June 2009 \ Features \ Builder Profile \ 5 Single-Coil Pickup Builders You Should Know

5 Single-Coil Pickup Builders You Should Know

by Adam Moore

We talk with five pickup builders specializing in single coils: Pete Biltoft and Vintage Vibe Guitars, J.D. Prince of Van Zandt Pickups, Owen Duffy of O.C. Duff Pickups, Chris Kinman of Kinman Guitar Electrix, and Jerry Amalfitano of Amalfitano Pickups
Premier Guitar June 2009
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If the electric guitar takes the prize for most influential participant in the development of modern music, then the humble single-coil pickup should win an award for its supporting role. It is not hyperbole to say that single-coil pickups helped launch rock ‘n’ roll—from Buddy Holly to Eric Clapton to Jeff Beck, these versatile pickups provided the foundation for countless influential riffs and defined the “electric sound” for an entire generation.

What is perhaps so remarkable about passive single-coil pickups is that, for all intents and purposes, they remain a straightforward idea, built upon basic scientific concepts of magnetism and electricity. This has made single-coil pickups one of the most democratic of all guitar components to build—find yourself a little wire, a few magnets, and you’re in business (it may not sound like an original Fender pickup, but you’re in business nonetheless). Their very simplicity lends itself to experimentation and exploration, and it’s for this same reason that many modern pickup builders got their start, by repairing dead single coils.

That’s not to say that these pickups have remained static in their half century of existence. On the contrary, they’ve kept pace with players as they’ve demanded more power and less noise. They are as relevant today as they were when Jimi Hendrix strapped on his Strat at Monterey. A new generation of pickup builders has delivered an incredible level of specialization and complexity to demanding gearheads, providing us with spot-on vintage recreations, high-output powerhouses and everything imaginable in-between.

This month, we’ll speak with five pickup builders who have been working hard to keep the single-coil pickup moving forward: Pete Biltoft and Vintage Vibe Guitars, J.D. Prince of Van Zandt Pickups, Owen Duffy of O.C. Duff Pickups, Chris Kinman of Kinman Guitar Electrix, and Jerry Amalfitano of Amalfitano Pickups. These builders demonstrate that there’s something for everyone in today’s boutique pickup market, and that single-coil devotees are limited only by their imagination.

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Comments

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GoodGuy
on 11/07/2009 		I own three Strats, with different pickup sets. Kinman MKII, Kinman Woodstock (regular) and Fender Custom Shop 69. The 69's are great to play in my DeLuxe reverb at home. No other pickup set sounds better than this one playing clean. However, it is not good for live playing. The guitar sound just don't shine, it just get muffled on the mix... MKII's are very versitile and really shine when playing live. Woodstock's are great for high gain. My favorite set is the MKII.
Richard Foulkes
on 10/09/2009 		I have a strat set up with Kinman Woodstocks with his harness and push/pull tone pot. Quiet and expressive. Very..well Woodstock. Breaks up better than then my strat with the Lollars and squeeky clean when you back off the volume. I am not really a Gibson guy but of course I do use one so I am going to ante up and report back.
Vinnie
on 09/17/2009 		The nearest I'd go to noiseless is Suhr's backplate shield, keep your favorite pickups and get rid of the hum at the same time.
james
on 09/17/2009 		lollars are the best, there always seem to be something missing from any type of noiseless/hum free pickups.
Dagfin
on 09/09/2009 		O.C. Duff Pickups PAF`s humbucker 7,5k Alnico V bar magnets neck :-), and 8,7k to bridge, more like Angus sign. pickups
www.snolls.com
Mike
on 09/04/2009 		My set of Kinman Woodstock's are flawless, amazing and an engineering marvel. I can crank up my Strat, place it directly in front of my 21" PC monitor and you can still hear the proverbial "pin drop" hitting the floor. Others have commented to me on how absolutely silent my Strat is and the crisp "non-buzzing" defined tones it generates.
Bruce Boome
on 09/03/2009 		I have a set of Kinman Traditional Mk II's in my American Standard 45th anniversay Strat. For years I have hankered after the tone I got from the 3 L series strats I used to own, and the Am Stan wasn't even close. Fitting the Kinman's got it closer, but always bearing in mind that pups are only part of the tone equasion, I followed Chris Kinmans advice and fitted a Callaham bridge block. You should hear that guitar sing now. It's not quite a '61- but it's close. Paired up with my Fender Deluxe amp, I play with a big smile plastered all over my face. And they are quiet. Thank you Chris.
b kendall
on 09/03/2009 		i own a set of the mini hbs for my ric knock off and the t90's for my tele from pete at vintage vibe-- both are amazing and the customer service and attention to detail is phenom!! loller is someone you should check out too.
Richard
on 09/02/2009 		OC Duff made some nice Tele and Strat pickups for me which really sounded good. However, his PAF's and P90's were total trash. I had to have them rewound by a more experienced pickup builder. This was back a few years ago when he first started making PAF's and P90's so hopefully he has gained more knowledge and experience in building these type of pickups. I wished he had not made a big stink in not wanting to correct the issues, which is what forced me to have them rewound by someone else and eventually purchase any future pickups from someone else...
Colt
on 07/26/2009 		Owen Duffy has wound several pickups for me, and that guy is simply a genious. I tell him what sound I want, and 4-6 weeks later he sends me the perfect set of pups. I don't know anything about magnets and wire, but Owen does.



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