Anyone have experience with Joe Barden pickups? They sounded awesome to me...

[panther_king]

So I went down to the local shop to case some pick-ups I might eventually be putting in a guitar, or buying a new one for them; long story short, I went looking for a JB jr, lil 59, hotrails and a few other stacked humbucker options.

 

What really stood out to me were the Joe Barden pick-ups that a used MIA tele had in it. It might have been as much the tele bridge plate as the pick-ups, but man, they just sounded so full, balanced, and articulate. I would have walked out with the guit-box if I had 1,000 to spend.

 

Anyone have more info or experience with Barden pickups? I picked it up looking for an idea of what a hotrails might sound like, but these were alot better than I remember hotrails being (less shrill, less compression, more sonically 'complete'). I liked the sound in the tele, and I read from the website that the strat version sounds similar.

 

 

p.s. I also played it through all the Bogner stuff they had there; it may have been that I couldn't dial in the right sounds, but the line 6 Spider Valve they had on the same wall sounded better than the Uberschall and Shiva

[DaleH]

Yes there top knoch stuff. Alot of good winders out there and he's one of the better ones.

[Wyatt]

I find them a bit ice picky, and I know I'm not alone on that, but am probably in the minority; but they have a huge, devote following. I got to hear Bill Kirchen test out some Fralins in his #2 one gig and most of us agreed he sounded wamrer, fuller and better than either, but Bill had it switched back to Barden's almost immediately.

 

If you like 'em, nothing else will come close.

[asatnutz]

I have just recently heard about the barden pick ups. All positive.

I am having a Strat built and was thinking Fender Vintage Noiseless for it. They seem to be fairly priced on ebay. The Fender Custom Shop uses them so I feel safe knowing they are a good sounding pickup. The reviews I have read are positive however I would like to hear what some of you have to say about the vintage Noiseless pickups if you have experienced what they sound like. Let me know good or bad.

[Wyatt]

 

I have just recently heard about the barden pick ups. All positive. I am having a Strat built and was thinking Fender Vintage Noiseless for it. They seem to be fairly priced on ebay. The Fender Custom Shop uses them so I feel safe knowing they are a good sounding pickup. The reviews I have read are positive however I would like to hear what some of you have to say about the vintage Noiseless pickups if you have experienced what they sound like. Let me know good or bad.

 

 

They have gone out of fashion fast. The Noiseless Vintage were introduced around the same time as DiMarzio's Virtual Vintage, and both became very popular very quick, vintage style tone and no hum. But both seemed to have fallen out of fashion just as fast, now it seems more and more reviews are negative. Fender even replaced Noiseless Vintage on most models with the Bill Lawrence designed SCN's (which, IMHO, are NOT vintage sounding), if the Noiseless Vintage still weren't spec'ed for a few signature models, then they probably wouldn't be around at all.

 

It seems the A#1 noiseless pick is the Kinman's.

[tlbonehead]

I have a set of Duo-Tones in one of my Odysseys. Great pickups. One of the very few coil-tappable HBs out there.