KVR Audio

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 4:35 pm

thanx Ian...however I cannot find a dealer of them...any suggestions?

robogone · Post by **robogone** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 4:38 pm

Interesting that they're so cheap compared to the Fenders, etc. Any complaints about the sound (or anything else) at all?

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 4:56 pm

actually I have found the Fender noiseless pups for between 110-120 usd for a set of three which really isn't that bad

Ian B · Post by **Ian B** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 5:00 pm

Hink wrote:thanx Ian...however I cannot find a dealer of them...any suggestions?

They're US based, buy direct from them? I was a bit wary ordering the first time as I'm from the UK but the delivery time on both sets I've bought was great, just over week both times iirc.

Ian B · Post by **Ian B** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 5:03 pm

robojam wrote:Interesting that they're so cheap compared to the Fenders, etc. Any complaints about the sound (or anything else) at all?

I bought them primarily because I wanted a set of noiseless and didn't want to splash out on Fenders again, but I'm as impressed as much with how the Neovins sound as the lack of hum, and they are literally hum free

robogone · Post by **robogone** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 5:13 pm

Been thinking for a long time now about getting a set for my Tele. Might think about those then.

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 5:19 pm

okay I found them at guitarfetish, thanx Ian I'm going to look more into these...like all my projects I'm not in a rush and of course it will be at least a month for Warmoth to do make my body

Ian B · Post by **Ian B** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 5:52 pm

@Hink and robojam

They're not miracle pups, just plain and simple fantastic value for money imo. The 2 GFS Lil Killers and a Bigmouth Bridge I had on another guitar were good, and the Neovins are better and silent with the bonus of not losing that s/c *sound*.

robogone · Post by **robogone** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 5:56 pm

Yep, it's the sound I'm thinking of. Noiseless doesn't always = true to the original sound, so good to hear that these do the job.

P.T. · Post by **P.T.** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 8:21 pm

robojam wrote:Interesting that they're so cheap compared to the Fenders, etc. Any complaints about the sound (or anything else) at all?

I think most pickups are very overpriced.
They seem to be the equivalent of phono cartridges that were used when people were still spinning vinyl.
Those $100 cartridges wholesaled for about $10.
A pickup is just a magnet and a coil of wire.

Dragon fire Guitars is selling a set of ceramic Strat pickups for $17 and say that they sound like MIM's. They probably do, and that's probably what they are worth.

robogone · Post by **robogone** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 8:25 pm

P.T. wrote:A pickup is just a magnet and a coil of wire.

Difference between a good photo cartridge and a pickup is that the pickup is probably manufactured (at least partly) by hand.

Overpriced? Probably, but I don't think they're as overpriced as many other things, such as the photo cartridge example you gave.

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 9:11 pm

P.T. wrote:
robojam wrote:Interesting that they're so cheap compared to the Fenders, etc. Any complaints about the sound (or anything else) at all?
I think most pickups are very overpriced.
They seem to be the equivalent of phono cartridges that were used when people were still spinning vinyl.
Those $100 cartridges wholesaled for about $10.
A pickup is just a magnet and a coil of wire.

Dragon fire Guitars is selling a set of ceramic Strat pickups for $17 and say that they sound like MIM's. They probably do, and that's probably what they are worth.

there's more to it than just that though...to say it's just a magnet and a coil of wires is over simplying what a pick-up is. I certainly would not compare it with a phono cartridge (of which I have purchased many in my life) The stylus was/is critical to the life of record and I wouldn't throw it on just any cartridge (I had this one very nice "Dual" as in brand "dual" turntable that had this great ultra low mass tonearm and cartridge that allowed it to track .7grams)

On the other hand a pick-up has no such issues where one might damage the guitar. However pick-ups do vary in quality with several factors in the production of the pick-ups themselves, including the quality of materials, the winding process itself (tight, loose, even etc), the solder joints, potting the pick-up etc.

Nothing in this day seens fairly priced but one cannot simply assume that because a pick-up is nothing more than a magnet (or actually magnets depending) and a coil of wire that one will sound as good as another. One thing that I am sick to death of is soldering pick-ups and I'm going to get more sick of it as time goes on because the only way to try pick-ups is to install them. I can assure you that I have plenty of pick-ups in this house (both in and out of guitars) and not only do they sound drastically different but they often sound drastically different in different guitars. (as I just found out changing a pair of duncans from my baritone to my Daion)

I appreciate the tip on Dragon fire, I will surely check them out as well and possibly I could go with them first because they are so inexpensive and knowing me by this time next year I'll have 3 or 4 sets of single coils*. I need to check out the company more first, I need to know what the warranty is and such to make sure they are as good a value first though.

Oh how I wish you were right though, because I'm quite tired of soldering pick-ups...but then I love swapping pick-ups around, just wish I could wiggle my nose and *poof* it's done. Becausae it's a viscous circle in which I'm trapped for life

*I actually have at least two sets now, when I got my warmoth in parts there was a set but it now has an EMG 81 and an 89. Another time I bought an original floyd rose, an Aria neck (with a jackson type headstock) two single coils and one humbucker (with Aria Pro II on them) for 20 bucks off these dudes that came in one of the stores I use to wotk. Who knows what else I have in boxes stashed away over the many years...I'm still looking for my other chrome humbucker to send to vurt. I had when I moved

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Mon Jun 13, 2011 9:33 pm

I should mention that when I was in retail instead of looking for a wire, I would pick one up at work, I bought a lot of used stuff out of my pocket because the store would never buy it (in addition to instruments we sold used cds too, we use to buy them for 2 bux each and of course I went through them before entering them into the inventory and chose the ones I wanted and replaced 2 bux for each one I wanted meaning a lot of my cds cost 2 bux

). I bring this up because I'm not so oranized and I would put things here and there when I bought them. When we moved I bought a bunch of those rubbermade boxes of different sizes and things can be in any of these boxes and once again instead of searching I would rather buy something, though I have started consolidating guitar parts I have a long ways to go

Ian B · Post by **Ian B** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 10:12 am

How about this, ahem, bargain. All but invisible neck break, but that's purely down to the repair, check the pics

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Axl-Les-Paul-Guit ... 98&afsrc=1

Lost_Highway · Post by **Lost_Highway** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 11:59 am

Ian B wrote:How about this, ahem, bargain. All but invisible neck break, but that's purely down to the repair, check the pics

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Axl-Les-Paul-Guit ... 98&afsrc=1

What do you mean the repair is visible? Wait whilst I just put my glasses on...

Your next guitar?