Are your Pickups Vintage Replicas?

No. To call my pickups vintage replicas would be inaccurate. The metallurgy in the wire, covers, keepers, baseplates and poles are not the same as what they were in the 50's and 60's. The tooling is different, the winders are different, the people making them are different. I'm not making replicas and don't claim to be.

That being said, those are the sounds I like. My pickups are voiced that way, the materials I use are made as close to the classic specs as I can find, but I wouldn't call them replicas or clones. That's my disclaimer.

Do you make Strat, Tele, or Filtertron Pickups?

For the longest time I swore off making these pickups, well, I'd make them, but not offer them for sale. Tele and Strat pickups are the number one thing I get asked to make. So after about a year of a prototyping, I finally found a tone that I like from them. The recipe is not like what other makers are building. Almost 100% opposite of conventional Tele pup construction. It's likely what you'd expect if a P90 guy made Fender Style pickups.

The filtertron and other oddball stuff...other guys make those, not me.

How did you come up with the names of your different pickup models?

I suppose I could have picked names like Blues Lawyer or MurderDeathKill, but that's not my thing. I could try to be clever, but that usually fails. The names are basic, simple and nothing fancy.

Why are your Pickups so expensive/Why are your pickups so cheap?

If you look at what hand wound pickups sell for, you'll probably find mind are well priced. If you compare them to import models or mass produced pickups, you may find them pricy. The Canadian Dollar is so low right now, parts and supplies are costly, but it also means the price is lower in US dollars. I try to give good value for money. Compare other pickup's build materials, if they'll even list them and then look at mine. I'd like to think I offer more than what you pay for, but value is a relative term.

Why are the pickup descriptions so sparse?

I purposely try to avoid hyperbole and bizarre adjectives when describing my pickups. I understand that everyone needs a way to describe something and there's a general understanding of most terms, but really, it's all relative. One persons' dark and smooth is another's muddy and dull. 

One thing I don't like is when every product description is "great" and "vintage" and "amazing". I don't want to become a hype machine and say everything is the best thing ever and will 110% work for you, make you sound like Eric Clapton and get you headline bookings at Royal Albert Hall. 

Most other makers and large guitar companies use Poly wire, Why do you use Plain Enamel?

PE is harder to work with and about 5 times more expensive. It's what they used in the 50's and I like how it sounds in my builds. I also think it goes part and parcel with the philosophy of using the best materials available.

With that being said, there are many great pickup makers who have had great success with Poly and can dial in a wind to suit their tastes, some will even say the insulation material is barely relevant in the PE vs Poly argument. Sometimes the end results are greater than the sum of the materials, I use what I do as that's what I prefer.

Do you do coil taps so I can have 17 switches and 98 different tones available at the flick of a switch?

No, I don't. One of the great things about having your own pickup company is doing and making things you really like. You also want the things you make to represent you in some way. I don't have a great fondness for coil splitting a humbucker or tapping a P90. A split humbucker never sounds good to me. I recommend using your volume and tone controls or buy a different guitar.

You're never going to make a Les Paul sound like a Strat, the sooner you realize this, the sooner you will find eternal happiness and become one with the universe, or something.

Where's your humbucker sized P90?

I swore off making these too, but it was another one people asked for. I won't tell you they're a dead-on P90 in the truest sense, but they're close. The AB is available to order now. The AB stands for Abomination.

Your competitors do X and Charge Y, can you do X and Y?

Firstly, I don't like to view this as a competition. There are lots of great pickup makers out there, from big to small scale. Everyone has a different way of doing things and what they think sounds good. If another maker does something you like, by all means you should use their pickups. I do my thing and that's what I focus on. 

Why don't you have more models?

Focus. 

What is your opinion of X and is your product better?

I won't  talk poorly of other makers' products. I think I make a quality product using quality components. Another product may suit your needs or your guitar more appropriately, there's nothing wrong with saying that. All I can control is what I make and have it stand on it's own merit. No single pickup or winder will be the best for everyone.

If your $20 import or $500 accurate to the last tooling mark set works for you, that's awesome. There's a hardly a better feeling than getting your sound working for you. That's what I'm trying to facilitate. 

DOES THE WORLD REALLY NEED ANOTHER SMALL PICKUP MAKER?

Not really. 

Who are your favourite guitar players?

Steve Jones, Mick Jones, Paul Weller, Pete Townsend, James Williamson, Sonic Smith...you get the idea.

I wish my mids were haunted.

My mids are the Vincent Price of mids.

Who made your website?

I did, DIY. It took me a long time. I'm not developer or programmer, but I think I figured it out. If you come across an error or if something isn't working, let me know. I'm aware that the Icon takes you to the front page of the site, I can't change it.

Hey, I have this thing, want to trade?

Actually, yes I do. I love trading. If you have something cool and want to trade it for pickups, I'm always up for that. I love hoarding gear, sometimes to keep, sometimes just to try stuff out. If your trade value is around the going rate and it's something I'd like, send me an email. I don't need a stack of Boss DS-1's or DOD chorus pedals, but I'm always up for a fuzz or a delay.

I'm a builder, want to trade?

Sure. If you make pro quality pedals,  guitars or amps and need pickups for personal use or customer project, I'd be interested in hearing from you. If you want to trade blems or B-stock shoot me an email. If you want to have my pickups in a guitar build and want to trade or purchase at a OEM discount, get in touch. 

How did you get into building amps?

Thats a long and convoluted story that's best left for some other day.

What Happened to the Mo 1812 and the model 79.

They got renamed the model 44 and 55, simplifies things. The 1812 got its name from the last time Canada invaded the US, The 79 is my birth year...pretty lame, huh.