D. Allen pickups - Holy Toledo!!!

[peskypesky]

i just put a set of D. Allen's pickups in one of my strats this evening and i am BLOWN AWAY by the sound. none of my guitars have ever sounded this fantastic. i've put Toneriders in my guitars. i've put GFS. i've put Fender Tex-Mex. let me tell you, the D. Allen pickups are in another universe.

i will be ordering another set very soon. and i will post sound clips tomorrow.

[Hugh]

Cool, congrats !
Subscribed and ready to give a listen

[peskypesky]

just recorded some rough clips. Will do more later after i've had sufficient coffee.

clean
Chirbit | Share audio easily | peskypesky | ...

distorted
Chirbit - D_Allen_pickups_overdriven - peskypesky - share audio easily

[NorthShore]

Very nice tone. Had never heard of D. Allen pups, will investigate. Thanks for sharing the clip, Pesky.

[peskypesky]

Originally Posted by NorthShore

Very nice tone. Had never heard of D. Allen pups, will investigate. Thanks for sharing the clip, Pesky.

believe me, my groggy playing this morning does not do these pickups justice. D Allen is a member of this forum and he's just getting his company off the ground. i don't think he has his website up yet, but soon.

i am loving these babies.

[thaus]

Hey pesky, great clip and talk about quack..........they do sound good and that's through my laptop speakers. Hmmmmm, more boutique pups to desire. What is the output of those? And nice playing............were you into an amp or straight into computer?

[jflintmac]

Those sound great. Nice full and ritch sound...
What are they selling for?

[peskypesky]

here's a clip with some overdrive. both tracks are guitar with the new pickups

Chirbit | Share audio easily | peskypesky | D_Allen_pickups_overdriven

[peskypesky]

Originally Posted by thaus

Hey pesky, great clip and talk about quack..........they do sound good and that's through my laptop speakers. Hmmmmm, more boutique pups to desire. What is the output of those? And nice playing............were you into an amp or straight into computer?

yeah these babies have serious quack.

unfortunately being in a NYC apartment i can't really use an amp. so i go through a Line 6 UX1 into Garagaband on my Macbook.

with the Line 6, i almost always use the Bassman amp model with some reverb and a little compression. no effects usually. i did a track with distortion but can't remember the settings.

[thaus]

Originally Posted by peskypesky

yeah these babies have serious quack.

unfortunately being in a NYC apartment i can't really use an amp. so i go through a Line 6 UX1 into Garagaband on my Macbook.

with the Line 6, i almost always use the Bassman amp model with some reverb and a little compression. no effects usually. i did a track with distortion but can't remember the settings.

Whatever it is, it sounded good! I have a macbook pro as well and use garageband with a Line6 guitarport. Simple, sounds good, and is so easy to set-up. Thanks for the clips.......like I need another set of pups!!

[thaus]

So which Squier got the new pups?

[peskypesky]

Originally Posted by thaus

So which Squier got the new pups?

the surf green one.

before these new pickups it had a mish mosh of pickups. a Tonerider in the bridge, a Tex-Mex in the middle and a Fender Hot Alnico 3 in the neck. the Tex Mex wasn't RW/RP so i didn't get the hum-cancelling and quack in the 2 and 4 positions.

such a pretty guitar deserved a nice set of pups.

[D.Allen]

Hey Pesky thank you for the kind words they are music to my ears. I will have a website up next week and I will be at the NashvilleAmpExpo August 21/22.
I am very happy you enjoy them.

[thaus]

Hey pesky, you may want to edit your above post with the forum members handle; looks like D.Allen is the guy and the other members name may suddenly be inclined to start winding pups!

[thaus]

Originally Posted by D.Allen

Hey Pesky thank you for the kind words they are music to my ears. I will have a website up next week and I will be at the NashvilleAmpExpo August 21/22.
I am very happy you enjoy them.

Congrats on winding such a tasty set of pups! Can you give us a few more details about the pups?

[peskypesky]

a couple more with clean tone over a jazzy backing track. i'm just starting to play jazz so cut me some slack and listen to the sweet pickups.

Chirbit - D. Allen pickup sounclip Sugar01b - peskypesky - share audio easily

Chirbit - D. Allen pickup soundclip Sugar01a - peskypesky - share audio easily

[sevycat]

Originally Posted by peskypesky

a couple more with clean tone over a jazzy backing track. i'm just starting to play jazz so cut me some slack and listen to the sweet pickups.

Chirbit - D. Allen pickup sounclip Sugar01b - peskypesky - share audio easily

Chirbit - D. Allen pickup soundclip Sugar01a - peskypesky - share audio easily

Sweet pickups they are. I love the jazz clips you posted for us. How did you come upon finding this pickup maker?

[peskypesky]

Originally Posted by sevycat

Sweet pickups they are. I love the jazz clips you posted for us. How did you come upon finding this pickup maker?

he's a member of the forum actually. i think he decided to start making and selling pickups pretty recently. i heard a couple of clips of another guy playing them (at NAMM i think) and knew i had to get a set.

[sevycat]

Which style, model, or name of pickup set did you get from him?

[peskypesky]

Originally Posted by sevycat

Which style, model, or name of pickup set did you get from him?

i got the Rock 'n Blues set. here's his description:

"They are 5.8K neck, 6.2 middle reverse wound, and 6.6 bridge, They are scatter wound with 42 GA high quality fomvar (not chinese wire) on hand made bobbins (not pre-made), taped then laqued dipped, hand wax potted, and fabric taped."


and here's a long clip of me jamming with them. you can really hear their crystal clarity:

Chirbit - D Allen pickups soundclip long jazzy jam - peskypesky - share audio easily

[Hugh]

Sound good. Would like to hear them plugged straight into a tube amp set clean.

[sevycat]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Sound good. Would like to hear them plugged straight into a tube amp set clean.

+1 on that, also I listened to that last clip and it kind of reminded me of steely dan. Good Stuff! Many thanks for posting and congrads on finding something that works well for you.

[amstratnut]

Pesky I like your playing....a lot. Tasty.

The samples sound like you're plugged in direct so I'm, not hearing the fullness you're talking about. I realize you said you're in an apartment, so there may be nothing you can do but a recording through an amp would be......better.

I know I sound ungrateful. Just shut me up.

[Dewey]

Nice playing Pesky, great product review!
I enjoyed this thread a lot man!

[peskypesky]

well, for all you tube-amp freaks, i'll see if i can record some snippets with my Peavey Classic 30...but NYC apartment dwellers don't take kindly to electric geetars.

[platypibri]

DETAILS MAN!!!! What did they set you back, how do you order some?

[peskypesky]

Originally Posted by platypibri

DETAILS MAN!!!! What did they set you back, how do you order some?

i'm not sure if i'm allowed to say, as he's still working out the pricing and he's giving a special price to Strat-Talk and Squier-Talk members.

you can email him at dallenpickups@gmail.com and let him know you're from Strat Talk for special pricing.

[D.Allen]

Hi guys, to answer Thaus's request for a bit more info, I started on a quest to make a boutique style pup that gave the quality a pro would take on stage but see if I could make it more affordable and very consistent from set to set (my back ground in tech products). I spoke and met with a number of working musicians, enthusiast, Luthiers, and members of this and other sites to help decide what and how I would design my pups. Not sure how the price will hold as I am finding it is a lot more costly to start a company (even small) then I expected. I did a very rushed soft launch at this years Summer NAMM with only one week of prep timeYouTube - ‪DAllenPickups's Channel‬‎ apoligies for the poor quality vids. The folks I met there were fantastic and very supportive and encouraged me to take my line public and go forward. So here I am. I will have a website up next week. I will be at the Nashville Amp Expo - Guitars - Amps - Effects - Accessories - Nashville Amp ExpoAugust 21/22 come on by if you are in that area. I will be having several Artists and a couple of members from here stop by. I will make sound files and vids at the show. Pesky did a great job here putting those files up I appreciate it.
In making my pups I use the highest quality materials I can find which I know has profound effects on the tone (not all copper wire is created equal). I have developed a process that I follow with each set similar to the best boutique pups out there and I added a twist or two which I think adds to the tone or makes the pups more reliable/protected. I hope that I can help folks BRING TONE TO LIFE in their guitars and appreciate this forum and others. They truely are a great place to discuss strats and all that make them. I have 6 SSS Custom shop models two HSS models and 5 standard models that go from Vintage 54's, to blues and hot rock. I am just finishing 3 tele models for the Amp Expo kickoff.
Thank you

[Guitar Guy]

Thanks for the info. I think I'll Try a set in the near future.

[Guitar Guy]

Actually, I have a question for D. Allen. would you ever consider custom winding or rewinding?

you can look at the below post to get an idea of what i was thinking, but also would be interested in a J-Bass set up but with the 51' single coil styled pups.

http://www.strat-talk.com/forum/pick...iguration.html

[Strat-Toter]

Originally Posted by D.Allen

Hey Pesky thank you for the kind words they are music to my ears. I will have a website up next week and I will be at the NashvilleAmpExpo August 21/22.
I am very happy you enjoy them.

Awesome sounding pups! I myself am looking forward to those er umm JM's! Ahem...

[chevalij]

Originally Posted by peskypesky

"They are 5.8K neck, 6.2 middle reverse wound, and 6.6 bridge, They are scatter wound with 42 GA high quality fomvar (not chinese wire) on hand made bobbins (not pre-made), taped then laqued dipped, hand wax potted, and fabric taped."

I've never seen a Chinese manufacturer for formvar. Besides, shipping cost for 30lbs of copper wire from china would be a killer! Could be an interesting tone experiment though.

[Batocaster]

Originally Posted by chevalij

Besides, shipping cost for 30lbs of copper wire from china would be a killer!

You would think, but that doesn't always work out intuitively.

In Ballston, Virginia (right outside Washington DC) the manhole covers in the streets say "MADE IN INDIA".

[swjake83]

Originally Posted by peskypesky

i got the Rock 'n Blues set. here's his description:

"They are 5.8K neck, 6.2 middle reverse wound, and 6.6 bridge, They are scatter wound with 42 GA high quality fomvar (not chinese wire) on hand made bobbins (not pre-made), taped then laqued dipped, hand wax potted, and fabric taped."


and here's a long clip of me jamming with them. you can really hear their crystal clarity:

Chirbit - D Allen pickups soundclip long jazzy jam - peskypesky - share audio easily

Did you get a standard set or a CS set? Just curious because I am considering a purchase soon and well money isn't free. haha

[StratDad81]

Just ordered a CS JM 60s Rock and Blues set from David. I can't wait to get them next week and throw them in my strat. I'll let you guys know how it sounds. Of course, until I get my 59 Bassman from Lil Dawg amps, it'll just be me playing through my practice SS Orange Amp. Still, I'm pumped

[Strat-Toter]

Originally Posted by StratDad81

Just ordered a CS JM 60s Rock and Blues set from David. I can't wait to get them next week and throw them in my strat. I'll let you guys know how it sounds. Of course, until I get my 59 Bassman from Lil Dawg amps, it'll just be me playing through my practice SS Orange Amp. Still, I'm pumped

I love mine, they are very close to the sound you seek! Please send a sound clip!

[D.Allen]

Pesky has the S JM 60's Rockn Blues and he just got a set of the CS Austin Blues. I made the S, Standard line with the same process but used plastic wires and plastic flat work and most have A5 magnets. The CS sets are USA cloth push back wire, fiber flat work, and I use different magnet choices and sometimes resistance values. The are both made to work under the demands of professional applications. Any questions let me know and I will do my best to answer you. I will keep updating and adding to my website in hopes of answering questions as well.
Thank you for your interest.

[peskypesky]

i'm going to put my new D Allens in my white Bullet. I have some GFS Premium Alnicos in it right now that i'm not crazy about.

[peskypesky]

the D Allen pickups are in the white Bullet. they are the CS Austin Blues. i think they are bad-ass.

and here's a rough audio clip so you can hear them.

It's just me improvising over a drum loop. One track is me playing rhythm and the other is me playing lead. i start on the bridge pickup and work my way to the neck. i am always playing the same position at the same time. in other words, you first hear me playing rhythm and soloing in position 1. then there's a short break and you next hear me playing rhythm and soloing in position 2. then a break and position 3. etc etc

Chirbit D Allen CS Austin Blues | Share audio easily | micro podcast | audio nuggets

[Strat-Toter]

Originally Posted by peskypesky

the D Allen pickups are in the white Bullet. they are the CS Austin Blues. i think they are bad-ass.

and here's a rough audio clip so you can hear them.

It's just me improvising over a drum loop. One track is me playing rhythm and the other is me playing lead. i start on the bridge pickup and work my way to the neck. i am always playing the same position at the same time. in other words, you first hear me playing rhythm and soloing in position 1. then there's a short break and you next hear me playing rhythm and soloing in position 2. then a break and position 3. etc etc

Chirbit D Allen CS Austin Blues | Share audio easily | micro podcast | audio nuggets

nice playing pesky, they sound very articulate and warm. I may want a set of those as well...maybe after I road test the S HV 4's I have...need a donor lol get to bed!