WB Pickups [merged]

[WBPickups]

Originally Posted by Big John

Just installed the VTP-Hots last night...



I think the Fralins are done. Initial impressions on Will's pups are very good.

John, that was a great phone message last night!

Those look great in that guitar. Right on man!

[WBPickups]

Originally Posted by FrankiePRS

Like them? LIKE THEM?? These things are the friggin' grail. I left them on my workbench overnight and when I walked in this morning, all the other pickups were cowering in fear.

Right on! I had a visual of that! Very cool!

[Big Mike]

I know...can't you just see them huddled in a corner, planning to wack the WB's.


Okay...too many gangster movies...I'll admit it...

[Tone Hunter 81]

I can't wait for these to arrive. Got my R7 ready and waiting
-Marcus

[Ducati]

Originally Posted by JLH

That tone in your head, send it to WB, he will deliver

I have to say I agree with you. I talk to Will a lot and hear him play lots of guitar. After playing his pickups myself I think a big part of what makes them so good is his ear for what sounds tasty. I've heard him play a lot of different styles, original songs, and his tone is always right there and well suited for the track. For my pickups I told him what I wanted and he hooked it up first time.

[Big Mike]

Here's mine right before they went in.
Crap...I'll have to actually gig this guitar now. Sounds AMAZING. I've had this 92 custom since 92. It's NEVER sounded this good.

These are protos, but I paid for em.

[JLH]

Ducati, Thats what happened to me, I was curiouse, In the past I was intrigued by opinions on what was "a tone", It just left me looking for more and spending more, and no returns or modifications could be done, just thanks, maybe try this set $$$$$$$$$$.
So, WB promised and delivered and actually did it first time, Will sent me proto's and told me to playem, markem up and he will adjust until they suited my personal expectations.
He aint gettin the prototypes back, I won't part with them, I just hope he can reproduce them again and I can tell you if he does, and markets them, the world will change, you will want a set of these, I nick named them Honest to Goddness as they truly are just that, Honest to Goodness pure smokin Les Paul TONE, these things growl and buck and sing like a Redwing, just click it up or click it down and set it in the middle, and Hold on, of course you must have a tube amp (IMO).
So, anyone out there should contact will and ask him about this particular set, if you like Down south Les Paul Tone, the kind that put the boys from Macon on the radio, Swamp in the music, then you can't miss!!!!!
I would stay longer but I gotta go play the damn thing again, since I installed em I can't put it down, gotta run

[WBPickups]

Jeff, I am so seriously thinking about making these a base model set. I was really digging the tones of the (H&G's) before we sent them on to you. They just had that great southern vibe to them. And yes, I can duplicate them.

I keep a written & video log of my custom projects for me to refer back to. In fact, every pickup I have developed has been video documented. Each base model set to the customs tuned I do. I want to make sure that if a customer orders one and then another at a later date that it's possible to get them a set that sounds the same as their last. Of coarse different guitars will change some of the sounds but the overall tones/specs of the pickups should be the same. Thanks for the great pictures of your 2001 R9 Historic with the H&G's. Looks sweet!

[Big Mike]

Got to run it through my live rig this morning Will.

HOLY CRAP.
THis guitar ain't never sounded better (pesky neck vol. pot not withstanding, gotta change it). HUGE. This will definately see some gig time.

[dogbone94]

you know i got to try a set....

[WBPickups]

Right On Mike! That is awesome! Knowing your history with that guitar makes it more special!

[Big Mike]

You think? This guitar has had the following..

Duncan 59s
Duncan Alnico 2s
Duncan Alnico2/JB
Duncan Alnico2/Custom
Duncan Alnico2/59
Lace Transsensors
PRS #7s
Timbuckers
Gibson 57 Classics
Gibson 498T/R
Di Marzio Norton/PRS#7 and vice versa...

These stay. Sound killer.
Took them it to my tech today to sort the nut and pot issue, and he was blown away as well. Sounded killer through his Recto (and you know how much i hate those, it still sounded killer).

Very impressive. Can't wait to get the guitar back. If in time, I'll use it some Sat. gig.

[WBPickups]

I could of rewound those for you....

[Todd Louis]

Originally Posted by WBPickups

I could of rewound those for you....

UMMMM That's a thought!!!!!

[murkat]

Originally Posted by WBPickups

I could of rewound those for you....

Yes he can Besides Will doing his own, He can rewind coils as well. Will can be challenged and come out on top with confidence. Speaking from personal expeirence of coarse.

[Big Mike]

ebay fodder....LOL

Had the thing 15 years now. Crazy.

[WBPickups]

Originally Posted by murkat

Yes he can Besides Will doing his own, He can rewind coils as well. Will can be challenged and come out on top with confidence. Speaking from personal expeirence of coarse.

Thanks Jay!

[FrankiePRS]

I put mine in one of my black Burny customs, and took it out Friday night to do a sit-in with an established blues group. I played 2 songs. One was "Rock and Roll Hoochie-Koo", and the other was "Whipping Post". Oh my god. I was plugged into an original Marshall Plexi, and the tone was just insane. I'm not sure I've ever heard better. Anywhere. These things just sing man. These 67-07's give me wings.

One comment I got from a player who I respect greatly though - He said "Man, that guitar ain't for pussies, is it? I could hear every note you played - good thing you play 'em right brother." And he's right - these Pups articulate every notew and nuance... You can't hide anything with them (which i loooooove)!

Ima play 'em hard this weekend -- wait til you see what I'm throwing them in. More tone reports to follow...

[Ducati]

When does the video hit youtube?

[WBPickups]

I was looking up some videos and found this one.. WB VTPH's

YouTube - Gibson Les Paul + Blackface 64 Fender Deluxe Amp. Da Blues.

I am uploading some more on my youtube page. Click my signature below and check out the video section on my website for some clips by a local artist Frank DiSalvo playing the 67-07 VTP's. It may take a few for them to shop up on my youtube.

WB Custom Pickups: guitar pickups wound by hand

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

[GuitarDean]

Took a trip down old I-75 yesterday and paid our friends at RS Guitarworks a visit to have some work done. I picked up some new WB Custom Vintage Hot Tuned PAF's, (VHTP's) for the Cherryburst and Roy had them installed in no time. Und der results are......

SWEET MARIE PEOPLE THESE VHTP'S ARE INCREDIBLE

They are at once, hot, cool, and creamy. Both the bridge and the neck Pup's measure above 9. I am very taken with these. I told Will I wanted a Pup that could do Neil Young, Aerosmith, late Stones (ala live Mick Taylor), etc, those kinda tones and boy howdy did he come through. I spent 4 hours last night just playing and running through various Pup/amp combinations and was just astounded and completely thrilled.

I use both a Johnson Millennium Stereo 150 and a Fender Cyber-Twin. Inside of five minutes I was all over Aerosmiths tone off of the "Get a Grip" album. "Living on the Edge" and "Line up" were dead on. The VHTP's (hehe, Sweet Marie's) pickups have considerable clarity, articulation and lots of note bloom that you get with standard PAF's, but there's more. The front end bite to these babies is enough to drive ya to happy land alone, whether you are playing clean, slightly coloured, or in your face rock & roll. Also, I noticed that the string sustain increased as well, notes would hang about a third longer than they used to. When I switched over to playing live Neil Young stuff, all I had to do were make a few minor changes to the amps and off I went. The middle switch position is particularlly good on these Pup's, far better than the old 496's and 498's. So as you can gather, these are really great Rock & Roll Pup's. Some quick testing on some GnR's, The Clash, Stones, Alice Cooper and a few other bands are proved to be great, left nothing lacking, they were all great.

Playing clean brought equally pleasing results too. Once again the articulation and note bloom were all there and the sustain was impressive. Playing straight through the Fender I was able to dial in with ease some early Duane type tones from his Boz Scaggs days, ala "Someone Loan Me a Dime". Because they are hot, I did have to reel them in a tad volumn wise but I was kind of expecting to have to do that. Again the middle position seemed to be especailly rightious but I was still 100% satisfied no matter where the switch was positioned. Notes cut right through but were never annoyingly bright or over treble-ly.

And they look good toooooooo...

[WBPickups]

Hey thanks Dean. Are sure both the neck and the bridge reads over 9K? That's a little too hot from my usaul neck pickups. Very cool your digging them though. Tone is what it's all about!

They sure do look good in that Cherryburst!

[Big Mike]

Sweet!

[GuitarDean]

Oh Will, a very happy camper!

[Tone Hunter 81]

Will generously let me try a set of the Hot PAFs with the '67 wire. The neck of this set reads 7.64 kohms and the bridge 9.01. There are warmer than a TN river in July!!! Warm like a bathtub! Through my marshall I could get very very close to some Duane Filmore East tone! They are also very clear and articulate. I've never played a PAF, but I've heard some great ones and these are the closest thing I've heard to getting that vowel-like sound with all the harmonic complexity and note bloom you can think of...without taking a loan out!

Lots of sustain and very dynamic. I haven't had a chance to move the pole pieces around, but I imagine when I do that my smile will only become even bigger. I play these and it's like they play themselves. Kudos to Will for an excellent job!

[WBPickups]

Thank Marcus! I am really happy you like them! I can't wait to hear your sound clips! Thanks again!

Will

[dogbone94]

hey dean
get a set of firewaters.... i can;t decided which i like better.... i am putting the fw's back in the baker... maybe the vtph in the neck and fw in the bridge...

vintage wires on the way.... dave

[sleepingtiger]

Will can be challenged

Several people have remarked that they thought Will was "challenged". I told them that he prefers "special".

I haven't tried these, but the pickups I DO have from Will are very special & not challenged in any way! Wonderful stuff!
Tony

[sleepingtiger]

I am continually amazed how I can give Will one of my convoluted tonal descriptions & somehow he decodes it into "Tone Speak". He has nailed my desired tonality every time & I'll admit it, I was a sceptic from the get-go. I knew I liked him as a person, but that didn't mean I was gonna dig his stuff.
The boy has a gift & I'm grateful to be able to call him a friend.
Tony

[dogbone94]

Originally Posted by sleepingtiger

I am continually amazed how I can give Will one of my convoluted tonal descriptions & somehow he decodes it into "Tone Speak". He has nailed my desired tonality every time & I'll admit it, I was a sceptic from the get-go. I knew I liked him as a person, but that didn't mean I was gonna dig his stuff.
The boy has a gift & I'm grateful to be able to call him a friend.
Tony

+1...