Category: Guitar Pickup Demo

buy The Duchess single

The Duchess Tele set is for the Telecaster player in need of that distinctive smooth Tele twang but with none of the ice pick cut. The neck pickup is warm and balanced with a full clarity and string separation. This a medium powered set that sits nicely in my range between the Silver Lady and Cruel Mistress.

The Duchess Tele set will do just about everything from ‘vintage’ Tele twang to a platform for pedals.

The Duchess’ beginnings

The idea for this pickup started in 2021. I had some work at Roundhead recording studios in Auckland looking after the guitars of an American recording artist. During the process, the producer and engineer (working from the US) decided to send over their favorite ‘magic’ telecaster because they wanted that sound on the record.

The guitar arrived and it was an original ’61 Fender Esquire Custom, sunburst, double bound and just beautiful.

Although it was an Esquire it had a neck pickup that they told me had been added later. After taking the pick guard off it looked more like the neck pickup had been fitted in the factory so maybe it was a custom order.

My job was to check over this guitar and set it up for the recording.

Fender Esquire '61. Mr Glyn's Duchess pickup set

I plugged it in and loved the sound immediately, now I understood why they’d shipped it over from the US for this session. So, I got my test meters out to analyze every aspect of the pickup. It was rather unusual for a Fender pickup of that time so maybe it had been re-wound at some stage. That didn’t matter, it sounded great, so I set out to make a Telecaster set in that style but with my own spin.

I made quite a few prototypes and did all the usual testing but didn’t quite get around to releasing the pickup.

The Duchess Tele is finally born

Then in 2022 I had the idea for my Pandora 3-way pickup. I used the design for The Duchess bridge pickup as the middle position for the Pandora. I knew all along the Pandora was never going to be for everyone but was pleasantly surprised when the idea caught on.

An order for a Pandora came in from an old friend of mine in the UK. He’s called Darren Driver and he’s in a well-established Springsteen tribute band – The Boss and the Beeston Street Band

Darren had been a customer of mine when I had a guitar shop in Leeds in the late 90’s. He was a Telecaster player back then. It’s always good to re-connect with people.

A couple of months later Darren got in touch saying how the mid position of the Pandora was his ideal Telecaster sound. Well, that was all it took. I got into the workshop and made a matching neck pickup for the Duchess. That week’s band practice I tested the set next to the drummer and was still really happy with it. So, I sent a set off to Yorkshire.

Darren said he was happy to make a demo of the pickups once he had got them into him number one Telecaster. That’s him in the video above.

And so The Duchess Tele set was born.

The Duchess – Tele set is great with either 250KOhm or 500KOhm volume pots. It’s really up to you – 500K will give more high-end Tele twang while the 250K will sound warmer. It really is a great pickup set either way.

I have made a couple of short videos to explain my thinking behind these two pickups:

Check out our YouTube

Head to store…

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Silver Lady tele set Mr Glyns Pickups — Integrity -vintage humbucker

updated 17 May 2023

The Duchess – Tele set

Posted on April 17, 2023March 18, 2024 by mrglynspickups — 1 Comment

Pandora 3 way Esquire

Pandora 3 way Esquire specifications: Alnico V – 10.07 KOhm 4.4H, 7.28KOhm 2.3H, 5.49KOhm 1.15H

NZ$149 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas it’s GST free; NZ$129.57

Buy Pandora

The Pandora 3 way Esquire pickup took its inspiration from my desire to fix a problem.

'Pandora' 3 way Esquire Mr Glyns Pickups

I’ve never been happy with the switching options given on the Fender Esquire so I came up with a plan.

Rather than switch in some capacitors or switch out parts of the circuit and create sounds you can make anyway using the tone control, I thought it would be better to have a tapped pickup so the player could generate usable, ‘real’ tones.

It’s simply a case of ‘tapping’ into the winding at different points to obtain different strength pickups from the one coil.

This essentially gives the player 3 different pickups in one.

So in the middle position it’s an Esquire pickup, one way it’s less than that (I’m calling it ‘Gold Foil’ though it isn’t). The other way it’s more – my Cruel Mistress pickup. This gives 3 distinct tones going from jangly rhythm to fat lead without losing the distinctive Esquire/Telecaster character.

It makes use of the normal 3 way switch to achieve this.

Then, of course, I realized that the main use for this wouldn’t be in Fender Esquires but in single pickup builds. The single pickup movement is getting bigger and this is the perfect tool to give those guitars extra versatility while still using a single Tele style bridge pickup.

So the experiments and trials began, there’s a lot to test with this sort of pickup. There were a lot of trials to get the 3 sounds to work well together, that’s different amps, pedals and most importantly with different drummers and bass players.

The ‘Cruel Mistress’ part was easy, it’s my best selling Telecaster pickup set. The middle position is based on a ’61 Esquire I once had the good fortune of getting to know. I was going for that clear, ringing bridge pickup tone we all know and love, a sound that stands out from a mix. I was so happy with how this pickup turned out that I have since made a Telecaster set from it – The Duchess. The third position I’m calling ‘Gold Foil’ but I could have equally called it ‘Lipstick’. It’s a tone in the character of that style of pickup though technically is neither.

I sat on the design for quite a while (about a year) thinking that although I really liked it the idea might be a bit complicated. I didn’t think people would want a pickup with all those switching options. I had done all the testing, was really happy with the sounds and feel but didn’t do anything about it.

Then on a whim I just posted on Instagram about it and received a huge response. It seemed players and builders liked the idea. So here it is, the Pandora 3 way Esquire.

Thanks to Reg Ayers for this demo : go and check out his YouTube channel – he makes some great pedals.

Pandora 3 way Esquire sounds great with a 500KOhm volume pot or to get the most out of it I recommend this wiring diagram:

Pandora 3 way Esquire suggested wiring diagram

The difference is that 1Meg pot (it’s usually 250KOhms) and those resistors. This enables each of the 3 pickup settings to ‘see’ the volume pot as a different value. It just emphasizes the good points of each setting, it’s subtle but it does make a difference.

Buy Pandora

Check out Mr Glyn’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@MrGlynsPickups/videos

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Cruel Mistress hot telecaster pickup set.

Posted on March 27, 2023December 14, 2023 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

Kōkako Strat Pickup

Single Kōkako Strat Pickup NZ$129 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas it’s GST free; NZ$112.17

Set Kōkako Strat Pickup NZ$339 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas they’re GST free; NZ$294.78

AlnicoV – Neck 6.15 KOhms, 2.79H, Middle 6.15 KOhms, 2.79H, Bridge 6.64 KOhms, 3.08H

Buy Kōkako set

Buy Kōkako single

The Kōkako Strat Pickup is is strongly influenced by the Fender Stratocaster pickups of the 60’s but with a little more. It has a full yet clear bottom end , smooth highs and clear mids. It’s aimed at players who love the sounds of Frusciante and Hendrix.

If you take an early 60’s Fender Srat pickup, add a little bottom end, take a wee bit of treble off the top and add a touch more power then you’ve got the Kokako.

The magnets are specially made alnico 5’s with my own stagger to suit modern string gauges and fretboad radiuses.

The Kōkako Strat Pickup Story

The Kokako set was spawned by a few things coming together in November ’22.

For a while I’ve been offering my Bellbird Strat set with various winding options – 5% under, 5% over or 10% over wound. I’ve been playing with a 10% over wound set in one of my own Strats and for me they have ‘that’ vintage Strat tone that’s perfect with a little dirt be it fuzz or overdrive.

I was sent a Strat pickup to re-wind and the customer told me his ideal sound was Hendrix.

I’d just read an article saying how Seymour Duncan had wound some pickups for Hendrix and the spec of those pickups looked very similar to the 10% over wound Bellbirds.

That got me thinking.

The same day a customer contacted me wanting advice about my pickups and which one would be best for a John Frusciante sound.

Well, it’s the Bellbird +10%.

I thought this was too good to let go.

I could have left the pickup as a version of the Bellbird but decided it needed its own life.

The Design

Here is a short video in which I explaim my thinking behind the Kokako pickup design.

My Strat pickups are named after native New Zealand birds like the Bellbird and the Tui; I chose the Kokako because its song reflects the tonal characteristics of the pickups. I wanted a bird that has a song fatter and fuller sounding than the Bellbird but not as aggressive as the Tui – so Kōkako Strat Pickup it is.

Here’s the original Bellbird pickup https://mrglynspickups.com/2020/03/29/bellbird-vintage-strat-set/

And YouTube demos of all my Strat pickups https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOdXLT6XwMymw8-Kvl1fQi1wfkQ-iDg7z

Buy Kōkako set

Buy Kōkako single

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Integrity alnico 2 vintage voiced humbucker

updated 22 Sept 2023

Kōkako Strat Pickup

Posted on December 21, 2022November 20, 2023 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

Customer Feedback

In the last week I have received 2 emails from customers with YouTube demos attached showing how Mr Glyn’s Pickups are working for them. Customer Feedback is always gratefully received.

If you like their YouTube channels don’t forget to Subscribe.

Firstly, Reg in Christchurch NZ with a set of Cruel Mistress Telecaster pickups:

Then Antonio from Tasmania who has a Cloud Nine bridge pickup.

Here is the email he sent me along with the links to his YouTube:

Hi mate.

Just wanted to give you some feedback on the cloud nine i recently installed.

Firstly, thanks for the amazingly fast service.

Secondly the pickup sounds fantastic, especially alongside the dimarzio hs4s that were already installed on the guitar. I got the cloud nine to replace the paf pro which was only standard spacing but needed to be f spaced. I absolutely love the paf pro, but im so glad i went with the cloud nine.

Even in coil cut mode it sounds fantastic.

Anyways i wanted to send you a couple of links to videos i made with the finished guitar.

The cold chisel one i used the humbucker in full mode on the second solo.

As for the Europe cover, all the rhythm guitars were recorded in coil cut mode including the parts of the solo when i switch to the bridge. Because the hs pickups are such low output pups, the cloud nine in coil cut mode is a perfect output match.

Im definitely going to give more of your pickups a go.

Exceptionally well made mate.

Regards

Antonio

Here is my YouTube channel

Customer Feedback — Mr Glyn’s Pickups Logo – Roboguy

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Cloud Nine hot humbucker Mr Glyns pickups — Pandora 3 way Esquire

Cruel Mistress tele Mr Glyns pickups — Pandora 3 way Esquire

Customer Feedback

Posted on December 5, 2022December 5, 2023 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

Tūmatauenga Alien Weaponry

Tūmatauenga Alien Weaponry is the Signature Pickup of Lewis De Jong

NZ$229. If you’re overseas it’s GST free; NZ$199.13

buy Tūmatauenga

Ceramic 8 – Bridge 13.6 KOhms, 9.65H

The Tūmatauenga bridge pickup is the signature pickup of Lewis De Jong from the band Alien Weaponry.

This is no ordinary pickup, it’s specifically designed around Lewis’ requirements on stage and in the studio.

This pickup is aggressive and immediate, the bass is tight and punchy, mids powerful and clear with clear highs. It has power but also clarity to bring out the complex chords in Lewis’ playing.

Mr Glyn's Pickups Alien Weaponry signature pickup

These samples of the Tūmatauenga Alien Weaponry pickup were recorded by Lewis using: a DBZ Bolero guitar, D’addario 11-56 Nickel Wounds tuned to drop C#, Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 50 heads x2, Marshall MF280 4×12 with V30s x2, Shure Wireless/tuner, Ibanez Weeping Demon, Line 6 M5, Boss HM6, Radial ABY box (all off/bypassed for this demo), mics used – Sennheiser ES906, Audio i5

Alien Weaponry signature pickup. Mr Glyn's guitar pickups — Photo:Taylor Baron

The Story of the Tūmatauenga Alien Weaponry Pickup

I was contacted by Alien Weaponry in December 2021 on their way back from a US tour. They were wondering if it was possible to have a NZ pickup made for Lewis. I jumped at the chance.

I’d been working on a pickup for extreme metal for some time and thought this might be me chance to use it. I loaded a test guitar with this pickup and headed to Waipu to meet Lewis. The band are based about 2 1/2 hours from my home so it was a great opportunity to do everything in person and ,of course, meet one of New Zealand’s best bands..

We plugged my test guitar into Lewis’ Marshall at their rehearsal room and it was obvious from their reaction that this wasn’t the sound they wanted. Okay, so it was going to take some work.

I had a listen to the pickups he was using and we had a long chat about what he wanted. I took one of their pickups out of his No.2 guitar to take back to the workshop to analyze.

Back at the workshop I measured all the parameters of the pickup and made a plan. I didn’t want to clone his existing sound but I couldn’t go too far away from it. I wanted to increase the punch of the bass and add a little clarity to the mids. One thing that was important was that it still sounded like their last album – you can’t go out on tour with a completely different sound.

I made a couple of prototypes and the following week headed back to Waipu.

I had one of the prototypes in my LTD test guitar and although it wasn’t exactly right is was close. From now on all the testing would be in Lewis’ own guitars. Once you’re close you need to minimize the parameters. And that’s how it went, swapping pickups and testing until Lewis was happy.

Finally we had the sound but that wasn’t all, it needed to look right.

The design on the pickup

Tūmatauenga - signature guitar pickup for Lewis De Jong from the band Alien Weaponry

The design on the pickup came from the band – here is what they say about it:

Mangopare (Hammerhead shark) is a kaitiaki (guardian) and tohu āriki (sacred chiefly symbol) of our family.

It is a traditional design motif that appears throughout Māoridom but is particularly treasured by my tribal group (Te Arawa) It stands for strength, courage and power.

Name of the pickup – Tūmatauenga (Māori god of war)

The name was decided to be Tūmatauenga (pronounced “2 ma toe enga”) the Māori god of war.

The Tūmatauenga Alien Weaponry pickups was born.

Tūmatauenga Alien Weaponry https://mrglynspickups.com/

buy Tūmatauenga

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Posted on November 30, 2022December 22, 2023 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

Jazz Bass

Single – Jazz Bass NZ$149 for NZ customers; if you’re overseas it’s GST free; NZ$129.57

Pair – Jazz Bass NZ$285 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas they’re GST free; NZ$247.83

Neck – 6.84 kOhms, Alnico V. Bridge – 7.45 kOhms, Alnico V

Buy Jazz Bass set

Buy Jazz Bass single

Jazz Bass pickup demo

Mr Glyn’s “Jazz Bass” pickups are inspired by the Fender Jazz pickups from the early 60’s. Low powered vintage tones suited to players looking for a clean, clear, springy tone. Positive, percussive bass response, woody mids and clear highs. Designed for players wanting a pure tone with either fingers or a pick.

All my Jazz pickup sets are RWRP so they are hum cancelling when both pickups are on.

I love Jazz basses, that off-set body looks so cool and the narrow neck makes it very easy to get around. Looks, play-ability and versatility make it hard to beat.

The J bass has such a classic tone. The sound of a Jazz with both pickups on can be heard on so many recordings, it’s so distinctive. It’s the sound of two coils connected in parallel, like a Strat in positions 2 or 4. It’s that clear, scooped tone. The pair of coils in a Precision Bass are wired in series which gives it a bigger, more powerful sound with a lot more lower mids but the clarity of a J Bass can really stand out.

Over the years I’ve re-wound a lot of old Fender pickups. I like to make notes to record what I find in these old pickups, wire gauge, insulation types, d.c. resistance, magnetic gauss, dimensions. My notebook is getting pretty full. This is my constant reference when I’m designing a new pickup, that and my ears.

I’ve based these pickups on the best of the old Fenders I’ve come across over the years. Not all vintage pickups are great but when you see enough of the good ones patterns begin to form.

I still repair pickups and still add to my old notebook, always learning 😎.

Check out my P Bass pickup here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG99wNPSSgE&t=46s

Jazz Bass pickup set by Mr Glyn's Pickups — Mr Glyns Pickups

Buy Jazz Bass set

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‘78 Musicman Stingray Bass pickup re-wind

Musicman Stingray bass pickup — ‘78 Musicman Stingray Bass pickup re-wind

update 8 May 2023

Posted on November 28, 2022December 22, 2023 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

Precision Bass

Single – “Precision Bass” NZ$179 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas it’s GST free; NZ$155.65

Alnico V – 10.9 kOhms

buy Precision Bass

Precision Bass Pickup Demo

The P Bass split pair is based on the Fenders of the early/mid 60’s. Full and clear with that distinctive mid range that sits well in any mix. It is the essence of bass. It has the woody, full tones we all love. As a stand alone or used with my Jazz Bass bridge pickup as part of a PJ set.

Arguably the most important instrument of all of Leo Fender’s creations the P bass changed music more than any other instrument. From James Jameson to Steve Harris, the P Bass is surprisingly versatile and has such a distinctive tone.

As with the early pickups this split pair is built to be hum cancelling – the two coils are electrically out of phase but also magnetically out of phase. Here’s an explanation: How Humbuckers Work

With fingers, with a pick and especially with flat wounds.

My Precision Bass pickups are designed to be used with 250 K Ohm pots.

buy Precision Bass

Precision bass pickup my mr glyns pickups

For more P Bass fun: https://mrglynspickups.com/2021/04/06/bass-pickup-re-wind/

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Posted on October 21, 2022April 1, 2024 by mrglynspickups — 1 Comment

Cool 90

Single – Cool 90 P90 NZ$189 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas it’s GST free; NZ$164.35

Pair – Cool 90 P90 NZ$369 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas they’re GST free; NZ$320.87

Neck- 6.4 KOhms, 5.45H, Alnico II. Bridge 7.25 KOhms, 6.42H, Alnico II

Buy Cool 90 set

Buy Cool 90 single

The Cool 90 is a P90 based pickup available in both Dogear and Soapbar. Designed with Jazz and Blues players in mind it produces a clear, full, well balanced tone. Never harsh, always full and musical.

The bridge pickup has an organic sound with a lower mid push ideally suited to dynamic lead lines and tight rhythm playing.

The neck pickup is clear and chiming with enough clarity to always be heard in the mix. It has that lovely woody tone especially in an archtop.

Cool 90 Guitar Pickup from Mr Gyn's Pickups

For ‘full fat’ P90 tones have a look at our “Sassy” P90 pickup set.

Demo

Here’s a demo of the Cool 90 sent to me by one of my customers. Go check out his band – The Bull Kelp Surfers

The Cool 90 Story

Like many of my pickups the this one started with a repair job. A customer sent be a faulty Gibson P90 out of a 1955 Les Paul Junior. Naturally, I took measurements and completely analyzed every detail of it. Unlike the information in the books (and internet) it had less windings and Alnico II magnets instead of Alnico V.

And what a great sounding pickup it was.

I decided to make my own version of it to compliment the ‘Sassy” P90 pickup I was already making. The Sassy has the classic “full fat” P90 tone, plenty of growl and cut through.

The idea was to make a lower powered version for the cleaner player. Still keeping the classic P90 character but with less grunt.

I experimented and tested and eventually came up with this design.

Cool 90 P90 dogear Alnico 2 by MrGlyns Pickups

Cool 90 soapbar P90 set with alnico 2 magnets

Buy Cool 90 set

Buy Cool 90 single

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P90 by Mr Glyns Pickups — Les Paul Jr P90 from 1955

I also make a humbucker size P90 set – the “Black Sand” if you need some P90 goodness in your humbucker guitar, here’s a link to them: https://mrglynspickups.com/2020/03/29/black-sand-humbucker-sized-p90-neck/

For a full range of demo videos of Mr Glyn’s pickups go to my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/MrGlynsPickups/featured

Posted on October 14, 2022December 5, 2023 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

Telecaster Bass

Single – Telecaster Bass NZ$149 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas it’s GST free; NZ$129.57

Alnico V – 6.8 kOhms

buy Telecaster Bass

Telecaster Bass demo

There is something so unbelievably cool about the Fender Telecaster Bass. The classic lines, that headstock, the pickguard, the association with great players and, of course, the tone. What ever it is we all love about this great instrument here’s a pickup to do it justice.

Whether you play with fingers or a pick this classic pickup will deliver. More present in the mix than the Precision split pair but with that distinctive punch and clarity.

This is the straight version of the P Bass pickup, often called the ’51 Bass Pickup so as not to confuse it with the split pair P bass pickup.

I’ve based these pickups on the best of the old Fenders I’ve come across over the years. Not all vintage pickups are great but when you see enough of the good ones patterns begin to form.

I still repair pickups and still add to my old notebook, always learning 😎.

buy Telecaster Bass

Telecaster bass, '51 bass pickup my Mr Glyn's Pickups

You can find all our demos here.

Head to store…

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Jass Bass - Mr Glyn's — Jazz Bass Pickups

Stingray Bass Pickup — Jazz Bass Pickups

updated 3 April 2023

Posted on August 23, 2022December 22, 2023 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

Larry and the Trons

Larry and the Trons is a short video by Brett Kingman to demonstrate Mr Glyn’s Pickups TheTron pickup set in a Telecaster Cabronita.

I sent him a set of TheTron pickups to make a demo and this is the 4th video he’s made – he must like them.

I designed TheTron pickup set with Gretsch guitars in mind and in particular the lightly overdriven sound of early Malcolm Young. It’s great when a player takes your design and makes you re-think it.

Since Brett fitted his set into a Telecaster Cabronita I’ve changed the spec of these pickups and now offer them in 52mm and 49.2mm spacing to match Fender style bridges. I do try and listen to players whenever I can.

Larry and the Trons

TheTron is the perfect pickup as a Gretsch upgrade, for the modern player wanting something other than Gibson style humbuckers, rockabilly players after that traditional tone, jazz players or, like me, Malcolm Young fans. There’s so much you can to with The Tron.

For the modern player with one foot in the past.

Here’s TheTron’s home page for more info and demos https://mrglynspickups.com/2021/09/22/thetron/

Mr Glyns TheTron pickup set. Larry and the Trons

Larry and the Trons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga0qYdh565s

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TheTron filtertron Mr Glyns pickups — TheTron – filtertron style

Gretsch Filtertron repair - Mr Glyns Pickups — TheTron – filtertron style

Posted on June 20, 2022December 22, 2023 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

Epiphone Les Paul pickup upgrade

Integrity humbuckers. PAF Alnico 2 vintage voiced pickups

The biggest difference you can make to an Epiphone Les Paul is a pickup upgrade. In this video Ben Neal does just that.

Take a look at his YouTube channel for more great videos – https://www.youtube.com/c/BenNeal

There are many ways to upgrade a guitar, changing the pickups is the most significant.

Epiphone pickup upgrade

He goes through every aspect of what these guitars are capable of. I think he proves that these can be great guitars with just a few extra tweaks.

If you need help choosing just get in touch. Just go to this page and answer two simple questions and Ill get back to you with a recomended pickup.

pickup upgrade

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Posted on June 14, 2022December 22, 2023 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

Tele Cabronita – ‘TheTron’

Was great to see this Brett Kingman demo using a Tele Cabronita with Mr Glyns The Tron pickups to demonstrate some really cool pedals the other day. He’s got dozens of guitars to choose from, so chuffed he chose my pickups.

Tele Cabronita with TheTron Pickups

There are more demos here: https://mrglynspickups.com/2021/09/22/thetron/

For the modern player with one foot in the past.

Tele Cabronita https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOdXLT6XwMyl5p3dysXkznyAp5gt_Z5HN

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Posted on February 16, 2022December 22, 2023 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

Integrity humbucker in a HSS Strat

Had some fun today making a short stop-motion movie of Roboguy to demonstrate an Integrity humbucker in a HSS Strat.

The ‘real’ guitar is being played by Warren Mendonsa aka Blackstratblues.

Of course, any of my humbuckers will work as part of a HSS Strat set but I think the Integrity matches single coil pickups best.

For more demos of this pickup have a look here: https://mrglynspickups.com/2020/03/29/integrity-vintage-humbucker-2/

Inspired by the early Gibson PAF pickups the Integrity-vintage humbucker give the classic full, balanced tone we all love. Asymmetric coils give an open sounding mid range and the Alnico II magnet gives clarity and balance. A rich bottom end, characterful mids and sweet treble make this a pickup set for every situation – Jazz, Blues, Rock, it does it all.

The full and honest sound of the Integrity-vintage humbucker along with it’s timeless tone inspired the name “Integrity”. https://mrglynspickups.com/

Integrity humbucker in a HSS Strat

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Contemporary humbucker for the modern player

Posted on November 27, 2021October 19, 2023 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

Jazzmaster vintage

Single Jazzmaster vintage NZ$149 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas it’s GST free; NZ$129.57

Pair Jazzmaster vintage NZ$285 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas they’re GST free; NZ$247.85

Alnico II – Bridge 8.96 KOhms, 6.12H. Neck 7.92 KOhms, 5H

buy Jazzmaster set

Browse store

buy Jazzmaster single

Mr Glyns Pickups Jazzmaster vintage set is intended for the clean player needing a low powered Jazzmaster set with full tone, warmth and clarity.

Jazzmaster vintage set from Mr Glyns Pickups

These pickups have smooth a jangly treble , always present, never harsh and distinctively Jazzmaster. The bass is clean, clear, woody and full of character and with the warmth of the original Jazzmaster pickups. The mid range is smooth and well balanced. Alnico II magnets give these pickups a clear, very musical quality.

Wound RWRP they hum cancel when both pickups are on.

Their clarity makes these pickups suitable for many musical styles and lend themselves well to pedals with the personality of the pickups shining through. Drenched in reverb and delay, grinding fat fuzz tones or even clean Jazz.

Jazzmaster vintage design

This pickup set was designed around the standard 1MegOhm pots though work equally well with 500KOhm or 250KOhm. It’s really up to you which tone you prefer.

I’ve always had a fondness for offset guitars and Jazzmasters in particular. Is it the look? The smooth, clear treble? The versatile electronics? Probably all of those things. Jazzmasters are not like anything else, you either get it or you don’t.

I hope you enjoy these pickups, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed designing, and especially testing them. This time the rigorous testing that I put all my pickups through re-kindled my love of Jazzmasters. The sound of a pickup and the way it reacts to pedals and your amp change the way you play. I really like the direction these pickups have steered me in. I wish it was possible to demo the feel of a pickup not just the sound because the feel is a huge part of it.

Sound Samples

The sound samples are a CIJ Jazzmaster into a NZ made old Jansen amp – ECC83, 6L6. With a Celestion Hot 100 12″ and using an SM57.

Each riff goes from neck pickup to middle to bridge using the treble circuit. The 4th riff compares the neck pickup on the treble circuit to the neck on the rhythm circuit, then the middle, then bridge.

Jazzmaster vintage voiced pickups by MrGlyn’s Pickups NZ

buy Jazzmaster set

Browse store

buy Jazzmaster single

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https://www.youtube.com/c/MrGlynsPickups/videos Jazzmaster vintage https://mrglynspickups.com/

Posted on November 6, 2021December 22, 2023 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

P90 skateboard lap steel

Been having some fun making a pickup demo using a P90 skateboard lap steel.

It’s a fun instrument and pretty easy to make. Skateboards are surprisingly resonant.

P90 skateboard lap steel

The Mr Glyn’s “Sassy” P90 is a pickup set influenced by the Gibson P90’s of the late 50’s. The “Sassy” have a distinctive woody aggressive tone, full of character. The highs are smooth yet punchy, there’s a chiming bottom end and a very obvious mid range that pushes through the mix. If you tickle the strings they’re clean and clear but dig in and there’s no shortage of power to drive the front end of your amp.

I’ve grown to love P90’s over the years, it’s the sound of those early Gibson Les Paul Juniors. It’s a pickup that needs no extras, just straight into a good amp. They’re happy to power pedals but there’s a fullness and balance that seems to need nothing else.

I wanted the “Sassy” P90 set to live up to its name and have the dynamic range that I love about P90’s. The wide flat coil of a P90 gives a richer, less percussive tone than other single coil pickups and this is where the full tone comes from. I’ve sat both neck and bridge pickups on top of a pair of Alnico V magnets to give the power this pickup needs and help add that bit of grit when played hard.

I’ve made the neck pickup smooth and fat but with clarity and chime enough for jazz. The bridge pickup has the dynamics, pushy mids and aggressive highs when pushed but cleans up when you ask it to.

This is a pickup set that would be happy in almost any situation, blues, rock, punk, reggae… If it’s a full bodied, dynamic P90 you’re after look no further.

The Sassy is available in Dogear and Soapbar. https://mrglynspickups.com/mr-glyns-pickup-store/sassy-p90-set/

I’ve named this set the “Sassy” P90 set to reflect these pickup’s attitude, they’re bold, spicy, disrespectful and a bit cheeky. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJtZkIbaCZU

P90 skateboard lap steel

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sassy p90 Mr Glyns pickups — Sassy – Traditional P90

LP Jr from 1955 — Sassy – Traditional P90

Posted on November 2, 2021December 22, 2023 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

Clear View humbucker set

Take a Squire Affinity, give it to luthier Ramsay Phillips, add some Mr Glyn’s pickups Clear View humbucker set and see what you get? Superb demo from Jason Herbert – all 3 of him.

The Clear View humbucker set is something different. It’s a humbucker for players that don’t like humbuckers.

This pickup set is all about pure clarity. There are no pushy lower mids that make your clean sound a mush. The highs are clean and clear but not harsh, the bottom end is clear but with none of that humbucker woof.

If single coils are too harsh and unforgiving, conventional humbuckers too powerful and muddy then here’s the solution. The “Clear View” humbucker is low powered and balanced, designed for the textural player, great with reverbs and modulation, sits its the mix without getting in the way.

This is not a pickup born to rock, it’s more than that. https://mrglynspickups.com/2021/08/20/clear-view-humbucker/

Clear View humbucker set.

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Posted on June 19, 2021March 15, 2024 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

Sassy P90

Single – Sassy P90 NZ$189 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas it’s GST free; NZ$164.35

Pair – Sassy P90 NZ$369 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas they’re GST free; NZ$320.87

Alnico V, Neck- 6.7 KOhms, 4.42H, Alnico V, Bridge 7.55 KOhms, 5.23H

Buy Sassy set

/https://mrglynspickups.com/2020/03/29/black-sand-humbucker-sized-p90-neck/

Buy Sassy single

Sassy Demo

Description

I think the Sassy is best served through ’50’s wiring – it really gives you the dynamic, touch sensitive range that made this style of pickup famous.

Philosophy behind the Sassy

Here’s a short video explaining my thinking behind the Sassy P90 pickup set.

The Sassy P90 story

I wanted the Sassy P90 set to live up to its name and have the dynamic range that I love about P90’s. The wide flat coil of a P90 gives a richer, less percussive tone than other single coil pickups and this is where the full tone comes from. I’ve sat both neck and bridge pickups on top of a pair of Alnico V magnets to give the power this pickup needs and help add that bit of grit when played hard.

This is a pickup set that would be happy in almost any situation, blues, rock, punk, reggae… If it’s a full bodied, dynamic P90 you’re after look no further. I have extensively gigged with a Sassy P90 loaded guitar and loved the woody mids and high end clarity. Back the volume off a tad and there’s a single coil chime, crank it and you have full fat lead tones.

The Sassy for lap steel

The Sassy is available in Dogear and Soapbar.

I’ve named this set the Sassy”P90 set to reflect these pickup’s attitude, they’re bold, spicy, disrespectful and a bit cheeky.

I also make a humbucker size P90 set – the “Black Sand” if you need some P90 goodness in your humbucker guitar, here’s a link to them:

Sassy P90 dogear - Mr Glyns Pickupa — Sassy dogear cream

Buy Sassy set

Buy Sassy single

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updated 8 May 2023

Posted on May 17, 2021December 22, 2023 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

“Attitude” 7 string humbucker – Mr Glyn’s Pickups

“Attitude” 7 string humbucker – NZ$219 (set NZ$419) for NZ customers; if you’re overseas it’s GST free NZ$190.43 (set NZ$364.35)

Cover NZ$20 ($17.39) extra each pickup

7 String – Alnico V – Neck 14.5 KOhms, Bridge 21.8 KOhms 14.65H

Buy Attitude 7 set

Buy Attitude 7 single

The Attitude 7 string humbucker is designed for the modern metal/fusion player. A humbucker set with clarity, articulation, dynamics with just the right compression. The low B has plenty of punch with none of the flub associated with 7 strings.

In 2020 I was working on extending my range of humbucking pickups for rock players. The Cloud Nine will do just about anything but I wanted to offer a more specific pickup for modern rock/metal, a 7 string humbucker.

I wanted a tight bottom end, singing highs and a balanced midrange with that slight compression to smooth the dynamics.

I decided to start with a 7 string humbucker which is a slightly unorthodox way of going about it but I was concerned with getting the bottom end right. If there was any sogginess in the bottom end a 7 string would show it up more than a 6 string.

7 string humbucker pickups are not like others. The low bass string reacts so differently, there’s a lot of string deflection and low harmonics. My mission was to tame this bass and keep it tight but not to sacrifice the sound quality of the treble strings. The treble still needed to be sweet and singing. The mids needed to be balanced and noticeable. I didn’t want this pickup scooped; the mids had to stand out from the mix when needed to.

So in October 2019 I got back in touch with my old mate Graham Young in Yorkshire. He’s an amazing player and really knows his gear.

Back in 1998 I wound a 6 string humbucker for Graham. In those days I had a guitar shop and repair business in Leeds in the North of England and he wanted a bridge pickup to suit his style for a parts caster.

Years passed and he became a 7 string player, so when I decided to develop a 7 string pickup Graham was the person I asked to be test pilot. We’d very loosely kept in touch over the years and it turned out he was still using the 6 string pickup I’d made for him back in the 90’s.

We had a chat via messenger and it turned out he’d tried a lot of pickups but none quite did it for him. So I listened to his thoughts, came up with a design and went away and made a prototype.

The first one wasn’t quite right, so he sent it back and I changed a few things and returned it. I don’t know how many adjustments I made but that pickup accumulated quite a few air miles between NZ and the UK over the next few months.

Every time we got closer, every adjustment less than the one before. When you get that close you know you’ve got a good pickup. I was at the point when I felt we really had something great but I just needed that confirmation.

Then Covid 19 happened, the mail got too unreliable to send stuff overseas with any confidence of it arriving and the process was put on hold.

At the end of June 2020 I got a call from Gabe Dovaston in Papamoa. He’d done some demos for me with some of my other pickups and was asking if I did a 7 string, just in case, for an Ibanez of his. Well, this seemed like a chance to test my new pickup on fresh ears. I made a copy of the last one I’d sent Graham, the one I was happy with, and got it off in the post. I sat back and waited. It only took a few days and I got a very happy call, he loved it and he’d already made a demo that he’d put on YouTube.

Graham Young

Great news, but what was I going to call it? The pickup was already on YouTube, it wasn’t on my website yet and it didn’t even have a name!

I got on Facebook and asked people to come up with a name; there were so many excellent suggestions but nothing quite did it. In the end this pickup that had taken so much work to develop, travelled so far and refused to go away I called the “Attitude”. https://mrglynspickups.com/2020/07/29/attitude-humbucker/

The Attitude is available as a 6 or 7 string humbucker, for neck and bridge positions.

Buy Attitude 7 set

Buy Attitude 7 single

Head to store…

Mr Glyns YouTube

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updated 3 April 2023

Posted on March 9, 2021December 14, 2023 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

Andy Marra ‘Bellbird’ Strat Pickup Demo

Thanks to Andy Marra for this “Bellbird” Strat Pickup Demo. It’s a privilege to have him using my pickups.

Strat Pickup Demo

I’ve based my Bellbird Vintage Strat set on the best of the old pickups I’ve had the pleasure of playing through. If I were to give you a year I’d say ’63 Strat. I use AWG42 heavy formvar insulated wire – there’s something about the thickness of that insulation that just works with an old Strat pickup.

The Bellbird set has been designed mainly for clean tones but they’re certainly not afraid to perform with a bit of gain. As part of a HSS set they’re great with one of my ‘Integrity’ humbuckers in the bridge position.

Thanks to Andy Marra for this “Bellbird” Strat Pickup Demo.

Check out the Mr Glyns Pickups Strat range

Posted on July 29, 2020December 22, 2023 by mrglynspickups — 1 Comment

Attitude Humbucker

6 string Attitude Humbucker NZ$199 (set NZ$379) for NZ customers; if you’re overseas it’s GST free NZ$173.04 (set NZ$329.57)

7 string Attitude Humbucker NZ$219 (set NZ$419) for NZ customers; if you’re overseas it’s GST free NZ$190.43 (set NZ$364.35)

Cover NZ$20 ($17.39) extra each pickup

6 String – Alnico V – Neck 13.5 KOhms, 7.38H, Bridge 18.6 KOhms, 12.63H

7 String – Alnico V – Neck 14.5 KOhms, Bridge 21.8 KOhms 14.65H

Buy Attitude 6 string set

Buy Attitude 6 string single

Buy Attitude 7 string set

Buy Attitude 7 string single

The Attitude Humbucker is a powerful, well balanced pickup set designed for modern metal or fusion players. Sensitive enough to ‘hear’ the detail in your legato, a smooth present mid range to push you forward in the mix but with a bass that stays tight whatever you throw at it. The Attitude makes a great 6 or 7 string pickup set.

The story of the Attitude Humbucker

For a while I’ve been working on extending my range of humbucking pickups for rock players. The Cloud Nine will do just about anything but I wanted to offer a more specific pickup for modern rock/metal.

I decided to start with a 7 string which is a slightly unorthodox way of going about it but I was concerned with getting the bottom end right. If there was any sogginess in the bottom end a 7 string would show it up more than a 6 string.

7 string pickups are not like others. The low bass string reacts so differently, there’s a lot of string deflection and low harmonics. My mission was to tame this bass and keep it tight but not to sacrifice the sound quality of the treble strings. The treble still needed to be sweet and singing. The mids needed to be balanced and noticeable. I didn’t want this pickup scooped; the mids had to stand out from the mix when needed to.

Attitude Humbucker development

So in October 2019 I got back in touch with my old mate Graham Young in Yorkshire. He’s an amazing player and really knows his gear.

We had a chat via messenger and it turned out he’d tried a lot of pickups but none quite did it for him. So I listened to his thoughts, came up with a design and went away and made a prototype.

Then Covid 19 happened, the mail got too unreliable to send stuff overseas with any confidence of it arriving and the process was put on hold.

Attitude Humbucker set is born

Great news, but what was I going to call it? The pickup was already on YouTube, it wasn’t on my website yet and it didn’t even have a name!

I got on Facebook and asked people to come up with a name; there were so many excellent suggestions but nothing quite did it. In the end this pickup that had taken so much work to develop, traveled so far and refused to go away I called the Attitude Humbucker.

The Attitude Humbucker is available in 6 and 7 string, for neck and bridge positions.

Attitude 7 string humbucker by Mr Glyns Pickups — “Attitude” Humbucker 7 string

"Attitude" Humbucker Mr Glyns Pickups — White humbucker bobbins

"Attitude" Humbucker Mr Glyns Pickups. Handmade Guitar Pickups

Buy Attitude 6 string set

Buy Attitude 6 string single

Buy Attitude 7 string set

Buy Attitude 7 string single

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcDggiRTQyFec5KAVHsC2xA

Attitude Humbucker

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Posted on March 29, 2020December 14, 2023 by mrglynspickups — 2 Comments

Black Sand Humbucker sized P90

Single Black Sand Humbucker sized P90 NZ$189 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas it’s GST free NZ$164.35

Pair Black Sand Humbucker sized P90 NZ$369 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas they’re GST free NZ$320.87

Alnico V, Neck- 6.96 KOhms, Bridge 7.94 KOhms

Buy Black Sand set

Buy Black Sand single

The Black Sand Humbucker sized P90 has all the clarity, punch and fullness of a soapbar or dogear P90 but built to fit humbucker guitars.

Black Sand Description

The humbucker sized P90 is a great pickup – it sits tonally between a humbucker and and a strat type pickup. If your neck humbucker is a bit thick and woolly sounding for you, you want more clarity, or just want a different tone, then this one may be the answer. There really is no musical genre the Black Sand Humbucker sized P90 is best suited to, from blues to punk, rock or even funk there is a place for this sound just about everywhere. The physical size of this pickup is identical to that of a “normal” humbucker so it will pop straight in to any humbucker guitar. They’re designed to be used with 500k pots too so you don’t need to change anything.

P90’s are different to other single coil pickups. They have a wide, flat coil similar to that of a Jazzmaster but the magnetic field is a very different shape. Fender single coil pickups have the coil wound around the magnet giving a focused, precise percussive sound. A P90 has 2 bar magnets underneath the coil; this broadens the magnetic window allowing the pickup to listen to a bit more string and thickens the sound. I chose Alnico V bar magnets for this model to help give some grit and power characteristic of a P90.

Of course, too much power and the pickup would sound too thick and bass heavy which is not its purpose. Too little power and it just won’t snarl. I have aimed this pickup set at the clearer end of the P90 spectrum.

The Black Sand Humbucker sized P90 story

The development of my Black Sand Humbucker sized P90 was a bit backwards. Usually I make a bridge pickup first and work from there but with this one the neck pickup came first. I had a customer ask for a neck pickup for an es335 to sound clearer than his existing Gibson humbucker. He was finding the lower mids of the humbucker were getting in his way and needed a clearer sound with more character. I worked on the Black Sand Humbucker sized P90 neck pickup for a while using my Les Paul as a test guitar. There’s a balance to getting the right neck pickup sound. There needs to be a bit of power but a danger of becoming too boomy. It was a case of tweaking the windings until it was right. I sold a few neck pickups before thinking it would be a good idea to have a set. So I started work on the bridge pickup.

I wanted this bridge pickup to have clarity in the lower mids to stand out from humbuckers while having enough power to grit up nicely. I wanted it to be clean when tickled and to growl at you when you dig in. P90’s are all about dynamics. It had to match the existing neck pickup or work well as a stand alone in a HSS situation.

Of all the pickups in my range the Black Sand Humbucker sized P90 came together the quickest. There were only 4 or 5 prototypes and I was happy. Experience and intuition combined with a notebook where I’ve written down details of every experimental pickup I’ve made since 1995.

There were a load of prototypes in and out of a Les Paul, Tele Delux and PRS, through different amps and in the hands of different players. I never trust just my own ears with my pickups. I like to get opinions and suggestions from a few players before making any final decisions. I listen to what players say and I adjust prototypes accordingly, but at the end of the day the final decision is mine. I’m always aware of the phrase “a camel is a horse designed by committee”.

It took a while to get this one right. A pickup would sound great at workshop volume, them I’d play it in a band situation and it would be too boomy, too much like a humbucker. So I’d have a think and make another. In the end persistence paid off.

The pickups I finally settled on went into my Les Paul and off to a gig for the ultimate test, and that’s where they’re staying.

The neck “Black Sand” is a great match for either my “Integrity” or “Cloud Nine” bridge humbuckers or as a set with its equivalent “Black Sand” bridge humbucker sized P90. It is equally happy with Gibson or Fender scale lengths as you can hear from the demos.

I agonized over what to call this pickup set. I wanted a name that would reflect the apparent contradiction in P90’s. From the perspective of a humbucker player they are clear and chiming. From the viewpoint of a single coil player they are powerful and gritty. They’re one thing while looking like another. I wanted a oxymoron to reflect this contradiction, one that might include the unique magnetic structure that gives the P90 its character. So I went for a run along Muriwai beach to think. And there it was staring me in the face (literally). Muriwai has black volcanic sand due to its iron content and it’s magnetic. So I’ve called this set the Black Sand Humbucker sized P90.

Jimmy Christmas on stage using Mr Glyns Pickups — Jimmy Christmas – D4

I’m very happy with this pickup – hopefully you will be too.

Black Sand Humbucker sized P90 — Black Sand – Nickel

Humbucker sized P90 Mr Glyns Pickups — Black Sand Black Cover

Black Sand Humbucker sized P90

Buy Black Sand set

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcDggiRTQyFec5KAVHsC2xA

Buy Black Sand single

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Posted on March 29, 2020April 15, 2024 by mrglynspickups — Leave a comment

Silver Lady-vintage Telecaster

Single Silver Lady-vintage Telecaster NZ$129 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas it’s GST free; NZ$112.17

Set Silver Lady-vintage Telecaster NZ$249 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas it’s GST free; NZ$216.52

Alnico III, Bridge 5.9 KOhms, 3.18H, Neck 7.25 KOhms, 2.39H

Buy Silver Lady set

Buy Silver Lady single

Silver Lady-vintage Telecaster set is designed for the traditional telecaster player. The bridge pickup has plenty of twang and clarity but is never harsh. The neck pickup full, clear and perfectly balanced with the bridge pickup.

Telecasters are brutally honest guitars. There’s no hiding behind fat mushy tones – if you can do it on a Tele then you really can do it.

I wanted to make a Telecaster set that would reflect the clear honest tone of an old Tele. It’s a delicate balance to get enough treble and for the top end to have sufficient warmth to be usable, but with no hint of woof or boom in the bottom. The bottom needs to be full and clear with no hint of muddiness. The bridge needs a twang but it has to be a warm twang without being over harsh. I’ve used Alnico III magnets with a vintage style wind on both these pickups

Alnico III have low string pull which increases sustain. The lower power magnets let the strings ring more clearly.

All my magnets are specially made for me, they need to be just right.

This pickup set is primarily for clean Telecaster players. They are ideal for those classic country tones or for textural rhythm players. They’re great for giving a pure signal for modulation effects.

Through my repair work I’ve re-wound a lot of old Tele pickups. This is invaluable experience for designing my own version. I enlisted the help of a couple of experienced Telecaster players as test pilots. I really needed plenty of opinions and testing through a variety of amplifiers to get this one right.

I’m really happy with the warm classic tone of this set, clear and chiming with just the right twang. So I have given them a classic name – “Silver Lady”.

Silver Lady-vintage Telecaster

Buy Silver Lady set

Buy Silver Lady single

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Posted on March 29, 2020December 11, 2023 by mrglynspickups — 1 Comment

Bellbird vintage Strat pickups

Single Bellbird NZ$129 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas it’s GST free; NZ$112.17

Set Bellbird NZ$339 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas they’re GST free; NZ$294.78

Bellbird vintage Strat pickups specifications: AlnicoV – Neck 5.68 KOhms, 2.36H, Middle 5.68 KOhms, 2.36H, Bridge 6.05 KOhms, 2.71H

Buy Bellbird set

Buy Bellbird single

The Bellbird vintage Strat pickups are a vintage voiced strat pickup strongly influenced by the pre-CBS Fenders of the early 60’s. Clear and chiming, low powered and pure. Suitable for a huge range of styles, ideal for that traditional tone.

Bellbird vintage Strat pickups demos

The Stratocaster has been around since 1954 and the legend continues. Reading the internet (!?) tells me there have been good and bad years or decades, guitars to avoid and ones worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. I’ve been repairing guitars since 1995 so I’ve played a lot of old Strats and analyzed a lot of old pickups. Vintage pickups aren’t all great but the good ones are fantastic.

In the 90’s there were a lot of old Fender pickups around and they were cheap back then. I got to work on and repair so many vintage pickups. There was very little available information so I had to figure everything out. Looking back I think it was such a good way to develop an instinct as to how to get a great sound. With all the old spec now available I’ve really enjoyed topping up my knowledge.

I’ve become a huge fan of the L series Strats. Every one I’ve played (particularly ’63’s) have been great guitars. It’s just a shame they’re so expensive now and very few of them get played at gigs.

I’ve based my Bellbird vintage Strat pickups on the best of the old pickups I’ve had the pleasure of playing through and studying. So I use AWG42 heavy formvar insulated wire – there’s something about the thickness of that insulation that just works with an old Strat pickup.

I’ve aimed for that old quacking chime that makes Strats wonderfully percussive but with a singing quality that’s so musical. Warm and clear with beautiful almost reverb-like clean tones – that’s what I want out of an old Strat. The neck pickup sound needs to be fat, round and clear, the middle pickup needs to quack and the bridge a cut through twang without thinness. The all important ‘in between’ sounds in positions 2 and 4 must be balanced and characterful. Nothing says Strat more than these sounds.

Bellbird Neck Pickup

The neck pickup on a Strat is the ‘go to’ setting for a lot of Strat players. In designing this set I realised this is what I had to get right first. In using heavy formvar insulated wire I’ve kept to tradition. I use heavy bevel alnico V magnets with my own custom stagger to suit modern string gauges.

Bellbird Middle Pickup

I love the quack of Strat middle pickups. I’ve worked hard to achieve that distinctive middle tone. There’s something great in that sound. The magnets are so important in achieving just the right percussive snap without harshness. The other factor with middle pickups is how they work alongside the neck and bridge pickups. Those all important in between sounds are the essence of Stratocasters. The Bellbird middle pickup is the ideal partner for both neck and bridge.

Bellbird Bridge Pickup

On the original early 60’s pickups all 3 were wound the same. I’ve chosen to give the bridge pickup a little extra, more like a late 70’s Strat Pickup. I want to reduce the ping of the attack and add a little more bottom end to make the bridge pickup more usable. I feel that makes this pickup set more suited to the modern player.

Under or Over Wound

At the checkout I have given you the option of having your Bellbirds under wound or overwound by 5% as well as the standard wind. I don’t offer this for all pickups but the Bellbird is an equally good pickup in any of the 3 options. The early Fenders often varied within this range.

Standard Wind

The standard wind is the closest to the early 60’s Fenders. This is my personal favourite and all the demos are of the standard wind

Minus 5%

The minus 5% wind is for players wanting a super clean Strat sound. It has very clear treble and a little less bass than the standard wind. Suited to a very clean sound

Plus 5%

The extra 5% of windings gives a little more bass and slightly smoother treble along with that bit of extra power.

The Bellbird vintage Strat pickups has been designed mainly for clean tones but they’re certainly not afraid to perform with a bit of gain or fuzz. As part of a HSS set they’re great with one of my ‘Integrity’ humbuckers in the bridge position.

The comparison in tone between the Bellbird and the more common Tui seemed exactly what I had in my head when designing my Strat pickups. Bellbirds don’t just go tweet, there’s a depth and warmth in the tone. It’s so hard to describe sound and the difference between pickups but I think the difference between the Bellbird and the Tui sum up the difference between my vintage and hot Strat pickups. So I called them the Bellbird and the Tui.

Six60 using Mr Glyns Bellbird pickups — Ji Fraser – Bellbird Pickups

Bellbird vintage strat set - Mr Glyns Pickups

Buy Bellbird set

Buy Bellbird single

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updated 14 June 2023

Posted on March 29, 2020December 22, 2023 by mrglynspickups — 3 Comments

Tui hot Strat

Single Tui hot Strat NZ$129 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas it’s GST free; $112.17

Set Tui hot Strat NZ$339 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas they’re GST free; $294.78

AlnicoV – Neck 6.73KOhms, 3.22H, Middle 6.73 KOhms, 3.22H, Bridge 7.12 KOhms, 3.51H.

Buy Tui set

Buy Tui single

The The Tui hot Strat set is designed for players wanting a little more from their Strat. A full sounding set suited best to blues and rock players. It will clean up with the best of them but is at its happiest playing dirty blues – think SRV and you’re getting there.

They make a great neck and middle pickup as part of a HSS set with an Integrity or Cloud Nine bridge humbucker.

Full sounding and clear with a steel base plate to add that extra little push.

Here’s some more Tui goodness, this time in a HSS configuration with a Cloud Nine humbucker.

And in HSS with an ‘Integrity’ humbucker. The Tui is the single coil I recommend with HSS sets, they work so well with that bridge humbucker.

What’s different about the Tui?

.Here’s a video I made (with help from the dogs) to explain how the steel base plate adds to the bottom end of these pickups. It just gives that little extra push that I feel these pickups need.

The Tui hot Strat set story

The Tui hot Strat set is a step up in power from my Bellbird and Kokako sets while still retaining the character of the Stratocaster. This set is best suited to Blues/Rock players who like a bit of dirt. There’s more bottom end and smoother highs. It’s very well suited to HSS set ups alongside my Integrity or Cloud Nine humbuckers.

I’ve wound a lot of Strat pickups since I started in 1995. I started off re-winding cheap pickups and then moved on to repairing old dead Fender pickups. Every experiment was written down in a notebook with tone comments.

Back when I started there wasn’t much information available so there was a lot of reverse engineering and a lot of trying things out. That learning time was invaluable to developing instinct for how to change the sound of a pickup. I’ve still got the note book and I’m still adding to it.

In, I think, 2014 a customer of mine approached me wanting a set of Strat pickups. He’s a great blues player and had recently moved from using a Les Paul to a Strat. He described the sound he was after and it seemed to me it was the same as I’d been after myself so I put some time in to designing a pickup set for him.

The Tui hot Strat needed to be most definitely a Strat sound – I hear plenty of Strat replacement pickups that are fine but just not Strat-ish. Secondly I wanted a bit more power, just a bit, enough to make a good old valve amp clip a bit easier than a “vintage” pickup would. And there needed to be dynamics – tickle it and it’s clean, dig in and it grits up.

As I was making the original version of this set for a player used to humbuckers I wanted to reduce the ”ping” of the attack. I’ve added steel base plated as standard to this set. This changes the shape of the magnetic field, broadening the harmonic window. They add a wee bit of power, a wee bit of bass and reduce that pesky ping.

The neck pickup needed to have “that” Strat sound with fullness and clarity. It’s the ‘go to’ sound for most Strat players. The middle pickup needed to have some ‘quack’ to it with its own distinctive personality.

The bridge pickup shouldn’t be too thin, it needs to have plenty of highs but not too much of that ‘ping’ or it’s almost useless. Then there are the other sounds – positions 2 and 4, mistakenly referred to as ‘out of phase’. They are really just 2 pickups in parallel. It’s hard to predict what those sounds will be, there was a lot of experimenting.

So I consulted my old note book and wound a lot of pickups and fitted them in a few test Strats. I’ve been lucky enough to have some great players as repair customers and so I was able to get quite a few opinions.

Eventually I was happy and I fitted a set for my ex Les Paul customer and he loved them straight away. A few months later he contacted me to say he was still loving them. I love it when players do that.

I’ve fitted resulting Tui hot Strat sets into a lot of instruments and it turns out that not only blues players like them, they seem to work for everyone. I shouldn’t be surprised, the Stratocaster is such a versatile guitar, of course they do.

Further experiments have shown the Tui hot Strat pickups balance really well as part of a HSS set with either my Integrity or Cloud Nine humbuckers in the bridge position.

I agonised for months over names for my Strat pickup sets then during a camping trip to Tauwharanui Regional Park I heard my first Bellbird and realised that was the sound I had been looking for when I was designing this set. The comparison in tone between the Bellbird and the more common Tui seemed exactly what I had in my head when designing my Strat pickups.

The Tui has turned out to be my best selling Stratocaster pickup. It appears there are a lot of players out there wanting a bit extra from theit Strats without loosing the character we all love.

Buy Tui set

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The Tui hot Strat set

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update 8 May 2023

Posted on March 29, 2020March 11, 2024 by mrglynspickups — 2 Comments

Cloud Nine-hot humbucker

Single NZ$199 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas it’s GST free; NZ$173.04

Pair NZ$379 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas they’re GST free; NZ$329.57

Cover NZ$20 ($17.39) extra each pickup

AlnicoV – Bridge 13.48 KOhms, 10.49H, Neck 7.9 KOhms 5.69H

Buy Cloud Nine set

Buy Cloud Nine single

The Cloud Nine-hot humbucker is a versatile ROCK pickup with plenty of mids, plenty of power but with enough clarity to help you stand out in the mix. A great pickup set for the Blues/Rock player but also well suited to heavier sounds , think Randy Rhodes or EVH. It with push the front end of an amp but will also clean up especially with a treble bleed.

Cloud Nine in a Super Strat

Design

There are many factors determining the performance of a pickup. The Cloud Nine bridge pickup has asymmetrically wound coils. It not only has a different number of winds on each coil but they’re wound with a different number of turns per layer. Each of the two coils has a slightly different mid range response, This gives not only plenty of mids but a real mid range clarity. It means the pickup sits well in a mix.

The alnico 5 magnet that powers both neck and bridge are specially made for me to my spec.

The neck pickup is also asymmetrically wound for the same reasons. It’s wound to be fairly hot for neck pickup standards but with the alnico 5 magnet there is still high end clarity. It’s a big fat but clear neck pickup sound. This is a great fat lead tone rather than a funky rhythm pickup.

In a PRS SE

Out of the blue I received an email from a customer in Tasmania who had recently bought a Cloud Nine-hot humbucker bridge pickup. He sent me a link to these clips. In The Final Countdown the rhythm guitars are the Cloud Nine coil tapped.

In a Les Paul

It’s worth mentioning how many Les Paul players use the Cloud Nine. It may be the scale length or particular dynamics of a Les Paul but these pickups just sing in a LP.

Description

Cloud Nine-hot humbucker Story

I am at heart a man of ROCK.

Since the advent of the DiMarzio Super Distortion players have been able to get some power out of their pickups, enough to really push an amp.

The neck pickup needed to be clear and present but with enough power for some of those sweet lead lines.

I wanted the bridge pickup to have power to scream with the best of them while retaining enough clarity to have definition. When I play a 7th chord I want to hear it as a 7th and not sound mushy like a John Deere tractor at full throttle.

It’s a real danger with hot pickups that they lose character and tone. I needed a crunchy rhythm with strong mids and an over the top lead sound. I want to get squawking pinched harmonics whenever I please. Not only that but I need it it to clean up nicely and react well to a treble bleed circuit. A humbucker for every situation, for players not afraid of a bit of gain.

Not much to ask, eh!

I got through a lot of wire and magnets experimenting over the years to get this set right. I suppose I worked on it for about 5 years, different magnets, winds, wire thickness, insulation, winds per layer – there are a lot of factors. Whenever I felt I was close I used them at a gig to hear how they sat in the band. Pickups can sound quite different next to a drummer or in a mix. I tweaked and adjusted…

Eventually I was happy with the design and I was lucky enough to have legendary Kiwi band ‘Head Like A Hole’ help out with road testing. I knew if they came back from tour happy then I was on to a winner. They did.

When you get it right it feels so good, a sensitive pickup rich in harmonics is so much fun so I called it the “Cloud Nine” which how I felt at the end of it all.

This is the pickup set I gig with myself in my covers band now. I have them in an Epiphone Sheraton and also in my Flying V. With this set up it works for everything from The Smiths to Metallica and all points in between. I don’t feel the need to swap guitar – these pickups work for everything.

Matt Carson from Tablefox. Cloud Nine-hot humbucker — Matt Carson on stage with zebra Cloud Nine’s

Double Cream humbucker - Mr Glyns Pickups. Cloud Nine-hot humbucker

Humbucker cover options offered by Mr Glyns Pickups.

Cloud Nine-hot humbucker

Buy Cloud Nine set

Buy Cloud Nine single

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Posted on March 29, 2020December 14, 2023 by mrglynspickups — 1 Comment

Integrity-vintage humbucker

Integrity-vintage humbucker Single NZ$199 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas it’s GST free; NZ$173.04

Integrity-vintage humbucker Pair NZ$379 for NZ customers, if you’re overseas they’re GST free; NZ$329.57

Cover NZ$20 ($17.39) extra each pickup

Alnico II – Bridge 8.02 KOhms, 6.43H. Neck 7.41 KOhms, 5.57H

Buy Integrity set

Buy Integrity single

Inspired by the early Gibson PAF pickups the Integrity-vintage humbucker give the classic full balanced tone we all love.

Asymmetric coils give an open sounding mid range and the rough cast Alnico II magnet gives clarity and balance. A rich bottom end, characterful mids and sweet treble make this a pickup set for every situation – Jazz, Blues, Rock, it does it all.

Every pickup manufacturer makes a “Vintage” humbucker based on the Gibson PAF, of course they do – old Gibsons sound so good.

So how come they all sound so different? Well, the simple answer is that PAF’s were all different. I’ve been a full time luthier since 1995, whenever I come across an old humbucker I test the ohms and the gause and have a good listen. They’re all different. My conclusion is that pickup manufacturers have taken the PAF they like and based their own version on that. Old PAF’s vary so much so modern ones do as well.

Here is Nik Dobbin show off an Integrity set in an all mahogany PRS Santana SE II from the early 2000’s.

Integrity-vintage humbucker requirements

I have designed my own version to be clear sounding, have obvious string separation and definition and to keep clarity no matter how much gain. The mids must be strong and woody, this is not a “scooped” pickup. The clean sound needs to be chimey and clear with no mush; through a valve amp I want clarity. When I tickle it I want clean and vocal sounding when it clips. The bridge pickup needs to be well behaved with high gain and clear with enough cut through so the drummer knows you’re there. The neck smooth, clear and articulate. Warm but with none of the boom you get with a more powerful pickup.

I don’t want much do I.

My “Integrity”-vintage humbucker has a rough cast Alnico II magnet and I’ve used plain enamel insulated magnet wire with asymmetric coils to open up the mids, jusy like the originals.

The very first pickup I ever made back in 1995 was a PAF style and I’ve been tweaking the recipe ever since.

Studying the intricacies of this pickup design have given me a huge respect for Seth Lover the designer of the original Gibson PAF. Its hard to imagine the guitar world without it. Would Gibson be such a popular band without his contribution? Its hard to say.

Like all my pickups I’ve used a number of test pilot players in its development as well as gigging it myself. A huge thanks to all the players and engineers involved in the development.

These pickups were played in studios and on stages in the hands of numerous players long before I gave them a name or built this website.

I t wasn’t until around 2015 that I finally settled on this particular design. It had been a very long road for the Integrity humbucker set and I’m delighted to be offering them to you.

A Pickup in 4 Flavours

This pickup is available in 4 flavours to cover the various applications of this versatile pickup. You can select your option at the checkout.

The idea behind the 4 flavours is to simplify things for you. Rather than have 4 separate pickups with a similar vibe I’ve put them all under the umbrella of ‘Integrity’.

The Standard wind –

This is the one I feel is the best balance between output and tone. All the demos are of this version. After my years of experimenting this is the version I like the best and use myself.

5% Underwound –

This has 5% less windings than the standard pickup. Less wire means less power but it also reduces the bass and gives a little more high end sparkle. If you want a low powered very clean humbucker this is for you. This one is all about clarity. Especially suited to archtop guitars.

5% Overwound –

More windings mean a little more power but more significantly an increase in bass. Ideal for players wanting a classic rock tone or in HSS Strats.

10% Overwound –

An increase in power and bass from the standard pickup. Still very much the PAF vibe but with a bit more. This is a great rock pickup with the dynamic range to clean up nicely but with the power to push you amp. Suited to players using dirtier sounds from classic rock to Slash to early Van Halen.

The Integrity comes with 4 conductor wire to give you all the switching options. I very lightly wax pot the Integrity to reduce microphonic feedback but to retain some of the microphonic character of the originals.

The full and honest sound of the Integrity-vintage humbucker along with it’s timeless tone inspired the name “Integrity”. https://mrglynspickups.com/

Integrity-vintage humbucker by Mr Glyns Pickups

Buy Integrity set

https://keningtonmusic.com/

Buy Integrity single

Integrity-vintage humbucker

Testimonials

I put the integrity pick ups into my Jim Root Jazzmaster last week.
I gigged with the guitar on Sat night and am so happy.
They have the versatility that I’m looking for.
Thanks

Bought a set of Mr Glyn’s Integrity humbuckers and they are awesome! These pickups do everything from clean to blues rock to screaming distorted rock tones. So great to just roll off the volume, have it clean up but still stay loud and defined. My guitar is now super versatile and sounds great! Thanks

Integrity-vintage humbucker

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Posted on March 29, 2020March 18, 2024 by mrglynspickups — 2 Comments

Cruel Mistress hot Tele

Single Cruel Mistress hot Tele NZ$129 for NZ customers. If you’re overseas it’s GST free; $NZ112.17

Pair Cruel Mistress hot Tele NZ$249 for NZ customers. If you’re overseas they’re GST free; $NZ216.52

AlnicoV – Bridge 10.65 KOhms, 4.96H. Neck 7.25 KOhms, 2.48H

Buy Cruel Mistress set

Buy Cruel Mistress single

Mr Glyns Cruel Mistress hot Tele Pickups are designed for the Tele player who wants more than the traditional country twang. They have a full bottom end, cut through mids and a top end that is strong but never harsh. They’ll push you amp that bit harder without loosing that Telecaster character.

Brett Kingman demos (I think he likes them)

More Cruel Mistress hot Tele demos

Description

There is nothing like the high end snarl of a good Tele bridge pickup. However, Tele Pickups are complicated. It’s a sound that needs to be just right – too much treble and it can sound grating and obnoxious, too little and it just isn’t a Tele. The treble needs warmth while still cutting through a mix like a zombie banjo.

I wanted to make a pickup with a bit more power to drive an amp harder while keeping the Tele character. My biggest concern was not losing what a Tele is all about. In my repair work I came across quite a few replacement Tele pickups that just don’t sound like Teles. Bridge pickups need grit and the neck a chimey clarity and together they should be full and open and matched well enough to create almost a reverb sound with the switch in the middle position. Good Telecasters have a very distinctive tone and I felt I needed to retain that but at the same time offer more.

The Cruel Mistress hot Tele uses Alnico V magnets to help with the attack and AWG43 wire for the snarl.

The neck pickup on a Tele needs to be smooth and warm and have a great balance with the bridge pickup so that the middle position rings with an almost reverb-like tone. The difficulty with Telecaster neck pickups is there just isn’t much space under that cover. As a result it can be a hard pickup to get right and there were a lot of experiments and disappointments on the way. Eventually I came on a design that has enough bottom end to sound full but not so much to sound boomy. And the final pickup was a great match to the bridge.

I had help from the ears of a couple of pro players who were generous enough to let me load their guitars with prototype pickups for testing. The whole process takes time and only after many road tests and versions did I fix on a design. As a result, each of my designs have been developed over many years of subtle changes and road tests. Having help like this means my pickups are trialed through many different amps and playing styles. The neck/bridge balance as well as dynamics/compression need to be tested in as many situations as possible to find a pickup that will work for most players.

So if you need some grit and aggression from your Tele this is the set for you.

Cruel Mistress Tele pickup set on stage with Rob Lock — Rob Lock

Cruel Mistress -hot Tele Bridge pickup - Mr Glyn's Pickups

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcDggiRTQyFec5KAVHsC2xA

Cruel Mistress -hot Tele

Buy Cruel Mistress set