It sounds like the have Tubes in them...almost three dimensional. They just sound really sweet. I don’t how they do it but they even feel sweet. Just like vintage pickups but with more sustain and less noise. They are just amazing.
Mike Gallaher
Guitarist for Joe Cocker, Leon Russell & many others
These are the best pickups I've ever used. I'm so happy to have these in my guitars. They are better than vintage pickups. They just feel & sound amazing. Man you are a Genius.
Will Crosby
Guitarist in BB King Band
Formerly worked for Aretha Franklin & Mavis Staples
It's like plugging into a nice Studio Tube Compressor...you hear every nuance of every note. Tone Specific pickups are more dynamic sounding, I'd say they're organic sounding. With other pickups you don’t get that. They sound very fat but very clear. When you hit it harder you hear the dynamics you want to hear. I’ve been trying for years and with other pickups you don’t get that. They sound like vintage pickups.
Leo Amuedo
Guitarist - The Chris Botti Band
Also performs with Ivan Lins / Blood, Sweat & Tears / Lucia Micarelli / Sy Smith
They bloom just like a vintage tube amplifier. There are just really vintage sounding pickups. Super warm, dynamic & they sustain forever. They just agree with all of my amps. There's nothing else like them. I put them in all of my guitars, even my vintage guitars.
You are a Genius. These things make a solid state amp sound like it has Tubes in it. They have this 3-D thing going on. I’ve tried every important pickup upgrade since 1983 & the pickups are the best by far. I want these in all of my guitars.
I was knocked out by your pickups! Plugged straight in, it sounds like it was going through a top shelf tube compressor—only better. I’m the luthier/owner of Stonetree Custom Guitars for over 20 years now. My goal is to craft a “brand new old guitar”. I have relied on a couple of the biggest boutique pickup makers for the most part, but your pickups are a game changer. I have built guitars for many pros including Eric ‘Roscoe’ Ambel & Joe Bonamassa.
Just like vintage pickups only better. They have this dynamic thing going on kind of like a great tube amp. I imagine this is what new vintage pickups sounded like back in the 50's & 60's.
Dani Robinson
Guitarist (Performs Jimi parts w/Billy Cox Experience)
I love your pickups. I put them in my guitar and it is exactly what I was looking for. We play old honky tonk and Western swing, so I have to cover a lot of ground between twang and warm arch top tones. The bridge pickup is the first one that has made me happy other than an original 55 bridge pickup. The whole set has that great 50’s sound and feel. I don’t use any pedals and the combo sounds awesome plugged straight into my Princeton. Keep doing what you do!
Your pickups are killer. I've played a lot of guitar in my life but these pickups are the best I've played. I know you've worked hard at your craft but you should be very proud. You deserve all the kudos you get. Thank you very much.
Fascinating recording the Les Paul Gold Top with the 57/61 Deluxe PAF's and comparing to my other Les Paul with stock pickups! At higher gain levels the Tone Specific's has great definition. There are harmonics coming out of the amp in the room I’m not used to with when using the Tone Specific's & it translate's beautifully when recorded! Interesting!!
I’ve had over 8 different sets of pickups in my guitar…I can honestly say without a doubt…these are the best sounding pickups I have ever heard... Well done gentleman…thanks for ending my tone search.
I noticed the difference right away. I’ve tried every pickup you can imagine and the these pickups exceed everything else. Hands down the best pickups on the market. Just pure tone…the only pickups I’ll ever use
Tone Specific makes the best pickups. The sustain and warmth is incredible. They are very dynamic, very tubey. They destroy all other pickups. They go in all of my guitars. It's kind of like plugging into and old Neve console
Mike Severson
Session Guitarist
Touring Guitarist for Robert Glasper / Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind & Fire)
Just installed the Tone Specific P.A.F. pickups in my guitar and I was completely blown away! This little monsters are simply unbelievable. Definitely the best sounding, most transparent, and well balanced pickup I have played to date!!! Thanks so much "Tone Specific" for these wonderful tools. Feeling so inspired and definitely can not go back to playing any other pickup.
Today I had a recording session and I was really impressed and pleased by the quality of your Tone Specific pickups. You were right, there is no need for the split coil. What a great tone man!Thank you so much and congratulations for the amazing pickups.
Sandro Albert, Guitarist & Producer located in NYC
Life as a Professional Guitarist is filled with ups and downs. All gigs and tours end eventually, this reality makes every performance an audition. Top Pros know this & this is why they suffer over every detail.
You've spent a lifetime finding the right instrument, don't come up short with stock or average sounding pickups. Top Pros realize that an amplifiers circuitry actually starts in your guitar, precisely at the location of your pickups. Anything less than the best in your guitar will make your tone less than it should be.
From Nashville to LA, Austin to NYC, Brazil to Japan top touring Pros load up all of their main gigging guitars with Tone Specific Pickups. After hearing these pickups, you'll feel the same. Just take a listen.....
LIVE ON STAGE
Studio Ready
In this era of technology, everyone seems to have a home recording studio. As a result, the session scene has never been more competitive. If you want to make it these days, then you need to make every note count. Top Session Players understand this & choose Tone Specific to equip all of their main studio guitars.
Your next session date might be in a real studio. The producer might ask you to just bring your guitar, when you show up they might have you plug into a modeler or computer rig. If you show up with average pickups, you might not get a second chance. Our pickups are optimized to work well with vintage style amps as well as modern modeling digital devices. This is why serious session guitarists use Tone Specific Pickups.
RECORDING SESSION
Luthier Approved
Pro Guitarists & Luthiers have a few things in common. They both work in very competitive fields & the both want their instruments to sound as good as possible.
Luthiers spend years perfecting their craft & many hours testing various hardware and components to get the best out of their instruments. We are honored that so many top luthiers and guitar builders choose to use Tone Specific Pickups. Stephen Marchione discusses his approach to crafting some of the worlds finest guitars in the video below.
BUILDING A MASTERPIECE - STEPHEN MARCHIONE
Tone + Feel = Perfection
Everyone seems to focus on the word "tone". They should because it is very important. If you want to get the best musical experience from your instrument, then you need to be working with people who also understand the importance the word "feel".
Sound is something you hear. Tone is something you feel. Great Tone has the ability to move you & the audience too.
Professional Players & Expert Luthiers understand this better than anyone. This is why many Pro's & Luthiers rely on our pickups. In fact, many pro's use our pickups in all of their guitars. Marty5150 talks about this phenomenon is the video below.
You Have to Hear It to Believe it
The love for our pickups by Professional Guitarists has been well documented. Until you hear and feel these pickups for yourself, you'll never really understand why serious guitarists use our pickups in all of their main guitars.
The amount of dynamic range you can cover just by moving your guitars volume knob or by hitting the strings hard or softly is amazing. This is what separates our pickups from all others. It's a real game changer for serious tone connoisseurs and pro guitarists.
If you want to really understand the dynamic range & harmonic content of our pickups, you need to take a moment to listen to the video's below.
Unlock Dynamic Tone w/ Your Picking Hand
Clean to Dirty w/ Your Guitars Volume Knob
Clean to Dirty w/ Your Guitars Volume Knob
Retain Clarity & Add Warmth by Turning Down Tone Control
