Poll. Best Pickup Builder / Brands? Price No Object.Your Favorite Five?

[telemnemonics]

Fender Fralin and TV Jones for me.

All the makers that basically just copy old Fender and Gibson pickups are to me not really in the same arena as what could be called "Best pickup builder".
Duncan and Dimarzio may qualify since over 50 years they have both come up with many new pickup designs.

Bill Lawrence (RIP) would qualify but I never like their sound.

 

[hopdybob]

i think the choices would be better with" lawrence USA" and "Bill & Becky Lawrence AKA Wilde Pickups" because they are not the same

 

[schmee]

No Guild? Gretsch?

 

[telemnemonics]

No Guild? Gretsch?

Hmmm, Rowe Industries was one of the top great pickup makers with their own designs goung into Gretsch and other brand guitars?
That who you mean?

 

[telemnemonics]

i think the choices would be better with" lawrence USA" and "Bill & Becky Lawrence AKA Wilde Pickups" because they are not the same

Is that sort of like pre CBS vs USA FMIC vs Squier?

 

[schmee]

Hmmm, Rowe Industries was one of the top great pickup makers with their own designs goung into Gretsch and other brand guitars?
That who you mean?

Gretsch had their own pickups also more recently I think? but yeah, I guess there is a dividing line on if the brand 'makes them' or 'has them made' to spec...
I was mainly just thinking actual guitar maker's pups surely ought to be on the list first tier... even if they will not get a ton of votes like Fender pickups would.
Gretsch 'Trons would get my vote as equal to the TVJ in the Standard Tron.

 

[P Thought]

What's wrong with a personal choice of five favorites?

Well, I've forgotten most of what they taught me in the statistics class I had to take, but I don't think this "poll" is structured so's to produce any reliable information

 

[uriah1]

Hmmm, Rowe Industries was one of the top great pickup makers with their own designs goung into Gretsch and other brand guitars?
That who you mean?

Ya dynasonics and gold foils were Rowe/dearmond. But have been gone for 40 years.

 

[zippofan]

I don't know about best, but I really like the Bootstrap, Cavalier, Fralin, Lollar, Peter Florance and Zhangbucker pickups I've installed. I got a set of Duncan Antiquities that are marvelous, I like TV Jones HiloTrons and DiMarzio's Twang King neck pickup too, but haven't had the opportunity to try Don Mare, Curtis Novak and a lot of others that are on the list.

For the price, I'll stick with Bootstrap though, the Extra Crispy for Tele set was exactly what I was looking for in my parts guitar.

 

[Redstar15]

I love the Lollar dirty blonde strat set. I could not vote, because my current favorite and the set on my tele is Arcane and not included on the list.

 

[brookdalebill]

TV Jones
Kinman
Seymour Duncan
Rio Grande
Gibson

 

[4pickupguy]

I got a low wind Rio Grand PAF they call it The Buffalo. I got impatient and through it in a beater Squier strat just to hear it. Its as springy and crisp as my tele pickups. It doesn’t have that tele ‘pop’ but its very lively. I cant wait to build this guitar!! I think it’s gonna work perfectly in a strat HSSS! I got it in four wire config to have the parallel option, but now I don’t think that’ll be necessary….

 

[blues]

You could include Budz and Rolph on the list.

 

[arlum]

i think the choices would be better with" lawrence USA" and "Bill & Becky Lawrence AKA Wilde Pickups" because they are not the same

I agree with you but the poll won't let me alter or subtract selections. Sorry. At least I've got both Wilde and Lawrence in the list.

 

[arlum]

New issue. Could someone tell me why the poll won't accept any more selections? We have 55 so far and there are still requests being made for pickup builders / brands to be added to the poll. I'd very much like to continue doing so. Is there an admin or mod who could help with this? Please?
Rick

 

[hopdybob]

Is that sort of like pre CBS vs USA FMIC vs Squier?

you could say that in this case.
those who are interested in this story, their will be tread i think.
but the current Lawrence USA is NOT a Bill&Becky wilde pickup, and i would want a pickups of the last.

Bill Lawrence Pickups

wilde, guitar pickups, steel guitar pickups, tele pickups, strat pickups, L500XL pickups

www.wildepickups.com

 

[telemnemonics]

Ya dynasonics and gold foils were Rowe/dearmond. But have been gone for 40 years.

DeArmond (Rowe) did return under new ownership and make the Dynasonics again recently, and made them better than I forget who maybe FMIC Fender ownership of Gretsch was when they made P-90s that looked like Dynasonics but WERE NOT DYNASONICS.
Whoever resurrected the DeArmond name in the 21st C did not use the Rowe name though.

Then Rowe Industries also made a variety of other pickup designs for numerous guitar companies, besides the two most popular.
Kay used numerous Rowe pickups and some were well loved.

 

[Bruxist]

Is that sort of like pre CBS vs USA FMIC vs Squier?

More like Fano vs Novo, or Dean vs Dean Zelinsky, I think.

 

[kLyon]

You could include Budz and Rolph on the list.

Yeah, Budz pickups are great.

 

[David Barnett]

Other: Fred Stuart