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STEPHENS DESIGN HUMBUCKERS
To be honest I was never a fan of humbuckers. Every
time I think of "buckers" I think of some heavy metal
player beating on bar chords and playing too loud. But, after
seeing Chris Cain play live with a 335 and some old PAFs Joe Pass
gave him, it sent me on a seven year obsession with PAFs. I focused
on historically good sounding PAF tones, and gained a wealth of
knowledge in this pursuit while back-engineering the technology
and materials that were used in these 50's era pickups. The subject
is endless, covering many materials and disciplines, and the secrets
are many. Others have followed my progress and some will attempt
to duplicate my latest products. My last series of truly authentic
PAF pickups are the Vintage Lab Series. These truly are as close
as anyone will probably ever get....
VINTAGE LAB PAF REPRODUCTION SETS
These sets are the climax and last sets in my PAF
inspired humbucker sets. This is THE ONE. Everything in this set
is the result of metals analysis and close study of every aspect
and measurement of genuine Gibson Patent Applied For humbuckers.
Nothing was overlooked. No attempt was made to "improve"
the pickups over vintage accuracy. Everything is as accurate as
is possible in modern times. Some things can't be perfectly copied,
the vintage magnet wire and its aging process, and minor differences
in the old steel alloys of the 1950's. PAF magnets were inconsistent
alloy mixes, yet modern alnico magnets come very close.
The Vintage Lab is what a real PAF would be if they were still
being made today using the same materials available now.
FOR
NOW PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO
done by Adreas Straub, a professional studio musician at 48 Windows
Studio in Los Angeles. There will be more video and sound clips
coming soon on YouTube and on my website. Feedback from professioal
studio musicians has been nothing but the most positive, and the
Vintage Lab sets are almost indistinguishable from the real thing,
according to them. The VL sets are currently available in a stock
and PG, or "Peter Green" set. More details will be posted
in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
PF STAR PAF RESEARCH PICKUPS
The PF Star bucker set was my last set before the
Vintage Lab project. They use a unique magnetic alloy for the
critical parts, which impart a smooth, very musical tone that
is very balanced overall. They are very PAF-like, but are a more
modern, well rounded and versatile set for the modern player.
PF
Star Bucker Full Demo
PF Star Repro
Neck Copy Test
Here are the PF Stars played through various
amps, no pedals just amp and guitar:
A Victoria Regal II, very dark dirty amp, this is not my favorite
amp for these pickups:
PF Star Buckers
Victoria Regall II
Here another mp3 through a blackfaced '73 Deluxe Reverb, a
very different sound:
PF Star
Buckers Deluxe Reverb
And here through a Blues Junior:
PF Star Bucker
Blues Junior
And here through a '73 Virborlux:
PF Star Bucker
Vibrolux
Here is the Vibrolux again with a PF Star, but this one is wound
with slightly more clear, smoother sounding wire and an alnico
5 magnet with vintage charging. The bridge in this clip is a real
'63 Patent Sticker pickup at 7.7K-this is what a real PAF bridge
sounds like, folks, the middle position is out of phase for fun
(Peter Green tone). This neck is without cover and sounds really
goood in this amp:
PF Star
Bucker Vibrolux alternate neck-patent bridge
These pickups really take on the character of your
amplifier, I wll post more examples soon...
TONE KING HUMBUCKERS
The Tone King bucker set is based on the use of
some rare old NOS wire I acquired before the company went out
of business. This is a rare BLACK plain enamel, is a bit oversized
and has a slightly fatter insulation, resulting in a more open
tone and a distinct character not found in other magnet wire.
At lower volume these are smooth, not too dark, not too bright.
Cranked up they really shine at higher volumes.
Take a listen to my sound clips using my LP nitro
finished test guitar, through my '73 Vibrolux. Take the "King"
for a ride and I think you'll know why they're called Tone Kings.
Tone
King cleanish '73 Vibrolux
Tone
King screaming '73 Vibrolux
Here's a new clp courtesy of Jeremy Blessing doing the Allman
Brothers thing, with a Marshall JCM800, jamming with his friends:
Allman
jam, Mrshall JCM800, '66 Melody Maker
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PLATINUM SERIES PAF SETS
These are PAF style sets, but more of of a later
60's style tone. Half the parts are made in my shop and are accurate
vintage alloys for the time period. I have made a two part video
demonstration of the set which describes them in detail and shows
off their tones through my tube amps. Please WATCH
THE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE, then contact me with any questions you
may have.
SILVER SERIES STOCK SET
These are wound as a matched set with alnico 5
bar magnets, plain enamel vintage style wire, and come with nickel
silver covers. The A5 magnets give crisp, punchy pick dynamics
and crisp output. This set used in the sound clips has a stock
wind, but I can tailor the set to your needs, especially if you
want a stronger set intended more for rock style playing.
Click
to hear Silver Series Stock Humbucker set played through
a '73 Princeton Silverface amp with a kind of bright Jensen speaker
installed in an Epiphone Dot Deluxe 335 style guitar. The clip
plays a short clean sample, then clicks through the 3 switch positions
separated by a tone. Also check the reviews
page for actual gig samples.
SILVER SERIES ALNICO II SET
Some consider the best sounding PAF buckers to have been made
with alnico II magnets. This may or may not be true. My A2 set
is what I would call a "blues" set. Alnico 2 has less
magnetic pull but also loads the coil more with eddy currents,
thus darkening the tone. This can be useful for a set that
is wound to lower DC resistance. The combination of darker
affecting magnets and lower winds, plus some tricks used in
the orginal patent applied for buckers, makes a sweet, warm
sounding set that has become my current favorite. They are
hard to describe: they are warm yet have plenty of sparkle
when you need it.
Silver Series
A2's played clean through my '73 Princeton, which now has
a Weber speaker in it. Starting on the bridge through to the
neck position.
Silver Series
A2's played cranked through same amp, starting on bridge
proceeding to neck.
Also, so you can hear what these sound like in a live gig, here is V.
Dodson playing my Dot through his Magnatone amp with Premier
outboard reverb unit. This gives a better idea of how these
perform. More clips coming soon.
SILVER SERIES ROCKER SET
Jake E Lee of Ozzy Osbourne helped me design this
humbucker set, which he endorses (thanks Jake!). Here he is playing
a Procol Harum tune "Bacon" on a '96 SG:
Bacon-Jake
E Lee
All the Silver Series humbuckers come with nickel
silver covers, which don't muddy up the tone and are the most
expensive covers; Gibson style braided/push back wire, and are
wound with plain enamel wire, the most expensive wire. Height
adjustment screws and springs are included. Coils are taped and
not potted. Covers are treated to stop any microphonics from cover
vibration. Pickups can also be made without covers if you prefer,
but the price is the same with or without. Email me from the contact
page for pix of relic covers and a matte raw cover look, these
extra options are $20 for 2 cover set.
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