ReWind Pickups Low Output PAF Review!!

[LtKojak]

There are two schools of potting: the one that pots the whole humbucker in wax and the one that waxes only the bobbins.

I belong to the former, but in any case, if assembled properly, even the unpotted ones shouldn't be a problem unless you're into hardcore metal, djent and similar.

I prefer'em potted as they'll last longer because the wax prevents the effect of the #1 coil killer: corrosion.

HTH,

[Backstage]

Originally Posted by LtKojak

...even the unpotted ones shouldn't be a problem unless you're into hardcore metal ...

Uhhh, no. The wild years are gone, I'm getting older .
Maybe that's the reason why I don't "need" potting anymore.

Originally Posted by LtKojak

I prefer'em potted as they'll last longer because the wax prevents the effect of the #1 coil killer: corrosion.

That's a very good point.

[guitarnut_germany]

good stuff NIco! I never thought a mini recto could sound SO nice! What effects are you using on this last track? (delay?)

[cooljuk]

Originally Posted by LtKojak

If done right, potting shouldn't kill tone AND really helps when the gain tap gets opened...

HTH,

Do you mean a partial potting, like just the lower portion/magnet?

[HOT-BRIT]

Well done

[nicolasrivera]

Originally Posted by guitarnut_germany

good stuff NIco! I never thought a mini recto could sound SO nice! What effects are you using on this last track? (delay?)

Thanks! A plate reverb, a stereo delay for the stereo effect, another stereo delay for the pin pong effect and a mono digital delay.

[guitarnut_germany]

Originally Posted by nicolasrivera

Thanks! A plate reverb, a stereo delay for the stereo effect, another stereo delay for the pin pong effect and a mono digital delay.

that's one shit load of delays you have there brotha... sounds really good! I have a stiletto deuce head that I'm looking to hook up with a nice delay as well... but I won't be doing this whole chain..... although it's probably worth it!

That plate reverb, is it like a real spring reverb that you hook up...? I read back in the day, some guys were running the old Marshalls with an extra spring reverb attached to it... not sure how this is supposed to work.

And as far as rectos are concerned, I was never much a fan of those.... but that really sounds sweet!

[guitarnut_germany]

I just got a boss se-50 that I'm going to try for this... scott henderson uses the SE70 for the same purpose (which is essentially the same unit with a few less effects), so I decided to give this a try. The price they go for nowadays are really good as well

[jiveturkey1]

Nice Review Nico!! These sound awesome through your rig. I'm in the market for some pups, but I'm sitting on the fence as to whether I should go with low winds or something a little hotter. The cleans of a low wind (or underwound? not sure how to classify) seem a lot sweeter. My only concern would be less sustain or harmonics. How about dynamics?

edit: Actually, to me, I think we may be talking about "under wound" pickups here (correct me if I'm wrong) , compared to a "standard" PAF. These seem to fall in the same category as Skatterbrane Twangbranes link. I fell in love with this tone in the shootout, but I wanted to hear what they could do with gain. Nico I think proves these Low/under wounds sound good with both.

[cooljuk]

I wouldn't call them "under" because they are definitely within the realm of late 50's era PAFs.

The turn counts on the four bobbins of my Low Output PAF Set average out to 4600 turns (though each bobbin has a unique count to give a certian character). The average PAF bobbin is about 5000 turns. So 4600 turns is a very realistic possibility considering the winders at the Kalamazoo factory didn't have turn counters until 1961 ('61 or '62?) and the bobbin winds were just eyeballed. It's on the low side, of course, but definitely possible.

I don't want to get too sales-pitchy in Nico's thread here but, if you're on the fence, try them! I offer all of my customers the option to trade out a set they buy for another set or to have it modified if it's not exactly what they expected in their guitar/rig/style. If you have some concerns up front - just get in touch.

[LtKojak]

Originally Posted by cooljuk

Do you mean a partial potting, like just the lower portion/magnet?

Well... no. I've never added any wax at all while assembling the p'ups.

But I'm talking about COVERED p'ups. Two layers of low tag painter's tape over the slugs and good pressure from two clamps provides enough rigidity to not have to worry 'bout squealing for the next thirty years, so to speak.

In open coil p'ups I'd try with candle wax on both the baseplate and the magnet underneath the bobbins and a heat gun as the finalizing touch... but until now, all open p'ups I've worked with (not really that many) were already waxed enough to just use the heat gun.

No squealing complaints have been filed in the last thirteen years as a guitar tech.

HTH,

[Hector Arcadius]

Originally Posted by jiveturkey1

Nice Review Nico!! These sound awesome through your rig. I'm in the market for some pups, but I'm sitting on the fence as to whether I should go with low winds or something a little hotter. The cleans of a low wind (or underwound? not sure how to classify) seem a lot sweeter. My only concern would be less sustain or harmonics. How about dynamics?

...

Jive, FWIW and through my... pair of ears, the Zebras that James offers, which are ''medium-output'' are a little closer to my tastes, as far as the neck pickup is concerned. In the settings I heard them through (see James' site) they seem to get closer to the thick Santana tone, a little more Dumble-esque (with a decent dose of overdrive, that is). I don't know if I helped you choose or confused you further...

[johnbeloe]

sounding good! I love low output pups

[geetarfreek82]

Awesome Vid!

I just got a ReWind Low Output neck pickup for one of my favorite guitars... I call it the Stratelecaster. It is a Warmoth Swamp Ash Strat body with a hardtail bridge and Tele saddles, a Fender Tele neck, a custom Electric City Pickups Tele bridge pickup (7.5k, staggered A5 mags, reverse slanted), a standard Electric City Pickups ECS-60 Strat middle pickup, and now James' Low Output Humbucker in the neck. I have this guitar wired with a master volume, master tone, and a blender knob so i can get the Tele style neck/bridge combo. I've had this guitar for about five years and it is my baby. I tried about 8 or 9 pickups in the neck trying to get the right sound, and The ReWind finally put an end to that search!!!! here's a couple pics...

[cooljuk]

Oh man! I can't believe you have a three saddle Tele bridge on that! I love the "retrograde" of that choice on a Strat.

I'm glad you like it. I was dying to hear what you thought. If you want anything tweaked or you want to try an A3 in it, just lemme know!

[cooljuk]

Ah, just got your voicemail, Noah. Thanks, bro!!

[thrashmetl]

Question, I love the idea of low wind PAF's and if I was going to go for it it would have to be Alnico II, but low wind to me is 7.9k. I have a Wolfetone Dr V in the bridge of my guitar and at 8.05k it's verging on not enough bass/thickness so I can't imagine that these are very thick at all. I'm all for low wind, but I'd be afraid it would be too thin and bright at such a low output.

Can anyone comment here?

[cooljuk]

I do use A2 magnets in my Low Output PAFs by default. It gives them a bit of a warm creamy touch to balance out the brighter coils as well as a very very sweet midrange voice.

I've never had any complaints about a lack of low end on my Low Output sets, far from it. The low end is very well defined an articulate. Chords in the lower registry ring though with each note occupying its own space in the spectrum without feeling compressed even though the A2s are a slightly compressed magnet. I feel that that compression is more in the mids/trebble. This is where the art of matching the coils to the magnets really comes into play, not to mention the alloys and other materials. I do use a total of 3 different screw and slug alloys among my various pickup sets. Each set has the alloys chosen to compliment the properties of the magnets and coils.

...but talk is cheap and I know words and clips can't always translate to one's own individual rig and tastes. If you purchases a pickup set from me and are not fully thrilled with them, I offer a free exchange for another set. If you are STILL not thrilled with them, I'll refund you, pay return shipping, AND give you an extra $20 for your time.

Feel free to get in touch with any questions or just to shoot the breeze about gear and guitars.

[tazzboy]

Hard to pass up that kind of return policy now is it?

[cooljuk]

Originally Posted by tazzboy

Hard to pass up that kind of return policy now is it?

Well, I thought so.

[cooljuk]

ReWind Low Output PAF Set Demo Clips:

ReWind Electric - Low Output PAF Set - Nico 1 - YouTube

ReWind Electric - Low Output PAF Set - Nico 1 - YouTube

ReWind Electric - Low Output PAF Set - Nico 2 - YouTube

ReWind Electric - Low Output PAF Set - Nico 2 - YouTube

ReWind Electric - Low Output PAF Set - Nico 3 - YouTube

ReWind Electric - Low Output PAF Set - Nico 3 - YouTube

[geetarfreek82]

Anybody looking at these pickups should seriously try them, you will not be disappointed. Most lower output pickups I've tried end up sounding like a crappy single coil... Overly bright, brittle, no character. There are two exceptions (that I've played)... James' Low Output set And Electric City Pickups' RD-59 Low Winds. In the case of the ReWind there is just enough bite to make the pickup clear sounding (note seperation in chords is superb, which means a lot to me because i play a lot of jazz chords/comping), but The stock A2 keeps it round and full sounding enough so that you know you're still playing a humbucker. It is also constructed tightly and doesn't squeal even when shredding through hefty amounts of gain. For being only 6.75k ohms, this is still a "manly" pickup. I like to give credit where credit is due, and James of ReWind Electric winds great stuff.