Lollar, & Fralin pickups in a different league than Seymour Duncan, DiMarzio, etc.?

[Northstar]

 

I've never owned either brand, but every single guitar I've played with Lollars has sounded REALLY good. They're expensive but if I was in the market for an upgrade I'd probably shell out for them, I think it would be worth in the long run. But pickups like the SD Antiquities have a great rep too (and aren't cheap either). In a Squier, I wouldn't mess around with installing $200-300 pickups. But if you're working with a nice axe to begin with, I think it makes sense.

 

 

It makes sense also with cheaper guitars. It might be difficult for some people to get hold of a nice guitar to tinker with. I put a pair of WCR Fillmores in my Sheraton and I was flabbergasted by the change in tone: woody, resonant, thick.

[metallica_00]

 

It makes sense also with cheaper guitars. It might be difficult for some people to get hold of a nice guitar to tinker with. I put a pair of WCR Fillmores in my Sheraton and I was flabbergasted by the change in tone: woody, resonant, thick.

 

 

I think that makes sense - I wouldn't exactly call the Sheraton "cheap" at around $600 for a new one, and it's a reasonably nice guitar that IMO is held back by crappy stock pickups. But I think I would have a hard time justifying $300 pickups in a $200 guitar or something.

[DonK]

The Fralins in my Callaham Strat top anything else I've played, by a pretty decent margin. OTOH, the GFS Neovins I've got in my partscaster are probably tied for second with the pup's in my EJ Strat. I have/have had some guitars with Duncan's (mostly Teles) and generally have found them to be very good pup's. But Fralins rule IMO.

[BryanMichael]

In my personal experience, Lollars and Fralins tend to be very sweet, as if for some reason people of varying tastes can find a personal tone in them- I don't think it's magic or a placebo effect, I've heard them. I've played them. Those guys just have a good ear and a good instinct. Second to that I think Seymour Duncan offers a great range of pickups that are very targeted in what they do, and there Antiquity line are very sweet. I've never liked anything by DiMarzio really, although my experience with them is kind of limited. I always felt they didn't have as much "character" as Duncans or the others. The truth is that they all make good pickups and pickups are just part of the guitar's overall tone (although IMO it is a HUGE HUGE part of it)

[straycat113]

Boutique is just the new word for expensive and some Amps, Guitars and Pups I find to be great quality but a bit overated. DiMarzzio and Duncan have been making pups going on 5 decades and I can find what ever I like by those two. I am in no way knocking any of the other pups being talked about nor could I fairly judge them since I have not heard them live and do not go by sound clips on PC's. I am just getting a bit tired of anything new with the Boutique label and hefty prices just appearing and everyone then flocking and swearing how much better they are. I would really like to get 5 guys who know there business and play boutique made gear against other top gear behind a curtain and see how the outcome is.

[hecticone]

I have no problem sicking $300.00 in a guitar if that what puts it over the top. Just picked up a 60' classic vibe. Love the guitar great player pups not so much. Going a completely different route with the fralin split blades they are noiseless. Almost new product not many clips but Lindy has always sent me stellar stuff before so I am taking a leap of faith.

[ashasha]

See with Chris Kinman it's more about the tech itself. There is nothing basic about his pickups. You would struggle to find a real difference in the construction of a pretty good single coil and a Fralin.

That was the other reason I could justify the cost in my head. Most of these other pickups (especially noiseless ones) are just old humbucker/stacked coil technology. Sure they dial them in, but the Kinman soapbars are like the space shuttle in comparison; there's {censored} going on under the cover that I couldn't figure out what it did. There's 13 parts used to make a P90; the Kinman P90Hx uses over 200 individual parts. That many extra parts and increased cost to assemble them justify the price a lot more than just the name on the back of it in my eyes.