? But it is so fun to tinker around, too.

[castpolymer]

I have a set of Don Mare's Graf Airships and they are the bees knees.

[OaklandA]

Originally Posted by The O.K.

Sometimes I think we all think too much. When all these guys, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton (60's era), Jimmy Page, Ray Davies, etc...picked up a guitar in the old days, and it made a row, they loved it. I don't know if they every paid much attention to what PUPs a G-tar had. Needless to say, if they didn't, those Teles, and Gibsons got some nice sounds out of 'em.

Maybe....but the whole pickup winding craze started in the 70's when the big name players would have their vintage pickups rewound by then-little-known guys like DiMarzio and Seymour Duncan.

As to the original post....+1 on Don Mare. The 0038 bridge does the Keef thing pretty much dead on and he does winds of Page's Tele too, and then some.