Some people chase tone. Randall builds it.

Randall Van Dyke is the mind behind ToneSpec---but most players just call him the tone guy. A lifelong tone chaser, Randall has dedicated decades to understanding every link in the signal chain, from the guitar’s wood to the final recorded sound. And he doesn’t just study tone......

He restores it, refines it, and redefines what’s possible for working musicians.

His experience goes deeper than most realize. Randall’s knowledge reaches back to 1936—the dawn of the electric era—and even earlier. He’s restored guitars from the 1880s, amps from the 1940s, and rare electrics from the golden age of Fender and Gibson. Along the way, he’s developed an ear that’s trusted by players who play for legends.

He gave Wilbert Crosby (BB King Band) his first fuzz pedal. He gave Mike Gallaher (Joe Cocker) his first feedback device. Jazz icon Mark Whitfield simply called him a genius.

But Randall’s never been interested in praise. His only standard is this:
“If it’s not clearly better than what’s already out there, it doesn’t leave the bench.”

That’s why ToneSpec hasn’t released an acoustic pickup.
“We got close. And I do think my design is better than most of what’s out there. But if I can’t say it’s obviously best in class, I won’t put my name on it.”

That uncompromising approach has earned him both fans and critics. Players love him. Competitors? Not so much. The ToneSpec trade-in program has made him the most loved and hated man in pickups. When people trade in Seymour Duncan, DiMarzio, Gibson, Lollar, or Fralin—no surprise. But when they started trading in Tom Holmes, Ron Ellis, and OTPG… even Randall was taken aback.

“At first, I just wanted to help guys clean out their drawers—get rid of mass-produced pickups. I figured some might be ready to move on from Fralin, Lollar & Bare Knuckle too. But when I saw Holmes, OTPG, and Ron Ellis sets coming in—guys I genuinely respect—I was humbled. That’s when I knew we were doing something right.”

Randall’s mission has always been simple: get pro tone into the hands of the players who need it most. That led to the creation of the Deluxe Series—the same pickups used by guys playing behind Grammy-winning artists. And for everyone else, he created the Core Series, designed to cover the four foundational sounds of American music:

Blues – 1950's Soul, Grit & Feel 

Jazz – Modern Clarity w/ Vintage Warmth 

Punch – Modern Punch for rock, funk and metal

Twang – Warm Sparkle great for Country, Surf, Rockabilly

No confusion. No model bloat. Just the right sound, built right.

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Randall doesn’t make products to compete. He makes tools to elevate.
That’s why ToneSpec pickups don’t just win shootouts—they replace the pickups that used to win.

Watch the video to learn more...

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Find Randall on Linkedin.

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Click the link below, to view Randall Dyke's discussion page, over on tsGuitarForum.com

http://tsguitarforum.com/randall-van-dyke-founder-of-tone-specific-guitar-forum-post/

 

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Other links featuring the work of Randall Van Dyke, founder of Tone Specific:

https://virtualstagger.com/randall-van-dyke-bio/

https://thenorthamericanguitar.com/products/marchione-59-burst-orange-burst

https://ne-np.facebook.com/TheNorthAmericanGuitar/videos/presents-episode-51-marchione-59-burst-semi-hollow/765178807549870/

https://www.facebook.com/leonardo.amuedo.1/videos/2774193736138281/

 

Pro Testimonials about Randall's work

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“Randall Van Dyke is the genius behind Tone Specific pickups. My good friend, Leo Amuedo, told me about him. Once I heard what he did for Leo's guitar, I just had to get in touch with him. I’ve tried every important pickup upgrade since 1983 & these pickups are the best by far. I want these in all of my guitars.”

-Mark Whitfield, Jazz Guitarist

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"Randall is an artist and a craftsman. The first time I played a set of his pickups I couldn't believe what I was hearing. In 40+ years of playing nothing has caught my attention like the Tone Specific pickups. I now have them in most of my guitars. I don't know how he does it, but these are the finest, most articulate, touch sensitive and dynamic pickups I have played."

-Mark Malin, Malin Amplification

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"Randall is very professional, articulate and a great guy to work with. Tone Specific is it for me. I do not own a guitar that is not loaded with these tone machines. Thanks for the outstanding work Randall!"

-Breck Philip, Guitarist

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“Randall Van Dyke's pickups sound like they have Tubes in them...almost three dimensional. They just sound really sweet. I don’t how he did it but they even feel sweet. Just like vintage pickups but with more sustain and less noise. They are just amazing”

-Mike Gallaher, Legendary Guitarist - Joe Cocker, Leon Russell

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"Honor, quality, craftsmanship, dedication to creating superior products that have changed the music world. Randall is one of the very very few people with whom I have done business that I can say is truly an artisan entrepreneur. I value my relationship with him and hope that we will continue to be valuable to each other for many years to come."

Victor Ratz, Red Circle Guitars

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"Randall made these pickups for me, this is a 66 Strat, I don't if the magnets got weak, but these Tone Specific Strat pickups were a huge improvement. They have that old vintage sound and agree very well with my vintage 59 Princeton amp".

-Ford Thurston, Guitarist for Randy Houser

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"Thanks so much Randall, for making the best pickups. I feel like they take my guitars to another level. My customers absolutely love them."

-Josh Williams, Luthier

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"It's like plugging into a nice Studio Tube Compressor...you hear every nuance of every note. Randall Van Dyke's 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, Virtuoso Guitarist

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"You owe it to yourself to check out Randall’s tele pickups. I threw out a $1000 set of Abby hand wounds in favor of Randall’s Tone Specific Tele pickups. They’re everything you could ever want from a Tele set- punch, articulation, richness, honesty… truly inspiring. I know that trying to describe tone second hand is like trying to describe the way your favorite meal ever tasted to someone else… so I won’t even try. Ok… maybe I will: Randall’s pickups are to other pickups what Tera Patrick in her prime is to your high school girlfriend. Man up, give him a try… and be CHANGED. Love and Hits to All!"

-Gunnar Nelson, Guitarist

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"Randall is the best thing to happen to guitar tone since Leo Fender. I learned more in talking to him about guitar tone in 30 minutes than I learned in the previous 30 years. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention he makes the best pickups on the planet. I consider it an honor to be one of his customers."

-Bill Weatherford, Guitarist 

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“Randall Van Dyke 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.”

-Mike Severson, Guitarist for Robert Glasper, Phillip Bailey

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"Installing Randall's Tone Specific Pickups in my guitar was the best thing I've ever done. He's really taken my tone to the next level! Amazing tone that somehow makes it easier to play. It's genius level stuff to be sure and it was a real honor to talk with him. I know he must be busy but he made me feel like the most important guitarist in the world, which I know isn't the case. Thanks to Randall, I now have the best tone in world."

-Wallace Decker, Musician

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“Randall, you guys are geniuses. I can’t put my guitar down...the response is very Tube like..very 3-D sounding. I just played a gig with the Tone Specific’s and I got so many compliments. It’s really amazing what you guys are doing over there. You've made all other pickups obsolete."

-Cali Freeman, Guitarist 

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"Randall makes amazing pickups. They really capture the harmonics of each instrument. I use them in as many of my builds as possible.”

-Stephen Marchione, Legendary Luthier

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“Randall Van Dyke always delivers a masterpiece. These responsive pickups catch the essence of my guitars & enables the musician to create the sounds he wants”

-Vincent Cleroux, Luthier

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