Choosing Pickups
Who's the best???
With so many pickup choices out there, what do you choose? Who is the best? Like every guitarist out there I chased tone for decades. Just when I thought I had found my signature perfect tone, I would change my mind. Then the whole process would start over. There are couple major reasons for this. First, our tastes and styles change over time. Second, and more importantly, equipment, technology, and companies change over time. This is why so many chase "vintage" instruments and parts. For instance, the DiMarzio's or Seymour Duncan's from the 70's and 80's (that built their reputations) are not made the same today. They can't be. People winding them are different, standards change, sources change, and so on. Lastly, it is the combination of guitars, pickups, electronics, amps, effects, settings, and most importantly, the player that dictate tone.
Then there is the debates of Hand wound, Scatter wound, vs automated winding. First off, in my opinion, I do not consider ANY pickup that is not literally wound via the wire running thru human fingers "hand wound". If they use a CNC winder, automatic traverse system and so on,, it is NOT a hand wound pickup and should not be sold as such.
Ultimately, you have to decide what sounds good to you. THAT is who is the best. The best is a matter of opinion only. Then it is a matter of cost vs. return. Is one companies pickup worth more than someone else's and why. It is ONLY worth it if that pickup sound that much better to you. This is the absolute only thing that dictates value. Perception....
So, I say this, there are so many great pickups out there. I would NEVER buy a "brand name" pickup again. I would only go to boutique, individual hand winders. Hand wound pickups are unique to each winder. Jim Wagner pickups will always sound like Jim Wagner. Dylan pickups will always sound like Dylan. My pickups will always be unique as well. You can teach someone how to wind pickups. And they will wind great pickups, but the human touch, technique, etc is like handwriting and unique to that person. You can teach someone to write, but their handwriting will be different. Hand winding is the same. That does not make them better, it makes them unique. You can appreciate the art, soul, and tone from different pickup creators no different than you can appreciate the music of many different artists.
So, why will I not buy a "Brand Name" Pickup? This is a personal preference. But ultimately, comes down to this, they are mass produced, their cost to manufacture is much lower than a boutique winder, and yet they still charge boutique prices. Larry DiMarzio's hand wound pickups of the 70's are what built the name. Seymour Duncan's hand wound pickups are what built their brand. Nothing wrong with either, but you have too many other winders out there creating awesome pickups.
"What about the technical specs?" While specs do have a place in this, they are required to make the pickups and get the desired tone/sound you want. However, most musicians are putting too much stock in "how many ohms?" "how much capacitance?", or "which magnets", etc. Again, as the builder this stuff has relevance. But what players do not understand is the sound of the pickup is dictated by a large combination of factors. Wire gauge, number of turns, in combination with the materials used, in combination with tension, in combination with the person winding them, etc. etc. etc. etc. Ultimately, NONE of the numbers by themself mean anything. Ultimately It all comes down to the human ear. Specifically, your ears.
So why WallBucker?
Again, ultimately it comes down to your personal preference. However, when buying from me, we will have a discussion. We will talk about what you want, then I will create your pickups custom, and I will do it less than buying a Gibson, Fender, DiMarzio, or Seymour Duncan. I'm not trying to be a large company. I do each one by hand myself. I do this to help with bills and medical expenses from my Cancer. But I will NEVER tell you one pickup is better than another. It is about your tastes. So, are WallBuckers the best? They are unique, they have a signature of their own, price point of their own, and they have my unique signature, just like other brands have their unique signatures. But are they the best? Only you can answer that.