Thoughts on Joe Barden pickups?

[Mojojonesing]

So I just bought a 1995 Fender custom shop Thinline, from a limited run tricked out with Joe Barden Danny Gatton pickups, and I love, love, love it. The Bardens are voiced to capture an authentic Tele tone only more so —— full and spanky. All the snap, crackle, and pop, you’d expect from a Tele but with real heft behind it. I know the Barden’s are an acquired taste for some, but they are doing a great job of filling the hole in my heart left by my 68 Tele.

I had an original 1968 Thinline for about 15 years that had been modded by the previous owner with Seymour Duncan’s, a stack humbucker in the neck with a coil tap switch that I referred to as “the fat switch,” and a way-too hot rail pickup in the bridge. It was one of the best-sounding guitars I’ve ever had. I loved it and was heartbroken when it got stolen shortly after moving to San Francisco in 1997. I’ve been thinking about that guitar ever since (loss is a funny thing).

I am loving the Joe Barden Danny Gatton's but they are so Hifi they give me ear fatigue after an hour or so of bedroom playing. But I'm guessing when I have the opportunity to play out again they will cut through a mix like a knife through butter.

So I was looking for any thoughts or comments on Joe Barden pickups from others who have experience with them?

 

[kennl]

I find that thin lines have a mid-scooped frequency range, compared to a solid body. EMG T Set seems to work well there. Bardens might need a bit of mid contour to tame the high end.

 

[teleNtweed]

I have been using them for about 10 years. I am really put off by the hum of single coils and after trying a bunch of noiseless options over the years, these keep coming out on top. They don't "nail" any particular tele sound but they still sound like a valid tele, if that makes any sense. I would go single coils all day long if the noise did not come with them. But these do sound great! I have played them live but they are a handfull. I have not played them enough live to get a handle on them but they have everything needed to get the job done. I play a Gretsch Duo Jet and Strat with noiseless pups live usually. I did make this video shortly after getting them. They will make you fine tune the setup of your guitar. If there are any mechanical imperfections, you will notice it! LOL!

 

[archetype]

It's time for some tone control. You might also consider the 'modern' version of the JB bridge pickup. The frequency range peaks a bit lower than the 'Gatton' model.

 

[BB]

I've never tried Barden pickups, but that is one beautiful looking tele. Congrats.

 

[brookdalebill]

Bright, bright, bright, eyeball blinking bright.
You will learn to appreciate your tone pot.
They are quiet, noise/hum wise.
Obviously, no me gusta.

 

[Timbresmith1]

I love the Barden’s. They are articulate. I did start plugging in to the “Normal” channel of my Fender amps for a bit less treble, tho.
They made me a better player. If your pick attack isn’t in sync with your fretting hand, you’ll know.
Not a lot of gear I feel that way about.

 

[MatsEriksson]

I have been using them for about 10 years. I am really put off by the hum of single coils and after trying a bunch of noiseless options over the years, these keep coming out on top. They don't "nail" any particular tele sound but they still sound like a valid tele, if that makes any sense. I would go single coils all day long if the noise did not come with them. But these do sound great! I have played them live but they are a handfull. I have not played them enough live to get a handle on them but they have everything needed to get the job done. I play a Gretsch Duo Jet and Strat with noiseless pups live usually. I did make this video shortly after getting them. They will make you fine tune the setup of your guitar. If there are any mechanical imperfections, you will notice it! LOL!

^^^^this.
I agree totally. I used JB (Joe Bardens) even with their humbucker two-tone which does include both tap and split if you want it. With split the hum comes back a tiny bit but with together with a "single coil" strat Joe Barden in the middle it has the most convincing strat single coil "quack" coming from any splittable or tappable humbucker pickup.

advantages are:

0. No hum.
1. Strong output (almost EMG active) but without:

• losing dynamics and do a limiting compression as often comes with this
• losing a lot of natural pickup treble
• inducing magnetic string pull on the strings even if they're set too close.

2. Can use any string width thanks to the rails. But, granted, so it is with other rail pickups too.
3. You can alter the height and change the actual timbre...
(4.) Unforgiving for sloppy playing. The slightest irk with your fingers gets magnified. This can be a liability too. But magnifies micro-details in your fingerings and blows up mistakes and bad habits.

drawbacks (slight although mentioned).

1. the high-mid hump frequency inherent in all of their pickups might not be to your liking.
2. They are a tad finicky to install with all their options and lead wires (6 plus ground on Two/Tone). But that's a once set and forget.
3. From dark muddy jazzbox sound in the neck pickup to wild high end bridge pickup treble without "ice-pick" in the ear sound. This contrast can be too stark for some
(4.). As well as a benefit, they do not cover up and is forgiving for your pick or fingers movement, which means they are intimate, delicate in the dynamics range, and you might have to be constant vigilant about this stuff if you're used to other pickups.
5. More expensive than most other similar pickups.

 

[MatsEriksson]

When I plug in my JoeB equipped guitars in other peoples amps, at blues jams and so on, they always ask me if I use active pickups, and turns the master volume down on the amp. It's not a bit louder, but TOO loud. Always. If there's cranked and crunch preamp vol, it will just distort and compress a lot more.

The next parts guitar I am going to assemble with JoeBardens I think of going with all the options, including what Joe Barden himself didn't particularly like, a true SPLIT option of the humbuckers. Which includes more wiring and requires shielding, but my trick is that since the SPLIT induces hum (Tap coils not) is to have some Ilitch/Suhr pickguard plate with the noise cancelling system kick in at the same time, but just at the same time as the split. Can be quite a chore to pull off. I've tried and compared them with Seymour Duncan P-Rails, and while those are good idea, they don't hold any candle to Joe Bardens at all.

I only wonder when someone will make humbucker pickups with FOUR adjustment screws. You always must tilt the pickups to align with the neck pitch with foam underneath. This is lacking too with JoeBardens, but I guess they all will have to work with direct drop in replacements to already existing frames.

These JB used to be some kind of posh boutique pickups, but today there are many more that costs way much more, such as Seymour Duncans Zephyrs with silver wire.

 

[MatsEriksson]

I do not get fatigued by their hifi sound which I do not think they have. If you have that irk, and gets fatigued I suggest one thing:

Swap the strings out to anything that is called "pure nickel" set. If you can get your head around something called "Round Cores" too, which require watching over them while stringing them up, you can tame that high fidelity. "Modern" stainless steel string sets with hex core may be abrasive to your ears. Or maybe any coated strings? That may be a tad too much dodging high end fidelity.

Round Core Pure Nickels, just like in the old days...

 

[Tele295]

I’ve been a Barden user since 1993 when I built my #1 Thinline. Burdens react to your playing like nothing else. However, if you have slop or weakness in your technique (especially right hand/picking technique), Bardens will kick your tail. They are very honest pickups. Once you get used to them, they are amazing.

 

[teletail]

I guess I'll take the opposing view. I had a tele with them and didn't like them at all. I just couldn't get used to the sound, or dial in a sound that I really liked. I wound up selling it. I love the Don Mare pickups though. If we all liked the same thing, there would only be on pickup maker and one style of pickups.

 

[Timbresmith1]

I guess I'll take the opposing view. I had a tele with them and didn't like them at all. I just couldn't get used to the sound, or dial in a sound that I really liked. I wound up selling it. I love the Don Mare pickups though. If we all liked the same thing, there would only be on pickup maker and one style of pickups.

The Barden’s like a warmish amp or one with a midrange control.
I love Barden’s AND a bunch of “Noisy” pickups, also. The Barden’s can be neutral sounding, so I can see where they wouldn’t always work for traditional players looking for a specific Blackguard thing.

 

[Mojojonesing]

I find that thin lines have a mid-scooped frequency range, compared to a solid body. EMG T Set seems to work well there. Bardens might need a bit of mid contour to tame the high end.

Thanks will try giving the tele a mid EQ boost and see how that sounds!

 

[Mojojonesing]

I do not get fatigued by their hifi sound which I do not think they have. If you have that irk, and gets fatigued I suggest one thing:

Swap the strings out to anything that is called "pure nickel" set. If you can get your head around something called "Round Cores" too, which require watching over them while stringing them up, you can tame that high fidelity. "Modern" stainless steel string sets with hex core may be abrasive to your ears. Or maybe any coated strings? That may be a tad too much dodging high end fidelity.

Round Core Pure Nickels, just like in the old days...

Oddly enough I ordered a few pure nickel sets to use on this guitar but put on a PRS set that I had lying around when I got it, and sure enough, the PRS strings use some proprietary alloy designed with brightness in mind

 

[Mojojonesing]

I’ve been a Barden user since 1993 when I built my #1 Thinline. Burdens react to your playing like nothing else. However, if you have slop or weakness in your technique (especially right hand/picking technique), Bardens will kick your tail. They are very honest pickups. Once you get used to them, they are amazing.

View attachment 892135

I'm guessing that's not a guitsteel, just one instrument laid on top of another? So that's one badass looking Tele brother! I love it.

 

[Mojojonesing]

When I plug in my JoeB equipped guitars in other peoples amps, at blues jams and so on, they always ask me if I use active pickups, and turns the master volume down on the amp. It's not a bit louder, but TOO loud. Always. If there's cranked and crunch preamp vol, it will just distort and compress a lot more.

 

[Mojojonesing]

So that was the first thing I noticed about the Bardens is that they seem way louder than any other pickup I've used. And they start to ride it off the rails with the slightest amount of boost or gain pedal hitting the amp up front. It's like they're already cranked and just itching to compress and break up.[/QUOTE]

 

[schmee]

I had Barden's in a Strat for a while. The Strat ones were too bright for me, not sure how the Tele ones compare...

 

[tanplastic]

I lucked into a Gatton Telecaster that came stock with Bardens years ago.
I like their power, clarity and their hum-cancelling feature.
The volume and tone knobs reveal many different sounds I can use from deep jazziness to twang to bright rock tones.