Fat Tone pickups

[Possum]

Dave...

What are the resistance values of your SG PAFs? Why do they sound like crap? I'm about to release my new PAF versions and curious what bad ones sound like. I"ve been studying Peter Green, Bloomfield, Allman, sound clips mostly to get that tone. Mine won't be your usual fanfare with no substance, and they definitely won't be cheap for all the money I've spent on getting it together. Working on a video and sound samples through the weekend to launch them to the public. I've heard there are some that aren't so hot and wonder why they are perceived that way, authentic PAF tone isn't for everyone and wonder if you are one who doesn't like what they do. they do sound different from eachother but they do share characteristics at the core. In theory the bad ones are probably wound too hot with maybe alnico 3 in there, that wouldn't be such a hot combination and I bet there are some out there like that......

[dBe]

Howdy,

Well, they are muddy and sound incredibly compressed. They are hot for PAFs @ ~8.1K for both. My '57 is much lower, 7.3-7.75K, and sounds amazing. They lack what I call bloom. I'm a high end stereo guy and like single ended triodes because of the harmonic richness. The 61's just don't have "IT". If I had to guess, I would think that the whole guitar was hugely abused because I bought it in '69 with a broken neck joint (like there aren't any SG bodies out there that haven't been broken ) I sometimes wish I had a gauss meter to read them, but don't really care now. They are in the vault. I don't care for neck heavy guitars, especially since I got fat and they hang funny on a bowling ball.

Let me be concise: loose, flabby bass - underdamped in hi-fi terms; too much in the lower mids - not honky in a PAF context, but overblown in the 300Hz - 1K range; weak in the upper mids, lower treble - no bark, whatsoever; treble just sounds broken compared to the '57. Dickey they don't do even given the girth that a 'real' Les Paul body gives.

Email me if you want anymore info.

Toodles,

Dave

BTW - I've heard NOTHING but good about your pickups. Also, DiMarzio and Seymour Duncans aren't my cups of tea... except for this one JB that I have that I replaced the threaded bottom polepiece receiver with brass to cool the magnet off some.

Cryo, now that is something different in it's own way.

[Possum]

....

Aaaaah, so I was right, well sort of. 8K in a bridge PAF should be ok, but really pushing it for neck, especially if the magnet is wrong. I'll be doing tone samples with an 8.2K bridge and a 7.6K neck, both work pretty well. I scored a '62PAF that was actually in a Gibson test guitar for years and its 7.3K and sounds wonderful in the neck spot. It seems to be alnico 5 as the gauss is quite strong at the poles. Pretty sure mine would match if I wound it that low. You might go to my site and sign up for the newsletter if you want to know when these will be launched on YouTube.

Thanks for the compliment also :-)

[dBe]

Well, Dave, it's a circuitous route that brought me here. I saw your auction on Ebay and did a search on your company. I signed up for your newsletter, did a google that led me here, signed up, saw the post by Tommy Beard and here we are.

Back to the pickups.

Ill bet they are alnico 2 all the way that have somehow gotten degaussed a bit. The pots are all in the 475-490K range and the caps are ~.02. I initially thought that the pots were low and/or someone had stuck LP Jr tone caps in it,

I've got a guy that wants to buy it from me and has for a few years. With the repair on the neck joint I think the value has maxed so I may just do so. I hadn't really thought about that guitar much until this discussion so maybe now is the time.

We'll see how your auction goes. I can always use another set of pups.

Be well,

Dave

[Edward R]

Hey Mick

Where do you get that I made a knock on your prices? Have you read what I wrote, or just got mad that I called you out on your childish comments?

All I stated was the mark-ups are generally the same percentage wise. Never knocked your prices, and even went as far as saying that sometimes it is better to pay a higher markup for the expertise, as you had mentioned. I even stated the facts of pricing that show the markups, which is easy enough to find if you do a little research.

My only issue is with your ridiculous comment alluding to Fat Tone having no pride in what they do. I think that is shit... And perhaps he has been cut some slack, but not by you and your ignorant comments. I think it is pretty apparent that you feel threatened by another pickup company, and since it doesn't jive with your outlook, you attack him personally.

Thats a pretty cool move in my book, friend.

ER

[mick]

Hey Eddy Ass kisser

"Where do you get that I made a knock on your prices?"

Err here ..

" I am not going to buy your overpriced pickups that you made on gramma's old sewing machine, and I don't make pickups for a living."

Is your head that far up your own arse that you cannot understand what you have written ?
And yes I have pride in what I do , like I said..at least I make them myself , as for being mad about you calling me childish?? YAWN , dry up dickhead...my 4 year old has the edge over you , maybe what I said was a tad blunt but you are taking childish to a new level , now toddle of and drink your ovaltine it's past your bedtime..
when you wake up go see if the guys who sell pre made furniture have the same amount of pride as someone who actually makes furniture themselves , ya dumb shit

[GlennW]

Y'all need to cut this crap out...it's getting like a kiddie forum.

[Spence]

Y'all need to cut this crap out...it's getting like a kiddie forum.

Well these things are bound to degenerate when people turn up in droves to back up someone who decided this was the right place to push their pickups.
If those people start slating other pickup makers they can only expect retaliation.
It never ceases to amaze me how many people turn up out of the blue. makes me think these people are actually the same person using multiple ID's and that makes me question their credibility.

[dBe]

I may be new here and I HAVE been accused of being a different person after I've had a few, which is why I don't drink anymore, but that is a story for later. I can guarantee that I am me, Dave Elledge from Albuquerque, New Mexico and no one else. Give me a call @ 505.332.2134 if you are so convinced that there is a conspiracy afoot.

It is a pure coincidence that I landed here in the middle of this steaming pile and made a statement that I had very positive dealings with Tommy. What is not a coincidence is there are people on every forum that I have or do frequent that use the keyboard as a weapon. Too bad. This seems to be a good place to find out a lot of technology and methodology and just might lead to (gasp!) another guy trying his hand at winding a pup or two.

I'm not in the habit of being a newbie and telling people to get over themselves, but hey, some need to get over themselves.

I do fly black helicopters for a living, though

Dave

[mick]

Tommy took offence at something I said , fine , I don't expect everyone to agree with my comments ,I don't personally give a shit how rude , pathetic , sleazy and childish ( what an odd thing to say?? )that makes me in their opinion but I'll have my say.

Eddy decided to jump in to something that wasn't really his business with his hypocritical misinformed and personal comments , fine it's his opinion of me and the way I make my pickups . It's all good and I don't hold grudges. I'll cry a bit then I'll bounce back , boohoo there you go I'm good again.

GlennW , maybe you wouldn't respond to personal comments directed at you?? well thats you mate , people get passionate about things..it's a forum and it happens .

Mick

[Possum]

...

How many winds are in that black helicopter? Do the rotors turn clockwise or counterclockwise? Aliens onboard, or you just mutilating cattle for fun?

BTW that ebay auction I don't think was me if its recent. I just heard from a customer he bought a set of my strats pickups off ebay and thinks two of them are dead. It completely amazes me that I have a lifetime warranty and a free exchange policy if you don't like the pickups, yet some guys think its all bull so they sell the pickups on Ebay, they totally lose out......no faith at all. Oh well, I try but some just don't get it at all.... :-)
I do back my pickup warranty up no matter who owns it so if they're defective (unlikely...) he gets them fixed for free...

[madialex]

Bottom line here is this is the Pickup Winders Forum. No one here is here to hark their wares, or at least I hope not! Why the hell would any one winder give a rats patooty about another's pickups? This is a discussion forum, not a hype your stuff forum. There are other places "No Names mentioned here" for people to blow sunshine up everyones asses about so and so's pickups. Then before you know it, they have gotten to the point they cant keep up with the hype and cant deliver a damn thing!! Checks in the mail, they are on the way etc... and months later nothing! Ooops, sorry I was on about another thing all together, my bad........ Anyway, don't hark another's wares, don't hark your own wares, stick to the discussion, and keep the mud slinging to the politicians......Have a nice night errry body

[dBe]

Not mutilating cows... I prefer to think of it as a mobile butcher shop. I man has to eat

Seriously, no auction last week for a custom set of pickups wound to spec? What I saw was a pair of pups with some paperwork with your logo (or so I thought) on it. Seems to me that it closed Friday and went for $134.00.

Maybe I misread the paperwork.

People are very strange. We do our best work for them and then they seem to forget the simple things like warranties and the fact that some of us really do care about customer satisfaction. Then again, problems are very often an end user ID ten T error and they just don't want to admit it.

I've been cruising this site and it really is a good one. Lots of great info and a wealth of other's experience to draw upon. However I got here, it's a good place to be.

Take care,

Dave, too

[Edward R]

Mick

Please don't call me a dickhead. That would be great.

Someone challenges your statements and you start in on the name calling. Kinda makes my pathetic child comment ring true. Thanks for that

I mean sure, I said I wasn't gonna buy your overpriced pickups, but I should have said I am not going to buy overpriced pickups from some ignorant puke who puts people down for doing things there own way.

Pontificate about your great pickups, fine. Put a guy down for whipping them up on a machine and actually marketing them, no good. Calling me a Dickhead, just makes you look bad, mate.

ER

[mick]

Oh Edward , but you are really acting like one.

You seem to forget I wasn't talking to you when you just jumped in with your big mouth and capital letters..hahahaha , yet you whine about my comments and behavior? Raising your voice and stamping your feet , puffing out your chest on an internet forum of all places , and you call me childish. get outta here big boy..your scaring me.
I don't much care how anyone else makes their pickups or where they are made yet you seem unable to accept this and seem keen to push some kind of argument to the contrary.. Hmmmm
You say you didn't call my pickups overpriced yet when it's pointed out to you that you actually did you get silly and childish and start name calling..?? darn is itthat hypocritical streak all over again ? S'ok though mate , we all get upset from time to time..get over it , put your dummy back in..you'll be fine after a warm milk and a sleep
It's all good though because I would much rather be an ignorant puke than an arse kissing dickhead .

Mick