Who do you recommend for a pickup restoration?

[denton57]

I have two jazz pickups from 1974 and one is supposedly bad. I want these back to stock form for my '74 Jazz restoration project. Who do you recommend? I'll be buying a ohm reader today to check the output. Thanks!

[perogato02]

Euhm, I don't think it is useful information for you, but anyway (maybe someone from Europe who has the same question?): I had a Rickenbacker-copy that needed some restoration really bad, including the bridge pickup. I brought it to a luthier whose adress I got from a luthier school and he sended the pickup to someone he knew. Now the thing is white hot

[Barkless Dog]

Lindy Fralin can do that.

[4Mal]

Pete Biltoft @ www.vintagevibeguitars.com does as well. I have a couple of his pickups and really like him a lot.

[joeyl]

clint searcy http://www.searcystringworks.com/ gave me some useful tips about pickups a few months back. He is around Nashville

[jim primate]

i second fralin. $60/single coil or something. not bad.

[Jim Carr]

Originally Posted by Barkless Dog

Lindy Fralin can do that.

+1

Lindy Fralin restored the pickup on my 1955 P-bass. I am happy with the results. It sounds and looks like it always did before it shorted.

It was several years ago, and I don't recall the cost. I would just call him.

[Searcy]

Most smaller pickup makers do a fair amount of rewinding. Lindy can do the job right that's for sure. I have done a dump truck load of Fender pickup rewinds at this point. Have 4 in the shop right now. I'm getting $45 for a simple rewind these days.

[doc540]

Michael Dolan is the man.

google Michael Dolan Custom Guitars

He rewound my '78 Jpups and they are purt'near close to my original '69 Jbass pups.

GREAT guy to deal with.

[bucephylus]

If you really care about an actual restoration, be careful with Fralin. About ten years ago, I sent him my '62 Jazz bridge pup for re-winding after talking to him on the phone, with specific instructions to re-wind and return the actual bobbin.

Instead, he sent back some kind of non-descript late '70's re-wind. I called him and asked WTH? The response was along the lines of, "we don't bother to keep track of the original bobbins."

I have always thought this was a cop out or an outright rip.

Furthermore, I was totally unimpressed that he actually understood the complex impedance characteristics of the pups in the first place. All he seemed to understand was winding to a resistance. The inductance part went right over his head. Not very impressive all the way around.