Monday, May 21, 2012

Joe Bonamassa PAF Pickups

Answer: One can never have too many guitars!

In collaboration with Seymour Duncan, Joe Bonnamassa has endorsed some pretty hot new pickups. The pickups are modeled after Joe's 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard and are called Seymour Duncan Custom Shop Joe Bonamassa Signature pickups. I've tested these pickups on my Les Paul that utilizes vintage cloth wiring, CTS pots, and Bumble bee capacitors and I tell you they sound sweet. I used the following amplification: Marshall 2203, Mesa Boogie Mark I, Mesa Boogie Lone Star special and a VHT Special 6. Unfortunately, I don't have adequate audio equipment that could provide evidence of the miraculous change in tone. Besides tone, these pickups are signed by Seymour Duncan and Joe Bonamassa - nice addition!
These pickups are not cheap but neither are EVH Signature pickups but you get what you pay for these days. These are indeed well rounded pickups. I recommend using top quality parts for your entire guitar. Also, if you don't know what you are doing, have an experienced Luthier do this upgrade for you. I've seen far too many botched jobs where the pickups are ruined and the guitar is scratch during the installation process. You cannot return pickups that are broken unless you can prove it to be a factory defect. With pickups this expensive it is prudent to have a profession do the job rather than hack away your favorite guitar. Use well made proper ohm'd CTS pots, vintage wire, and Bumble bee capacitors. Use eye protection while soldering and work in a well ventilated area.

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