Pickup's looks more important than tone?

[ken]

I had a customer come in today looking at pickups.

He stuck around for an hour or so, playing my guitars and asking the usual questions.

After awhile, I asked him what he thought of my guitars. He told me that he really liked the tones I had with my pickups, but he didn't like the shade of gray bobbins I use on my singlecoils or the plating on my humbucker's cover.

Just another broke nitpicker, I thought. Then I thought a bit more, and started to wonder. How many of you ever had somebody tell you 'Your pickups are great, but...' ?

Curious...

Ken

[Rosewood]

Oh yea, I've seen that in all walks of life, but musicians add a special touch to it. Looks are important to to a lot of people, me too a little.

[black_labb]

ive been winding myself pups using wooden tops. i havent actually tried them yet though. i wanted the pup to look big, not like a normal strat coil, even though thats essentially what it is. when making something for a customer, you dont have time to pick colours to match their guitars, so black or white is what i would do if i were in that situation.

[Spence]

Would you be happy with a Rolls Royce that's been painted with a brush?
Maybe you just need to improve the look of the finished product to overcome issues like that.

[SkinnyWire]

When this happens to me, it's usually the uppity Gibson types - the guys that overlook quality tone for the staus of "the badge". Ever now and again a review will come back with "the pickups sound great but I had to pull them because the cream doesn't quite match the original ..." or some kind of horse hockey like that. Thankfully, it's few and far between but those guys are out there by the boatload if the LP Forum (at least a few years ago) is any indication.

My feeling is it can be lime green with red and yellow sparkle accents if the tone is there. I understand the desire to have a "match" to the guitar so to speak, but some guys take it so far you know they can't focus on the actual playing. Sort of "hey, look at me lookin' good while I smoke this turd". YMMV.

[David Schwab]

...but he didn't like the shade of gray bobbins I use on my singlecoils...

And when do you even see the bobbins on single coils?!?!?

I have a guy that wants a custom bass, and wants covered Jazz Bass style pickups, but asked if I can use gray flatwork!

I told him no, I don't use forbon, it doesn't affect the tone, and he wouldn't even see the flatwork anyway! (nor would he be able to open the pickups once I epoxy them)

But looks do count. Just not on parts you can't see.

[kevinT]

Would you be happy with a Rolls Royce that's been painted with a brush?

That depends....if Monet or Van Gogh painted it.... probably yes.

David Schwab
But looks do count. Just not on parts you can't see.

+1

[ken]

Actually, my pickups do look great, in fact you can see photos of them all over my website. Wife says I'm too obsessive about my pickup's looks, I have been known to throw away many parts that just 'didn't look right' to me. I was laughing about the 'singlecoil gray' comment myself, since these are covered in use it wasn't logical at all. Also, I use many of the same humbucker parts that everyone else uses.

The real problem was a few of the people around here seem to sorta have a problem with anyone else doing anything special, out of the ordinary or 'different'. "This guy" was a case in point - I was at a bar open mike night a couple of days ago, and the same guy who was such a jerk at my shop stood up while someone else was playing and very loudly in front of the stage started yelling at the musicians... basically to him the band sucked, the music sucked, the gear they used sucked, and he was the only player there who knew anything about music. He was still yelling when the cops took him away. I bought every player in the band his own pitcher of beer for that.

I'm proud of my work, but there is always some FOS wise guy somewhere who
says he can do better than you, only to spout excuses when it's his turn.

P.S. I liked Lennon's Rolls better than Van Gogh's or Monet's.

Ken

[Zhangliqun]

P.S. I liked Lennon's Rolls better than Van Gogh's or Monet's.

Ken

I didn't know Lennon was even chubby...

[ken]

He was... compared to Karen Carpenter.

Ken

[chevalij]

A classic tune. She ain't heavy, she's my sister

[Mark Ingram]

it can be lime green with red and yellow sparkle accents...

Is that Key lime green or Kaffir? And those sparkle accents - canary or lemon?

'Cause if I could get'em in Palestine Sweet Lime green, with Goldenrod sparkles...

[ken]

I want mine motor oil colored with multicolored sparkles like a bass fishin' rubber worm, but I guess I'll have to settle for the butt ugly pink WD? 'cream' bobbins used to be.

Ken

[Mark Ingram]

I want mine motor oil colored

Yeah! But not like that synthetic crap! It's gotta be Pensylvania-grade crud, er, I mean crude. And 40W, not 10W-40. With at least 20,000 miles, please.

[ken]

Yum... for those who want a really 'chewy' tone. Oil that old can basically stand up by itself too.

Ken