Cavalier Nocaster Holy Grail

[Endless Mike]

I began using Rob's pickups since he first introduced his pickups here in 2010 or 2011. I was highly impressed, to the point that I've *never* used another brand since that time. Every guitar I own has his pickups. I like every model I've bought and used. Bakersfield, Nashville, Fat lion and Lioness. He hears the high end frequencies the way I want them to sound, and of course all the other frequencies are as they should be.

So I've installed a Nocaster Holy Grail and Lioness in a G&L Tribute. I expected it to be good, but it exceeded my expectations. In this case, here's a tele bridge pickup that has a thickness/fatness, yet still has twang and bite. It is still clearly a bridge pickup, but it has a fullness that speakers, amps, pedals and Eq have never imparted. It's incredibly impressive. I don't know how the man does it, but boy does he. I've used so many brands of pickups over the years, and through the 90s was known as Endless 'pickup' Mike due to my constantly changing out pickups in my guitars. I truly haven't changed out pickups in my guitars since I began using his. Well, I changed out the Nashville in my Baja for a Bakersfield/Nashville/Fat lion, and stored the original A2 Nashville in a safe place. But I've never gone back to other brands I've used in the past.

Sorry to be such a fan boy, but I'm incredibly impressed, and couldn't be more pleased. I feel compelled to buy spares of all my favorite models, no one else can touch what he does, for my taste anyway.

Oh, and his prices are so thoroughly reasonable.

 

[8bitlooper]

Glad to hear that! I’ve putting a holy grail in my clarence inspired tele tomorrow. Along with his 59 strat pickup in the neck. Super excited. Have not tried his pickups before but have always heard good things.

 

[SPUDCASTER]

Been using Rob's pickups for about that long too. No disappointment here.

 

[TeleTex82]

I began using Rob's pickups since he first introduced his pickups here in 2010 or 2011. I was highly impressed, to the point that I've *never* used another brand since that time. Every guitar I own has his pickups. I like every model I've bought and used. Bakersfield, Nashville, Fat lion and Lioness. He hears the high end frequencies the way I want them to sound, and of course all the other frequencies are as they should be.

So I've installed a Nocaster Holy Grail and Lioness in a G&L Tribute. I expected it to be good, but it exceeded my expectations. In this case, here's a tele bridge pickup that has a thickness/fatness, yet still has twang and bite. It is still clearly a bridge pickup, but it has a fullness that speakers, amps, pedals and Eq have never imparted. It's incredibly impressive. I don't know how the man does it, but boy does he. I've used so many brands of pickups over the years, and through the 90s was known as Endless 'pickup' Mike due to my constantly changing out pickups in my guitars. I truly haven't changed out pickups in my guitars since I began using his. Well, I changed out the Nashville in my Baja for a Bakersfield/Nashville/Fat lion, and stored the original A2 Nashville in a safe place. But I've never gone back to other brands I've used in the past.

Sorry to be such a fan boy, but I'm incredibly impressed, and couldn't be more pleased. I feel compelled to buy spares of all my favorite models, no one else can touch what he does, for my taste anyway.

Oh, and his prices are so thoroughly reasonable.

I have a Nocaster Holy Grail in my Logan Tele and can attest your assessment is spot on. Rob winds a mean pickup.

 

[57joonya]

I’m not much of a pickup freak, I have swapped them before on only two guitars in my 30 years of playing . But now I want one of these . I’ll have to look them up

 

[old wrench]

I've got one of Rob's Holy Grail No-Casters in this Esquire I built for last year's BrotherHood Build

It really sounds great in this guitar - I get a real nice wide range of tones out of it

When you're only running one pickup - you want it to be a good one!

.

 

[Durtdog]

I too only use Cavalier Tele pickups. I’ve found no better pickups, value or service at any price.

 

[Bruxist]

I’m not much of a pickup freak, I have swapped them before on only two guitars in my 30 years of playing . But now I want one of these . I’ll have to look them up

They are practically local to you!

 

[kLyon]

Great guy, great pickups.

 

[Bruxist]

Presently I have a set of SRV Tigers/Bengal Tiger in my SRV sig and a Phoenix and Holy Grail in my #1 tele. Have a She-Wolf, a Fat Lioness, and a Hydra Lion waiting to be put somewhere. Guess I need more teles.

Can't beat them. And they are so amazingly quiet.

 

[Telekarster]

I plan to use Rob's pickups in my 130+ year old "workbench" build, as soon as I can get around to it. I have a feeling they're going to make that old wood ring like a bell!

 

[Endless Mike]

I have a Nocaster Holy Grail in my Logan Tele and can attest your assessment is spot on. Rob winds a mean pickup.

I don't know how he does it. He uses two magnet types, and two wire gauges. Yet out of the five or six different models, they all have a spectrum of tones. I asked him, and he mentioned something that surprised me. He mentioned the amount of tension on the wire when you wind it plays a role. So I suppose how tightly wound the pickup is plays a role. Who knew?

 

[Peegoo]

^^^ yes, wire tension does have an effect on inductance.

 

[Skub]

Big fan here too. Rob's a gentleman and an epic p/up winder.

 

[Kevin Wolfe]

YESS!

I’ve got a partsquire loaded with one. Simply fantastic.

 

[AKBluesDude]

Thanks for the post !! I've been trying out pickups for more than two decades and pretty much over the tone quest. The only tele pickups I'd still like to try are Cavelier. I've just been struggling on which models to order, but got enough good feedback in this thread to place an order today. Now I just need to build or buy another tele to put them in - lol.

 

[jwp333]

I’ve got a bunch too. A Nashville style tele that came with them, and I changed to a slightly overwound Nashville in the bridge when I accidentally broke the the 2 way one it came with. Then a natural tele thinline I bought from Rob with the fat models. Then a squier Strat from him that he wired up with his Strat pickup set and upgraded wiring. And an experimental Ibanez hollow body I bought from him with his firebird pickups which I’d actually like to get in a real firebird format. He does great pickups and he’s always responsive to emails with questions.

 

[bigbenbob]

Does anyone have experience with his Firebird pickups?

 

[andyc]

Best bang for the buck out there!

 

[Bruxist]

Does anyone have experience with his Firebird pickups?

I have one in the neck of a tele. Love it. It will probably end up in neck position in my Epi Firebird eventually, though those Epiphone FB720 pickups are actual Firebird pickups and sound pretty damn good.