Brad
02-17-2005, 05:20 PM
I've gone through numerous pickups in the last three years to find the right combo for my chambered mahogany tele. Coming from a blues background, I wanted pickups that would bridge the gap between sweet, vintage tele tone and a girthier, bluesy tone. I also wanted a set that would sound as good clean as with overdrive. The pickups I received from Steve Kersting of SK Guitar Specialties have provided this in abundance!
First up is the SK T-90 for the bridge. The T-90 is wound a bit hotter than most for a nice P-90 bite. Yet it retains enough sweetness to twang away on country licks. One of the most responsive pickups to volume and tone control tweaks I've had the pleasure of playing. The T-90 has adjustable screw pole pieces like a P-90. If you're familiar to the Harmonic Design S-90, it's along the same lines. It's really a stud of a pickup. Very heft and very well made. The tones on this pickup run the gamut from Roy Nichols type twang to Pete Anderson hot twang to Leslie West Mountainish rumblings. Before the T-90 I had tried A Van Zandt Flat Pole, Dimarzio Twang King, Electrokraft Blues, Duncan Broadcaster, etc. All are fine pickups, but once the T-90 went in, I knew I found the correct pickup for this guitar.
For the neck position, the SK Dualtone ll has proved to be an amazing pickup. My favorite neck tones are vintage PAF bucker, P-90, Strat neck pup. This beauty combines all of those in one pickup. One coil is wound as a P-90, the other as an alnico 5 strat. In PAF mode with the coils combined, ( with the addition of a mini on-on-on switch to access either or both coils ) the tone is fat, tight, open and airy. Articulation and note attack are excellent. The P-90 mode is so sweet and smooth. Strat neck get's that wonderful Hendrixy cleanish tone. Each position is distinct and sounds wonderful. This is a very touch sensitive pickup and resonds well to your touch. As with the T-90, volume and tone control tweaks add new tonal dimensions. The two pickups combined produce some of the sweetest tones I've heard out of a two pickup guitar. With two pickups, the three way pciku pselector and the three way mini switch, I have access to 9 very different and highly useable tones.
Steve took into account my style of play, guitar type, amp, etc to design these to fit me. I'd say he did a splendid job. The Dualtone ll replaced a Seth Lover I had in the neck of this guitar from day one. The Seth sounded like it was made for this guitar, so I really struggled with replacing it. The DT ll has opened up a whole new world of tones for me with this guitar. He has recently taken a rate hike on his pickups, but if you're in the market for a custom wound, hand made to your specs pickup, I highly recommend checking SK out. There are many excellent winders out there who I admire and who's products I dig.....Jason Lollar, Dave Stephens, etc.....and Steve is right up there.
First up is the SK T-90 for the bridge. The T-90 is wound a bit hotter than most for a nice P-90 bite. Yet it retains enough sweetness to twang away on country licks. One of the most responsive pickups to volume and tone control tweaks I've had the pleasure of playing. The T-90 has adjustable screw pole pieces like a P-90. If you're familiar to the Harmonic Design S-90, it's along the same lines. It's really a stud of a pickup. Very heft and very well made. The tones on this pickup run the gamut from Roy Nichols type twang to Pete Anderson hot twang to Leslie West Mountainish rumblings. Before the T-90 I had tried A Van Zandt Flat Pole, Dimarzio Twang King, Electrokraft Blues, Duncan Broadcaster, etc. All are fine pickups, but once the T-90 went in, I knew I found the correct pickup for this guitar.
For the neck position, the SK Dualtone ll has proved to be an amazing pickup. My favorite neck tones are vintage PAF bucker, P-90, Strat neck pup. This beauty combines all of those in one pickup. One coil is wound as a P-90, the other as an alnico 5 strat. In PAF mode with the coils combined, ( with the addition of a mini on-on-on switch to access either or both coils ) the tone is fat, tight, open and airy. Articulation and note attack are excellent. The P-90 mode is so sweet and smooth. Strat neck get's that wonderful Hendrixy cleanish tone. Each position is distinct and sounds wonderful. This is a very touch sensitive pickup and resonds well to your touch. As with the T-90, volume and tone control tweaks add new tonal dimensions. The two pickups combined produce some of the sweetest tones I've heard out of a two pickup guitar. With two pickups, the three way pciku pselector and the three way mini switch, I have access to 9 very different and highly useable tones.
Steve took into account my style of play, guitar type, amp, etc to design these to fit me. I'd say he did a splendid job. The Dualtone ll replaced a Seth Lover I had in the neck of this guitar from day one. The Seth sounded like it was made for this guitar, so I really struggled with replacing it. The DT ll has opened up a whole new world of tones for me with this guitar. He has recently taken a rate hike on his pickups, but if you're in the market for a custom wound, hand made to your specs pickup, I highly recommend checking SK out. There are many excellent winders out there who I admire and who's products I dig.....Jason Lollar, Dave Stephens, etc.....and Steve is right up there.