Crazy go nuts Wide Range pickup modding
Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 12:11 pm
You have to have or purchase the pickup, and then pay for the mods. Why on earth anyone would spend $250 on modding a current one to sound like a vintage one when they could just spend that on an original?Finally! A drop in replacement for vintage Fender Wide Range Humbuckers and MIM Re-issues!
Get that killer Wide Range Humbucker Tone from our "retro-fit" pickup that looks exactly like the Fender 1970's original and nails the vintage tone of this elusive design.
Any of you who have followed the thread here on OSG have seen the development and heard the sound clips.
I am not a manufacturer or pickup builder but because the interest in this project was so strong I have agreed to order enough parts to make a limited number of these, (30 to be exact)
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Here's the deal:
Retro-fit for Fender Wide Range Humbucking Pickups
We have come up with a retro-fit process to convert Fender MIM (made in mexico) Re-issue Wide Range Humbucking Pickups (WRHB) into an excellent vintage sounding pickup offering tonal performance very similar to the original WRHB’s found in Fender Deluxe, Custom and Thinline Telecasters from the 70’s.
This is NOT a Fender product. It is a modification performed on one of their existing products for the purpose of enhancing the sound.
This is a retro-fit process where we remove the coils from a Fender MIM Re-issue WRHB pickup and add our custom made parts to create a vintage type pickup that performs much like the original 70’s WRHB pickup.
Like the originals, these will not be neck or bridge specific.
These pickups have been thoroughly tested and sound best with 1 meg pots. (Just like the originals)
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Here’s what goes into them:
We remove the existing coils from a Fender MIM re-issue WRHB and replace them with our coils. Our bobbins are machined from Delrin and each coil is hand wound to produce that warm, rich, full bodied sound of a 70’s WRHB.
Our alnico V magnets are slightly staggered and custom ground to give the appearance of adjustment screws. They are NOT adjustable! Attempting to turn them will damage the magnets!
The finest materials available are being used in these pickups. From the wire, to the Delrin bobbins, to the custom alnico magnets, no expense is spared!
The original MIM chrome cover is re-installed and the pickup is wax potted to prevent it from being microphonic.
The MIM coils and magnets we remove are returned to you with your retro-fitted pickup.
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We’re offering these pickups in one option only.
You can order them with a 1 or 2 conductor shielded lead. The single conductor, shielded lead is “total vintage.� Some prefer this style as the lead consists of a single wire with a braided shield just like the original.
We’re offering the 2 conductor/braided shield option for those who want to be able to change the polarity of the pickup making it easier to use with other brands whose polarity may not match ours.
Ordering this option makes a lot of sense for those who are not as particular about total vintage specs. Order carefully!
These pickups are a direct polarity match with the Fender MIM re-issue pickups.
On a couple of our test pickups, we had some chrome peel at the edge of the Fender cover where the plating appears to be thinnest. Our experience with the Fender MIM WRHB’s has shown that the chrome plating on these covers may in some instances peel a little bit.
While every effort will be made to keep the chrome intact, we cannot be responsible for peeling chrome on the pickup covers. It seems to be confined to the sides of the cover and our test pieces have not peeled across the top nor does it show when mounted in the pick guard. We’ll tack it down with super glue if needed, but cannot be held responsible. If you’ve sent us a cover that is particularly bad, we’ll call before proceeding with the retro-fit.
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How this all works:
You send us your Fender MIM re-issue WRHB and we do the retro-fit.
The cost is $250 per pickup + shipping UPS Ground, from 06611
All sales are final with the exception that we will re-work anything that is the result of defective materials or workmanship on the parts we’ve made and installed.
We require that you provide the “donor pickup� but in cases where these are not readily available, like overseas orders, we will make an exception.
If you have us provide the “donor pickup,� it will cost the additional amount of a Fender MIM Re-issue WRHB at the current fair market value as prices do fluctuate.
Lead time is about 4 weeks. There is a limited quantity of pickups available.
Please contact me at bikeshots@earthlink.net
