When the legendary pickup winder known as “Virgil Arlo” stepped away from full time winding at the end of 2019, it marked the close of one of the most respected and quietly influential careers in guitar tone.
For years, his pickups lived at the core of professional tone. Not through marketing, but through results. Session players, touring pros, and serious collectors relied on them because they responded differently. More alive. More dynamic. More connected to the player’s hands.
When production stopped, the market reacted immediately. Original White Label sets became nearly impossible to find, with prices climbing into the $2,000 to $3,000 range when they surfaced at all.
The Tan Label series represents the final chapter of that era.
Beginning in 2021, ToneSpec worked directly with remaining original parts, materials, and methods to continue building these pickups exactly as they were intended. Same approach. Same feel. Same response. The only difference was the label.
These were never mass produced. Every set required the same time, attention, and process that defined Virgil’s original work. Nothing about them was fast, easy, or scalable and that is exactly why they mattered.
The Tan Label sets were built until the last of the original parts supply was depleted.
And now that supply is gone.
These pickups are no longer available and no additional Tan Label sets will be produced.
For players chasing that sound today, the next chapter continues through the official Virgil Arlo platform:
That is where the current designs live. Same philosophy. Same commitment to feel and response, now carried forward with full focus.
If you have heard the originals, you already understand.
If you have not, this is where the search continues.
