Mini Humbucker: Gibson, Lollar, or GFS?

curlyrick · March 17th, 2007, 11:02 AM

Thanks to all the good posts here about mini humbuckers, I've discovered I can get my pickguard needs met by Warmoth.

As for the mini-hum itself, how to decide?

I'm going for an Alan Sparhawk sound (and look) in my 60s RI Tele w/Bigsby:

He has, I think, a Gibson mini, of uncertain vintage, in the neck. Whatever it is, it seems to give him a quick attack, microphonic, bright-yet-full sound.

If the Gibson is the default option (at around $100-116), besides price, what are the relative advantages or disadvantages of the Lollar mini ($150) and the GFS minis (Little Crunchy $32 & Mini PAF $36)?

It seems from previous posts no one has tried the GFS minis yet and everyone praises the Lollars, but is the Lollar three times better sounding than the GFS? Is the Gibson two times better sounding, yet merely 2/3 the stud compared to Lollar?

w0odman · March 17th, 2007, 12:14 PM

well, therre can't be much harm in trying a GFS first for 30 bucks. And then let everyone know how it sounds

brittwin · March 17th, 2007, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by w0odman

well, therre can't be much harm in trying a GFS first for 30 bucks. And then let everyone know how it sounds

Before you blow wads of dough on a pickup you may or may not like, try GFS. I threw a GFS Lil' Killer Barden style hotrail in my Squier 51 project neck position, and a GFS Vintage '59 PAF in the bridge.....and was surprised by both p'ups. High pricetag doesn't always mean better sound. And for my combined $60.00 for both p'ups, they are a steal!

larrya · March 17th, 2007, 01:35 PM

I can't comment on the GFS. I have tried the Gibson and the Lollar and much prefer the Lollar.

photoweborama · March 17th, 2007, 01:47 PM

I'd go GFS, and it you don't like it, give it away!! but chances are your going to like it!

Big Tony · March 17th, 2007, 01:53 PM

I've heard good things about the Allparts mini 'buckers.

http://www.allparts.com/categories.p...AR%20PICKUP S

/ Tony

curlyrick · March 17th, 2007, 02:49 PM

Well, the Allparts certainly adds another price point into the mix.

The advice about getting the GFS for cheap is, perhaps, good advice, but if it turns out to make the Tele sound like something from KMart, then I will have spent an additional $30 when I get something else.

Being totally inexperienced in doing pickup swaps, and not really wanting to make it a regular experience, I'm just hoping to get the best sound and the best deal.

If I were to get the Gibson, will I just be paying another $70 for the brand name or is there something magical about their ceramic, steel, and AlNico that GFS doesn't have?

If I pay $150 for the Lollar, will I be getting a fine piece of hand-crafted boutique workmanship or will I just be paying $50 more because he doesn't sell tens of thousands of pickups per year?

Should I just follow my friend's grandma's advice: "Spend a little more and get something nice," or engage in an even more expensive and time-consuming quest for tone.

But, of course, such quests are what makes it all worth while, no?

Pierce · March 17th, 2007, 03:42 PM

with polepieces..
it looks like everyone else cloned the firebird (screaming) pickup..very sharp and ceramic sounding (and the funky sun logo on the duncans...

)

curlyrick · March 17th, 2007, 04:02 PM

The Antiquity II neck pups look good -- like a Gibson.

About the same price as the Gibson.

Those with the big S, the ones they're putting on the Hot Rod . . . those put the U in ugly.

Ringo · March 17th, 2007, 10:07 PM

I just got an Allparts Firebird style mini, has alnico magnets, about 6.5k, should be very similar to an older Gibson.
I'll be wiring it in my Tele next week, I'll post a review then.
I've used a vintage Gibson mini, that was a sweet sounding pickup but I was just borrowing it while I restored a friends guitar, had to give it back.
I've also heard good reports on the Dimarzio mini's FWIW.

spankdplank · March 18th, 2007, 04:53 AM

check out Rio Grande. Not cheap but sounds fantastic. They use 12 alnico polepiece magnets per pickup, rather than a single bar magnet, so when you split them, they retain a true single coil sound.

Groundhog Blues · March 18th, 2007, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by curlyrick

The Antiquity II neck pups look good -- like a Gibson.

About the same price as the Gibson.

Those with the big S, the ones they're putting on the Hot Rod . . . those put the U in ugly.

+1 on the Antiquity. Just finished converting a partscaster to a Nashville with a set of Keystones & an Ant II - lotsa tone.

Rick

fuzzferatu · March 18th, 2007, 12:47 PM

The reason GFS pickups are much cheaper than bigger name brands is that they do not have a distributor. You can only buy them direct, which means to get their projected markup on a sale, they need only sell it for $32. A distributor buys products from a manufacturer at a tremendous discount and resells them to a retailer. Cut out the middleman, and you can lower your prices dramatically and use that as a sales tool, i.e. the buyer's philosophy of "heck, it's so cheap, why not try it?"

I know because I'm starting a small press with the same model! ;-)

So yes, the GFS are high quality, because they spend the same amount of money to produce theirs as Gibson does.

However, I must add that I've never tried their mini humbuckers. I am tempted to, though! I have been digging the overwound 64 staggered single coils, the 70's strat pickups, the Dream 180s (bright humbuckers) and the lipsticks. I have some wide range type pickups waiting to go into a tele, and real Fender wide range on the way, so it will be fun to A/B them!

curlyrick · March 18th, 2007, 05:11 PM

Fuzzferatu,

Nice response. Seems right about GFS low prices.

How, then, to explain the expense of Lollar? Doesn't that dude just sell his own stuff without distributors?

curlyrick · March 18th, 2007, 06:36 PM

Just "won" a Gibson mini from a 70s goldtop on Ebay ($52 + 10).

Guess that will settle my issue for the moment.

Hope to get it installed in a few weeks.

Sleph · March 19th, 2007, 04:18 AM

OaklandA · March 21st, 2007, 11:30 AM

Last band I played with had a guy that played only through mini's - LP Deluxes, Firebirds, Epi's. He had tried them all at one point or another it seemed. I got a chance to hear a variety as a result.

Duncan Antiquity would be my first choice. Duncan Vintage would be my second, Duncan Custom Shop split mini-humbuckers would be my third choice.

The new Gibsons, like you find on the new LP Deluxes, are good but I haven't seen them for sale anywhere.

To my ears the Rio Grande versions are harsh sounding. I have yet to find a GFS pickup of any kind that I like but i'll keep an open mind...never have heard their mini. I've never heard the Lollars either.

The Duncans are quite consistently good though, especially the Antiquity's.

Drak · March 27th, 2007, 07:58 AM

I have 2 Lollar Mini-Hums in the necks of two Tele builds, I can't compare them to any other Mini's, but they have a gorgeous clean sweet sound, and mix very well with vintage output Tele bridge pkps.

fakeplastic · March 27th, 2007, 11:54 PM

to anyone who has tried the antiquity ii, how is the output and eq of this pickup? i noticed it has a2 magnets, and is 'aged' as well, is it a very warm tone? does it match up well with a standard tele bridge pickup?

a friend of mine has the vintage duncan mini and its not bad at all, except for the hideous "S" logo.

curlyrick · April 18th, 2007, 11:01 PM

I can only manage to get one photo to load, but check my gallery for a shot of my new rough & tumble Tele.

Before

After

Dave Yeats · April 19th, 2007, 09:07 AM

Nice.

kludge · April 19th, 2007, 09:58 AM

I have a Kent Armstrong mini (Firebird style) for a neck pickup and I really like it. Sweet and woody, almost acoustic sounding. If sweet is your thing, you'll love it.

RnB · April 22nd, 2007, 12:52 AM

Another vote here for the Allparts mini...Great little pickup...Plus, you can adjust the poles.
The thang screams!

~RB

Rob DiStefano · April 22nd, 2007, 05:06 AM

Guess you'll hafta see how that Gibby mini works for ya ... I've taste tested Gibson, Duncan standards and antiquities, Rios, WD, All Parts, and recently the GFS mini-PAF ... outta all of them, the GFS was the hands down winnah. YMMV.

Jef · April 24th, 2007, 02:11 AM

Don't rule out the diMarzio minibucker. It's a fantastic pickup.

March 17th, 2007, 11:02 AM	#1 (permalink)
curlyrick Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Denton, Texas Posts: 105 12 Photos	Mini Humbucker: Gibson, Lollar, or GFS? Thanks to all the good posts here about mini humbuckers, I've discovered I can get my pickguard needs met by Warmoth. As for the mini-hum itself, how to decide? I'm going for an Alan Sparhawk sound (and look) in my 60s RI Tele w/Bigsby: He has, I think, a Gibson mini, of uncertain vintage, in the neck. Whatever it is, it seems to give him a quick attack, microphonic, bright-yet-full sound. If the Gibson is the default option (at around $100-116), besides price, what are the relative advantages or disadvantages of the Lollar mini ($150) and the GFS minis (Little Crunchy $32 & Mini PAF $36)? It seems from previous posts no one has tried the GFS minis yet and everyone praises the Lollars, but is the Lollar three times better sounding than the GFS? Is the Gibson two times better sounding, yet merely 2/3 the stud compared to Lollar? __________________ " . . . someone to do your dirty work . . ." Last edited by curlyrick : March 17th, 2007 at 11:10 AM. Reason: typo

March 17th, 2007, 12:14 PM	#2 (permalink)
w0odman Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 450	well, therre can't be much harm in trying a GFS first for 30 bucks. And then let everyone know how it sounds __________________ "The only true currency in this bankrupt world, is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." -Lester Bangs

March 17th, 2007, 01:47 PM	#5 (permalink)
photoweborama Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Sacramento, CA Age: 50 Posts: 1,431 15 Photos	I'd go GFS, and it you don't like it, give it away!! but chances are your going to like it! __________________ Best guitar photos on the net! photoweborama.com!

March 17th, 2007, 01:53 PM	#6 (permalink)
Big Tony Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Sweden, by golly! Posts: 2,492 28 Photos	I've heard good things about the Allparts mini 'buckers. http://www.allparts.com/categories.p...AR%20PICKUP S / Tony __________________ {8^)> myspace.com/tonypersson

March 17th, 2007, 02:49 PM	#7 (permalink)
curlyrick Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Denton, Texas Posts: 105 12 Photos	Well, the Allparts certainly adds another price point into the mix. The advice about getting the GFS for cheap is, perhaps, good advice, but if it turns out to make the Tele sound like something from KMart, then I will have spent an additional $30 when I get something else. Being totally inexperienced in doing pickup swaps, and not really wanting to make it a regular experience, I'm just hoping to get the best sound and the best deal. If I were to get the Gibson, will I just be paying another $70 for the brand name or is there something magical about their ceramic, steel, and AlNico that GFS doesn't have? If I pay $150 for the Lollar, will I be getting a fine piece of hand-crafted boutique workmanship or will I just be paying $50 more because he doesn't sell tens of thousands of pickups per year? Should I just follow my friend's grandma's advice: "Spend a little more and get something nice," or engage in an even more expensive and time-consuming quest for tone. But, of course, such quests are what makes it all worth while, no? __________________ " . . . someone to do your dirty work . . ."

March 17th, 2007, 01:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
larrya TDPRI Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Chesterfield, VA Posts: 54	I can't comment on the GFS. I have tried the Gibson and the Lollar and much prefer the Lollar.

March 17th, 2007, 03:42 PM	#8 (permalink)
Pierce Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: skull island Posts: 471	antiquity would be my choice with polepieces.. it looks like everyone else cloned the firebird (screaming) pickup..very sharp and ceramic sounding (and the funky sun logo on the duncans... )

March 17th, 2007, 04:02 PM	#9 (permalink)
curlyrick Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Denton, Texas Posts: 105 12 Photos	The Antiquity II neck pups look good -- like a Gibson. About the same price as the Gibson. Those with the big S, the ones they're putting on the Hot Rod . . . those put the U in ugly. __________________ " . . . someone to do your dirty work . . ."

March 17th, 2007, 10:07 PM	#10 (permalink)
Ringo Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Memphis TN Posts: 1,905	Allparts, WD I just got an Allparts Firebird style mini, has alnico magnets, about 6.5k, should be very similar to an older Gibson. I'll be wiring it in my Tele next week, I'll post a review then. I've used a vintage Gibson mini, that was a sweet sounding pickup but I was just borrowing it while I restored a friends guitar, had to give it back. I've also heard good reports on the Dimarzio mini's FWIW.

March 18th, 2007, 04:53 AM	#11 (permalink)
spankdplank Tele-Holic Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Houston, Tx. Posts: 566 22 Photos	check out Rio Grande. Not cheap but sounds fantastic. They use 12 alnico polepiece magnets per pickup, rather than a single bar magnet, so when you split them, they retain a true single coil sound.

March 18th, 2007, 12:47 PM	#13 (permalink)
fuzzferatu Tele-Holic Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Portland, OR Age: 39 Posts: 550	The reason GFS pickups are much cheaper than bigger name brands is that they do not have a distributor. You can only buy them direct, which means to get their projected markup on a sale, they need only sell it for $32. A distributor buys products from a manufacturer at a tremendous discount and resells them to a retailer. Cut out the middleman, and you can lower your prices dramatically and use that as a sales tool, i.e. the buyer's philosophy of "heck, it's so cheap, why not try it?" I know because I'm starting a small press with the same model! ;-) So yes, the GFS are high quality, because they spend the same amount of money to produce theirs as Gibson does. However, I must add that I've never tried their mini humbuckers. I am tempted to, though! I have been digging the overwound 64 staggered single coils, the 70's strat pickups, the Dream 180s (bright humbuckers) and the lipsticks. I have some wide range type pickups waiting to go into a tele, and real Fender wide range on the way, so it will be fun to A/B them!

March 18th, 2007, 05:11 PM	#14 (permalink)
curlyrick Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Denton, Texas Posts: 105 12 Photos	Fuzzferatu, Nice response. Seems right about GFS low prices. How, then, to explain the expense of Lollar? Doesn't that dude just sell his own stuff without distributors? __________________ " . . . someone to do your dirty work . . ."

March 18th, 2007, 06:36 PM	#15 (permalink)
curlyrick Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Denton, Texas Posts: 105 12 Photos	Just "won" a Gibson mini from a 70s goldtop on Ebay ($52 + 10). Guess that will settle my issue for the moment. Hope to get it installed in a few weeks. __________________ " . . . someone to do your dirty work . . ." Last edited by curlyrick : March 18th, 2007 at 07:35 PM.

March 19th, 2007, 04:18 AM	#16 (permalink)
Sleph Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 1,052 6 Photos	..

March 21st, 2007, 11:30 AM	#17 (permalink)
OaklandA Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,541 28 Photos	Last band I played with had a guy that played only through mini's - LP Deluxes, Firebirds, Epi's. He had tried them all at one point or another it seemed. I got a chance to hear a variety as a result. Duncan Antiquity would be my first choice. Duncan Vintage would be my second, Duncan Custom Shop split mini-humbuckers would be my third choice. The new Gibsons, like you find on the new LP Deluxes, are good but I haven't seen them for sale anywhere. To my ears the Rio Grande versions are harsh sounding. I have yet to find a GFS pickup of any kind that I like but i'll keep an open mind...never have heard their mini. I've never heard the Lollars either. The Duncans are quite consistently good though, especially the Antiquity's. __________________ ________________________ _________________ ___________ That's what she said.

March 27th, 2007, 07:58 AM	#18 (permalink)
Drak Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: DC 'Burbs Age: 46 Posts: 447	I have 2 Lollar Mini-Hums in the necks of two Tele builds, I can't compare them to any other Mini's, but they have a gorgeous clean sweet sound, and mix very well with vintage output Tele bridge pkps.

March 27th, 2007, 11:54 PM	#19 (permalink)
fakeplastic TDPRI Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: teleland Posts: 67	to anyone who has tried the antiquity ii, how is the output and eq of this pickup? i noticed it has a2 magnets, and is 'aged' as well, is it a very warm tone? does it match up well with a standard tele bridge pickup? a friend of mine has the vintage duncan mini and its not bad at all, except for the hideous "S" logo.

April 18th, 2007, 11:01 PM	#20 (permalink)
curlyrick Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Denton, Texas Posts: 105 12 Photos	Mission Accomplished I can only manage to get one photo to load, but check my gallery for a shot of my new rough & tumble Tele. Before After __________________ " . . . someone to do your dirty work . . ." Last edited by curlyrick : April 25th, 2007 at 08:00 PM.

April 19th, 2007, 09:07 AM	#21 (permalink)
Dave Yeats Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Austin, Texas, USA Age: 33 Posts: 759 50 Photos	Nice.

April 19th, 2007, 09:58 AM	#22 (permalink)
kludge Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Minneapolis Age: 43 Posts: 1,013	I have a Kent Armstrong mini (Firebird style) for a neck pickup and I really like it. Sweet and woody, almost acoustic sounding. If sweet is your thing, you'll love it. __________________ Oz: Well, other bands know more than three chords. Your professional bands can play up to six, sometimes seven completely different chords. Devon: That's just, like, fruity jazz bands. -from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

April 22nd, 2007, 12:52 AM	#23 (permalink)
RnB Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Home of YouTube Age: 61 Posts: 209	Allparts Mini-Hmbkr Another vote here for the Allparts mini...Great little pickup...Plus, you can adjust the poles. The thang screams! ~RB

April 22nd, 2007, 05:06 AM	#24 (permalink)
Rob DiStefano Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Park Ridge, NJ Age: 62 Posts: 4,622	Guess you'll hafta see how that Gibby mini works for ya ... I've taste tested Gibson, Duncan standards and antiquities, Rios, WD, All Parts, and recently the GFS mini-PAF ... outta all of them, the GFS was the hands down winnah. YMMV.

April 24th, 2007, 02:11 AM	#25 (permalink)
Jef Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Antwerp, Belgium Posts: 670 1 Photos	Don't rule out the diMarzio minibucker. It's a fantastic pickup. __________________ It'll hurt tomorrow but tonight it hurts so good. (Dale Watson)