ALERTS
and
Shipping/Return
Policy
"Jim, I would most definitely have to say it is YOU who are the king! Your pickups are the best in the world..... nothing else comes close!!!!!" ~ David Thomas McNaught of McNaught Guitars
"Two days ago, I received a set of pickups that Jim made for me. I put them on my '60 Les Paul reissue that is flamed to death. The difference in sound is night and day. Jim makes the best pickups I have ever heard!!!!! The power and highs are so much louder and clearer it is unbelievable!!!!! Where can I tell the world?
Are there any pickup forums? I will announce on facebook, too. Man that was the biggest difference I have
ever seen in a guitar!!! Let me have some info so I can broadcast how great they are!!!!!!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" ~ Greg Golden of Bizarre Guitars Reno Nevada
"It sounds so good....ridiculous!!! Don't know how else to tell ya brutha, I'm smilin'! Thank you." ~ Chuck D'Aloia
"JIM YOUR PICK-UPS ARE THE BEST MADE. I'VE HAD EM ALL - DUNCAN, BURSTBUCKERS, HOLMES, FRALIN, BUT NOTHING BEATS THE
SOUND YOU GET. THE DARKBURSTS ARE MY FAVORITE, THEY JUST HAVE THAT SOUND OF REAL WOODY TONE FROM THE OLD DAYS PAST.
I HAVE BEEN USING THEM IN THE STUDIO FOR THE NEXT PUDDLE RECORD. NO MATTER WHAT AMP I PLUG IN THE TONE IS THERE & READY
TO ROCK. MADNESS...I DID GUITAR ONE MAG PRESS FOR STUDIO UPDATE, TOLD EM AFTER I INSTALLED DARKBURST WE COULD CHANNEL
THE TONE OF LEGENDS. KEEP ON WINDING WITH SOUL!" ~ Jimmy Allen, Puddle Of Mud
"Hello! I installed them (American Steele set) in a vintage lawsuit era Ibanez Les Paul. Guitar for guitar, pickup
for pickup, I've never had a pickup change that was a PERFECT as this. These are nothing short of outstanding pickups. Not over, not under, but wonderwound. :)" ~ Doug Doppler
"I just wanted to reach out and say thank you for the pickups. They sound amazing and I've been getting huge props on my tone. I just let 'em know about a mad scientist in SOULSBYVILLE..." ~ Stevie D, Buckcherry
"Plug 'em into your Marshall and see what happens. These things ROCK!" ~ Gabriel Manzo, lead guitar, Malo, Manzo Rally
"I wanted to send you a note to say thanks and also to say how good the pickups sound. I like the feel of the pickups and really appreciate a new pickup sounding so good. As opposed to everyone looking for an old pickup , you have made a bridge here. I would rate them as a number one PAF sounding pickup. I have to admit its my best sounding guitar and the pickups go right along with it. Thank you again for such a nice job.
Look forward to hearing more of your pickups in the future." ~ All the best, Mike - Lead guitar, "The Dragons"
"The best pickups on the planet period! I have spent years and time researching the boutique pickup manufacture's. JWP are sonically the best sounding PAF style pickups I have heard at any price. You just don't want to put the guitar down. Playing my '58 with the DarkBurst bridge is a spiritual experience every time. They never disappoint!" ~ Brian Estes
"Hey Jim.... Got the Crossroads (that was quick!) and put it in my 05 Jimmy Page today.... Sounds freaking great!!! It added the honking mids I was looking for and smoothed out the top end which was harsh with the stock Gibson. Once again, thanks!!!!!" ~ Best, Ed A
"I received the pick-ups and I must admit that I'm really happy about the superb quality product you sent me. I see you put a lot of heart in your work. Proud to have those in my LesPaul!" ~ Best regards, Nicola Carrillo
"I listened to the Les Paul blindfold test, by Doug and Pat Show on Youtube. I far and away liked the very first guitar, above all the others. It wasn't
the '58 or '60 Les Paul, it was 1994 Heritage. And....it had JWP pickups in it! So I started listening to clips, and wow...what a sound." ~ Thanks, Pete
"As a repeat customer you know how I feel. But just to remind you, the 7-string pickups are amazing. Guitar transformed from "meh" to rock machine! Thanks again." ~ Mike Liu
"I'm a good friend with Jay Kolanda and he put one of your/his Murkat Floyd specific 'buckers in my 1988 ESP Custom Shop M-II (blue camo finish,
I'm a child of metal haha) when we hung in his shop in Nashville a couple of weeks ago. Just wanted to tell you that pickup is incredible in my guitar." ~ Jeff Richard
"Thanks as always for the killer gear! We had an awesome time with it on our European tour. Keep up the excellent craftsmanship!" ~ Jon Schaffer, Iced Earth
"ARE YOU SHITTIN' ME?!?! Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...... Lindy who?? Dude... what is the creamy juice that you put inside these? I replaced a Lindy PAF neck and a Dimarzio Steve Morse special bridge in a solid body mahogany (no tone cap ) strat with Am deluxe neck. I expected an improvement...
but what I got is the full potential of this ax!! Now I have to buy a few more sets as back up... plus some other type of sets. Which brings me to - how old are you and how is your health??? - LMAO!!! Thanks for making a great product that lived up (and more ) to the promise!" ~ Al in Hot Springs, NC
"Got your AST's set and prewired kit installed them in my 1990 Les Paul Standard. I have had the guitar a little over a year and I was starting to think that guitar was just dead. I have tried many high end pickups in it and was always disappointed with the sound. I must say your pickups has put life in that guitar - not sure what you do different but it is unbelievable how clear yet raw sounding they are I am blown away by you stuff. I am a first time customer and I am hooked!! I will for sure be ordering more sets." ~ Thomas Lifford
"I bought the American Steele set last April. Been real busy with life, and FINALLY got around to installing them in a 93 Classic Plus, that's an early version, 9 pound beauty. Jim, I don't know what you do to these pickups, but I have been playing 40 years, in countless bands, and these guys just are "that" sound. Best pickups I ever heard or played. They just grab the amp and make it sing....both Billy Gibbons then Page on the bridge. The tone, feel, sweetness, fatness, clarity...and that singing lead tone, are just to die for. THANK YOU! Keep up the great work...you made it fun to play again!! The 70's are my era, but all my Les Paul's are from the 90's - the "good wood" era - and your pickups finally make this stuff sound like "god" wood, LOL" ~ Pete soundboy 57
"Just wanted to say thanks for quick turnaround and fabulous pickups. The balance between the Crossroads and Godwood was more balanced than I expected which allowed me to have the pickup heights set in a more balanced way. I was surprised to see that the output was weaker than the stock Gibson pickups from this 95 Custom LP... but that's a good thing. Less mud, more articulate, more vintage, and a better signal for all my overdrives to take...like the best paf handwound pickups are.
The bridge can sound clean and musical but cranked up through a good gain pedal it delivers Big style harmonics and a nice cut through the mix.
The Crossroads neck pup doesn't have any of that flubby obnoxious low end, but has a nice full spectrum that allows the guitar's woody tone to project well and sounds great for rhythm or nice and fat for leads. I'm very happy that this set only adds more without taking anything anyway...transparent to allow the guitar to breath but it still has a nice vintage mojo and character that is in the mids.
This set with a new Tonepros bridge and tail piece has this guitar playing with more sustain and tone than I thought possible. Its now my favorite guitar - even over my deluxe strat! (my first guitar...tricked out) Thanks again for the informative conversation last week and for helping me make the right pickup decision. Its always nice to find something that actually lives up to its reputation. If it inspires me to play and play better then it was worth
every penny!" ~ Best - Pete E / BluesHarp
"Smooth yet grindy. Articulate yet big. Perfectly balanced. Basically, the best sounding pickups that I have ever purchased. I have owned Seymour Duncan, Rio Grande, Lindy Fralin, and this takes the cake by far!!! This set is perfect for pretty much anything except Shred Metal. Really, this set is perfect for any style where guitar tone is vital to the sound. If the guitar was destroyed I would really be only concerned about saving the pickups at this point. It completely converted the guitar from really great to insane! I am no longer looking for that sound anymore. I am completely confident that my next SG will get the Fillmore set and I only wish Jim made Tele pickups still (WE DO ON REQUEST) so I could use him for them as well.
10's across the board without hesitation." ~ Chris Madson
"Now that I've finally gotten acquainted with your American Steele set -- my god, man. I don't know how a set of pickups can cover so much ground.
ZZ Top, Pearl Jam, Van Halen, Metallica, Godsmack, Black Crowes, hell even BB King. And the best part is that even though they can pull off these sounds, they sound completely unique at the same time. I feel like I've found a tone I love as opposed to just trying to copy someone else. I was skeptical about the price and need for your recommended tone controls, but it's worth it to feel like the pickup search has ended.
Only Wagner pickups in my axes from now on...." ~ Mark Giglio
"Humbucking pups that are just incredible sounding. Installed in a VOS 61 SG Re-issue. I also had a pre-wired set of pots and caps installed which also came from JWP. I want to say also that I have SEVERAL sets of Wagner pups in my Les Pauls, as well as a few sets of the SR single coils with Wagner electronics in my Strats. This particular set of American Steeles is the best I have heard in 35 years. I removed ALL of my stock pups and replaced them with this company's products. I replaced the garbage that Gibson calls pickups (in a guitar that they charge upwards of $3000.00 for) with Wagner's. Absolutely STUNNING!!! These pups are SO CLEAR AND TONAL! I simply cannot emphasize that point enough.
The bass is tight and SMOOTH and the mids and treble are just unreal. I'm certain that the caps and pots that I also purchased from Jim Wagner only made the pups even better. I have played guitar for 42+ years, 35 professionally. I play Blues, Southern Rock, Country, and whatever I can sink my teeth into MUSICALLY! Talk to Jim Wagner at JWP. Hear him out and decide for yourself. I did.
Ive been dealing with Wagner for quite some time now, and I have NEVER been disappointed.
Some folks think that these are priced too high. LOL!! If ANY of the several sets of Wagner's I own were destroyed or stolen, I would replace them immediatly after coming off heavy sedation!! LOL!! How much is it worth to you for a sound that is ALWAYS, CONSISTANTLY, SWEET AND TONAL? Yeah, they cost a bit, however, YOU ALWAYS GET THE SOUND THAT WAS PROMISED. Jim Wagner has delivered on his word TIME AFTER TIME. Therefore, he gets my $ everytime." ~ Charles McGinn
"Output level is perfect, very well balanced, nice and fat on the bridge, excellent articulation on both positions without any ear-cutting or dullness anywhere. For lack of a better word, nice and flat from top to bottom, no extra bulges or scoops. I play Southern Rock, and they fit the bill perfectly.
If lost or stolen, I would instantly get another set. I have NEVER tried a better set, or even individual pickups that can hold a candle to these.
Customer service was beyond belief. I was rockin' inside a week from order." ~ Steve-rHK9t
"The Wagner's replaced the Duncans that replaced the original Burstbuckers. I'm not a fan of the BBs, and the Duncans (Seth Lover bridge, Pearly Gates neck) were better (I've used Duncans for nearly 30 years!). The JWP are the result of my first foray into the world of handwound pickups.
It's nice to get it perfect the first time! These are very versatile, and sound great clean and with any degree of distortion. They are both somewhat PAF-inspired. They clean up very well when you work the volume control and stay clear with the volume way down, without needing a treble bleed cap. Very lively response. I use a variety of Marshall and Fender amps, also an Alessandro Working Dog. Celestion and Scumback speakers. I play some of everything (not much out-and-out metal) and the Steeles go everywhere. easily. They're just really fun to play! I've been playing 40 years, 30 as a pro, all the usual suspects in my guitar collection. These are the best humbuckers I've played, including all the real PAFs and patent number types.
Flawless workmanship, beautiful appearance. More responsive than anything else I've used. No real need to look further. Jim is very helpful in his recommendations, and helped me make a perfect choice." ~ Jay Scott
"Morning from Australia, Jim. Well, I've had the new pots and caps in my SG with your American Steele set and I can truly say I could not be happier.
I do not think I could have found a more perfect set for the guitar or my needs as a player. I would actually say they are just perfect. I have a mate that is such a picky bloke when it comes to guitar tone. I took the SG up to his place last weekend and you should have seen his face, LOL. Green, green, green with envy! You were an absolute gentleman to deal with as well. Thank you very much for your service and wonderful, wonderful pickups.
All the very best Jim. You have made another customer for life." ~ Mathew R. de Witt
"I received my new American Steele set and promptly had my luthier install them, with 50's wiring, in my 1978 Les Paul Standard. (He said, "Oh yeah! Wagner's...those are REALLY nice pickups!!") Not surprisingly, there was a noticeable improvement in sound and response...the guitar actually feels easier to play now, at the higher gain high volume stuff (running through twin Marshall half-stacks) there's no feedback when I stop playing with the guitar volume all the way up. SO nice. Thanks so much for the fantastic product and for your kind advice over the phone." ~ Karl / Seattle
"I have found it! Jim, your pups have saved the day! No kidding - the bridge pup is exactly what I've been looking for. The tone is fat and nasty but cleans up nicely. Still getting used to the neck pup, but it's in there. Fat and clear. They sound incredible combined in the center position, too. Both are very touch-sensitive. Thank you so much for your great products and incredible customer service! Good luck, and thanks again!" ~ Steven P. Kuhn
"They sound great, just what I was looking for. Much fuller sound, but still with enough edge -- great for cleans and gain. I also tried switching to an A2 in the neck and an A4 in the bridge. There was more difference between the magnets than I thought. The 2s and 4s are a little softer sounding, with less fidelity, or at least to me. They sound more 50s vs the 5s with more of a 60s/70s sound. And the 5s in the neck provide just the hollow sound that
I was looking for. Thanks again for all of your help. You build a great product. And they look great, even without the covers ;)" ~ John
"Geezus Jim. I just installed the American Steele set. I don't know if it's the covers on the BetSet's I have or what, but I love this neck even more...it's woody, crisp, no mud at all...man I love your neck winds. The Godwood bridge blends in perfectly with it too...it's punchy yet still clean...lots of clarity. The volume nob does TONS on both pickups even going from 10 to 9...that's just amazing. Thank you sir." ~ Brent Lauzon
"Well, I asked for something that would make my Ibanez Artist finally blossom and you suggested American Steele: BINGO! It took me this long to
send an email because I couldn't pull myself away from the guitar. There was a volume difference at first and I thought there might be too much difference between the neck and bridge, but then I remembered to do a little setup. Neck pickup went up a little, bridge pickup went down a little and all was sweet. I join the chorus of those who praise the sounds your pickups provide, and I am jazzed by the fact that you obtain these authentic PAF sounds without being chained to "authentic" materials and winding techniques. You did it your way and belong in the pantheon of American originals. Please pass your techniques on to someone eventually." ~ Rockman
"Hi Jim - just received my Crossroads neck to go along with my Godwood bridge. Placed them in my Gold Top Les Paul, my lord it brought a 35 year old guitar to a new life. This is one unreal set of pickups. Its amazing what tones I can now get. Thanks alot and will be ordering more soon." ~ Frank Sanford
"I finally got a chance to throw the American Steele set into my guitar. I'll sum it up with one word... WOW ! Awesome pickups man." ~ MJD
"Just got the LP back the other night with the Crossroads & Goodwood PUPs & they sound fantastic. Thank You." ~ Don G
"Hello! I knew it was out there. And with your pickups and your help, I believe I have found it is the tone in my head. I spent about an hour last night and 90 minutes this am with my newly-outfitted rig. Whoa! I haven't adjusted the pole pieces or pickup height, no need. My rig sounds incredible!
I can't wait to take it to practice tomorrow night for full volume and attack. Playing my '88 LP standard straight into a 78 JMP 2x12 combo. Yikes!
More to follow. Thanks again for all your help!" ~ Steve
"Although I'm sure you already knew they would be, I wanted to let you know that you the AST set is incredible in my 2001 PRS Singlecut. So much so, that I want to replace the pickups in my 2002 Singlecut. I have no choice but to replace them as I can't stand not to. I'll be in touch to order once I decide which model to try in it. I fear this is going to get expensive. Once I'm done with the second Singlecut it's on to the Gibsons..." ~ Regards, John
"HOLY SHIT Jim!!!!!!!!!!!!! installed the American Steele set I received yesterday into my 1972 Gibson Les Paul Custom and I can't believe its the same guitar. I'm glad I took your advice and went with the American Steele set, WOW. And the caps are the icing on the cake. Thanks Jim."
"Tone, Tone, Tone baby!!!!! I have screwed with pickups for over 30 years trying to find the perfectly balanced tone, I have gone through Duncans, Gibsons (including real PAFs for the bend over price), Bill Lawrence, Bare Knuckle, Fraylins, etc. and I FINALLY can stop looking. I bought a set of DarkBursts last year and put them in my R8 Gibson Les Paul that had a Duncan 78 in the bridge and a Seth Lover in the neck. After I installed the DarkBursts with the Wagner caps and plugged, I had a Johnson the size of Texas. Needless to say I dumped the 78 and Seth on ebay (I now apologize to the buyer). A few months ago I bought a set of the American Steele and put them in my 72 Gibson Les Paul Custom with a set of Wagner caps (gotta get the caps with the pickups guys) and HOLYY SH**T, I cant believe how this guitar sounds. I didn't think anything could beat the R8 with the DarkBursts, the 72 Custom with the American Steele is now my favorite guitar. Unbelievable tone, I can't put it down, the American Steele made it fun to play guitar again. I had such success with the DarkBursts and the American Steele set so I bought a 3rd set from Jim a few weeks ago for my 76 Gibson Les Paul Custom. I contacted Jim for his recommendation; (great fricken dude) asked him for his suggestion since the 76 has a maple neck and he put together
a set of DarkBursts with a Bonamassa tweak (CherryBucker) and man, this thing KILLS!!! Now both the 72 and the 76 LPs are my two main guitars, I can sell the rest of them. Guys, if you're not sure what to buy and you are reading this to help you with your decision, my advice is contact Jim, tell him what you have and what you are trying to accomplish and pony up, you will save a ton of $ and time in the long run buying and reselling the Duncans and whatevers. Just check ebay, you wont find these up for sale used and there is a reason why. And by the way, I saw a negative post about JWP pickups from a kid that was disappointed that the Wagner pickups didn't have a Wagner sticker of name on them, well these pickups are for players and players that want and understand tone, not label wearers. Thanks Wagner Pickups!!!!!" ~ Best Regards, Jeff Koszyk
"Ok, I am going to make this short so I can go back to playing, but thank you so much!! These pickups are PERFECT!! At first when I installed them,
I thought they sounded familiar, then I realized that it was because they sound exactly like the way I pictured my SG to sound when I bought it and every time I played it. I've never used the neck pickup so much before. I think these pickups may be bad for the finish cause I am playing a hell of a lot more. When I get a Les Paul I will be sure to order another set from you! Gotta go back to playing!" ~ Eddie
"I have completely switched all my guitars from Seymour Duncan to Wagner pickups. The difference to me regarding going from SD to Wagner was as dramatic as going from stock pickups to Duncans. Jim is a really nice guy with great customer service, he will normally answer your emails/calls within
a few hours. Whenever I have placed an order he has wound my pickup and shipped the next day. I have heard and tried most his pickups in person and in live situations and my favorite choice is the American Steele set with the Godwood Bridge and Crossroads Neck. A Godwood bridge is currently on its way to replace the SD Custom 5 in the bridge of XSSIVE's Clone #13 which I just purchased, maybe when he does the pickup swap he could give a quick review of his impressions before sending me the guitar. I will not compromise on my tone if I know that there is something better, thus all my guitars in the present and future have and will have Wagner's." ~ David
"Hey Jim, I took a chance and even with my admittedly low proficiency in soldering, I was able to install the pickups. The first one took me about 30 minutes but once I got the hang of it, the other took less than 10 minutes. And apparently I didn't ruin anything in the guitar nor burn the whole apartment down. A short moment of distraction cost me a small burn on the left index finger but I see it more as a battle scar. :-) Fantastic pickups man! Both are very articulate, responsive and detailed, with even definition from string to string. And both pups are just very powerful without getting too overbearing. I tried a few other aftermarket brands before but I always ended up putting the original pickups back in. Not this time, my friend.
Man, I am very impressed! It usually takes way longer to get stuff from the US, many thanks and congrats on the unbelievable service and for making the best humbucking pickups on the planet." ~ Daniel, Brazil
"I LOVE the sound of my guitar now. Can't even recognize it as the same instrument, so many sound variations. And when I get to that section of the volume knob (8-10) I was thinking of the phrase on your website it was that kind of power." ~ John Spears
"Let me say one word - wow. I'm very impressed. I chose the pickups based on your soundclips thinking: "They probably recorded these with lots of effects and special settings, my guitar won't sound that good." But plugged in to my humble 5w tube amp with no effects, I can really hear those soundclips from my guitar!!! Also I'm very happy you recommended the Am Steeles over the Godwood set. The Godwood bridge is great, everything
I wanted it to be, works better than I imagined, but the Crossroads neck- man! It really weeps.... my fingers are sore I just cannot stop playing.
Thank you very much!! Keep up the great work." ~ Ophir, Tel Aviv
"Well, what can I say...I spent the entire morning playing at high volume (since my wife is gone to work)...My ears are ringing and my fingers are sore...
I'm in heaven!! And I'm extremely happy! The new pickups/kit plus full setup has brought my guitar back from the dead. The pickups sound awesome and I love how the 50's wiring really thins out the output when dialed down to about 5 on the volume, play a couple of chords lightly, and then slowly roll it back to 10 and hear the feedback naturally take over...then wham, hit a big A chord and blow away everything in front! Haha...Can't wait for my friends to come over and see their jaws drop. A big thank you for your prompt and courteous service. I've already spread the word to my friends and will mention you in a few forums. Thanks again and take care." ~ Claude
"Hey Jim, I wanna tell you how much I love the mixed Godwood/Crossroads set. The neck pickup is just so freaking sweet it's amazing."
~ Rick (The Wizard of Az)
"Your pickups are simply amazing, incredible stuff. In comparison to the Burstbuckers they sound so much bigger .... fantastic. The CR on the neck sounds so damn good. You can really hear the wood of the guitar ... nice! And the GW seems to be a very fine match. Sometimes I also play Drop Tunings and this pickup is just what I wanted. When I strum open chords .... its all there. Every single note and string sounds so articulated - its unbelievable. Thank you very much ...... you saved me a lot of time of pickup changing for the future. Your pickups have that certain feel I always wanted .... I think I tried 20+ pickups over the years. Thanks again!" ~ Sebastian
"I just got the guitar back from the shop....The American Steele's are sooooooo sweet in this guitar. I am going to have to get the Godwood neck for the middle position soon. But for now thank you for all your help - you really are the personification of customer service. As always it's great to do business with you. I am looking forward to get that Godwood neck in the middle position. All the best Jim." ~ Regards, Ed Cicchi
"I just wanted to let you know that the American Steele set is working out great. It took some getting used to with my amp, eq adjustments ect., but man do they smoke. I also wanted to tell you I just ordered a Darkburst/Crossroads combo for my Les Paul Custom. Thanks again, it is great to do business with you!" ~ Ed Cicchi
"Just want to tell you that my R7 never sounded as with your American Steele set of pickups. Now it's all there, the guitar is warm sounding very natural and not bright and tinny like before. I also love the Darkburst in my Suhr Strat. Thanks again." ~ Bert, Netherlands
Please read before you buy!
"Hello! I installed them (American Steele set) in a vintage lawsuit era Ibanez Les Paul. Guitar for guitar, pickup for pickup, I've never had a pickup change that was a PERFECT as this. These are nothing short of outstanding pickups. Not over, not under, but wonderwound :)" ~ Yours, Doug Doppler
"All I can say is NICE! This is a really nice neck pickup...greasy, treble in all the right places, fat but not as wooly as the Godwood.
Good recommendation! Thanks for the fast delivery." ~ George Reiswig, Song of the River Music
"Finally got those Crossroads pickups put in. What a difference! They have all the harmonic content that I like about alnico II pickups without being thin. This is exactly what I was looking for. Very pleased." ~ Timothy Krause
"I just picked up a set of your Crossroads pickups second hand. I have previously owned a set of Duncans and another very well known boutique winder's paf style set. I really couldn't hear much of a difference between the Duncan's and the boutique set. I ended up selling the guitar.
Which brings me to now, I recently purchased a Les Paul R0. The guitar is amazing, but I'm not a fan of burstbuckers. I was able to find a set of your Crossroads online at a comparable price to the Duncan's, so I took a shot. I am absolutely floored by the quality of the pickups. They are so clear, yet so smooth. I am able to play the bridge pickup in the higher registers without rolling the pots down. I will never swap the pickups. Your description of the set doesn't do it justice. It does the Clapton Cream era perfectly. But, I was easily able to coax Jimmy Page Zeppelin grunt out of it and Billy Gibbons pinch harmonics. I will recommend this to everyone. Thanks for making an amazing set!" ~ Barry
"I received the Crossroads pickups yesterday & soldered them straight in. Man they are unbelievable! I don't know how you do it but they've lived up
to all my expectations & some! I've been searching for years for "that tone" & have never been able to get it. Someone else always seems to have that tone I'm looking for but I've never been able to get it, till now! I just wanted to let you know how amazed with them I am & will never use anything else in the future!" ~ All the best, Paul Chamberlain (from the UK)
"I just have to drop in today to give you some much deserved praise. I have your Crossroads HBs in two of my guitars: a Les Paul standard and a
Dot 335. The LP's CRs have been in there for a number of years now, well seasoned, maturing beautifully; those in the 335 are pretty new but still amazingly gorgeous. Both sets are, simply put, TO DIE FOR. Hands down, the best HBs I've ever played. Both yesterday and today I have had these two guitars plugged straight into my Top Hat Emplexador head with 4x12 cab, and I have been in tone heaven for 48 hours! Those pickups ring and chime and sparkle and bloom and grind and growl and crunch and scream! They are PERFECT! But the thing that drove me to Facebook today to dish out this praise is what I've been discovering just in the past half hour with my 335: the combination of your Crossroads and a really good set of 50s-style wiring allows me to use the entire sweep of the volume knob, from 1 to 10, with NO loss of HiFi quality to the tone. The only other set of pickups that have the same quality are the P90s in one of my PRS guitars. Every stop along the volume pot from 1 to 10 is rich and clear and usable in these Crossroads. So my hat goes off to you, Jim, for making such superb pickups! Thanks a million!" ~ Daniel Ferguson
"I just installed the Crossroads Set in my Les Paul ( replacing the stock Burstbuckers) and they're everything I thought they'd be. Pure 60s Brit-Blues nirvana. Instant Cream era Clapton/Free's Paul Kossoff. I'm thinking of replacing the stock pups in my PRS Artist. Any thoughts on a set that could be split, yet yield this juicy PAF magic I get from my Moore/Greens and Crossroads? Thanks again for enabling this 61 year old ex road warrior/studio cat to feel like a kid again! Really man, your pickups have put such a smile on my face! Continued success." ~ Rob
"I got my Crossroads set yesterday and they worked miracles with my R9, a guitar that felt dull and dark with BBs. I actually got some twang in it.
This is my third set. I've had the Filmores and my favorite strat has a set in it as well. They have all been excellent and I recommed your pickups whenever I get the chance. Keep up the good work! Cheers from Stockholm, Sweden" ~ Ola Gustafsson
"These are 1961 PAF's I acquired ages ago before all this was going on. Back then, the only way to get that tone was to look for these dirty old used pickups, and I found a set cheap, so they've been in there since the 70's. I started thinking about how much they are fucking worth these days and decided to try out one of the Crossroads first... maybe they are that good? So tonight I filled the empty spot with the Crossroads bridge pickup.
So now I have a 61 PAF and your Crossroads to switch back and forth from. Well shucks, that bridge Crossroads is right at home with the neck '61.
They sound like brother and sister. That tells me I can pull that neck one out too and not worry about a thing. A person doesn't often get the chance
to make a comparison like that. I'll tell you - I won't miss the PAF's, I got what I need right here. Great pickups, Jim; sorry it took me so long to put
them into service." ~ Jeff Jourard
"I love my Crossroads neck pickup. Thanks especially for your wonderful pickups!" ~ Best wishes, Bill Eisner
"Just wanted drop you a line and let you know I'm loving my crossroads. My bass player and my old guitar player both noticed a difference, they both
fix guitars for a living and didn't think it would make much of a difference. They thought the Crossroads sounded how a Les Paul should sound. I had "the original" Gibson pickups with the PCB board on the bottom, pretty much the only good tones I got out of em was with the volume and treble maxed. Not so with the Crossroads, I get cool tones all the way from 0 to 10 with my knobs. The neck pickup is super sweet! I can get good country tones all the way to beano tones! I'm loving my Crossroads, thanks alot man!" ~ Steve
"Ok, you win! The Crossroads is mo betta then the mule! The mule is great, but stronger low end and not as balanced. The CR is buttery with better top end! Really does make a great fit with the Godwood. That Les Paul is complete now! Thanks Jim!" ~ Aaron Bush
"Just a quick note. Just had CR neck installed in the Tele. Got to play it some today... incredibly SWEET! Just what I was hoping for.
Couldn't be happier. Thanks again." ~ Jim
"Just wanted to let you know I'm really stoked with the Crossroads set that I installed in my Les Paul. The clarity and feel are really amazing and
the tone is very inspiring. Funny thing... Chip at Chip's Music in Jacksonville, FL installed them and noted that he uses CR coils in some of his Gibsons as well." ~ Thanks, Jim
"I just got my mid-90s Epi Les Paul back from my tech who installed the wiring kit upgrade under a pair of your Crossroads pickups and -wow- what a difference! I can finally actually use my volume and tone knobs for what they were intended! I notice that the taper involves a bit of a steep drop from 10 to 9, then very smooth and gradual from 9 to 1. It's very usable in that whole range, and when I drop it to about 6 and below it cleans up very nicely. Thanks for a great upgrade!" ~ Daniel Ferguson
"I just wanted to write to let you know how much I am loving my Crossroads pickups in my Les Paul Classic! This is exactly the sound I was looking for in a Les Paul. They are so warm and so smooth - Amazing!!! Thank you for all your help with the order and for making these amazing pickups!" ~
Very best, Joe Quinn
"I just wanted to say a quick thanks for such a great pickup set... I haven't touched my PRS since I put your Crossroads in my cheap 335 copy.
Man, I can't even tell you how happy I am with the tone of those pickups. It's like I've been to the Dark Side with your handwound pickups, and there's no going back. From thick fat sizzling lead tones, to crunchy chords, to sparkling shimmering clear semi-clean tones, to rich woody tones... all with such great clarity! These pickups do it all just by manipulating the guitar tone and volume controls! I can't imagine a better sounding or more versatile pickup set. The Crossroads seem to do far more than just the Crossroads tone - they're very multi-dimensional and dynamic, responding unbelievably to player input. I've never played a setup of pickups with this kind of player "feel" before. I'm sure you already knew all this for yourself, and that you hear it from your customers all the time, but I'm sold! Thanks again from a very satisfied customer." ~ Chad Koser
"My buddies and I had our "tonefest" this past weekend and man we had a blast! My Les Paul Std with the Crossroads sounded great man! Nice and clear, definitely on the bright side but not sterile or harsh in anyway. My friend has a LP studio model with burstbuckers; his were hotter but not near as clear. He even stated this, as well as my other Tele playing friend. The "neck" Crossroads is sick man! I've never heard a neck humbucker so clear and "non-muddy". I was digging it!! The Strat sounds great too. I've still got some setting up left to do and some tone testing. I installed a "deaf-eddie" switch on it so I can now get 11 different combinations which is cool (if I can ever memorize what is what ha ha). Thanks Jim for all the advice!"
"Thanks for the quick shipment and excellent tone of the Crossroads pups I ordered a month or two ago. I popped them into my R7 Goldtop after trying Antiquities, Voodoo 59s and Gibson 57s. These are the real deal and they're in the R7 to stay. Thanks!" ~ Jack Hamilton
"I changed the wires, now everything is fine. Very nice pickups. I tried nearly all humbuckers, except original PAF`s, the Crossroads are farmost the
best and most musical pickups. Do you know there was a big PAF shootout in a German guitar magazine "Gitarre&Bass" which featured your Godwoods, Crossroads and Darkbursts compared to a lot of other humbuckers and an original 62 PAF with mp3 files of each one played with a Gibson Les Paul Historic through a Marshall 1974 combo? I think about changing the Voodoo pickups on my Nik Huber Orca to Crossroads." ~ Thanks, Wolfgang
"Hey Jim.... Got the Crossroads (that was quick!) and put it in my 05 Jimmy Page today. Sounds freaking great!!! It added the honking mids I was looking for and smoothed out the top end which was harsh with the stock Gibson.... Once again, thanks!!!!!" ~ Best, Ed A
"So while I am a little alienated by the JWP website claim of duplicating the sound of certain RECORDINGS of players/ instruments/amps and further recording/mixing equipment in one set of pickups, I ordered a set of Wagner Crossroads. And while I didn't compare them to current competitors I can say that they absolutely nail the sound and the feel of my vintage pickups. Output seems a tad higher, no problem tho. Wagner was fast in email contact, discussed a few details swiftly and delivered fast. I was prepared to search through three, four different brands of PAF replicas, but my search ended right where it began. Keepers." ~ Andy W
"I have searched for great sounding PAF's for some time. Nothing has ever satisfied me completely. Hot means nothing...TONE,TONE,TONE is everything. I have plenty of HOT in my Marshall Amps. What can I say. The overall tone is far better than anything I have ever tried. As a matter of fact, I have 13 super nice guitars, but my Les Paul with Jim Wagner's Crossroads pickups not only went through a major sound improvement, it is
without a doubt the BEST sound that I have EVER heard, period. I know that is big talk, but it's true. I've tried to not sound like others, but honestly, they are way beyond anything... I'm serious. I not only would buy them again, I would buy a set for my '76 Explorer, 3 USA Strats, My Flying V, and 4 Jackson's, including my beloved Jackson Soloist. I have tried all Duncan's(59's,sh-4's,antiquities, etc.), Dimarzio PAF's, Kent Armstrongs, Lindy Fralins (these came in a distant second place behind Wagner). I too believe nothing normally rate a 10, but, if others deserve 9's, then yea, these rare 10++"
~ Glen O'Neal
"I know you must get a lot of great feedback on your pups and here is another. I have now installed the Crossroads pair and a CRs/Darkburst combo into my ES 335's. I am in awe of how great they sound. It's good...really good and I thank you!" ~ Victor from Toronto, Canada
"I just picked up my guitar today after having the Crossroads installed. I am blown away. Its just such a simple sound. I feel like my R57 is the real deal, actually it is. Its PAF city, simply beautiful. This is what a Gibson Les Paul is meant to sound like. I will also add the changing the pots and caps were right on. HUGE difference. Its the complete package. You were totally cool and easy to deal with, thanks so much my new friend! I still have a R9 that is stock - the BB on those really sound pretty good as a compliment to these. They are a more late 60's/70's sound to me, I guess maybe the Fillmore set would be a fitting change down the line. Jim thanks again, I will stay in touch." ~ Jeff Silverberg
"DUDE! What the hell!? These pick-ups are freakin awesome! Like, the neck sounds so clean even distorted. And even better when my Vintage Modern is on low gain it's nice and warm still with a bit of thickness. Lovin this thing. Gotta put some mileage on her. Just played Paradise City, Sweet Child O' Mine, and man o man, I'm nailin these songs tone even better now. Thank you sooooo MUCH. When I get a new guitar, be expecting an e-mail from me! A VERY happy buyer, a now proud owner of a Crossroads neck." ~ Carlo
"I finally installed the Crossroads in my 335. Most excellent! I went from the stock '57s to Duncan Antiquities to Lollar Imperials in that guitar. I liked the Lollars very much, but I like your stuff better. I can't quite describe it, but your Darkbursts in my LP and the Crossroads in the 335 just add something else. Smoother? Rounder? Articulate without being too much so? I can't exactly describe it without starting to sound like a wine reviewer. I realize sound is subjective, but all I know is that those guitars never sounded better. Well, one more LP to add Wagner's to. Then I'll need to buy a few more guitars to take advantage of your entire line!! You've got a fan here and I see no need to explore pickup manufacturers any more. Go straight to JWP! Once again, thanks for your helpful advice." ~ Best, Professor Paul from Connecticut
"Thanks for recommending the Crossroads set for my SG recently. I finally had them installed and they sound great. They have that "bloom"
that I've been looking for and are both smooth and clear. You really should name them "The Last Pickups You'll Ever Buy" set!
Thanks though - love the pickups!" ~ Eric Whipple, Raleigh, NC
"I ordered a set of Crossroads last December. I must say that I am blown away. When I bought them, I was considering either buying a new guitar or putting some new pickups into mine. I use an Epi SG and I was concerned about dropping more money on the pick ups than I did on the guitar itself. All I can say is wow. I would challenge anyone who heard my guitar to decipher whether it was a Gibson or an Epi. The pickups are great, and really achieve that PAF sound that I was looking for. My goal was to get a guitar that had a similar tone to Garcia's pre-60's guitar (a SG at the time) and that early San Fran sound. These pickups blew me away and I am extremely happy with them. Thanks a lot for your great customer service and excellent product. Any future pickups I purchase will be coming from you." ~ Thanks a lot, John Kennedy
"Well I just got the Crossroads wired in - and restrung my guitar - plugged it into a Univalve and a 2*12 cabinet (my Marshall is being flakey these days) with a Mullard 12ax7 in V1, and a Siemens EL34 and wound her up...great balance across the two pickups! And then I put vibrato on a B note on the
D string and literally it kept singing and singing and singing....more later, gotta go play my guitar." ~ Thank you! Barr
"Florian Jager and I developed a new guitar which is called "Propeller." It is fitted with the JWP Propeller-Set (Crossroads Set) which is the Bet Set with
a slightly stronger bridge pickup. It is highly appreciated by the customers. Its stunning how you managed to get this honky sound into it.
A real PAF really sounds some kind of flat in comparsion. The BetSet has slightly more character and a nastier tone. Keep on rockin Bro!"
~ Best Regards, Udo Pipper
"I find myself rolling back my tone knob more now instead of leaving it on 10 all the time like I used to. Roll the knob back to 2 or 3 and you got that early Clapton tone no problem. These pickups really brought this guitar to life. Before it sounded thin and crispy. Now its loud, warm, fat, clear and crispy. These pickup simply bring out the true sound of your instrument. The stock ones were holding it back. I like these pickups. They kick ass."
"Definitely buy them again. There is not another match for them on the planet. I have been playing for 28 years, have tried them all, and have heard none that can compare. I see a coupla guys think they are over priced, but have their information wrong. I have several other axes, and they will soon be all JWP. I'm done looking for something good made decades ago, for ridicules prices. Jim's are even better, and they are here NOW! You get what you pay for, and I'm suprised he doesn't charge a lot more for them. Better get 'em while they're still CHEAP!! =-) "
"Not overly hot very PAF sounding "Sweet and Creamy with Balls." Nice mids, not muddy at all. Pretty balanced volume and tone wise. Classic Rock and Blues. Both pickups have the tone you grew up with. They won't get lost or stolen, but if they were I would definitely get another set. I have been playing 38+ years. I also own a 1960 Les Paul GT Re-issue with Wagner Fillmore pickups and a MelodyMaker with a Wagner Fillmore pickup." ~ Weldaar
"Fat and creamy, while clear and bright without ever being muddy or harsh!!! These pickups can be sweet and bright, fat and clear at the same time. They never get muddy even when the tone pot is turned all the way down. Excellent note separation and chimey, bell-like tone at any gain level! You can make them sound mellow or bright by just using the tone pots or the amp's EQ. The "early Clapton" tone is there as the name implies. These pickups can go from sweet to nasty, regarding on the player's needs. From "chicken picking" to muted jazzy and on...just "ask" and they deliver!!!
And a very important issue for semi-hollow guitars, is that they don't squeal! The only microphonics you'll ever get will be due to the instrument's nature. All positions have their own sweet distinct tone. I've been playing for about 20 years and I can easily say that these are the best humbuckers I've ever played! Jim Wagner did an excellent job with his pickups and offers great products at a reasonable price. He is very helpful and the shipping method he uses is fast and flawless! I'm extremely happy with my pickups and I will definitely buy pickups again from Jim.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!" ~ luLEc
"Tried the Darkburst in another guitar, and was so blown away, had to have more!!! Whereas I had previously put a set of Crossroads/Darkburst
pickups into a semi-hollowbody that I use for a variety of styles, (and was completely floored/impressed/stunned by how good they sounded), this guitar/amp combination is strictly for jazz. And I am just as happy with this set in this guitar. The AE1200S is a very well made/reasonably priced jazz axe. But I just wasn't getting out of it the quality of tone that I was looking for. With the Wagner's in it, I would confidently put it up against ANY archtop. I love players like Kenny Burrell, Wes, Tal Farlow...but was never able to get quite that same quality of tone. Really warm , but with perfect clarity too. Rich overtones, great definition, no muddy lows. With the Crossroads I am able to get all that. Whereas I previously had "good axe for the money" opinion about this guitar, with the Wagner's PUPs in it, I absolutely LOVE it. I don't feel I am missing anything at all. In fact, I think I can now get a BETTER sound than what I hear on some of my favorite recordings. The Wagner pickups are simply the best musical investment I have EVER had (and I don't even want to think about all the money I have spent over the years on musical toys!) So as amazing as Jim Wagners PUPs sound for playing blues, rock, etc (and they are GREAT for all that), they also sound amazing on a jazz axe as well. Simply the best sounding pickups out there!!!!
If lost or stolen, I would simply HAVE TO replace my Wagner pickups. Don't think I could live without them at this point. I have been playing for 39 years, and have been through a mess o' guitars, and more pickups than I can remember. The two guitars that I have put Wagner pickups into are now my favorites, bar none. I am completely satisfied with these PUPs, and recommend them to everyone, no matter what style of music you play. Just want to add that in a time when all things vintage are pretty much out of the price range of us normal folks, it is great that Jim Wagner is offering vintage quality pickups at a very reasonable price. Forget the overpriced PAFs, and get some Wagner's!!!!" ~ Rick Harris
"I had pretty much given up on Humbuckers a few years ago. Recently decided to give them a shot again, and after researching decided that Crossroads sounded like what I was after. All other humbuckers I'd tried in the past were either flat or lifeless or lacking SOMETHING. These maintain terrific definition from clean to heavily overdriven, with unbelievable "chime" if you want it. If you have been disappointed with humbuckers in the past due to LACK of clarity, "bell-like chime", depth, dimension, character, snarl, or squawwwk, then these are the pickups that will renew your faith in the almighty PAF tone. These are billed as a "dead-on" Clapton pickup, and they can definitely do that, but they can do SO much more. Wes Montgomery or Grant Green float your boat for Jazz? These'll cop those tone as and more. Early Sabbath or Stoner Rock (with TONE!) what you're looking for? These will do that with a hot amp, and leave you drooling like a complete idiot. Are you a blues hound that yearns for a great Albert King or similar PAF tone that will sustain with beautiful harmonic content? Consider it done. This pickup is THE match for guitars with humbuckers. Good tone transcends musical boundaries, doesn't it? Obviously, I love these pickups. I like them so much, I wish I had more guitars to put Jim's other pickups in. The next best pickup I've experienced were Fralin's HBs, and I've heard some Duncan Seth Lovers that were certainly decent. These Crossroads, however, are in another league of sound experience. Sometimes, the tone is so good, it literally feels as if I am INSIDE of the notes. If you've ever heard a PAF that good, you know what i am talking about. If you have never heard a PAF this good, I suggest you head over to JWP's website right now drop an email to Jim. He is an excellent human being to talk tone with, and he will take care of you like a friend." ~ squatchyeti
"I had a chance recently to pick up a pair of the famed Tom Holmes 455/450 pickups, and thought, What the heck, if I don't like m, I can flip m for what
I paid for them. So, I took the plunge. Got m the other day, slapped m in my Les Paul (the one where I have the Darkbursts), and I am here to officially tell you, your Darkbursts are just simply better all-around! Better articulation, better overall tonal balance across the spectrum they just have a presence and punch that the Holmes simply lack. So, just for your edification, your Darkbursts are a superior pickup, period!!!
Thanks for the great tone!" ~ Clay Campbell Birmingham, AL
"Just wanted to let you know I received and installed the Darkbursts in my Gibson Midtown Custom yesterday and have to say its the first set of pickups that when I played the first few notes I just sat back and said WOW. I played them clean, dirty, no matter they sound great." ~ Thanks ~ Kevin J Querry
"Nothing beats your humbuckers fella. I demoed my 75 Flying V for a guy with DarkBursts in it thru his 69 Laney and he about shat himself.
These are for him." ~ Johnny Hiwatt
"Wow! That really is a big boy pickup isn't it? It certainly lives up to your description. There are some very cool characteristics that I've never had before, most notably the tight authorative bass! My band has not heard it yet. It's going to be like a carpool where up until now I was driving a decent car like a Toyota and then one day I show up driving a Ferrari!! I hope the lads understand! Lol! Cheers mate!" ~ thorn
"Just wanted to say thanks for making the best pickups on the planet! I have tried tons of pickups by all the different manufactures but could never
find what I needed. Some had a harsh top end, some had weird mids and some had either too much bottom end or not enough. I was very frustrated. Then one of my friends told me about you. I thought what the heck, I'll give them a shot. Got a DarkBurst and loaded it into My Les Paul. Holy cow, I couldn't believe it. The tone was perfectly balanced and the solos cut thru amazingly. Not a hint of tubbiness or harshness. I now have all of my axes loaded with your pickups. When anybody asks what pickups I am using, I hate to tell them. You are my secret weapon! Thanks again for taking away my frustration!" ~ Cliff Echternach
"Dear Jim, Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Amazing amazing amazing!!!! They are hands down the sweetest sounding pickups I've ever heard. Can't believe how much tone there is, really noticed how much bigger the 1st E and 2nd B string sounded. When I unplugged the guitar the natural guitar sound was the same as the plugged in sound, I've never experienced that before on any guitar and I've played some very expensive guitars. Saturday i took them straight out gigging and at volume they just sing sing sing, clean up beautifully on the volume but stacks of weight for rock, we do some Sabbath and Zepplin tunes. I've got them in an old Jap Tokai Love Rock and I know together they're gonna make grown
men cry. I've been from vintage to modeled digital (I had an artist deal with line 6) and back to vintage again and have ended up at JWP, what a stroke of luck. The only downside is that now my 22 year search for tone is over I'm not quite sure what to think about now.......
To anyone out there I have nearly singlehanded kept some of the large pick up companies in business (Seymour Duncan) if I'd have found Wagner earlier I'd have saved lots of money." ~ Thanks again, Luke Ford, UK
"WOW! Much better sounding than the original Classic 57s my Les Paul had. I have 2 amps, a Bad Cat Hot Cat 30 and a 50 watt Dumble clone and my guitar sounds fantastic through both of them. Keep up the excellent work." ~ Cheers, Brian
"Your hums rock in my Gold Top better than anything!" ~ Cheers, Heikki from Germany
"Just wanted to write and let you know that the pickups sounds great. Mostly using the DarkBurst, which really does that EVH Brown sound well for my tastes (played through a boogie as loud as possible). Thanks again for all your help and was good chatting with you during the process." ~ Mike
"Thank you for the super fast shipping. I thought I'd be waiting a good while for that pup, but it was only 2 or 3 days from when I ordered it, awesome!!!
I put in the bridge of my Strat today, my guitar sounded absolutely superb tonight. That DarkBurst is amazing, so rich and dripping with harmonics.
I was in tone heaven all night!! Thanks Alot!" ~ Mark Gibson
"Just dropped the DarkBursts/Wirings into my '02 LP Classic yesterday night... they're simply the BEST sounding pickups I ever heard. The '50's wiring is cool too. The control-knobs clean up pretty fast... kinda abruptly... but the sound... oh mine...Oh, and I'm just ADDICTED in the OUT-OF-PHASE sound I can get anytime I want just pulling my knob. VERY Greenish. Your work is fantastic. THX A LOT!!!" ~ Best Regards, Gabriel Isaacsson
"Got the pickups Tues, put them in and went to rehearsal cranked the Marshalls and all I can say is outstanding. The best money I've spent for pickups ever. I've tried them all in the 30 years I've owned the guitar, it's the sound I've heard in my head forever. You made a outstanding guitar priceless now. I'll be getting more in the future. THANK YOU!!!!!" ~ Mike
"Jim, thanks again for your input. I ended up ordering a DB bridge. I installed it last night. It was a mistake to order only the bridge. I should have ordered the set!!! I have a box of high-end humbuckers (Fralin, Sheptone, Classic 57s, Burstbuckers, and a few DiMarzios and Duncans) that have been in and out of my Les Pauls. I was fed up with spending big money and not getting the results. So I cautiously purchased one of your pickups in lieu of
a set. Finally, somebody got it right! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am so impressed and so happy with the sound of my Les Paul because it now sounds the way it should ...it finally has that sound ...that tone ...that growl that's been in my head. As you read this, know that I am placing an order for the neck pickup, and I will most likely order another set for my R9. Thanks again, and thanks for making a product that's awesome. I so appreciate that anything said about your products is completely backed up by a great product." ~ Tom Bernacki
"I just recently ordered a Darkburst for my Epiphone LP, and I am blown away with the way it has brought my entire rig alive. It's making me a better player simply because I now love the way the rig sounds, so I want to play more. So thanks tons for the great products!" ~ Thanks again, Thom Kendall
"I have had a good while testing out the DB/GW set you provided for my PRS cu22. The set is absolutely amazing and inspiring! I won't throw out the tone words we all love/use, but these pickups have connected me to this guitar in a way that I had not experienced prior. They are powerful, yet controllable. Round/full with clarity. Ok I used a few! Seriously, they are a great compliment to the guitar and won't be going anywhere! Thank you
for a great set of pickups and excellent service. My own Wagner collection continues (Gibson R7 w/ Fillmore & Gibson 61RI w/ MG Set w/ magnet re-flipped)!!!!!!" ~ Greg Morand
"Dude, got your pickups last week and just put them in and I'm crapping my pants right now. Tore into some ZZ Brown Sugar - these are some
beautiful sounding pickups! Better than I could ever hope. Plus I can actually use my neck pickup now. Thank you for a great product, and unleashing the tone from my Les Paul! I wish you and your business well!" ~ Eric Jensen
"Thanks man - Best Hard rock pup I have ever heard." ~ Barry Menary
"Installed the DarkBursts and they are like a breath of fresh air for my tired old "72" LP Custom. Through the Elmwood's gain channel, the bridge DB has a wonderful crunchy vibe that exhibits excellent sustain and resonates with harmonics bouncing all over the place. The neck pickup is sweet and buttery sounding. Very smooth, articulate, clear and bright. And yet they are also warm and round sounding as well. Don't know how that's possible but really amazing pickups. Well done." ~ Thanks. Steve
"Sorry to bother you on labor day weekend, but I just correctly installed the DarkBurst I got from you about a month back. Man I am floored!!!
That is the best sounding pickup I have ever heard, crispy and dirty sweet, and so defining and articulate, un-real. I am so stoked, I put it in a Carvin dc400 and it sounds like Duane Allman and Van Halen combined. It cleans up so nice and sweeettt, I know you already know this about your product, but mine sound better than your demo!!! Unreal. Thank you Jim, just plain thanks man and God Bless." ~ Jack Halsey
"Well....I won't be selling that guitar now.... Sweet to ballsey, with subtle adjustments to the vol. and tone pots (thanks, now I know what those knobs
are for) you can get many different variations of tone. And Kossoff is IN THERE, and alot, alot more. You just got to have an ear and play with it. But it will do it. It's like I had an ok guitar, nothin special, now it is like I got a badass old '59...that Heritage H-150 is a BAD MUTHERFUCKER. She will shyly kiss you on the cheek or give you an east Texas grudge fuckin' (excuse my French). Thanks, Jim. I will get back to you later on this, but 3 different very good guitarists got their socks blown off. (one of them builds custom guitars and uses Lollars. He was impressed.) Later." ~ Steve Bounds
"Yesterday I took my Les Paul to band practice and I pulled it out after we were done running through our set and started playing a bit through my rig. Our other guitarist yelled from the bathroom...damn, you sound like Paul Kossoff! vHaha. Really, just bending a note and holding it made me smile. That guitar has sounded dead since I got it...but now it's alive. DarkBurts and Wiring Kit. Thanks for the awesome product, and great service."
~ Pat Butler
"I just had the opportunity to test my 98 Les Paul Studio with the brand new DarkBurst bridge. My first impression is "WOW, god damn it"!
The harmonics, the equalization, the sustain, the sheer TONE coming out of my fingers is just what I was looking for in 15 years playing guitar.
The notes sing, scream, wail and jump out of the fretboard and the guitar is now actually easier to play. The pickup responds remarkably well to the volume and tone control, cleaning up nicely. With the tone control half-closed, I can get that nice sound from the Fillmore Concert. My SG is still on
the luthier for set-up and I can't wait to put my hands on it and test the Crossroads neck. Thanks for the best tone upgrade I had since I bought my
Les Paul! Thanks again!" ~ Brendan
"Holy mother of god, the DarkBursts are incredible. I will be ordering another pair asap. Really incredible, everything I wanted and a whole heck of a
lot more. Thanks, Jim!" ~ Dave Y
"Dear Mr. Wagner! I put the DarkBurst to the test today as promised... But let me first tell/write you that (a) I'm tired of all those hemorrhoid central review shit and stuff like that, (b) tired of all those magazines, telling you every month what's even better than a month before playing in hand of the music industries, (c) tired of our bass player's problem with getting high. I'm playing my Marshall Halfstack since 1979 now and this thing was all I ever needed. Balls, soul, tone. There have been some other amps over the years, of course but the only one that still enjoys it stay here is the Goldtone.
So today I met with my bros for a rehearsal and - honest - the only thing I had to do is connecting my DarkBurst upgraded SG and let the stdby-switch make this cool "clack" noise. No effects whatsoever. Straight in the amp. And now... Yes, hemorrhoid central pure! Unbelievable, best, 10 out of 10 blahblahblah... I definitely never ever had a better sound (according to my demands/needs) through this amp by a direct guitar to amp connection.
It growls, howls, screams, sings etc. etc. etc. in a way I always knew it must be possible through this amp, feeling the substance. I had a similar sound with the same setup (another SG Model) and old Sylvania tubes, but this was more than 15 years ago. Even our (sober today!) bass player had a broad grin in his fat face: "Hey man, all the harshness is gone!". Jim, this experience left me disturbed... As Michael Doyle describes in his "The History of Marshall": "In direct contrast to the 1969 50-watt, the 1972 version was an absolute animal". He is right! And the Darkburst in a good (!) guitar and this Marshall make the perfect match. The next thing to do is giving the Goldtone a rehearsal- shakedown. I'm looking forward. Jim, you're my Schatzi now ;-) And: YES, I LOVE IT CRANKED! I'll let you know what`s next ;-) Thank YOU, Jim!" ~ Regards, Holger
"I finally received the DarkBurst Set. They sound absolutely great, never heard anything else like this before. I can`t stop playing so that my wife decided to do a short vacation for herself." ~ Best regards from good ole Germany, Jurgen
"It took me a while but finally I've put Darkbursts into a ... Gibson :) All I can say is that you have a happy customer here in Poland :)"
~ Thanks again, Przemek
"I got the DB's yesterday and installed them. I am sure you have heard this before but....wow! I have never heard a bucker with that kind of brightness still be so meaty and warm. The way they hold their own when you roll back the volume is quite something. I am quite dazzled by the clarity of the neck pickup. No mud at all but it still has low end creamyness. I installed them in my Historic R7 Custom and she has never ever sounded better.
I am now getting the Les Paul tones I have heard in my head, and on records since I started playing in 1967. A life long Strat player, I never thought that
I would get the subtle expressiveness you find in single coils out of a humbucker. I was wrong and your pickups prove it. I still get shivers every time I light up in the Lester. I could go on for hours but I wont. I will offer you a link to a post on the gear page. It contains a couple of links to mp3's I have recently done. I am playing through the normal channel of an 18 Watt clone. (and loving it!) Thanks for the work you have done to capture the sonic soul of the PAF sound and the sound of rock and roll as I knew it growing up." ~ Cheers for now, Lawrence Bethune
"Clean these sound great and are very versatile. Neck is warm, clear and smooth with no muddiness. Middle is very chimey, mids balanced between the highs and lows. Bridge is sharp and full of harmonics. Dirty, these things just rock. Badass full out crunch with unbelievable sustain from the bridge. I really thought any improvement would be marginal and difficult to notice. No way. The luthier who set them up told me they were badass
and got looks from all over the shop. He was right. These were pricey, but still $100 less than some of the hot boutique PAF pups. These were made
for the LP. Jim was great to deal with, responded to email immediately and gave his opinion when asked. Service was excellent and the pups arrived right on schedule." ~ Jim F
"Jim makes a superior product, but then you knew that or you wouldn't be reading this review. You're looking for confirmation and validation before spending your money. Consider that done. He's better than great. I've been in the customer service business for more than 30 years. I've seen it all. Like most of you, I work to pay the bills and I play guitar for enjoyment. I know when someone has a natural commitment to excellence, and the pride
of workmanship that drives them to exceed your expectations. Jim has that and demonstrated it in a way that wowed me. I traded four detailed emails with him and each time I had a thoughtful, well written response back within 24-hours. I pulled the trigger on a Sunday and the pickups were sitting in my mailbox on Tuesday. ON TUESDAY! The package was neatly put together and the pickups were rolled securely in bubble wrap. First class all the way. Do yourself a favor and listen to Jim's stuff on his website and contact him with your questions. He's a true master builder." ~ Steve P
"I never quite had a set that really gave me something without taking something else away. These sound fat, open, organic, warm and expressive with a cool sass and attitude that I've never had before! They have the thick punch of a hotter pickup while retaining the 3D and dynamics of what they really are. As with any PAF style pickup you have to work a little harder as they don't compress every note to the point of "easy shred" but that is what makes them breathe, and it's those dynamics that let you really express yourself. You can hear the quality of the materials used... it really makes a difference.
I didn't like them with the Alnico 5's in them... but I'm also running them into an amp that was made for A2's. Harmonics really scream... the highs
really cut without the harsh bite that I got from the Antiquity's and the lows really punch without getting muddy... they are very balanced. I really dig them! They were pricey but well worth it. I think of all the cash I've spent over the years on pickups and how much I would have saved just in the past TWO years let alone all if I had just bought a pair of these from the start. These are the best I've tried." ~ Tony
"The big difference is in the tone and feel, and in that category the Wagner's make such a big difference that there is just no comparison. The notes just jump out of the guitar and the sustain is far superior. Because Jim Wagner designed this pickup to sound like the slightly overwound ones on some of the vintage Gibson guitars that most of us can only dream of owning, this is a perfect pickup for anybody who lusts after the sounds of Duane Allman, Mike Bloomfield , Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Gary Moore, Michael Schenker etc. It's all there and more! For players like myself who often favor the sound of humbuckers with the covers on, I highly recommend paying a little bit extra and getting the all nickel covers that Jim offers. They really dish up that ringing sort of bell- like quality. (If you don't believe that the material of the pickup cover makes a difference, try these just once and see. I think you will be very pleasantly surprised.) I have tried just about every pickup by the usual makers of aftermarket humbuckers, and while some of them certainly didn't sound bad, they just didn't do it for me like JWP's do. I also put a set of Fillmores in an LP Custom and they sound equally stunning. When I say this is a 10 I'm not kidding around! After trying a bunch of different pickups over the past 20+ years, I can honestly say that Jim's are the best I have played." ~ Joel Smith
"I would like to thank you for the DarkBursts I got from you a few months ago. They are THE BEST pups I have ever tried. I love them and they literally saved my Les Paul. Before I got the pickups I literally was going to sell my Paul, I had begun to believe that the Les Paul thing was not for me. I thought this strange though because many of my favorite guitarists used Paul's....sooooo.....in comes the Wagner DarkBursts...now I love my Paul. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. You are at the top of the pickup game!" ~ James Murray
"I just installed your DarkBurst's in my ax, couldn't be more thrilled. Thank you...The best pickups I ever heard." ~ Kind regards, Dan
"I have had your pickups in my axe for over a month now and I must say they are beautiful I really really enjoy the tone! I have your pots and pickups in my axe and it truly is an amazing thing to get such clarity out of my axe. Your amazing pickups!" ~ Paul Rankin
"First impressions is WOW, big improvement over the stock Gibson Pickups. The output gain is similar to the Classic '57's and also the tone is similar but the DarkBurst's do it so much better. They have made a good sounding mid priced Les Paul into a great sounding Les Paul. Really woody clean tones and silky smooth lead tones. Both pickups are really well balanced with each other. Great for Joe Bonamassa sounds. I have read a few of the other reviews and a few people say that they are a bit pricey. Well I live in Australia and for boutique pickups the price is really good, a set of Duncan's would of set me back more here. I am really happy with my purchase." ~ Nairbr
"I'm a big Duane Allman fan - I've dealt with Jim Wagner before, and he's a big fan himself, and his products are first class. Looking for that elusive tone... This Les Paul is set up exclusively for slide playing - raised action, Open E tuning, and this pickup is brilliant. The other night we played a gig at our local pub, and finished with a home-grown 12-bar number, and I played slide. Listening to the recording, (apart from the at-times sloppy technique!) it sounded just like Duane Allman, a number of people complimented me on the tone. Using the middle pickup position for the intro, backing off into those warm, flutey licks between vocals on the neck pickup, and then opening up on the bridge (volume 10, tone 5) for a searing lead break, I couldn't have asked for more. This pickup NAILS the Duane tone. Rock, Blues, - even Jazz, they're so well balanced. If stolen, I'd just order another set. Been playing around 25 years. Basically, if you're an Allman fan, or simply want a great, well balanced pickup, contact Jim at JWP."
"All instruments have there own groove to fit in order to shine through, and these pups put my axe right where it sounds the absolute best. Very clear and balanced. String separation is excellent at all times, and never seems to get garbled up. Great in all 3 positions. I have a push-pull for swapping polarity of one of the pickups. Gives me that "Peter Green" effect in the middle position, which really gives you THREE different tones in that position, depending on whether you have both volumes cranked, or which one you roll back a little to fatten the sound back up again. Not only WOULD I buy them again, I HAVE bought them again, several times over. Been playing for over 30 years, and am a well established artist. I love everything about these. I have looked for different postions and settings that I DON'T like, and haven't found any yet. The worst ones are still far better than any other's best. I give them an ASTOUNDING 10 !!"
"JIM YOUR PICK-UPS ARE THE BEST MADE IVE HAD EM ALL DUNCAN, BURSTBUCKERS, HOLMES, FRALIN, BUT NOTHING BEATS THE SOUND YOU GET. THE DARKBURSTS ARE MY FAVORITE, THEY JUST HAVE THAT SOUND OF REAL WOODY TONE FROM THE OLD DAYS PAST. I HAVE BEEN USING THEM IN THE STUDIO FOR THE NEXT PUDDLE RECORD. NO MATTER WHAT AMP I PLUG IN THE TONE IS THERE & READY TO ROCK. MADNESS...I DID GUITAR ONE MAG PRESS FOR STUDIO UPDATE, TOLD EM AFTER I INSTALLED DARKBURSTS WE COULD CHANNEL THE TONE OF LEGENDS. KEEP ON WINDING WITH SOUL!" ~ JIMMY ALLEN PUDDLE OF MUDD
"I only use Godwoods in the bridge of EVERY humbucking guitar I own, with Crossroads at the neck (though I have the occasional Godwood thrown in there, too)... and that's quite a few guitars, let me tell ya! Wagner PUPs are the only tone worth chasing, and I say that with 40 miles of hard guitar slingin' road behind me..." ~ Scott Licina
"For the love of god!!! I have renamed these. Seymour Pukin, Dishittyo, & EMCrap. These Wagner pickups are sooo awesome that a fence post could hear the difference. Buy these.... buy hundreds of these.... and buy nothing else. Between my Godwood bridge and DarkBurst neck pickups, my new Driskill Diablo, and my Fender EVH 5150 III, I JUST ABOUT MELTED MY FACE OFF BURNT DOWN MY HOUSE.
THESE THINGS ARE FLAAAAAAMETHROWERS!! I amazed everyone at our local music store. At least ten times I heard, "What are the names of
these pickups again?!!?" If u want to waste your money, then buy Duncans, EMG, and DiMarrzio.
However, I can promise this: MAINSTREAM IS DEAD. ALL HAIL JIM WAGNER PICKUPS!!!!!!! WHOOOOOHOOO!!!"
"This gets better and better. People who know nothing about guitar tone told me that I suddenly sounded much better at my show last night."
~ Sam Ruhman
"Last Friday I swapped the burstbuckers for Godwoods, including a pre wired kit, and the result blew me away. YOU ROCK and you know, the best
part of it: now I do too! Great meaty ballsy sound (hard to describe) and with the new pots I can adjust the bite and grind to my taste, without having to compromise." ~ Thanx, Jeroen
"My R0 is now the best sounding Les Paul I have ever owned, thanks to your Godwood pickups, pots, and caps. By the way, the Moore/Green set I put
in a Les Paul traditional plus also sounded great." ~ Thanks, Brett Beno
"I've bought several sets of outstanding pickups from Jim over the years and his products and particularly customer service are second to none!
I just had occasion to install a set of his fabulous Godwood pickups, Blasting Cap capacitors and custom pots in a friend's Historic R9 Les Paul.
Well, they work so well I had to thank him in print! This guitar sounds totally awesome now, and it's the first time I've heard the Blasting Caps which
are incredibly good. I hate it when you turn down the tone pots and the mud overcomes your guitar. Not so with the Blasters, just controllable top-end with lots of detail and no mud. His Godwoods aren't cheap, but paying for quality has never bothered me. Both Duane (RIP) and Dicky would be proud of the tones I was getting; fat, detailed, tons of interesting harmonics, killer with some serious overdrive...everything I want in a pickup. There's the rub, now I have to get another set for my own Tom Anderson! Just wanted a quick thanks to him, particularly when I had questions for him and he got back to me near-instantly. This has always been the case with my dealings with him, and he's one of the few guys in this Biz whose advice and recommendations I will always take without question as he has never steered me anything but right. Thanks Jim! Rock Long and Prosper!"
~ Eric Pykala
"I'm over the moon for the Godwood bridge" ~ Keven, England
"The Godwood blew me away. After years of trying old Bill Lawrence, Duncan's and DiMarzios, you put them all to shame. It's just hot enough to the point that when you use a boost, it doesn't drown out the tone. Also I come wicked close to early EVH with it so that's the added bonus! Even better now that my Plexi is going to Dave Friedman. Can't wait to order from you again!" ~ Domenic Brown
"I love the GodWood pickups and Electronic kit so much that I have to get another set. I want it for my Les Paul Studio this time." ~ Mike Liu
"Once again I must praise your work. The GodWood Pickups and the new pots and caps together are pure tonal bliss. This is the best upgrade for a guitar I have ever made. Much appreciated. New Godwood's and electronics in the Les Paul. What a transformation. I have had this guitar for 12 years and I never really enjoyed it. This guitar is awesome now thanks to you. I am amazed at the tone I am getting from my old Les Paul. Once again, thanks, Jim - I appreciated your products and customer service. Will do business again in the future." ~ Mike Liu
"You were correct... No problems at all installing these in the PRS Singlecut. I did have to crop the ears on the legs to get them to fit, but the screw lengths were not an issue. These things should be called "OM Godwoods". In a word, Unbelievable. The absolute best PAF style pickup on the planet. IMHO. I don't think anyone, not even from the most pompous hierarchy of cork sniffers, could describe in words, all the stuff this pup puts out.
Listen, and then smile. That pretty much says it all. Repeat as necessary... Thanks for helping players in general, achieve the sounds that can't otherwise be reached." ~ Dan Scott
"Jim, Just put the set of Godwoods with pots and caps into my guitar, "LORD have mercy!!!!" Now it's a must have for all my guitars."
~ Thank You, Finally, Bill Kelley, TONE IN ALASKA
"I would just like to thank you again for all your effort! The GW is installed in the Lester and crushed in our rehearsal through my Orange.
JUST what I was looking for. So much good midrange I have to actually turn the mids down! haha. Certainly turned heads at practice.
Thanks again fine sir!" ~ Christopher Drzal CTS
"OH MY GOD!...no pun intended. I absolutely love it. More balanced than the Fillmore, not as full or thick, but smoother and sweeter, and not as
much grind in the low mids...PERFECT!! Tremendous harmonics, and the high end seems more prevalent. Congratulations on an amazing pickup. Thanks for doing what you do so well. Hope to be ordering again soon." ~ Robert M. Bar , Colorado Rocky Mountains
"Got the Godwood into my Strat. LOVE IT!! Wow, the difference is uncanny from the stock pup to yours! She is so much more fun and interesting to practice/play now. thanks so much for the great pickup!!" ~ Bill
"I'm absolutely in love with the pickup man. Sounds clean, clear, and has just the right amount of output, not too low, and not too loud. Thanks again for all your help, and going above and beyond to help me out!" ~ Manny
"I installed Godwood set my PRS today. The nickel cover looks great in the neck position and they sound fantastic. Oddly enough the neck pickup had plenty of clearance, but I had to trim the screws on the bridge. At any rate I think I'm a JWP convert :) " ~ Thanks, Joe
"I took your recommendation and put a Godwood in the bridge position of my PRS. It is like having a brand new guitar. This is the EXACT sound that I was looking for. I have had this guitar for about 16 years and thought often of changing the bridge pickup but kept putting it off. I can not believe the clarity and articulation. The pickup even at high volumes does not muddy up. Not sure what you did to make that happen, just keep doing it!
I can not thank you enough." ~ Tim Rogers
"Pickups are installed and sound amazing!!!! I'm going to order some more for my SG soon!" ~ All the best! Erol
"Why do people say Goodwood? These are bad ass!! I had them installed at Tucson Rainbow Guitars, they were like, whatever, custom boutique pickups. They put them in and couldn't beleive it!! They loved them. Awesome in their Marshall, and even better in the Deluxe Reverb they had.
I am Humbucker loyal to JWP!! The pickup search is finished!!!" ~ Dax Determan Tucson, AZ
"Hope you had a great Christmas. I certainly did - especially on Saturday after installing the Goodwoods in my axe. Man, what a difference! You know how you can get excited about something - sometimes the anticipation can be more exciting than the main event etc. In this case, no way! You've made my guitar come alive. It used to talk- now it SINGS and SINGS! What a tone - well worth the wait. Just what I wanted, a Duane/PAF sound that makes it very difficult to put the guitar back in its case! Thanks again Jim. When it comes to pickups, you're the man." ~ All the very best, Mark Draylor
"So far I'm diggin' the Godwood quite a bit, great sounding pickup! I thought of lowering the pole pieces to take a little zing off the high end. I don't want lose the great clarity it has though. I really like that it sounds great clean as well as distorted. Usually, I get one or the other sounding good so its nice to have a bridge pickup giving me nice clean tones." ~ Thanks again, Vaughn
"Thank you, Jim. Despite your success, you haven't changed. Still the same great guy." ~ All the best from Cologne Germany, Mike
"Just wanted to say that the pickups (Godwoods) are in and sound incredible. Big improvement in sound." ~ Thanks, Karl Anderson
"Just a quick line to let you know my experiences with one of your Godwood p/ups. I've just borrowed one from one of your customers, Mark Overfield.
I fitted it to my music man last night. I have to say, in 22 years of gigging I've never ever come across such an open sounding pickup. It is truly awesome. I'm not the greatest player by any means but I do have a bit of a rep for having tone, this pickup is adding to it no end. Be assured as soon as I'm able
I'll be ordering up a set. Mark is going to have a problem trying to get this one back!! All the Best" ~ Keith Fender
"Well, the Godwoods are in. (PRS) Installation was not too bad, but did have to dremel just a little in the treble cavity to get the pickup to fit. I only had about 15 minutes to play it, but WOW, these pickups take this guitar to the next level. Blow away the stock HFS/VB. I can't believe I waited so long to do this. Every great review I read on the net is true about your pickups. The Godwood neck pickup has an *amazing* sound. Sweeeeeet. On top of that,
I like the look of the brushed covers better also. Thanks!!!!!" ~ Tom Biller
"Amazing. I sort of didn't believe the pickups would make that much difference...I was wrong. This is an excellent product. I think I will have to try the Darkbursts soon." ~ Sam French
"What can I say! I've been looking forward to fitting these Godwood pick-ups to my Les Paul R9 since ordering them. Didn't have to wait long, a very quick delivery indeed! When I opened the packaging and looked at them I thought, "Wow! If they sound as good as they look I'm gonna be in Heaven!" Fitted the full wiring kit along with the pick ups (which came with screws and springs that were far superior than the Gibson stock ones). All nice and easy then came the hard bit, I really struggled with this, "What?" I hear you say!" Putting the guitar down after I'd strung it up and plugged it into the Cornford!!! All the sounds I have heard in my head for years and only dreamt of. The tone along with the bite, clarity and warmth! Just amazing.
The bottom end has all the bite and growl whilst all across the neck up to the top the harmonics just leap out with outstanding clarity, he notes just seem to roll off with such ease. Both pick-ups are the most incredible I have ever used and I've used all the 'big names' before. As well as struggling to put the guitar down I have one other problem - Coming to terms with the fact that I should have fitted these before!!!!! Thanks Jim!!! I will be buying more when the next guitar arrives." ~ Regards, Russ UK
"I just wanted to share with you that I foundly found the match I was looking for! Yesterday I put in my new Godwood in the bridge of my bright Gibson Les Paul standard. Now, before I say anymore, I have to tell you that I have had three different pickups in this guitar's bridge, and they all were good, but none of them allowed the guitar to resonate with authority. I began to think it was bad wood, and that I would end up selling the best looking guitar I have. Well, I'm keeping her now! The Godwood was the answer. My guitar has tons of balls, and rings for days with unbelievable sustain. Wow, what a difference. Ballzy, but still articulates the notes well. My last pickup was a boutique pickup as well, but this one was the match my baby needed.
Thank you, my friend." ~ Aaron Bush (fireman)
"I've just received the Godwood set and installed them in my Gibson Flying V...all I have to say is OH MY GOD!!! The guitar sounds different overall better great sustain and harmonics...everything sounds great. Thank you for hearing my thoughts in my mind for the tone I'm looking for...now the guitar is ready to hit the road, off to the UK to play gigs as specials guests with Michael Schenker. Thanks again, Rock on." ~ George
"Well, well, my JWPs really rock!! "That's the sweetest Gibson tone I've ever heard!" - those are the compliments I am hearing every day." ~ Thanks! Karl
"Godwoods are on every record I've made the past year. Incredible." ~ James Lugo
"I finally found the time to install the pups. All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,thank you, thank you!!!
I love the Godwoods both in my LP and SG. Both gtrs retained their unique character and sound just absolutely huge and awesome. The only problem now is that I also loved the MG's I had in my LP. Guess I'll just need to start saving up for another Paul so I could have a gtr for those pups as well :) "
~ Jim, Finland
"I've got Fillmores (x2), Crossroads, and Godwoods. Love em all.
When I get this stuff installed I'll have:
91 Les Paul Custom - Fillmores
72 SG Standard - Godwoods
87 Strat Plus - Fillmores
91 Strat Plus - Crossroads
10 G&L S 500 - SR
10 G&L Legacy - SR & Godwood
My 77 Tele has Lollars, and my 80's MIJ strat has Wofetones, but you get 6 of my 8. And I got those others before I got my first set of yours.
Your pups rock. Please keep on that long and winding road. I'll be back as soon as I buy another guitar." ~ Cheers, Don Jones
"Dear Jim, I installed the PUs last night and all ready used them on a recording today and a gig tonight. Nothing comes close. The guitar is coming
alive FINALLY. I can't thank you enough." ~ Timothy Krause
"I just picked up a set of your Crossroads pickups second hand. I have previously owned a set of Duncans and another very well known boutique w. But, I was easily able to coax Jimmy Page zeppelin grunt out of it and Billy Gibbons pinch harmonics. I will recommend this to everyone. Thanks for making an amazing set!" ~ Dekel
The Wagner SR pickups are absolutely killer. They are the BEST modern reproduction of a vintage set of pickups. They do a great Stevie and they sound great doing Eric Johnson, Malmsteen and even metal. Your pickups have been a critical part in my pursuit of that elusive vintage Fender tone. I've tried other boutique pickups, while they would shine in some areas they lacked in others. Your SR pickups have that perfect balance of depth, woodiness and chime. They also sound REALLY great through a Marshall. I can't wait to acquire a set of your killer humbuckers for my LP."
~ Derek Neece
"The Strat I was writing you about in January is now in my hands for two months, with your pickups installed. That means I've been playing them daily for two months now. I took the time to get over the honeymoon: what started as love at first "hear", has now become deep, sincere and eternal love: I'm totally hooked on your pickups!! So rich, so subtle yet so powerful, so clean and yet so dirty when they need to be... Thank you so much! Hope to deal with you in the future, too!" ~ All the best, (a very happy) Ghislain
"The SR's are in and by far the best singlecoils I have ever heard. They really can cover any style and sound great doing it too. I really noticed how precise and articulate they are when doing some big jazz chords. Absolutely every note is heard. And when Im playing rock they don't mush out like regular singles and have a killer crunch to them! How do you do it? These things really do rock. I get a lovely Townsend crunch, and Gilmour clarity, not to mention Jimi and SRV all in one package. These pickups are just so musical that whatever you put into them you will get back out. I also forgot to mention that they sound noticibly bigger than fender single coils and they have no icepick in the ear tones to be found that every other singlecoil has. You definitely make the best pickups Jim! Thank You many many many many times. Whatever you make is gold!!! I'm Really Rocking Now!!!"
~ Stephen
"I spend a few hours woodshedding on some SRs and really like the tones I get from those single coil PUPs. You're right the middle position sure has a unique and powerful sound I am not used to having." ~ Mike Kieffer
"I installed the pickup in the neck position on my '62 Tele re-issue. What an incredible addition!" ~ All the best, Josh
"Well Jim! What can I say, those single coils was something extra, thanks for making them! The dynamics, the tonecolor and the overtones is so good with a clean sound, but totally musical with distorted sounds. I love them. :) All the best to you." ~ Regards, L-G
"Yo Jim - got the SR's, shit that was fast! Is this an upgrade kit I'm seeing here thats included? fkn stellar!! Took the strat out with the band last night - amazing. You sure you don't do Firebird pickups? LOL Thanks again bro."
"I just scored 'one of the first' Iron Man Bridge pickups in a trade with someone on a forum. I thought what the heck, Well I slapped it in my Explorer and GEEBUS KRISTLY... talk about muscle. I love this thing. I can drive the front end of my Marshall JCM800 without a boost and get plenty of chunk, but it is so smooth and controllable... way more than most low outputs I have played! It responds to my volume knob so nice and it actually sings! Does not at all sound brittle or harsh doin high string solo... works wonders with my wah and phaser... Love it man! Any other pickups I buy will be from you... this thing just rocks man! Thanks again!" ~ James
"I have been meaning to send you an e-mail now for quite some time. Just had the Iron Man pickups installed a few weeks back and they are awesome. Thanks a lot for the fast service and the hot pickups. Even the guy at the music store who installed them thought that they were hot and when he tried the guitar out after installation he had to turn down the amp and it was only at 1." ~ S. Musca
"I'm still digging the Ironman and undoubtedly will for many years to come. I see you have pots/cap kits and I will recommend he purchase a kit as well." ~ Thanks! Nate Esteban
"I got my brand new McNaught guitar with your Iron Man pickups, and HOLY SMOKES!!!!!!! This is the most powerful guitar I've ever played or heard, for that matter. The sheer power and brilliance of these pickups is otherworldy. In fact, Dave Mansel, after hearing Dave McNaught playing through my guitar, has decided to go with the IronMan set for his own guitar. I am completely in awe of these pickups. The guitar sounds bigger than life! Thank you for recommending these to go into this guitar. . .I am truly blown away." ~ Byron Erstine
"God"damn those pickups give me"Wood pickups loaded in a Custom McNaught." ~ Dennis Farrar
"I have a new amp that I LOVE - Egnater MOD 50 and need to start the pickup search again. Your models have always stood out for me and make me want to play more than others I have used so of course I come back to JWP. The Godwood is probably the best thing since sliced bread. I used to think the Rio Grande BBQ was that! Anyway, I have been all over the map with some good pickup winders, Wolfe and Motor City, but for some reason I come back to JWP. What do you put in these things? LOL! :)" ~ Rich
"I had another go at the Goodwoods that I got from you but this time I adjusted the polepieces according to the fretboard radius (12") of my R8 and set the neck PUP height at 3/32" and the bridge PUP at 2/32". The subtle adjustment I did made a lot of difference. The clarity and definition that I get from the GW's made the stock BB's sound too tame and warm for my taste. The BB's will stay in my parts drawer for a very long time. I'm sorry I doubted your PUPS. The Goodwoods ROCK!!!!" ~ Thanks again, Ronald
"I finally got my guitar back last night with the Goodwoods installed. I could only playing it quietly, but I noticed the improvement right away! Today, I let it rip, and I'm in love! I understand now what everyone says about the bridge - simply beautiful! I love the rolled off top end - very sweet and creamy and perfect for my guitar. I did a bit of tweaking with heights and pole pieces so it's almost dialed in. Excellent work buddy!" ~ Thanks again, Ron
[ Click images to jump to corresponding testimonials page section ]
"Dearest Jim, you F'in rock dude! Just got home with my R8. Had the American Steele set installed. I pretty much just adjusted them to even with the pickup rings. Lot of good tones in this set up. Thanks, man!!!" ~ Jeff Bartholic
"HOLY CRAP MAN!!!! I finally wired up my CS336 with that pair of Godwoods I recently bought from you. I have no idea what you put in those but they are the freaking GRAIL man. They sound AWESOME. I'll be back." ~ Thanks again, Jay Strauss
"Hi Jim. I received my set of Godwoods yesterday, I am not sure I can put into words how happy I am, but I will try. First off this about the forth set of pickups I have put in this Guitar (1994 Gibson Les Paul standard) Every time there would be something I would like but other things I would not. Your Goodwoods ended my search...they are everything you site says.. Warm is the first word that comes to mind>> the top end roll off is perfect, the mids are to die for, and the bottom is FAT without getting muddy, the output is perfect. Wide open I get that Les Paul Marshall growl I have been looking for, back off the volume cleans it up sweet and thats just the the bridge pickup. The neck is all of those things in a word creamy. You were kind evey time I called. Thank you so much and keep up the great work!!" ~ Bob Gam - www.kgbband.com
"I finally got the chance to play live with a "true humbucker" this past weekend. The older version "Goodwood" really shines. I like the squeals and presence it has and would imagine the "Godwood" does have a bit more of the sweet stuff. All in all, it made my natural maple top LP scream like a classic should. Our sound tech now wants to start a new project with me. There goes my ego!!!! Nah, I'm too old for that stuff. But not too old to appreciate your excellent pickups. I will spread the word here in Cincinnati as best I can. Talk at ya later....Wags" ~ James P. Wagner
"Tone-- holy crap Jim, these pickups kill! Now that they are wired (more or less) correctly, I can finally see just how amazing they are. Maybe someday I'll rig up a totally new harness with WCR parts from scratch and see if I can't get it completely perfect. For now I am really happy to finally have my 335 back. And happy that the Gibby '57s will live in the bottom of a cardboard box till the end of time. I can't thank you enough for helping me so much. Really. Thank you! My final project is to send that shit harness I paid $140 for back to Matt the guitar tech. Ok Jim, thanks a million. Rest assured I will be a JWP fan for life. Not only are these the best pickups I've ever played, your customer service exceeds anything I've ever experienced-- and this after I won your pickups!" ~ Mike
"Wagner's are more open sounding than any Duncan I have tried....they let the guitar's acoustic voice shine through. To me that is what a pickup should do. I think the formula for good tone starts with a guitar that sounds great unplugged, the pickup should make that bigger and enhance it.
JWP pickups do that. When people play the guitar unplugged they are impressed at how it sounds a lot like it does plugged in. To me that is the ultimate compliment to a pickup." ~ Archer of fish
"I read the reviews, I played dozens of youtube demos and laid out the cash hoping for the killer tone and sustain that was promised. From the first minute I was thrilled at the new sounds coming out of this axe. I have just had a few hours with the JWPs but I am already finding a whole new playing style that the old pickups just could not support. Great job Jim. I will put your pickups on everything I play in the future." ~ Yours truly, Jerry
"Hello Jim. I just wanted to let you know how extremely happy I am with your pickups. Thanks again for an extraordinary product." ~ James Lansing
"Yeah, thank you very very much, the best Pickups of the world were come Friday ! I went to Martin ... and to the Post ... and ... my Goodwoods .... Great Pickups really !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are not from this world .... where do you come from Jim ? lol You the God of Pickups, really ! I have search my Sound lon lon lon time, and have spend much money ..... and now, its ok !" ~ Solong Ron, Germany
"It has been a long time coming but here is my review and post on TGP of your pickups. As we all know tone is very personal-subjective. This was my experience in search of a very specific tone with smooth top end, great harmonic contend and clarity of tone. About 3 years ago I started out to find IMO the best PAF replica pickup that was being built today. (I have 6 sets of original long magnet PAF's to compare to.) The pickups I tried were: '57 Classics, all of the Burstbuckers, Tim Shaw, Fralins, Rolf, 2 sets of SD Antiquity, Seth Lovers, DiMarzio, EMG, Pearly Gates and I'm sure a couple more that I can't remember. I started to use JWP pickups two years ago. After going thru 3 different sets, I found the Goodwoods were my tone. (they matched my favorite original PAF set that has output of 8.14/8.62) I now have them in 5 of my LPs and also use the SR single coils in my Grosh classic Strat. Jim is the best. After using the Goodwoods I have become spoiled and will need to order a couple sets just to stash away!! Your pickups worth every penny!! I now have all my original sets up for sale!!" ~ Jim Weyandt
"Well I just got the most unbelievable 59 Les Paul replica ever. Old growth wood from the 50's both Honduran and Brazilian. I havent been able to put it down and it has the BET SET in it. Great job, holy crap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're at the top of my list at the moment." ~ Dom
"BetSet pickups arrived today. I replaced original Burstbuckers in my Les Paul VOS R8 with them and it's hard to believe how big change it is. Your set is so much better! They have a round bass, great middle-range and sparkling highs. BB are not to be compared with the BetSet. BB are sort of "crazy"
- if you know what I mean - too strong and a bit of poorly defined sound. Thank you for your great products. Your pickups will always have my positive reviews!" ~ All the best, Tomek Wajnkaim ...Poland BLUE NOTE
"Here's something you already know I'm guessing..... In two identical Les Pauls I did a "shoot-out" with your Betset and a pair of Tom Holmes PAFs [not sure which model]. I've been hearing a lot of hype about these and a guy I met had a pair so he brought them over. Well, it didn't take very long Jim! And that's why I'm ordering the Betset for his guitar!!!!!!!! (Tom Holmes) Very brite, very harsh, too much output!!! YUCH!" ~ Thanks again -Bob-
"I finally had a chance to really crank up the JTM45 w/ the LP & BetSet over the weekend --OH MY GOD! It does not get any better than that! Exactly what I was looking for!" ~ James Wintersteller
"In February you sent me the BetSet for my Gibson Les Paul R8 - after 5 months of use I can confirm that your pickups transformed this instrument into the best sounding Les Paul I've ever played and my number one geetar! It now sounds like a Tele with loads of twang - no more muddiness and boomy bass, no sir! I don't know how the heck you do it, but now I can turn down the volumes on the guitar and get a clear, crisp sound - without having modified anything else about the electronics! These pickups changed my perception of a Les Paul and what it can do from the ground. Thank you so very much. Life is fun! All the best for you, your family and business. You can't do wrong! :-) " ~ Martin from Switzerland
"Thanks Jim. We got them (BetSet) installed and the pickups sound absolutely stellar in a 335. They really add a certain "talkiness" that was missing before. Next I am looking for a set of your pickups to put in my SG." ~ Joel Smith
"I stay with the BetSet. I use it in my main guitar which is my 2007 Historic R9. I even recently sold my PAF because it was a bit tame in comparsion. I couldn't be more satisfied." ~ Best Regards, Udo
"I was...repeat...I was.....in search of the perfect PAF tone. I sat down with Jim to discuss pickups and we decided that the BetSet would most likely be the ones for me. Jim installed the pickups in my Les Paul and plugged them into his modded Marshall and ran it through the 2x12 Scumback cab at his house. GOODNIGHT!!!! The hair on my neck stood up and a grin as wide as my face never left. The Betset will give you pure definition and note articulation. Crank your amp and experience pure PAF clarity with BALLS. Jim laughed at me cuz I was like a kid at Christmas. Here's the lowdown....you want to hear them....listen to the clips from Udo Pipper and you will hear exactly what the BetSet sounds like......Exactly!!! I can get those tones all day long with my Marshall and my Paul with the Betset.... No matter which pickups you get from Jim....you can't go wrong. These are PAF to me.... good luck....hope this helps with your decision." ~ Tony, OR
"Thanks Again very much for the BetSet pickups. All the tones are just fab, and the middle-position- both-pickups-on NAILS that sweet musical tone that came from that betts/Toler guitar....really amazing. Hey, we played a gig last night and my Bett's Redtop guitar complete with your "BetSet" Pickups in it sounded just awesome! The playability and response was just a pleasure." ~ Again, THANKS! ~ Frank Notabartolo
"I finally got around to getting my guitar tech to install my BetSet...Man! These are a KILLER set of pick ups! When I took them over to my tech, he was dubious about whether I'd like them more than the "Burstbuckers" that came in my R8...but...after instaling them he was a convert! He said he has a client that buys burstbuckers & brings them to him to have them "re-potted"...he going to tell him about your pups! I love my Bet-Set they so articulate...you hear every note in each chord... thanks for a great set of pups!" ~ Zane
"Finally, both the BetSet and the new wiring is installed in my guitar. I've only tried it with my Fender Champion 600 (all tube amp, 50s reissue, 5watts) 'cause my Marshall 1987X reissue broke down when I turned it on today :-( Probably one of the stock tubes...again! But...I can tell by just using this little amp that the sound has changed drasticly for the better. The pu's really give that Dickey Betts tone, and that's what I was after. Could I be happier? Nope!!! These pu's are way better than Gibson's BurstBucker Pro's, and the stock wiring/ pots from Gibson are, IMO, pure crap. When I changed to your wiring, both the tone and volume controls works! Now I can turn down the volume just a tad for rhythm, with Gibsons crap I had to turn the volume down to about 1,5 to get the same reaction. But man, the SOUND!!!!! Oh yeah! I couldn't be happier:-)" ~ Roy Alfred Hurstad
"I just wanted to drop you a quick note. I received your Betset pickups last Friday, and well they are really magical sounding. I don't know how you do it, but I now have an accurate reproduction '57 Les Paul first in looks, now in sound too. The bridge pickup is classic Dickey, the two together sound like Duane, and the neck + 3/4 tone rolled in is like Clapton from live Cream!! -- Truly amazing. You are a talented guy, and I hope you continue to grow and keep the level of hands on quality that you have now. I will be targeting another set in a month or two, but for now thanks very much. Superb!"
~ Thanks again, Patrick Freet
"Today I installed the BetSet in my Les Paul. What to say, it blew my mind. Great sound !!!! Thanks a lot for your excellent work." ~ Rolf Dinter, Germany
"I just received the Betset you have finished for me, and I have got to say I have been chasing this tone since I have picked up a les paul after hearing Fillmore East and Eat A Peach, you nailed this one dead on!!!!! As a whole they are the absolute best pickups I have ever heard or come across, smooth, warm, not muddy or nasal just perfect!!! Thank You for your fast delivery and knowledge. As much as I like the Fillmores in my other Lester, I again have a new favorite!!!" ~ Jamie from Connecticut.
"Dammit, Jim - I just bought a BetSet.
I think that's my 8th or 9th order now...." ~ Scott Karg
"Hi Jim, I just finished installing the pickups and got the guitar strung up. I'm really having a hard time coming up with the right superlatives to
describe what I experienced after my first few minutes of playing, but I'll try:
1. Incredible
2. Amazing
3. Musical
4. Bold
5. In-your-face
6. Woody
Suffice it to say they are the best sounding humbucking pickups I've owned. All the press and testimonials I read were right on and your suggestion of the Crossroads/Darkburst set did not disappoint. The guitar I put these pickups in is a Korean made Les Paul clone by Aria. It is put together very well and has a great neck. The stock electronics were Duncan Designed ceramic pickups that sounded just awful. I replaced those with a USA Duncan Hot Rod set which was a big improvement. The set you sent me make the USA Duncans sound like imports. I'm really pleased and plan on telling anyone who cares about JWP and the work you do. It kind of figures a martial artist would do work that is this good. When you have that kind of focus you can do a lot more than the norm. Thanks for all of your assistance and the willingness to respond when I email or call. Thats all A+ in my book. I have to stop now and go play my guitar some more" ~ Cheers, Chris Wenkle, Auburn, WA.
"Just finished putting my Schecter Corsair back together with your pickups hooked up right. Words can't describe the sounds I am getting with these pups. I could hardly put it down to put the knobs back on it lol. Thanks much for all the good tips and help you have provided me with. I will reluctantly tell others about your pickups & caps. But only if they beg of course hahahaha." ~ Michael Hafeman
"The pups are responsive to my attack, they go from smooth to crunch and keep a clean, clear tone that doesn't quit. I quit using my pedal board...
no need. I am all about clean, pure sound and tone. With tubes amps and these JWP pups... no pedals needed. In reality, at home I can't get the volume knob above three without breaking something. But loud isn't the goal. In a large auditorium, the sound is sweet. Each note and string is
heard. Nothing worse than chords that are a blurr of sound because the pick ups don't have any high end or low end. The way this guy puts together
a pup is art."
"I'm 50 yrs old. I've been playing guitar most of my life. I own 2 R8, R9, and a historic 335. I understand the shortcomings of Burstbuckers. I've replaced all my guitars with Tom Holmes and Peter Florance pups. I got an opportunity to purchase a Les Paul with a set of your pickups. I jumped on it.
Its loaded with a Crossroads in the neck and a Darkburst in the bridge. Your pickups are OUTSTANDING! Even with the cheap electronics in off the line Les Pauls. Jim Seavall said he prefers your American Steel set better than his original PAFs. I'll probably never play original PAFs in my life time,
I can't imagine anything sounding better. I look forward to putting a set in my best R8. I'm sure that will put a smile on my face for years to come."
~ Sincerely, Vincent Varano
Crossroads / DarkBurst Combo
[ Click links below to jump to additional Combo Sets page sections ]
"Jim, I have never been moved to write a review of anything before, but your pickups have changed that. My Darkburst/Crossroads set arrived yesterday, and I couldn't be more pleased. Still dialing them in, but even at the old settings it was clear that I had at last found what I was looking for. The most dramatic improvements have been with the bass response on the neck and with the sonic palette of the bridge no more dry, brittle, anemic highs, but sweet and wet and muscular. I now have what I believe a Les Paul should be. Thank you! Now, about my Epi Dot..." ~ Michael MacDonald
"I purchased your Crossroads-DarkBurst combo to go in my early 70's LP and I just have to tell you that I couldn't be more pleased. They sound amazing every time I play. Just wanted to let you know." ~ Ray West
"I just got my 335 back with the CR neck and DB bridge installed....geez...do you think you can make any better pickups? Good lord! Sounds absolutely incredible, the way a 335 should. Thank you very much for helping me get my tone back! Between the LP/ BetSet and 335/CR & DB, I am in heaven!"
~ All the best, Jim Wintersteller
"Got the pickups today and installed them in my Les Paul. They weren't quite what I expected; I thought I'd hear a subtle difference in tone and a slight improvement in articulation. Instead, these pickups have breathed LIFE into my guitar! There is a much bigger difference in tone than I thought, and it is mind blowing how good everything sounds now! I just wanted to thank you for pointing me in the right direction and for getting them out so quickly. I'm not sure what I'll be getting next or when (not happy with my ESP; trading for another Les Paul), but you can definitely expect more business from me sometime off in the future! Thanks again." ~ Nick
"Today, I picked it up from the luthier. Craig told me in the shop that the R8 really rocked bad ass with the new pups. I just got through wailing on them and OMG, those are some awesome pups in that axe. What a tremendous difference. I read the forums and these guys are always chasing tone and I figured they are tweaking this and that for maybe marginal differences. No friggin way, these pups make a huge difference in clarity, brightness and tone. Beautiful warm tones from the neck with no muddiness whatsoever, chimey mids with both pups and downright spank with the treble pup. Folks talk about the right pups for a guitar, I found the right guitar for these pups, LOL. Just thought I'd drop you a line." ~ Cheers, Jim
"Just wanted to get back to you and let you know that, with your help, I was able to finally get the pickups wired up. They sound great! Exactly what I was looking for. I can play rhythmn chords now on the Crossroads neck pup that don't sound muddy and have clarity. So thanks again for your help, your recommendation on which pups to go with(Crossroads / Darkburst), and for making such great pickups!" ~ Thanks again, Ronnie
"I just wanted to let to you know that I received the DarkBurst/Crossroads combo set from you on the weekend and had a chance to pop them in my LP studio. Fantastic! Keep up the great work and I'll be sure to pass on what great products you make to all that will listen. Thanks again!" ~ Paul Craft
"Wow...impressed again totally different sound, a killer, I like this blues sound like Bloomfield or Green but also some raw stuff like ZZ TOP, everything
is possible. The guitar have a new life... ;-)) I had/have Bare Knuckles Mules, Skatterbranes, Burstbuckers, Voodoos and german Leosounds (very good) but again your pickups did it ;-)))" ~ Thank you so much, Thomas (Germany)
"What can I say amigo --Crossroad/DarkBurst-- extraordinary. I knew I was in for something special, just did not realise how dramatic the change would be!! I now have the best Les Paul I have ever played. Thanks again mate, genius. Kindest regards. PS my local guitar tech, (Kevin Reeves, great guy, really knows his stuff) was also blown away." ~ DDP
"Just wanted to let you know I received the DB bridge pickup. Wow, what fast delivery. I installed it, and couldn't put the guitar down. Amazing!
I don't know how you do it, but you just nail the sound i.e. big, full and clean, distorted while still clear, warm with brite attack. My 52 never sounded better. The sound that the guitar always had acoustically, and has been in my head all these years is now coming out the amp. And, I've tried every single vintage humbucker that SD makes including my own mods to his Antiquity. My CR neck sounds just like Dicky or Eric (this was true with the bridge also) while the DB bridge sounds just like Dwayne. As you said, I may be back for the DB neck however I'm happy with the CR neck for now as
it seems to make a great combination with the DB bridge. I'll let you know how it sounds live with the band this weekend.
Thanks so much - You the man!" ~ Bob
"After a couple of weeks with the Darkburst bridge and Crossroads neck in my non-reverse Firebird I'm just dropping you a line to say thanks. I'm really, really pleased with the way the guitar is sounding. Love the clarity of the Crossorads, which was just what I was after. The middle position has turned out really nice too and the bridge is very varied in the tones I can get. There is bite when I need it, although they are pleasant highs, plus with my tone control on 7-8 things get all nice and smoky and fat and smooth which is a great tone too. Nice response to picking dynamics and I'm a happy camper! Have you ever had a guitar where acoustically you knew it was a winner but you just had to bring out its voice? That's how I feel about this one.
It needed a new bone nut and some fretwork, I added a tone pros locking AVR-1 bridge and your pickups and there it is the great guitar I knew was lurking all along!" ~ Have a great day! Chris
"OK - I see what all the hype was about! Sometimes I'm dissappointed when I try new gear that's all the rave but have one word to sum up these pickups... Superb! These do everything my Burst Buckers did in my Paul only better-- Better sustain I noticed immediately-- better high end - just sings while bottom remains tight, focused & fat. Really happy with middle toggle position now also as so many have made mention of. Crossroads/Darkburst Combo makes the axe all the more versitile. Thanks for your passion & the inspiration!" ~ Mike Marino-- RestlessSoul
"I got the CR/DB pair for my new R7. I asked for extra MOJO in my pickups and you delivered. By the way, the pairing is nice since the bridge is a little hotter than the neck and it sounds even (volume-wise). And for the first time ever, I actually like a bridge pickup!" ~ Thanks!! Dave
"I know it won't surprise you that the pickups (Cr/Db combo) are amazing, but yes, they are. They can handle anything you throw at them. They are not overwound so don't get muddy and you can play with the height. A brief headphone session also revealed a very nice (and i mean it, in the positive sense) spongy quality that I really like. Anyway, it's been a pleasure. Look forward to trying out the hotter version one of these days, finances and my wife permitting." ~ Bests, Zoran
"I've been meaning to get in touch regarding the DB/CR set I ordered a few weeks ago. They are outstanding! I put them in my Wolfgang, and I am blown away...best move I ever made! Thanks, and keep up the great work!" ~ Eric
"These are considered medium output pickups. I use tube amps and analog effects, all the old school approach. The tone of these pickups is a dream come true, they have the PAF sound but as Jim says they are consistent, sounding great all the time, from jazz to blues to hard rock and a little bit more could be easily achieved with this combo, is pure magic, good magic for sure. I think the tone is neither bassy or middy or bright is very balanced, if
you also upgrade ur wiring kit you can control them efficiently to get the perfect eq for every situation. If it was stolen or lost I would definitely get it again. I've been playing for over 20 years, I love everything about these pickups, I think my LP sounds better than before a million times and better
than other les Pauls that I had heard. I also need to say that Jim's customer service is great, he answers all questions and knows his product very well, that way you will always get what you want. I think that people that decides to replace pickups and looks for a certain sound is never completely satisfied, is what tone search is all about but definitely a product like this is a great find, as soon as I get any other guitar that needs humbuckers I will try a different Wagner set." ~ Luis
"After some research, I happened on JWP's and well, the rest is history as they say. I dont care what style you play, the DarkBurst pickup will deliver more tone than you ever heard come from your guitar, period. If you play a guitar with stock pickups, do everyone who listens to you a great favor, get a set from Jim. I know you will then have the tools to become a player. I have played almost daily for thirty years. No, I'm not an old fart either, I started young! Give yourself three hours of playing time on a set from Wagner and you will realize what YOU have been missing and at the cost of a good effect pedal. HANDWOUND folks!! Okay? Dont miss out while this guy is still around, he is great to deal with and can give you new life!" ~ Keith - NOi4C
"Just wanted to let you know how pleased I am with the pickups! Got the guitar back from the shop today and it is really great, like having a new and way way improved guitar. Haven't been able to put it down." ~ Thanks, Mark
"I received my pups yesterday and they are INCREDIBLE!!! I just wanted to let you know. They look and sound better than I could have imagined and wanted to thank you again for the service, the speed, and the tone!!! You are truly a stand up guy!!" ~ Jeremiah
"I installed these pickups in a Yamaha SA700, which is a semihollow 335 style guitar. It has a repaired/cracked headstock, and I paid $400 dollars for it. This same guitar has now been transformed into the best sounding instrument I have ever owned, and I have been through A LOT of guitars. Over 50. The Crossroads Darkburst are perfectly balanced in tone, from low to high. No muddy bass, no brittle treble. Beautiful mids. They manage to sound both warm and bright at the same time. For the first time ever I can imagine being satisfied with one guitar (I said "imagine"...let's be realistic...once a guitar whore, always a guitar whore) because these pickups are so versatile, and perform beautifully no matter what I am going for. Warm jazz, country twang, stingin' blues......it's ALL there. No problem, no compromise. And one thing I really love is that while retaining all the warmth, tone, and character of a classic humbucker, the neck pickup has some of that liquid/Hendrixy/Stratish quality. You can get that Knopfler-esque "ping" out of them if you want.Quite simply, these pickups sound fantastic. It sounds best (meaning incredible) through the Deluxe, although cranked through the Gibson is wonderful as well. (I wish I had more opportunities to play that loud, 'cos it is amazing!!) It even sounds great through the Peavey. It may be impossible to make these pickups sound bad. I play jazz, rock, country, blues.......love it all. These pickups sound great for everything I do. Jim Wagner has done a great thing by making vintage quality sound (if not better) available to those of us that are not rock stars or rich collectors, at a very reasonable price. Since virtually all things vintage have gone through the roof price-wise, I was beginning to lose hope that I would ever find the quality of tone that I heard in my head.Now I have. I have been playing guitar for 39 years (since I was 8), and have been through a heap of equipment, trying different PUPs, putting as many as five different necks on one poor strat, and I have never been more impressed with anything than I am with JWP pickups.I have already put a second set into another guitar, and plan to eventually have them in all of my guitars.I was simply stunned when I heard how good they sounded. Rarely (never) does anything exceed my expectations to such a degree as the Crossroads Darkburst did. I still can't believe it! Simply amazing!!!! Go Jim !!!!!" ~ Rick Harris
"I have the Godwood/Darkburst set in three guitars now and everyone of them sounds fantastic. Open and organic but still tight and crunchy when I need them to be. The neck pickup roll off is to die for, best lead tone I have ever had for speed picking, arpeggios and slow soulful bends. I play with my volume knob quite a bit and every setting sounds amazing. They allow me to use more complex chord structures with heavy distortion. Best product AND customer service, when is the last time you saw those two statements together. Customer for life, Jim!" ~ Jerry Robison
"Got DA N G ! ! ! ! What a GREAT sound! Just enough bite, but still warm and articulate very full and meaty without being mushy. WELL DONE!!!
Sure beats the crap out of the BurstBucker Pro pups that came stock."~ Clay Campbell - Music Birmingham, AL
"Man Jim - spent some time playing through my deluxe reverb. What I didn't expect was how good the middle position is. The contrast between the pickups (Godwood and DarkBurst) makes this so scooped - like I could do away with the coil taps (would make my life a lot easier). Amazingly rich on 9th chords and articulate - the mira pickups would wash out a bit on these chords. I don't have my Marshall at home - can't wait to try it out. Still need to dial in the pickup height a touch, but still amazing."
"I finally got some more time with the pickups last night. My current favourite amp is a single-ended, hot-rodded amp based on a champ with a 6L6 (a trinity tramp). I played with it until I dialed in what I wanted, and the results were spectacular. The new pickups are (paradoxically) both more focused and more harmonically complex. An amazing feat (not sure how you can do this). Screaming pinch harmonics, crunchy chords and smooth leads. And that's just with the bridge pickup. Nice!" ~ Peter Faris
"First let me say, love your products, replaced my BareKnuckles Mules with DarkBurst and Godwood in a Dean Thoroughbred played like a 2k Les Paul before now a 5k Les Paul now. Thanks!" ~ Jeff Gambera
"I received the Crossroads pickups yesterday & soldered them straight in. Man they are unbelievable! I don't know how you do it but they've lived up
to all my expectations & some! I've been searching for years for "that tone" & have never been able to get it. Someone else always seems to have that tone I'm looking for but I've never been able to get it, till now! I just wanted to let you know how amazed with them I am & will never use anything else in the future!" ~ Kim Craig
"New Wagner's in my LP are making me envious..... of the neck pickup I don't understand why, but I have some strange reactions to my GW bridge DB neck combo. Before I had the stock pups in my LP supreme, and I NEVER used the neck pickup, it just sounded so bad. I suppose I grew attached to always using the bridge pickup. So I got an RS kit and the new pickups installed, and I was playing around with it to see how it sounded, and I started to find myself using the neck pickup... and, I can't explain why, but I was initially dumbfounded. I at first assumed that something was wrong if the neck pickup was sounding just as good as the bridge pickup. I kept trying to "fix my guitar" so that the bridge pickup would be the center of attention again lol. Eventually I re-realized that was the whole point of getting the upgrades. I suppose its like how prisoners get out of jail and actually want to go back because they liked the routine. Anyways, I'm almost over being envious of the neck pup for taking the spotlight off the bridge position. I'm getting used to having all these new options and uses for both pickups now. It is really incredible how many different abilities and sounds are unlocked by simply upgrading these two things, and I didn't even get a push-pull pot installed for tapping." ~ well, back to playing...
"I bought your Combo Set and they're simply amazing!! Even though the DarkBurst neck is a wonderful pickup all on it's own, I don't see how anyone could want/find a better pickup in the bridge of a Les Paul than your Godwood. It is so warm and balanced with uncanny clarity. It is so tonally accurate for any type of guitar and sound. I'm certain it can pretty much play anything. I found it to be a near-religous experience. It made the stock pickup in my 1960 re-issue sound like an experiment gone horribly wrong. Strong work! Don't ever change a thing about that pickup." ~ Steve - Pittsburgh, PA
"All I can say is that this guitar is now, both visually and sonically, nothing short of amazing! The pickups really bring out the best in this LP, and I seriously couldn't have made a better choice! Thanks again for everything!" ~ Regards, Alex Neculaie
Godwood / DarkBurst Combo
"Hi Jim, Thank you very much for the pickups with the wiring kit. I have to say, they are AMAZING. It's exactly what I was looking for. They just sound perfect in my guitar. Very articulate, wonderful mids, I'm really happy. I'll write reviews on the net in the next few days. Thanks again for all your precious advices. Very very good work." ~ Greetz from France, Bertrand
"Hi Jim, Thank you very much for the pickups with the wiring kit. I have to say, they are AMAZING. It's exactly what I was looking for. They just sound perfect in my guitar. Very articulate, wonderful mids, I'm really happy. I'll write reviews on the net in the next few days. Thanks again for all your precious advices. Very very good work." ~ Timothy Krause
"Indeed, it takes a Houdini to evade your packing. I got the parcel today, installed everything and they smoke! Playing these pickups feels like meeting an old friend, or like wearing an old and comfy pair of shoes, I swear." ~ Thanks again! Vlad, France
"Hi Jim! Just wanted to say that I am very very pleased with my new Godwood/Darkburst set! It's exactly the tone I was looking for.. warm, fat, smooth, and stays articulate and clear no matter the gain setting. This new set has given my PRS Korina McCarty a whole new vibe...it's now a much livelier guitar. I've recommended your pickups highly in the PRS/Birds & Moons Forum, as I believe more people should experience them. Thank you for your friendly and informative customer service! Keep up the great work!" ~ Jaydee
"Thanks Jim. I really appreciate it. I have to say these pickups really rock! I've never heard a set of modern day pickups that sound better than these.
I can get from Allman Brothers to Cream using my TS-808 and Super Reverb. Really nice tone! Way to go! DarkBurst/Godwoods" ~ Thanks, Dave
"Just recorded with them and can't get over how great they sound. Just wanted to let you know - and thanks for making the only pickup on this earth."
~ Shelby in Pacifica
"James here, proud owner of several Wagner pickup sets (Godwood and Darkburst). My band, The American Plague, just got a support slot opening for Universal / Republic. I wanted to write and see if you'd be interested in having me put some JWP schwag at our merch booth (stickers, handbills / ads, etc), I just like to help out companies I believe in, and I think JWP does great work. Be cool to get the word out to some folks who might not know who you are yet." ~ Best, James
"The tone is just beautiful!! This combo brings my PRS to a whole new level. Really really AMAZING pickups!" ~ Thanks! : ) Alex ZHEN YU
"I put a Goodwood / Darkburst set in my PRS Singlecut and love it!" ~ Thanks! Ric
"Never told you what I thought about the GW/DB set! I love them! Great mids, just enough Treble response, and SUper thick sounding when distorted. The caps and pots also work super well together, and the 50s wiring is fantastic man! I am enjoying them alot for hotter PAFesque tones... Really charges out of the amp! They are not coming out of the guitar, thats for sure! Thanks, Jim!" ~ Alvin
"Got em in yesterday. Played it last night. Perfect! I wanted my R0 to be more punchy, but not lose its articulate feel. The DB/GW set did just that. The GW is very bold and covers a lot of ground when put through an overdriven channel. Pinch harmonics galore! The DB in the neck is very musical and well rounded. In the middle position it sounds like one pickup very transparent. They work very well together. The wiring is very nice. Very smooth transitions in volume and tone without losing any clarity. Your pickups made this one come alive." ~ McCracken
"i decided to throw them in a 75 sg that had been lying around with no pickups thinking i could ebay it and get some more attention because of the Wagner's. after i installed the pickups i fell in love. just smoking cool tones. i cant say enough about the pickups. love them love them love them. are you gonna do wholesale anytime soon because we would love to help put these in peoples hands i will be ordering another set soon thanks,"
~ John Paschall
"I'm one of the many happy customers you have. I bought from you a set of used pickups that you had in the sale section. It was a pair of Crossroad neck and Fillmore bridge. The Crossroad is fantastic it will stay with my guitar for ever I think (until I see something other in your site)."
~ Nikos Plevrakis
"Hey Jim long time no talk. Just to let you know that I'm the guy who purchased one Crossroad and one Fillmore last week, holy mama, I just tried the Crossroad. That pup is one warm and round cookie, I love it so much, I'll try the Fillmore later, can't wait...I love them all.... Godwood owner plus the two new ones, they all just sound fucking organic and musical!!!" ~ Stephane Dufour
"I finally got my Nunis custom guitar with the Fillmore bridge & Crossroads neck in it. Holy Shit!! Man these pickups are just amazing. I got Nunis
to split each humbucker, and I cant say enough about the split coil sounds. They just make me smile every time I hit a lick. The string definition is spot-on, even in super high-gain applications. Thanks for a great product at a great price, damn all the whiners bitching about the price. These things are worth every penny I paid. Matter of fact, Im getting another guitar built by Nunis. This one will have a 5A koa top and a mahogany back, with a cocobolo neck. So my question is... Im gonna use this guitar for all my heavy stuff. Which pickups would you recommend I get for it. I want the neck
pu to still get a warm rounded sound, but I want the bridge BRUTAL, just not icepick treble. Thick and defined is what Im looking for. Thanks for your time man, and thanks again for the bad-ass pickups. Keep up the good work!!! So I'll pester your ass this week to find out what you've got cooking. Like I said before, I'm intrigued to say the least!! I can't remember if I told you, but my builder, Jim Nunis said to tell you that these pickups have the best split sound of any pickups he's ever used!! I think he's gonna start offering them as an option from here on out on his guitars. I agreed on all accounts :)" ~ Dave Calhoun
"The (GW/IM) pickups sound amazing. Especially the Godwood neck. I have never heard such a fat / clear neck pickup before. I played the beginning of "For the Love of God" by Vai and we just sat there with our mouths on the floor. Sounded better than the record by a wide margin. I quite like the Iron Man bridge pickup too. It seems to cut through and still have great definition without any frequency range being overbearing. Excellent low end. I will recommend JWP's to my buddy who needs new pickups for his Ibanez presige. We will probably be contacting you in a month or so. :) "
~ Thanks! Brian Hunsaker
"wwwwwooowwwwww I have to say the Wagner's Ironman pickup sound amazing .... i thought the Suhr Aldrich pickup was good but stiff ... YOUR PICKUPS ARE JUST PERFECT!!!!! unlike bare knuckles are just over-hype .. they don't sound as good as your pickups .. hearing is believing ... you should get a good marketing team .. these pickups need to be heard by the world .. if it wasn't for forums i wouldn't have hear of Wagner's!!"
~ Cheers....Fau
Fillmore / Crossroads Combo
"I forgot to tell you that I installed the pickups in last week and they are AMAZING!!! The Fillmore Bridge and Crossroads Neck balance so well together, even though there is a big output difference between them. They are so clear, and don't get muddy when I roll off the volume.
Thank you so much man!" ~ Your Friend, Dustin McCook
"I've had the Fillmores & Crossroads for about a month now so heres my 2 cents. WOW.......The tones that come out of the amp are stunning. I'm using a Bluesbreaker that has been restored to original specs with the help of Don Butler from Toneman & Mitch Colby @ Marshall. I liked the sound I heard on the website and I really don't expect to sound exactly like that, but a good sounding pickup in the right guitar makes that perfect match. I have been through many sets of pups over the last 3 years but for these 2 Historic Les Pauls, (1 is a 57 aged Murphy Gold Top, the other is a 89 reissue that was one of the first done by the custom shop), the match was perfect as it brought tones out of the wood only a quality pickup can do. I also have a tele pup I haven't installed yet as I am waiting to get mine back. Will keep you posted on that. Thanks man and I will send you some recordings as we will be in the studio this month." ~ Happy New Year..... Anthony Steele
"Got the pickups installed and they are exactly what I was hoping for! Thanks a million!" ~ Jack Howard
"Hi my name is Andreas and I'm from Sweden, just wanna start off with telling you, I love your pickups:-) I bought a used guitar 2 years ago, that now has become my favorite guitar:-) a hand built Pederson custom guitar, a luthier from Iowa that had JWP pickups installed, a Darkburst in the neck, and
a Iron man in the bridge, and holy shit, it just killed. I play mostly Metal, but I love the Blues, and this guitar/pick up combination just floored me, I couldn't believe what I've heard when I first plugged it in, it was the heaviest tone, I've ever heard in my life, sounded like a mountain exploding, and at the same time very clear, precise, articulate etc, and since that day, I cant play any other guitar:-) and I've sold all my others:-) I love the sound I get with the guitar/pups, but like every Musician I guess, I was curious too check out if there would be even a better pickup for my guitar, (and the guitar is expensive so only the best will do.) So I started doing research, forums, sound clips, reviews and stuff, I found out that "for Metal" and passives, Bare Knuckle Pickups from the UK was the absolute best, "especially" for down-tuning so clarity is a total must! So I basically wanted to find out if they where tighter, and more clear sounding and better etc, and I tune down to B, so clarity is an absolute must! So a couple of months ago, I ordered a set of Bareknuckles, that I got recommended by them (the Aftermath set, for modern metal and down-tuning) and I was really exited, and plugged in, and goddamn what a disappointment, sounded muddy as hell, bad string definition, bassy, a huge lack of high end etc, So I swapped back to the JWP pups and Bam, back to where I left off, Clarity, Brutality, and most importantly TONE!!!! So I sold them, but I figured, maybe it was just not a good fit, for my guitar, and ordered a new set, this time a set that would be super good for extra "extended" scale guitars, "dark" sounding guitars etc and 8 strings, and all this crap, modern metal bands do, and I figured since my guitar sounds HUGE acoustically/unplugged, maybe that could be translated to sounding "dark" and again even if it was better than the first set I tried, it was still lacking in tone, and I just missed my Signature sound I've developed with my guitar/Wagner's combo and right there and then I'd had enough!!!! I swapped back my Wagner's for the second time, and bam, there it was, The SOUND was back, along with the tone:-) and I'm not looking back:-) I fucking love your pickups man, I'm never gonna try anything else again, cuz I really don't Believe that there is a better pickup Manufacturer out there :-) (sorry if I bored you to death with this long story, but I just needed to tell
you my story, and why I love your pickups so damn much :-) JWP Rules" ~ Andreas Dahlstrum, Sweden
DarkBurst / IronMan Combo
"The Icebucker set I bought absolutely kills! Turned out my Jackson isn't that bright after all, and the set complements the guitar perfectly. VERY toneful, excellent aggression and great clean! You can only imagine the faces of the tech in the shop when I hit that first chord to try it out. The price is $$$ but it's worth it. Anyway thanks for your pups. Will definitely buy again." ~ Varin
"Just want to drop by againand tell you that the IceBuckers in my Jackson is still THE best pickup set I've played. Unsurpassed amount of tone. I've played live with it and the sound was unbelievable! I am able to pull off Metallica, Queensryche, Pink Floyd, Santana, even some Eric Johnson from the set!! I love how turning the volume down really cleans up the tone. I'd definitely buy more of your products for my future guitars. Just keep making them!"~ Regards, Varin
"I just received this (IceBucker) today and slapped it in...WOW!!! I friggin' love it, sounds great through the Diezel Herbert, like it was made for it or something, mean, punchy, and agro buddy. Once again thanks Jim for calling me back almost immediately to explain the Icebucker a little more in depth. I'm glad you made my mind up for me on this one. The thing sings, chugs tighter than a gnats a-hole, and has a great clean tone too! Great voice for the Herbie." ~ Thanks so much, Nick Maas
"Just over a year on, I wanted to write to you and let you know I'm still rocking my Icebuckers. I've got an Axe-FX now and together they are the ultimate team - congratulations, I'm never buying any other pickups again!" ~ Julian Culme-Seymour
"I run the IM with a 1 meg pot! Awesome power! It's really cool to me as the IceBucker and IronMan are more similar than they are different in the fact that they both have a certain 'epicness' to them lol. The controllability and nuances of playing are unparalleled. I'm an unashamed JWP fan boi. Godwood is in the V... And dude... Just keep doing what you do. Destroys the duncan jb that came in it... It's like the guitar got a 2 ton set of balls!
And I already play your Ironmans!" ~ James Severts
"Hey guys, just wanted to let you know I got my Ice Bucker pickups in my Ibanez Darkstone DNV this morning. And gotta say HELLZ YES!
These bad boys sound wicked good! Consider it another satisfied custumer guys ;) Thanks for a great pickup and thanks for making it so I can't put this damn guitar down lol!" ~ Josh
"Jim you are a genius man. I am just floored at how amazing these pickups make my setup sound. I finally got my soldering supplies from the mail and when I got home from work I went right at it. Dinner was postponed. I installed those pups and played and played. Seriously these Ice Buckers are the greatest. It sounds so fat and full. My ears don't get tired from any annoying frequencies. Just great, great tone. Once again I am very happy I found you and your pickups and I will definitely be buying more in the near future cause my other axe doesn't know what it's missing."
~ Take care man. Mike Liu
"Just played my new ESP with your Ice Buckers in it for the first time in a live show. It blew everyone away. So much tone in the pickups.
I play through a Ritchie Blackmore ENGL head, and these pickups really bring out the tone but don't let up on the gain. Thanks so much. These pickups rock." ~ Andy
"What's up man? I picked up those Icebuckers and man these things are rocking! They're so clear, tight, dynamic, and toneful. In my LP they have the perfect amount of growl. It's about time someone voiced a lower output pickup for metal so the metal cats can get the benefits of lower output without sacrificing the voicing. My tone was killing last night at practice!" ~ Thanks again, Frank Hutto
"I am very happy with my Ice Buckers. They are exactly what you said would sound like - rich and percussive. Best sounding guitar now in my possession." ~ Satisfied customer, Dusty Ackles
"Hey man I got my Icebucker set and put a few miles on em. I must say that is some seriously oustanding work you've done. I've been searching for a long time, and gone through tons of pickups to get "that" tone. And now I've found it. I really can't say enough about these things except people really do need to play them to get the full impact of them. And I can guarentee anyone who plays these babies will NOT be dissapointed. They are rich and full of life and the clarity is unbelievable. I wont be using anything else but JWP pups from now on. Keep up the good work!" ~ Jim Wielogorski
"Taken me awhile to get back to you. Just wanted to say a big thank you for all your help and service. The product is absolutely amazing. I don't think
my life will ever be the same after having an Icebucker. It really is Jon Schaffer in a rectangle. It's so percussive! I will never use any other bridge pickup for metal rhythm. Thank you for making a top notch product. I will definitely order from you again when I need another high quality, excellent sounding pickup. Take it easy." ~ Craig
"I popped the new Ice Buckers in my Jackson. They are probably the best picks up I've used, and I've used quite alot. Seymours, EMG's, Dean, DiMarzio, you name it and they all pale in comparison to yours. You have a customer for life." ~ Thanks alot for the pick ups! ~ Jerry
Winner TGP 08 "Jim ; I just got time to drop the IceBuckers you sent me into my guitar. My first impression is that these are some very nice pickups. Plenty of air and sparkle without being bright or harsh. I think I have finally found the right pickups for this guitar." ~ Doug
"Just wanted to drop you a quick message that your pickups (specifically Icebucker set) sounded as amazing as all other Wagner products in my
explorer, thanks for making such great products!" ~ Jone Hoftun
"IceBucker Bridge. It`s awesome!!!" ~ Vik Tork, Russia
"I wanted to mention that I am part owner of a small, on line guitar forum that we call "The String Network". Since I've been a big fan of you, your wonderful customer service, and your pickups, you've been favorably mentioned on the forum often. I have a running thread where I put different sets of pickups in a wonderful Custom Shop Les Paul, and the "Fillmore Set" I bought from you years ago was the winner! My CS Les Paul is a "Burst Brothers" commissioned by Drew and Dave, and came with hand wound pu's that were good, but NOT as good as yours!! I posted my impressions about several different pu's, and yours, along with audio clips of the different pu's. The Fillmore set are the permanent pickups for my Burst Brothers Les Paul now!! I also commented on your wonderful and FAST customer service!! Thanks again."
~ Best regards, Don Newman
"As an aside; I couldn't find the Installation instructions on the web site (they are there, I just couldn't find them.....my bad!!). So, I emailed Jim And he emailed me back within minutes!! I've bought many sets of pu's from Jim, and can tell you that their customer service is unsurpassed!! I wanted to add another story about Jim... Some years back I got a used MIM Strat, for the purpose of putting in some custom pu's, as a sort of experiment. I'd already bought this pair of "Fillmore Set" humbuckers from Jim, and noticed that he had a Strat replacement pu set he called the "SR set". Only problem was that he'd discontinued making them. Well, I figured, what the heck, and e mailed Jim to inquire about the "SR set". And, don't you know that Jim went ahead and made me a set anyway!! In fact, I think he made me two!! And, they are excellent, too.......'50's vintage Strat tone, but a bit more powerful than actual '50's Strat pu's. In fact, the "Fillmore Set" may be the first set of pu's that I've evaluated so far that sound better than my all time favorite
Les Paul. These are SERIOUSLY GOOD classic rock tone. I got the studio back on track tonight, and recorded the BB LP which is currently loaded with Fillmore Set pick ups. I like these the best of all those I've had in this guitar, to date. Now, I've spent a bunch of time listening to the audio clips again.
I have particularly spent time comparing my two favorites; the originals, and the Wagner's. I've come to the conclusion that the originals are more powerful, and push the tone into higher gain. I feel that the Wagner's are warmer, and I think that they are really closer to my ideal tone. They are not too far from the tone of the '59 ES-335 that I recently added to the herd. So, for now, the Wagner's are staying on!! I was thinking of throwing the Fralin "Pure PAF's" in it, but I just spent the past half hour playing with the Fillmore Set in it, playing it through the Block Logo JTM 45, and made certain I had the amp set where I like it. At this point I am 100% happy with the bridge pu's tone. I just need the lower pick up ring so I can eliminate the "ice picky" noises on the high E, A, and G strings when they strike the pu ring. Now, the neck pu..........I really like the tone of the high E, B, and G strings. Single note leads sound great!! However the D, and especially the A and low E strings sounded mushy and indistinct. So, I lowered the neck pick up JUST ON THE BASS SIDE. And, THERE IT IS!!! PERFECT!! So, with the unanimous agreement of my sons and I, we all LOVE the Burst Brother's Les Paul with the Fillmore Set in it. Now, I'm gonna shut up and play my guitar!!" ~ Don Newman
"Holy Mother of Earth... Dude... Just wow... My lil faded SG may have just become my new number 1 guitar. I was a lil' worried a hot P-90 wound like IM may be a little too similar to my main explorer with an IM, but... This thing is a different beast. Eats up gain and stays chunky, but STILL sounds like a P-90 with lower gain... AND the thing cleans up so pretty. Thank you for making this! I'll be back again!" ~ James Severts
"I finally worked out with the new Wagner G-90's. All I can say is that I am in Soapbar Heaven!I plugged it in (PRS McCarty Goldtop w/full rosewood neck and (of course) your G-90's into my East Amp 2 watt tube amp) with no effects.......just magnificent....complements to Chef Wagner!The bridge is Fat and articulate and the neck all Les Paul Jr....I thought that it was 1969 andLeslie West loaned me his guitar...it is that good! (I did live close to him back then) It was worth the 7 year wait.....great job Maestro! ~ Wayne Medoff
"Hey Jim, I just wanted to tell you that the Fillmore pickup really smokes. I was worried about the pickup being too hot, but man oh man is this thing good. I get great musical feedback, sustain, and crunch. Thanks again for all your help." ~ Ed Cicchi
"Just finished listening to my LP Standard at maximum volume; the combination of the brightness of the wood and the Fillmore set certainly doesn't cause ears to bleed. Instead, as opposed to my (full mahogany) Custom the Standard emphasizes less on mid and more on high, which results in a more balanced sound. And the sound of the LP certainly differs enough from the Custom's to justify another guitar with a Fillmore set.
Thanks for a great job!" ~ Regards, Menno H. Mekern - Netherlands
"Just got home from band rehearsal after installing the Fillmores. They fuckin' rock! They are exactly what I was hearing in my head. The Fillmores fit my McCarty to a tea! I love all of your pickups but these are my favs. Man.....you did something killer with these....they sound great crankin' some loud rock n' roll through my rig. Thanks again. I'm a Wagner Diehard!" ~ Jason Walters
"Although I'm blown away at the quick response; at the same time I'm not surprised. You have always conducted youeself very professionally. I'm a member of the LP Forum and remember the first mention of your "Fillmores" on the forum. At the time the poster had only heard of them, and did not own a set. I can remember many of the (I really don't mean this in a mean spirited way) hot shots there were really blowing off the idea that someone not only knew enough about Duane's tone at TFE show, but could actually duplicate it. You took many a hit without anyone ever even giving your work a chance. Then you stepped forward and offered to send a couple sets out to the forum "gurus" right out of your own pocket. It was awesome the way the reviews started coming in, and how fast the order list grew like Santa's at Christmas time. I'm 50 years old now, and I've seen alot of quick opinionated people speak out, just to be heard, before they actually knew what they were talking about. It seemed like such great vindication for you. You always responded to people's remarks with great poise." ~ Thanks again. John
"Wow thanks Jim great great pickup! Now my Les Paul plays like it should... so now what I thought sounded good in the bridge (57-classic) don't even come close to your Fillmore.... your service is a 10+ hope to get another match soon!" ~ Sincerely, Jules Colombo Tampa, FL
"I just wanted to follow up with you in regards to the Fillmore pickups. I put them in a PRS Mira and I utilize the coil split option with a mini toggle switch. I love these pickups. I believe they are my favorite set I now have. They are very fat and warm, but there is no shortage of clarity. Even the neck pickup is clear as a bell and that can't always be said with some humbuckers. I've had trouble getting a good balance with some humbuckers. If I dial in a fat clear tone on the neck, the bridge will be too thin and not warm enough or if I get a good warm, fat tone with the bridge, the neck will be muddy. This is not the case at all with the Fillmore's. They balance perfectly and the string seperation when playing chords is very distinct. Nice and clear, but not in the least thin or muddy. Good job my man." ~ Thanks again, Joe Ellis
"I got my Fillmores in record time, so much thanks with that! They sound great and really have a sweet buttery tone, not a single bad note on the fret board!" ~ Sincerely, Wyler
"Hello Jim, I ordered a set of Fillmores, I've got to tell you the difference is incredible. What an improvement. I played that guitar all afternoon today and could not put it down. It used to be one of my most seldom played guitars. That will not be the case anymore. Just wanted to let you know."
~ Thanks, Dan B.
"I'll be sure to post about the Fillmores on Harmony Central and the LP Forum soon. Really lovin' what they do to the Lester. Hope to get the other set in my PRS this week. Can't hardly force myself to pick it up now since I got the Fillmores in the LP...Thanks again!!!" ~ Edward
"Thanks for the hot tip. Yes, I am a LPF member, and I just signed up for the Axe House forum. I'm interested to start checking it out this evening. Finally had my buddy put my second Fillmore set in my PRS McCarty. Jammed on a couple songs with friends last night, and they noticed the difference and liked it. Definitely a change for the good!!! I'm really tickled with the Fillmores in my LP and PRS! Thanks again for all your help! Keep on windin'!" ~ Sincerely, Edward
"It's been 3 months and I finally got the Filmore set installed, it took me 30 years to find this tone again. I can't tell you how pleased I am with them, the tone is the same as my 58 Paul I sold 30 years ago. THANKS for making a GREAT pickup..." ~ Bob
"Just a quick note to thank you for the quick shipment of my Fillmore set, they truly are an amazing pick up, I intend to eventually replace about 4 sets with your pick ups on some of my Gibsons, not all Fillmores. The sonic tone of these pick ups are truelly amazing. Kudo's to you for building such a great tone machine." ~ Thank you, Frank
"Just wanted to mention, I was talking to Greg Germino (GerminoAmplification) yesterday. This is a man that knows the sound all too well that we are after. Anyway I am waiting for an amp to be finished and I told him I had the perfect guitar for his amp cause I have these pickups wound by Jim Wagner! He is also a huge fan of your pickups already!!! Man, I have been playing for 38 years and have never been so pumped over pickups, mind you I use duncans normally since they have been around and feel that real pafs are really a crap shoot for if they sing or not, but your babies, wahoo!!! You should be very proud. I like the first set you sent me so much that I am afraid to even try the Fillmores but I will eventually run into someone that has a set. Greg thought the Fillmores were thicker than the Goodwoods but I told him that it was probably the guitar they were in since you had told me previously that the Goodwoods were thicker. He brought up a good point though about how the way the sound blooms on your pickups that they are absolutely a no brainer for slide playing. Anywho thanks for the quick email and I am looking forward to getting them."
~ Steve B.
"I figured it out. My Marshall's are tubed really hot and I run them full throttle. The 20 watter nails Duane. The 50 watter needs a full Stack -like Duane. I have to do some trading with the friend I got the bottom from for the matching top. Those old Celestions just roar with the Fillmores in the Goldtop. So now the Crossroads for the '67 335. Do I need to pull both the original T-tops or just the bridge pup?" ~ Skip
"I installed the Fillmore pickups on my Tokai LS125.....Fantastic!!! This is the sound I had looking for. Thank you for very fast delivery
and your help." ~ Rolf
"You don't know me but I just wanted to drop you a line to apologize and thank you. We are the same age and our musical tastes appear to be identical. A friend of mine just bought a new house and has a baby on the way. He is downsizing his guitar collection and related equipment to 'soften the blow', if you know what I mean. He mentioned to me this set of "Jim Wagner Fillmores" he was selling as part of this effort. He told me why the name, "Fillmore"; that they were well made, etc. but they "just didn't do it for him", going on to say what they cost him and his perception of what they sounded like. Admittedly, I had never heard of you nor your products. Yet, I perceived his sonic description as being exactly what WOULD "do it for me". Ironically, his description was not that of the Allman Bros. Fillmore (East) shows which he did not attend but I DID. I'm coming clean here: I perceived your model name of "Fillmore" as being pompous and ultimately suicidal to your credibility. This was chiefly because those of us who were at those shows will never forget that phenomenal tone and above all, in my opinion, all the well known pickup manufacturers to date haven't come close to anything like that yet. Couple these with the fact that I never heard of you after 40 years of playing and 35 of tech work. Notwithstanding, knowing my friend really needed the cash and although I highly doubted your pickups would live up to their model name, I paid him his asking price and installed your set in my Les Paul as every prior "high end" PAF ilk set "just didn't do it for ME" (I'm sure you can emphasize here). Man, what a revelation I got!! No more soggy mud from the neck pickup, no more tinny, oinkey clank from the bridge pickup; tone out the wazoo with a paired respectible balance of power to boot! I didn't even have to set the amp to one pickup or the other for either's optimum tone. And when I cranked the amp, there was Duane's EXACT TONE!! What can I say? You've humbled me, I'm grateful and I apologize. I went back and told my friend that you must have been sitting next to me at those shows because the ONLY appropriate name for these pickups is "Fillmore". He seemed amazed and a bit puzzled but in his defense, his priorities are clearly and rightly so, elsewhere. Thank you once again and I wish you the absolute very best in all your endeavors." ~ Best regards, Roy
""BEST PUP'S I HAVE EVER PLAYED THRU....I HAVE SPENT A LOT OF CASH OVER THE YEARS ON PUP'S AND THESE "FILLMORE'S" ARE THE BEST...I HAVE HAD REAL PAF'S...DUNCAN'S..GIBSON...YOU NAME IT..NONE COMPARE TO THESE....SO SMOOTH.. SWEET HIGHS.. PERFECT MID'S...DEFINED LOW'S...AND THE TONE..IT DRIPS WITH IT...IT IS ON THE SPOT......I WILL BE IN TOUCH FOR MORE OF THEM IN THE NEAR FUTURE......IT'S SO NICE TO GET THIS QUALITY AND TONE.... YOU ARE VERY TALENTED...I AM A HAPPY MAN...THANK YOU VERY MUCH...."
~ RANDY
"Jim, I can't decide which I like better - today I'm in a Fillmore mode. I would never have believed that changing pick-ups could change my overall tone so much. I can't explain how much these things have made me want to play--all day, everyday. Outstanding man - absolutely fucking pleased beyond words. As you can see I'm a very pleased customer. NO SHIT-those Fillmore's kick ass. Took very little adjustment to really get dialed in. Lots of harmonics and overtones - I'm impressed as hell. Do you have any zebra Goodwoods or Crossroads ready to ship? Still can't decide if the Crossroad or GW should go in my R8. Might even consider another set of Fillmores. Let me know what you have in stock - I need instant gratification. PS. I cant believe those "Timbuckers" are any better than your PUPS and guys are actually waiting a year. Thanks in advance."
~ Todd Bertolini
***( Jim had a Godwood Set ready to ship, so Todd bought them, too. )***
"I had my shit ready when I saw the mailman yesterday. I got the Goodwoods installed last night. Got to play them for around 2 hours today. Phenomenal. Lots of overtones, nice creamy thick top end-nice roll off on both neck and bridge. Found they like to be close to the strings(DR pure blues-nickel). Nice package for sure - absolutely blow the 57 classics that were in the 01 R8 away. Very pleased. Now I'm going to have to buy a 335 to put a set of the Crossroads in!!! Also thanks for the headsup on the Axehouse and thanks again for the prompt service." ~ Todd Bertolini
"Regarding the website's "Stormy Monday" Fillmore pickup demo. That sound is the creamiest, most authentic Duane Allman tone I've ever heard, save for the man himself! Thanks for your wonderful pickups!" ~ Best wishes, Bill Eisner
"Thanks for sending out your BetSet and Fillmores recently. I had the BetSet installed in my Collings I-35, and this is truly an excellent match for that guitar. I had the Fillmores installed in my Collings City Limits--also an excellent match. Between these two instruments I can do anything from jazz, blues and classic rock to hard rock and classic metal with ease. Looking forward to stepping it up with the Iron Man's!" ~ Take Care, Greg Miner
"YOU ARE THE MAN! The sound clips you have dont lie! These sound EXACTLY like they are supposed to! Just a quick and simple solder job (probably easier than handling the adjustable mounting screws and springs) and my Epiphone Les Paul Std Plus sounds just like Hot 'Lanta herself, Duanes famous '59. I've looked around at nice tube Marshalls trying to find the right sound, and there are a few that come close, but for WAY too much $$. These pickups are the most amazing upgrade you can give to any guitar, from an el-cheapo, to a second rate, all the way up to some of the best present day modern Gibsons! I was looking at Gibson Burstbucker V's with the Alnico Magnets, uneven wound and everything... I even played one in the store and thought that sounded good... It can't hold a candle to what these pickups sound like... and they cost the SAME. I don't even need a fancy amplifier to accomplish that unmistakable sound. I use my Marshall MG100HDFX, which I will replace soon with an all tube Marshall, but it still puts out the sound. I even could hear it on my Yamaha G100-II 115 which is almost all clean, and these pickups need a jolt of gain or slight overdrive to wake up and snarl. I thought I'd bought a very nice Epiphone that sounded pretty good... And now it's one of the best sounding guitars EVER. I can't thank you enough. I'll definitely be getting sommore of these things for other guitars in the future...
Epiphone Les Paul Std Plus..............$499.00
Wagner Fillmore Set PAF style pickups...$300.00
Marshall MG100HDFX/4x12 cab.........$639.00
Playing a guitar that sounds exactly like your inspiration... Priceless.
Thank you so very much!
And I mean it, I'll probably get another set with a new guitar sometime in the future. Oh ya, I might make some sound clips of my own to send you,
of some slide. It sounds GREAT! Oh, and what happened to the SR set? Just curious.. my brother likes your SRs, so... ya know. Thanks again!"
"Received the Ironman pickup and slapped it in my Les Paul. I've only played it through my Marshall so far but it sounds great. Nice and hot, but it still has tons of note separation, even with the gain dimed. I'll be running my Knucklehead Tre (haven't used it with the new pickup yet) for my upcoming show and can't wait. Thanks for a fantastic product. Worth the price!" ~ Jim
"Thanks for making the best freaking' pickups in the world. Also...I just wanted to say thanks for always getting me a superior product in record time. You're the best." ~ Thanks, Dave McNaught
"Installed the Ironman Bridge and Godwood Neck in my Wolfgang Special, have to tell you I was blown away. Those pickups just flat out wail in that guitar. All my player friends were amazed at how hot they sound but still have a clear sound and full range. Just 200% satisfied!!"
~ Thanks, Kevin J Querry
"Thanks Jim! I wired her up and man, that's the sound brother! I seriously don't know how you pull off a 22k ceramic monster that when at full bore takes out city blocks with so much low end middy chunky goodness, but backs off and cleans up better than most lower output pickups...
It's flat out crazy. You could probably just make this pickup and do well if you ask me! Thanks again dude! I promise to make this pickup famous!
Or in-famous hehehe!" ~ James Severts
"First, may I respectfully ask why you are working on a Saturday (lol)? I didn't expect to hear from you until Monday. I checked my wiring against the color code you provided me with and I found that I had to simply swap the red and white wires. Now the IM kicks out 22.17k in series, 11.74k split and 5.77k in parallel! This pickup is astonishing!!! In my 30 years of playing, I have never come across a high-gain pickup that had so much oomph and yet retained clarity and tone. The IronMan has brought out the crunch in my Strat that I never thought was possible, yet, when tapped that elusive Strat on steroids tone that everyone says they have is truly mine! I can't believe how this pickup cleans up when I back off the volume. Killer pickup and a fantastic match for my Strat -- I am forever awestruck by your expertise and knowledge and you have gained another customer for life! I will be preaching JWPs exclusively to my fellow guitarists and I am evaluating my other guitars for pickup upgrades. Thanks a million and try to enjoy the rest of the weekend!" ~ Guy Santangelo
"I finally got my IronMan set installed. and since i got the guitar home, I have not been able to put it down. The set went into a fairly new PRS Custom 24 that I have never "bonded with"...I was actually considering selling it...but in the last 6 hours its become my favorite guitar. These pickups are amazing. They don't color your sound like other high output pickups I've used - they're actually really musical... they're hard to describe, but its like I have a new prescence knob, and its on 10- everything sounds brilliant, clear and LOUD through them and the individual note definition is awesome, even on really high gain settings. The major downside to these pickups is how my other guitars sound "flat" in comparison.... I wasnt planning on it, but now I need to upgrade my Les Paul. I was thinking of a DarkBurst set...hoping for Page type sound, but with enough guts to handle alot of gain without getting a flabby bottom end." ~ Thanks, George
"Just letting you know that I finally got around to throwing the ceramic magnet into the Iron Man bridge pickup, and I'm finally blown away by this pickup. It was good with the A5, better with the A8, but it really smokes with that ceramic. I left the A8 in for so long, as I sort of figured the ceramic and the A8 would be close, but I'd say it's quite a leap. The bite to the ceramic is really welcome up there in those output ranges. NOW it really feels like
the pickup I was expecting. Putting it through my Dual Rec and my EV-loaded Mesa halfback - sheesh...that's something to behold. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! I hope the new year treats you as well as I bet 2007 did." ~ Cheers, Mike
"Dude!!!!!!! The Ironman pups are amazing!!!!!!! This is the tone that I have been looking for. I got them in my PRS, and that guitar has always played awsome, but I could never get the sound I wanted out of it, but with the Ironman set I couldn't put that guitar down last night. I can't wait to see how it sounds with the ceramics in there. I might try an Alnico 2 in the neck to get a more clean sound, but the cleans are very usable. I just had to turn down the clean gain, and if I turn that clean gain up I can get a smokin blues sound. I think my wife will be pissed this weekend, I will be playing all the time!!!!!! Thanks for making such awesome pickups!!!!!" ~ Ryan
"I JUST BOUGHT AND INSTALLED AN IRONMAN BRIDGE AND GODWOOD NECK ON MY LES PAUL. DUDE, I MIGHT POSSIBLY HAVE THE HOTTEST LES PAUL ON THE PLANET. YOU KNOW GUITARISTS ARE ALWAYS SEARCHING FOR THE PERFECT TONE AND THERE ARE SO MANY PRODUCTS TO TRY BUT THESE PICKUPS ACTUALLY SOUND BETTER THAN ADVERTISED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU'LL PROBABLY START GETTING SOME ORDERS OUT OF ROCHESTER, NY AFTER ALL MY BUDS CHECK OUT MY AXE. I'LL BE IN TOUCH. SEE YA!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Doooood! They sound amazing!! Noone can touch this sheeit! Viva WAGNER!!!! Absolutely my favorite pickups for all my guitars."
~ StevieD - BuckCherry
Pots & Caps / Covers & Service
"Hi Jim, this is Johnny from Italy. I've just installed the SR pickups set I received from You: WONDERFUL TONES!!!! Tone-wise, from lows to mids to highs response I cannot say anything else than WWWOOOWW!!... like a child in a candy store!!!! Jim, You brought this beloved Strat of mine back to life!! Before I tried almost every kind of pickup out there, I even tried TWO sets of the famous Fender Custom Shop' Mrs Abigail Ybarra's Masterwound (handwound) pickups (a 1958 black bottom replica set I had in a Masterbuilt Strat of mine and one 1964 grey bottom replica set of her 300 Limited Edition sets) BUT THEY WERE "NOTHING AS GOOD" COMPARED TO YOURS!!!! Jim believe me when I say, I don't know words enough to thank you how much I would like to do!!!! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH INDEED FOR THE GREAT CHANCE YOU GAVE ME!!!! Have a great day and all the best with Your MASTERWORKS!!" ~ Sincerely, Johnny Marini
"Last year I bought a an SR set from you to build my own strat. I'd just like to say thanks, they are the best sounding pickups I have ever used! They are excellent when played clean, no problems with shielding (I only used shielding paint), and I can get the biggest fattest sound when I crank up the gain. I've already had guitar teachers asking me which pickups I've fitted, and where they can get them. :) If you want, I'll get some samples sent over. The guitar has the Hendrix / SRV sound I wanted, so I can no longer blame the guitar." ~ Thanks - Matt York
"I can't afford to keep replacing pups, trying all the different "world's best" out there. All three of my STRATS have Wagner pups in them. Each is different and tone is always my aim. I wanted to comment on a guy who claimed to have had a bad experience with Jim Wagner. IMPOSSIBLE...When you call him up, there has always been a great, helpful, courteous and kind individual on the other end of the phone. He loves what he does and it shows in his service and product. I've called him, sent emails and always got a response in less than 24 hours. He calls back, he emails in a timely manner. Jim is a good businessman, no fool, and generous in his time and talent. The writer who claimed otherwise isn't telling all the story. Jim is not arrogant, nor rude, and unless the guy attacked his family... wouldn't use profanity. In other words... Look at the feedback from those of us who have purchased from him... this guy is nuts." ~ axefixer
"My replacement SR middle pickup came today, would you believe one week plus two minutes exactly! Not bad for a wind, pack, and get it to me in Canada!!!!!! Also got my gold covers and screws; expensive, but going on a pair of Goodwoods and into my PRS Hollowbody II Artist Package Piezo. I'm so hooked on the Wagner Tone I'm considering getting another Les Paul just to put some Darkbursts into. At any rate, just wanted to thank you so much for outstanding customer service and the best pickups I've had the pleasure to own and play! I'll be posting some equally kind words on The Gearpage, as in this day and age I'm always amazed to find someone who actually does what he says he's going to!" ~ Yours in Tone, Eric Pykala
"Howzit brudah! I have had the new bridge pickup for a while, and installed it last week then went to a jam on Sat....wow....I thought the Texas special (old pup, temporary replacement) was sounding ok until the new JWP you made me went in. Man a bridge tele pup that is musical, it actually puts out some nice bass along with the spank! So fun, for me. When I strung up the tele and plugged it in I found the center position to be out of phase, then I figured.....o.....you didn't have the neck pup there to see what to match, but rather than switch the ground out (like you told me how to do for the Texas special) I thought I would try it live. I have purposely wired for out of phase in the past but didn't like the volume drop so I reversed it before trying it live, but this time I played it live......it's a magic tone when loud......I'll never change it back, it was meant to be......I have fallen in love with the Tele all over again. Thanks again for your knowledge and great pup's." ~ Aloha! KB
"I just installed the SR's with RS guitar's hop up kit in my MIM Strat last night. They totally blow me away! Clear top end, tight woody low end that doesn't get fuzzy when driven with allot of gain. Great crunch sounds too ..... I just made my $500.00 MIM Strat into a $2000.00 high end guit for $350.00! I am absolutely overwhelmed by the new sounds!" ~ Thanks, Joe Kruger
"Thanks Alot. I got the Goodwoods & SR's installed in my Rossington SG & SRV Strat. Again I'm blown away. The Rossington has been awakened by the Goodwoods. The SR's are so "Touch Sensitive" it's incredible. The way it cuts through the mix in EVERY pickup position is amazing!! I don't have to beat the hell out of the guitar to get what I want. Again my tech was floored!! Next up..my "korina's" Flying V & Explorer but I'm going to enjoy these for awhile along with my R8 LP w/DarkBursts!! You're the best in the business!!" ~ Jim Henry
"I just wanted to thank you for making some awesome pickups. I just recently played a friends strat with the SR pickups, and I was blown away. I will soon be putting them on a tele I am custom building, I will also be replacing humbuckers on another costum Guitar of mine, then will be putting another set of your humbuckers on one more guitar I'm building. I am now strictly a devoted JWP pickup user, and please don't quit making your pickups anytime soon." ~ Thanks again, Mike Williams (a 17 year old guitar fanatic)
"Just wanted to let you know I finally got around to posting a review of the SR set I put in my Jack Gretz strat. I'll let the review speak for itself."
~ Best regards - Russ Whittemore
More G-90 testimonials coming soon!
And if you have a set of 'em, we'd love to hear from you!
"What a surprise this morning when I received the parcel!!! I believed receiving the pick-ups close to the 15th of January. So It was for me, a very good morning with a marvellous surprise. I fitted my Strat with the pick ups this evening and it sounds now so warm, so brilliant, so clear. It sounds like a dream. Even with the different overdrives like the voodoo1, fulltone ocd and maxon OD808, it sounds far more brilliant, warmer and clearer. I could believe that I changed everything. Its a different set. Fantastic! Thanks a lot Jim and congratulation for the quality of your work. Its wonderful!
I adore my new Strat. Lol I will think about a new set for my Les Paul. Once again Jim, thanks a lot. You made a very happy man !!!" ~ Fabrice
"Jim, I installed the pickup in the neck position on my '62 Tele re-issue. What an incredible addition!" ~ All the best, Josh
"I remembered wrong - the bridge was one of Steve Kersting's that Bill Chapin spec'd out & the neck is a Fillmore. Now I have Fillmores in both positions on this guitar and Crossroads in both positions on my '98 Black Beauty (Historic '57). Couldn't be happier... carry on."
~ Best, J (R. J. "Jeff" Sanders)
"The pickup sounds awesome, I really appreciate the awesome service, you make the best pickups & have the best customer service.
Thanks again!" ~ Chuck
"How do you do it? These pickups f-in RAWK! I don't get it. It's a plastic bobbin, some magnets, and some wire. I know, I know. It's in the winding or some other magic. The best way I can describe your pickups to people is "articulate". I have this thing running through my BYOC shredder pedal on max gain, max mid scoop, and I can hear every damn note. How is that even possible? This $1000 Made in Japan Sam Ash special Jackson now sounds every bit as good as my $5000 Les Paul R9. JWP pickups in both is why! :) Dude just by swapping out the pickups, suddenly the middle position is usable (it was crap before). Suddenly the tone knobs matter. Sure I'm guilty of wanting to be impressed, but usually with me, that leads to dissapointment. Hell I even recorded the guitar before and after to prove to myself there wasn't a difference. There is! I can't put this thing down! My ears hurt. I'm going to bed. Good job man." ~ GAD
"Hi Jim... Another great jam this weekend....Guitar keeps getting me great comments The sound....The tone....The clean....The distortion....
Not a bad sound out of my Les Paul since it has received the JWP treatment....I think your pick-ups are making me a better player.... I can't put the damn thing down." ~ Hey from Ottawa.....
"I just wanted to tell you that I have been playing most of the night and had to force myself to just put the guitar down! Are you friggin' kidding me? These pickups are hands down the baddest pickups I have ever in my life had the pleasure to hear. Wow! I am so happy that I stumbled into a review of your products and from all of the rave reviews I just knew that you must really have something there and I was right my friend, you absolutely have the baddest- arsed pick-ups that I have ever had the pleasure to hear. I was a die hard Duncan fan and still think they have a great product but if you absolutely have to blow the doors of every other guitar player in the place then you would really do well to start with these pick ups. There is nothing available that even comes close. I don't know how you do it Jim but just keep on doing it because you have an incredible product that is everything the reviews say it is and much more. You can count on me being a customer for a good long time. Thanks for the incredible sound." ~ Glenn Ralph
"I picked them up and got them installed. YOU ARE THE MAN!!!!!! My Les Paul sounds like it should now. Thanks to you!! I have a set of Gibson 57 Classics I just took out if you need a paper weight. LOL Thanks man." ~ Sam
"I just have 3 words to say: Killer!!! Killer!!! Killer!!! Ahhh forget it, I have to go only they sound fantastic period. They get a really convincing Fender single coil sound when split which you know I was looking for. You can't believe what they sound like plugged into my '66 Deluxe Reverb. I have a CS356 with the gold hardware that I would love to put the right JWP's in but I need the gold covers. One happy guy!" ~ Kevin
"Just got both guitars back today and they SCREAM!!! You have out done yourself man. Amazing, just amazing!" ~ Thanks again, Criss
"Thank you for the quick response. I will probably keep the JWP pickups stock for now, (rather than swap any magnets) I was able to play some during lunch today, and let me say this: the pickups are the best I have heard yet. They are very thick and bluesy (just what I was looking for). I will definitely recommend them to my friends. Thanks again for your help." ~ Scott
"I just wanted to thank you for the awesome product. My Les Paul went from bright and abrasive to AWESOME!!" ~ Ed Cicchi
"Just got back from the Fargo blues fest....Your pickups are unbelievable!!!! Our band, Julie Stewart & The Motor Kings just did the last Santa Fe
Plaza outdoor gig of the summer...There were 77 music acts this summer, and the sound man for the entire season came up to me afterwards and told me I got the award for the finest guitar tone all year!!! Your pickups are a major part of my tone Jim....Thankx so much!!!!!!!"
~ Sincerely, Roddy Welles The Motor Kings
"Michael from Germany again. Here is my feedback on your pickups, sorry comes a little bit late : ****** These are best humbuckers I ever had on a LES PAUL ****** Your name is JIM so someone must wound these pickups who is called SPOCK (Just a joke)!?! ;-)
Thank you very much, I really like these PU'S" ~ YOURS VERY TRULY, Michael
"Great pu's thanx. They make this copy sound legit." ~ Jerry Dyer
"I received your PU's yesterday and tried them this afternoon!! Wow, you are a magician Jim!! Like all the other JWP users said, your PU's are THE BEST of all PU's. If one day I need more PU's for others guitars, it will be JWP!! Thank you very very much!!!" ~ All my best, Julian
"Mornin' Jim, Pickups are in . . . They sound fantastic!!! Life is good . . . . .Thanks for all your advice." ~ Cam
"I pickep up my guitar yesterday and I have to see I am extremely satisfied with your pickups, the guitar sounds amazing. With the Jimmy Page Mod it is an extremely versatile instrument. I love the way the coils sound tapped, almost has a P-90ish sound to it rather than a Strat pickup. With the push pull pot it nails that Peter Green tone. The other cool sound is when both pickups are in series, it gets a huge tone. I can't wait until I can crank it up at a gig. This guitar will most likely now become my main guitar thanks to you!!!" ~ Tim O'Connor
"Well, I've had a year to play this pickup set through my Shiva and I gotta say that I couldn't be more pleased. They absolutely rock! I'm sure the total electronics upgrade didn't hurt either...I'm basically running through a Menatone Fish Factory into the Shiva EL-34 w/ a bunch of tastey NOS tubes...great stuff. Thanks again for the great recommendation. My next humbucker guitar will immediately be equipped w/ JWP's!" ~ Adam
"Just wanted to let you know I'm loving the pickups. Everything promised and more." ~ Evan
"Got the pickups in the guitar last night, and was able to play a little...... All I can say is WOW! I wish I had heard about you and your pickups sooner. Thanks for the smooth deal and the wonderful product!" ~ Norm Day
"I was always trying new pickups, custom winds, rewinds, then once I tried JWP on accident; there it was. Not just part of the journey on finding your tone, I found my tone. Since I tried them, I've never thought one second more about pickups. That was four years ago and I am happier today then I was even then. They are tools for tone and keys to finding what I was looking for. Nothing is more responsive, dynamic, raw and organic than JWP's pickups. Nothing else matters to me." ~ Scott Peterson - Moderator at the Gear Page
"I'm a huge fan of the JWP Pickups. I was always in a struggle for the right balance between neck and bridge, and tones that sing on command. JWP's do that. The tones are always inspiring, and always a cut above. From warm sweet emotive neck tones that are always clear, to fat bridge tones that never mud out and always have the perfect amount of sizzle and cut without sounding thin. Just fantastic tones that you can depend on live and in studio from gig to gig, no matter what style of music, they always put that smile on my face! Add to that, the fantastic level of care and service given to everyone from complete hacks, to serious pro musicians, JWP delivers." ~ Big Mike - Moderator at the Gear Page, Proud Moore/Green and Godwood user
"Mate, Jim, Bro ... you've got me in troubles ... I'll be a Fillmores fan forever ... but the Godwoods are soooo sweet ... never thought before that 2 sets of pups would make a choice so difficult ... BTW - I'll keep them both forever ... Gave them a try in my Gibson tonight ... tremendous sound ... Couldn't say at the moment which I like best - they're totally different but the way you're winding the pups ... WoW - you must have something magical in your fingers ... I guess ...in my good times they've called me 'magic finger' ... whatever you're thinking now ... Great job, Jim, Congratz ... I love them both Fillmores and Godwoods for their typical style - think I'll have to swap them according to my gigs" ~ Roger (from Germany)
"The pickups have arrived! Thanks!
ALSO - at almost the same time my Vintage Guitar mag arrived and there you are !!! Great article! Keep up the great work and please know that "small time" guys like me are eternally grateful to you for making beautiful guitar tones available and affordable." ~ Glenn
"I was expecting good things from these pickups.....but I'm completely blown away! I can't put my Les Paul down. I did the RSguitarworks upgrade first and thought that was a big improvement, but I can't believe what another big leap the pickups were in tone! Clean to dirty, i'm totally digging the sounds I'm getting...I'll definitely recommend your pickups to others, thanks for such a great product!" ~ Alex
"I just installed these yesterday, haven't put my guitar down since. The age old thing about "certain pickups-certain guitars" gets blown out the window with these because I can't seem to find anything wrong with them. They accentuate the sound of the wood better than anything I've heard
(I swapped out Antiquities) they're warm, thick, balanced, and sweet. I will most definitely be making another purchase in the near future." ~ Kevin
"Played them a lot over the holidays and they are wonderful. Got compliments from a couple of good players at the local jam who both heard them and asked to play the guitar. Thanks again and I hope you had a nice holiday and New Year..." ~ Nick C
"I ended up installing them tonight after all. I just got done playing them for about an hour. They sound great. They have everything... clarity, smoothness, fat tone, and they respond wonderfully to the volume control. They are truly great and I can't wait to try them with the band. Your pickups have ruined me for all others!! Thanks again for all of your help. I am thinking that I might try a set of Godwoods in my Hamer hollowbody. I'll let you know." ~ Take care, Jeff
"I had the opportunity to use the pickups in rehearsals recently. The SG breathes liquid fire now. They sound warm, round, full, biting and now I can make this guitar sound as good as it looks. The stock pups bought the farm (bon voyage!). Thanks again and keep doing these little alnico devils!"
~ Luiz Esmiralha
"I just wanted to drop you an e-mail and let you know your pickups arrived last week...For starters, it was incredibly easy to install. In addition, I will admit that I was skeptical about trying new pickups that I have never hear of, but from all the hype, I decided to give them a try. BOY, DO THEY SOUND AMAZING!!!! Better than I ever hoped to hear, definitely blows any pickup I have ever had away. Thank you and be sure I will dip into my guitar fund for another pair!!! Forgot to thank you for the really fast delivery!" ~ Best regards, George!
"Just wanna let you know that I've installed the pickups on my McCarty, and they ROCK! They have a certain musical "clarity" that I deeply appreciate. Thanks a ton!" ~ God Bless, Justin
"AWESOME pup's man!!! Jimi Hendrix here I come...!!! I still haven't dial them in and they sound great. Mahalo's Brah!!!" ~ Aloha Steve
"I received the pickups. They're all sounding excellent!!!!!!!!!!" ~ Sorin
"I've received the pickups and promptly installed them on a 1981 Les Paul: THEY'RE WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!! It seems like there's Duane here!
Thank You again, Merry Christmas and Ciao" ~ Stefano - Italy
"I'm still digging the Ironman and undoubtedly will for many years to come. I see you have pots/cap kits and I will recommend he purchase a kit
as well." ~ Thanks! Nate Esteban
"Got the pickups wicked fast and already have the stuff all installed. It is really nice. Everything sounds great. My guitar sounds like it always should have and better. Thank you for the turn around." ~ Cheers, Ruston
"I installed these in my LP semi-hollow double cut last night and all I can say is WOW! They are exactly what I was hoping for. I played for about 3 hours straight just looking for something these pups can't do. I finally found it... DEATH METAL! Of course, my amps can't do that either LOL!"
"I constantly get rave reveiws on my guitar tone. Sure, part of it is the amps, the speakers, and I've played for 36 years now. At some point, though, you do upgrade your pickups. I started doing that almost 30 years ago. I've bought three sets from JWP now, plus one set I traded for (yeah, Wags, that's how Leon & I resolved the Betset!). The ones I use the most are the Betset in my Orville LP GT, the American Steele set in my Fool SG, the Darkbursts in my Keebler LP Replica and the DB neck/Godwood bridge combo in my Explorer. Yes, I went through 11 PAF's and sold 8 of them. 2 are in my 61 LP/SG Std, and one is kept in inventory here (also from a 61 SG/LP Custom). The other 8 PAF's I sold didn't cut it tone-wise to keep, yet all the JWP pickups stay here in guitars. Yes, I have Wolfetones (Dr. V, Marshallhead/Scumback set, and a P90), Voodoo 59 set (7.4k A3 neck, 8.4K A5 bridge), and various other brands (DiMarzio, Seymour, Gibson Burstbuckers, etc.). The ones that get played the most are the JWP pickups. They're the closest tone (and in many ways better) to the PAF's I have. Just as I have minor variations on speakers for people to dial in their amp tone, JWP has minor PAF variations to do the same. It's all about providing what the players want to hear. I could give a big rat's butt about how it's done. As long as the end result is superior tone, I wouldn't care who wound the pickups, either. I didn't meet Jim Wagner while searching for tone, I already had it. I just wanted variations on PAF tone, which he had. I think getting caught up in the "They did it this way back when!" is similar to rubbing two sticks together to start a campfire. I'll just get out the charcoal, grill and BBQ fluid, if you don't mind. Life is short. Why waste your time and energy doing things the old fashioned way if the end result is the same? I hope it's not braggin' rights, that would kinda silly....."
~ Jim Seavall - SouthBay AmpWorks
"I wanted to send you a note to say thanks and also to say how good the pickups sound. I like the feel of the pickups and really appreciate a new pickup sounding so good. As opposed to everyone looking for an old pickup, you have made a bridge here I would rate them as a number one PAF sounding pickup. I can give you a better descriptive evaluation if you would like soon. I plan on using the guitar and pickups for an advertising agencys demo site to be launched next year, I will send along the info for you soon, I'm shooting it in the next week or so. I have to admit it is my
best sounding guitar and the pickups go right along with it. Thank you again for such a nice job. Look forward to hearing more of your pickups in
the future." ~ All the best, Mike - Lead guitar, "The Dragons"
"I just wanted to reach out and say thank you for the pickups. They sound amazing and I've been getting huge props on my tone. I just let 'em know about a mad scientist in SOULSBYVILLE..." ~ Stevie D, Buckcherry
"I want to take a second and really thank you for your product. The ceramic 8 in the Bridge Icebucker and Godwood Neck have completely blown my expectations away. That Icebucker is so Full and Fat, but tight on my Engl Amp it's really something to hear. Thank you once again for a great first impression of your work and your customer service as well. I can't wait to get more of these bad boys from you in the future. Have a great day sir.
~ Jeremy Croll
"Your pickups are superb and enrich my sound and my life (I really think, they were the last thing missing on my long and winding way to THE TONE!)! I'm joyfully looking forward to the next recordings and of course gigs!" ~ Thank you very much again! Thomas
"Okay, now I'm impressed. Today, 9/30/08, they were sitting in my mailbox. The pickups look great, all the pieces appear to be there, the instructions are clear, and the packaging was clean as a whistle. I've been working in customer service businesses for more than 30 years now and you, sir, are as good as it gets. Every email I sent (four, I think) was returned with a well written answer no later than the next day, and your shipping commitment turned out to be much better than expected. I'm really impressed. You're solid gold, Jim. Thanks again." ~ Steve
"Thanks for helping me choose the pickup set! BTW, I just wrote a quick blog entry on my site (actually, my last two were about JWP)."
"Thanks as always for the killer gear! We had an awesome time with it on our European tour. Keep up the excellent craftsmanship!"
~ Jon Schaffer, Iced Earth
"I installed the new pots yesterday and I really couldn't be happier. The pots are totally usable throughout the entire range of motion which i just wasn't used to and they really made the instrument come alive. I will definitely be buying more of your products in the future." ~ Thanks again! Mike
"I just wanted to extend my gratitude for your recommendation on the pickups and wiring kit. I installed the pickups, pots and caps last weekend and I am extremely pleased. You took my SG from a well playing so-so sounding instrument to a well playing fabulous sounding one. If I ever get that R7 Les Paul, you will be hearing from me again." ~ Cheers, Alvaro Sendon
"Just got back from getting these caps installed. Man do they suck! You can REALLY hear all my bad notes now! WTF? And this woman tone?! Who the hell needs it?! Turned my R8 into a piano! I'll never buy another of your crappy products again! Damn flutey solos! Probably have to order some of your pots to see how bad they suck as well! Damn you Jim!!! Thanks dude!!!" ~ Jeff Bartholic
"Just wanted to let you know that I installed your electronics upgrade kit today in a D'Angelico New Yorker solid body with Bigsby. The kit made a HUGE difference in tone and really opened up the pickups. The pots have a great "feel" to them and are very responsive. Tons more control than the standard CTS. I will be recommending these to my fellow guitarists. Truly an amazing difference." ~ Dave
"I got the pots and caps, very happy with them with the Betset pickups, nice and bright with the right bite lovely attack especially with a little crunch. Thank you!" ~ Rob
"I just installed the pickups into my 2001 Les Paul standard and they are a dream :) and the pots are like the cherry on top of the cake. It's like I bought a better guitar! Thanks a lot and keep up the good work!" ~ Kind regards, Mihai ROMANIA
"You know how bad you are for getting me hooked on your pots don't you? I only have about 20 more guitars that need upgrades." ~ Crikey Mayer
"I got the covers today. They fit very nicely, better than most generic covers I have purchased in the past where the cover had to be pinched at the sides with a clamp so I could solder to the base. Great stuff, as always." ~ Rick
"Got the pickups and will attempt to install (myself). You're nothing short of amazing...your competitors have several week/month lead times and are no where near as easy to work with. I deal with lots of businesses of different kinds and you have something most don't....impeccable customer service, rapid response and lightning fast delivery. If you stopped making pickups you would be an incredible business consultant...You know how to make customers happy with your product and your unbeliebably over the top delivery and service. I'm amazed!!!!!" ~ Charles Flanary
"Hey Jim (!) You are truly an amazing pickup maker. I installed the Fillmores in a '61 reissue SG I have, and another set you made (God Wood that I scored off Craigslist) in a ES 335 that I have. I'm completely floored < now > with both guitars. I have a shit load of guitars here, all with outstanding pickups installed. Tom Holmes, DiMarzio, vintage Gibson, Gretsch, and Jason Lollar's. Your work is more musical. More complex. I am lucky these days to own a bunch of killer amps, too. Your pickups are the catalyst in maximizing my abilities, and what the guitar and amp can really do.
Since getting the order, and the pickups installed - I haven't played this much in years man.....All I need now are your tone caps!
Please let me know when they arrive." ~ Thanks again - Tom
"I just got around to installing the CherryBuckers you sent me yesterday afternoon, and I really want to say THANK YOU. These are hands down the best pickups I have ever heard...the tone is unreal. You weren't kidding either...the bridge pickup with both knobs on 10 is instant Kossoff! Again, thank you for helping me find the right pickup and the tone that made me want to play a guitar in the first place. YOU ROCK!" ~ Jarrod DeArmitt
"JIM IS THE REAL DEAL!! NO ONE MAKES A BETTER PICKUP. WE PUT TWO ON MY '60 LES PAUL, AND GUYS FIGHT OVER IT TO PLAY IT. IT HAS SUPER HOT HIGHS AND IS CLEAR AND LOUD. BEST PICKUP MADE FROM ANYONE! CANNOT BEAT HANDMADE, USA, AND FROM A GUY THAT IS A REAL PLAYER, TOO. YOU CANNOT BEAT THESE PICKUPS!!!!!! They are the best made pickups on the planet!!!!! I have tried them all, too!!"
~ Greg Golden - Bizarre Guitars - Reno, Nevada
"I'm really enjoying the Crossroads and CherryBucker! I'm playing a gig on Thursday the 23rd with my Red guitar with the CherryBuckers. It's going to be my main guitar for the gig because it covers a lot of ground, from Guns and Roses to Alice in Chains to VH! Take care bro!" ~ Skid Row George
"Been meaning to write to you, I *LOVE* the Cherrybucker! It sounds so sweet and fat, yet articulate. Definitely has that mojo I was looking for. This guitar is fantastic, such a wide range of tones. I was jamming with the band, I have that little Yamaha/Soldano 50 watt combo that came out in the late 80's. The Cherrybucker screams, but sounds so rich. BTW, the lead guitarist in my band has your American Steele set in his Les Paul and it also is ridiculous. Thanks! ~ Steven
"These are fricken beautiful Jim. Now I understand what everyone meant by string separation, it's unbelievable. I even love the neck pickup, right at the point of distortion the tone is just so good! Huge thank you sir, fricken magic pickups!" ~ Spencer
"Two days ago, I received a set of pickups that Jim made for me. I put them on my'60 Les Paul reissue that is flamed to death. The difference in sound is night and day. Jim makes the best pickups I have ever heard!!!!! The power and highs are so much louder and clearer it is unbelievable!!!!!
Thanks Jim for making the best pickups in the business!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" ~ Greg Golden
"Jim!!!! Thank you bro!! I replaced some stock patent black sticker humbuckers in a '60 Les Paul reissue with the pickups you sent. I hated the guitar before. It played like a dream but just did not have the sound!!! Now I freakin' love it. What are those pickups???? What is the ohms? Please let me know what those are. (Butyrate CherryBucker set) Where can I tell the world. Is there any pickup forums? I will announce on facebook, too. Man that was the biggest difference I have ever seen in a guitar!!! Let me have some info so I can broadcast how great they are!!!!!!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" ~ Greg Golden 2
"THE PICKUPS THAT JIM MADE SPECIAL FOR ME ON MY '60 LES PAUL TORE IT UP. PAUL HOLDGATE, MY GREAT FRIEND AND SINGER HAS CLAIMED THAT GUITAR. IT IS THE MOST FLAMED REISSUE ON THE PLANET. JIM MAKES JWP PICKUPS CUSTOM, AND PAUL PLAYED THAT GUITAR WITH MY BAND AND TORE IT UP. THOSE PICKUPS SCREAM BEYOND BELIEF!!!!!!!!!!! IT IS A MAINSTAY IN OUR BAND!!! HIS PICKUPS ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"I would like to say that Jim makes the best pickups on the planet and inparticular his Les Paul pickups are spectacular. (Greg hasn't played our single coils, YET) Best guy in the industry to deal with!!!!!!!!!!" ~ Greg Golden 3
"Hey Jim, just got the modded American Steele pups installed in my 1990 LP std. Exceeded my expectations! Particularly enjoying the neck pick-up. Feel like this guitar has just been exorcised!" ~ Cheers, Ryan Soden
"I can not put my guitar down! The Modified AST's are blowing my mind, and what's better than that, (and worth more than any number of dollars ), is the inspiration! I've been struggling along in one of those ruts for a while, and now my playing seems to really be blossoming. That is some great, great work you're doing! Muchos gracias, Amigo!" ~ Dave Bacon
"I felt the need to share my experience with my new bridge pup.v I recently ordered a CherryBucker bridge from Jim, and I have been rocking it for a good couple of weeks now. I have owned or have tried about 50%-75% (a lot) of the boutique pickups out there. (Timbuckers, Holmes, WCR, Wolfetone, Duncan, Gibson, Scatterbranes, Motor City, Lollar, Bare Knuckle, Throbak, etc...) I love all these pups, and it really comes down to what is the best marriage of pickup to the wood of the guitar, and what you want it for. Some of my pups rock in one guitar, but a problem in another...Too bright, low end issues....etc. One of my favorite sets has been the Godwood/Crossroads set by Wagner. While the Godwood is a Killer pup, it just wasn't exactly what I was looking for. So I called up Jim, and ordered a Cherrybucker, to see if it was more to my liking. The Cherrybucker is suppose to be a lower wound, not as hot, Godwood. Whatever it is, it is Killer, and one of the Best pups I have ever put into my Les Pauls. At 9.4K it is perfect for me. I love hotter PAF style pups that are 8.5k - 9.5K in the bridge with A5's. I'm in love with this pup, and it works awesome with my crossroads neck. I gained more crunch and openness, while holding onto the thick ballzy tone of the Godwood. Punchy, meaty, articulate, and clarity all wrapped up in one. It's Hard to get it all in a pup, and this one is as close to all that as I have heard. It's a winner!" ~ Aaron B.
"Dude, got it this morning....oh my! This Cherrybucker is everything I want in a pup man. Probably the best pup in the house now. It has Balls, Dynamics, punch, and crunches for days!!! I'm in Les Paul heaven right now." ~ Thanks Jim! Aaron Bush
"Hi, my name is Mike from the Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute, Mr Breeze. I just had to write to you and say that I just installed a set of your Moore/Green pickups in my 76 Gibson Les Paul Standard and all I have to say is ...oh my god..and thanks. We all know how some 70's Les Pauls are kinda lifeless. I've had every pickup you can think of installed with less then great results. Well once I put your set in, it was like a whole different guitar. It has tone...tone and moore tone. Now I'm going to put a darkwood in my 72 SG. I just wanted to say thanks foe caring about tone so much and for making great pickups ...and if you ever offer an endorsement deal, please, please let me know." ~ Mike...Mr Breeze
"I have a set of Moore/Green pickups on my Les Paul. They are really amazing sounding pickups. I had Throbaks before, but JWP MGs are really on another planet. Thanks a lot." ~ NICK BAROLO Italy
"Some years ago I already acquired a set of your magic pick-ups, i.e. the Moore/Green set, and I must say this combination sounds better than ever in my beloved tokai ls120 from 1980. This time I'm ready to put my gibson les paul R8 to the next level and I decided to order the Bet/set in order to clear the throat of that light-weighted, but slightly bassy guitar. I'm really looking forward to receiving your pu-combo and I'm getting ready to play the blues! Thanks for your excellent work and all the best!" ~ Greetings from Switzerland, Martin Buess
"Just installed a set of MG's in my '73 Deluxe. Couldn't be happier! Replaced a '59/JB Duncan combo. Not that the Duncans are bad, the MG's are just on another level of great tone. Kinda like drivin' a Buick and then drivin' a Mercedes! WOW! I bought these on Ebay at a fair price for a used set of pups but would have gladly ponied up the full price for a set, and most likely will for my next pickup purchase." ~ Nice work! Mark
"I've tried out the Murkats in different guitars and it seems that they fit best in my older PRS CE24 with an alder body. I just played a gig with my Maiden cover-band over a EVH 5150III and it sounded awesome!!" ~ Best regards, Chasper Wanner
"WOW is all I can say about the Murkat....it really beefed up my alder strat with floyd. It sounds full and thicker than ever....the top end is smooth and rich too. It's made it the guitar I always wanted it to be and that's after a boatload of pickup swaps!" ~ Thanks Jim! Charles Flanary
"I have these Charvels SoCal and SanDimas that I`ve installed the MurKats on one and on the other the old Shredders that I also have from you. Man! What a difference! I knew that`s going to be different due to my experience with Ironman and Darkburst and Goodwood, but I everytime try your pickups, I flip. Seriously man! Good job! Well, once again! Good job! I`m definitely advertising around your product, Jim." ~ Cheers - Cris Tinelo
"Just wanted to take a moment and tell you that I got the Moore/Green set you sent me installed and couldn't be happier with them. All this time I've been looking for a way to get that nasally/out of phase tone with clarity, balance, sustain and sensitivity with good, tight low end and it is ALL there in spades. They simply sound fantastic. Everyone was turning their heads at the gig last weekend when I played that guitar. You are a GENIUS. By the way, do you now - or have you in the past - made strat pickups? I didn't see any your site. If you could do as good as job at strat pups as you do at humbuckers I'd get a set in a second." ~ Thanks again, Dave Martin
"I finally had enough time to install the M/G's and wiring kit into my Les Paul (a Gary Moore signature). And I haven't been able to put the guitar down today! I love those pups. Sweet, airy and articulate. Very musical sounding, much much more than the Gibson one's that were in that guitar originally. Plus, all the new sounds I've been able to find from the middle position while working with the volume and tone controls... just pure magic (somehow I cannot stop playin' Black Magic Woman). That Paul has been my go-to guitar for quite a while now, but it has never sounded this good. Nor has my Marshall ever sounded this sweet. I'm expecting my Fender Super Reverb RI next week, cannot wait how good that will sound with these pups."
~ So thanks again man. : )
"Another home-run! Tone, tone and more tone. The neck is sweet and fat and the bridge has great bite, but not too sharp or bright. Both have great sustain and those sweet notes ring forever. The middle position on my Les Paul was a one trick pony, but not any more. I now have unlimited versatility with out of phase tone that would make "Moore Green with envy". Thanks again Jim!" ~ Mark Mitchell
"I just got my 1986 Heritage H-140CM back from my lutherie with MG's installed. I am awe struck with sound they produce the perfect LP sound.
Not muddy just beautiful sound and tone. I was leary about the out-of-phase position, but it is awesome. I also have a 2004 Heritage 535 same as Gibson's 335. I looking for a pickup that can produce the true PAF sound. What would you recommend?" ~ Thank you Jim, Jim Munn
"DOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!! i'm going to have to re-engineer all my p90 guitars to use those--- insane sound. i have had a lot of humbucking guitars, and still do, and these sound ten times better than any i've had, tried, or currently own-- what set is comparable soundwise to the moore/green set without the crazy out of phase middle position? want to add another choice to my build specs--- thanks again and i hope to sell a ton of these and make us both rich harrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr---" ~ j
"The pickups arrived (Moore-Green Set), and I took them and the guitar I wanted them installed in (A Heritage H-150CM with about the same flame and color as the Green/Moore LP) to Greg Mellerup, the owner of the Guitar ER here in Des Moines. I received a call from Greg this afternoon that the guitar was done and he excitedly told me of the tone. It wasn't until I got there and heard it for myself that I knew what I had-One of the most Kick Ass tones I've ever heard or felt. These are the best pickups I've ever played. I brought the guitar home and plugged into my Victoria tweed amp and my jaw dropped again. The neck pickup is pure blues and very punchy. Everyone will want a set of these once they've heard them!!" ~ Thanks again!! Scott
"Aloha Jim, Back to you about the M/G pups. I was impressed with the clarity of the bass strings just like Greeny's. I took out my real PAF's and put in your set and love the sound. Not that the real PAFs sounded bad at all-but yours really took it the next level! I also liked the extra bit of output very sweet bridge pup too! Thanks from your bud from the rainforest and keep up the good work." ~ Jeff Giamario - Jeff's Vintage Sound
"Ok - they're in! Completely transformed the tone of this LP. Incredible. Best investment you can make in a LP in my opinion." ~ Michael Campbell
Well, Jim, I have the pickups installed. I pulled the Iron Gear Blues Engine and Tesla Shark, put in your Godwood and Crossroads. I am AWESTRUCK! The difference is ASTOUNDING! I had a 1969 Les Paul Custom that I played in working bands for 10 years. It was stolen in a burglary. I have 15 other guitars, about half of them dual-humbucker guitars. They have pickups from several makers. Iron Gear, Bare Knuckle, Joe Naylor, etc. including a set of Gibson ’57 Classics that I bought in 1990. NONE of them have tone equal to that old Les Paul! Maybe close, but not really “there”. Now THIS guitar DOES! Absolutely amazing! To add to the amazement is that this guitar is a cheap GFS XV-500! It plays just beautifully, is made like a Les Paul, mahogany body and set neck, ¾” maple cap, etc., but slightly thinner and a wee tad lighter. It only cost me $219.00. And now it will kick the butt of
any high-end Les Paul out there! And that’s with a Bigsby B5 / Vibromate and roller bridge. I wired it with independent volume controls, treble bleed networks on both volume pots, all CTS Vintage taper pots, with the tone pots made to be no-load, an Emerson paper in oil .015UF cap on the neck and
a .022UF one on the bridge. Even when in the no-load notch, neither pickup is too bright!!! I dearly LOVE that Godwood bridge!!! And they don’t get muddy with the tone knobs rolled back either! Just great, pure, wonderful vintage Les Paul tone … and gobs of it! I can’t find a “bad” tone no matter how I twiddle the knobbies! If I could afford it (I can’t) I would re-fit every dual-bucker guitar I have with JWP pickups! Yes, your pickups are a bit “spendy”, but worth every penny! So Jim, consider me a convert. I will shout you out to anybody who will listen! I am happier than a puppy with
three peckers! :) ~ Jim Kubitza
