Sliders pickups

[dave robinson]

Having received and fitted a set of these beauties having heard Phil Kelly's wonderful demo a few weeks ago, I can recommend them with confidence - they are oozing with 'That Sound' - Easily matching those expensive Abigail Y'barra pickups on my £4000.00 Masterbuilt 1954 reissue. Thanks Phil for sharing, even though Royal Mail demanded an extra £17.00 (tax & handling), if you are seeking the 'Holy Grail' and are passionate about your sound. they deliver and are well worth it.


http://www.myspace.com/slidersvintagepickups

[pjr]

Are you likely to be attending the next club meeting on 20th Dave?
If so it would be great to hear them as I'm in the market for some new pickups myself; I'm currently thinking of some Fralins.

Cheers,

Pete

[tony parnham]

Hi Dave,
After hearing your 1954 Masterbuilt strat a number of times first hand I found it certainly has that special distinctive sound, it sort of jumps out at you especially when doing comparisons with other guitars, and just has that mojo. I reckon these pickups at that price will be a snip for anyone wanting an upgrade to get nearer to 'that sound' even with the £17.Thanks for sharing.
Tony

[dave robinson]

Not sure if I can make North Notts next week but if I'm coming I will bring the 'Sliders' equipped Strat and let you know on these boards.
I have played this guitar constantly since fitting these pickups and I can't put it down ! It sounds right just simply plugged into the mixing desk - without a Vox amp or an echo unit in sight.

[Twangaway]

Dave I have read up on what this guys is doing and agree he is doing the obvious supposedly faithful reproduction of the method of manufacture and components as was back then. What I feel uncomfortable about is this SRV thing , which I think is the initials for Steve Ray Vaughan celebrity guitarist, never heard his stuff, so what the point is of claiming to be vintage pickups and in the same sentence saying they are SRV spec is beyond me and contradictory. So what is that all about, as I suspect he is a modern day , distortion type guitarist and with no benefit to vintage pickups IMHO and has more to do with amp, cab, and pedals for the sound.

I am tempted to get a set eventually myself, simply because of what Phil and you have said.I never was tempted into Kinmans or the Toneriders which to me were always hyped up like all the other boutique pickups.

Hope to hear some nice examples of the tone in your rebuilt 63 Strat.

The thing I don't understand is why does this guy then age the pickups and magnets to a 50 year old aged pickup sound. That is a pointless excercise, as I would want the new sound associated to a Fender made and sold in that era, and not something then made vintage sounding by a further aging process, that to me is idiocy.

[dave robinson]

My '59's from Siders are faithful repros soundwise of new pickups from that era as they would have been back then. I did ask for mine to look aged because they are going on a '63 Strat. The Sliders SRV (yes - it is Stevie Ray Vaughan and he's been dead for twenty years) ones are a different model of pickup and I can see how one can be confused, as they too are called '59's. You can have them looking new if you ask.
You have an option of wire type also, I chose the current formvar wire over the 55 year old stuff (which is far more expensive @ almost double the price) but my thinking is based on the fact that the wire was brand new back then when we first heard the sound, so why choose 55 year old wire now?
I used them again tonight and love 'em to bits.

[Martyn]

[i]My I used them again tonight and love 'em to bits.

Any chance of a sound file sample using them - maybe if you have a track done with the previous pickups you could blend part with these and part with the Sliders?
Would make an interesting side-by-side sound test.
Regards,
Martyn

[Twangaway]

Thanks Dave, I have to agree that the option for the use of current formar wire makes better sense as an " un aged wire " which is what you would have got having bought the Strat new in that era. However this is still the slight confusion that what he may be saying is that he has access to NOS formar wire, that has never had any electrical current through it, is still on the manufacturers original bobbins and ( because it is not bare copper and is enamelled ) in theory should be same as "new" with no contamination such as oxidisation having taken place or copper corrosion ? Other than it's sheer physical age property , I cannot see that it would be an - aged type of sound. The modern formar, may not have the same physical chemical composition and enamel so may sound different perhaps.

Looking at his pole pieces, they don't look the right height ( too tall ) and do not appear to have the bevelled edge as claimed. Also the 3rd string pole piece is way too high looking at photos.

I think these oversights are not what you expect to see from someone who has got the right approach and lacks that - precise - attention to detail claimed in his own hype. It may appear as nit picking and of course the proof is in the sound, but if the pole pieces are the wrong height, the metal mass is maybe 5% out . the inductance property may also be out and so on. Also the original alnico pole pieces were complete with air holes however small as imperfections in the casting process. He may not have got same result there either.

Still on balance a substantially better approach to it's manufacture at least a close to faithful repro. Will probably buy, once we have been treated to your A/B comparison LOL

[tony parnham]

Hey Twangaway, with recommendations from two gigging experienced players what more can you ask, go buy 'em, they'll be fine.
Tony

[Twangaway]

Hi Tony, funds permitting I will go ahead as these two guys know what they are talking about, and also I like the approach of this guy and a more honest hand made approach as per originals method by yakking housewives where scatter winding perhaps originated from in their momentary lapse of concentration and early days of multi-tasking Joking of course.

I wonder if this guy does the Gretsch type vintage pickups ?