Skatterbrane Pickups [merged]

[Jason]

Originally Posted by alligatorbling

i am dying laughing over here.... thinking about you sitting there plunking away at the keyboard designing a mule website.... i dont know why i find this funny... but i sure as hell do, im fucxking cracking up right now

Oh you son of a bitch! Yeah, I'm not really the cowboy sort of guy. Barry, the guy who trains the mules is totally an old school John Wayne type of character. Always has his cowboy hat on, handlebar stash, and he's like 8 feet tall. Good guy though. Believe it or not, I actually did live on a small horse ranch since I was about 12-13 years old...

[Jason]

SB, let me know if you need any graphics or anything. I'll hook you up, on the house, mang.

[180gROC]

Originally Posted by SKATTERBRANE

I am taking ALL the advice very seriously. I changed the names now. Basically I have Standard, Standard Plus, Raw and Premium. Does this help, and if this was the reason you did not buy, would you consider buying now? Am I closer to making things simpler and more clear?

I'm not gonna have time to check the page, I gotta run up North for a job interview...

The old names were confusing people, and what you have now is very simple and to the point.

[alligatorbling]

Originally Posted by Jason

Oh you son of a bitch! Yeah, I'm not really the cowboy sort of guy. Barry, the guy who trains the mules is totally an old school John Wayne type of character. Always has his cowboy hat on, handlebar stash, and he's like 8 feet tall. Good guy though. Believe it or not, I actually did live on a small horse ranch since I was about 12-13 years old...

so does barry call you and be like ::Conway Twitty "Louisiana woman" playing in the back ground:: "jason, boy did'ja get them on the world wide web? yous a good boy jason, helpin me get the word out about these mules to all the folks out there... i gots a computer message today that i printed out for you to type up and put on the line..."

You Tube

You Tube

[andykoctopus]

Originally Posted by SKATTERBRANE

I modded it last night. Is it any clearer now, the different models?

SEE: https://www.skatterbrane.com/ORDERING_AND_PAYMENT.html

Actually, yes. I found it much easier to understand my selection.

BTW---I looked up some demos of your A2 set on youtube and it sounds fantastic.

[SKATTERBRANE]

Originally Posted by Jason

SB, let me know if you need any graphics or anything. I'll hook you up, on the house, mang.

Thanks for the great offer. I think I have to basically revamp the whole site.

[jbzoso2002]

I hate to throw another suggestion at you but
something that I think would help is a :

Who we are section!

When Im considering a new company to purchace from
i want to know at least a little something about the company
and where they are from.

Also as suggested above, a slick proffesional web site will
help. Thats your store front, its peoples first impression of
you.

Jimmy

[andykoctopus]

Originally Posted by SKATTERBRANE

Thanks for the great offer. I think I have to basically revamp the whole site.

one thing you should definetly keep is all of the videos and audio---let people know the quality that they are getting. I like to hear (and see) demonstrations of several other people playing music with guitar pickups so I can get an idea for the particular pickups.

my suggestion would be to pair videos as best as possible with the type of pickup being demonstrated. For example, if it is a standard set with A2 magnets, make sure the viewer can see that, just in case that is what he likes. Or if it is the Raw set with A5 magnets...etc etc.

[SKATTERBRANE]

Originally Posted by jbzoso2002

I hate to throw another suggestion at you but
something that I think would help is a :

Who we are section!

When Im considering a new company to purchace from
i want to know at least a little something about the company
and where they are from.

Also as suggested above, a slick proffesional web site will
help. Thats your store front, its peoples first impression of
you.

Jimmy

Well I thought the home page addresses why I make pickups and how that came to be. It does not say anything about ME personally, maybe I should have a fact sheet like the back of the Playboy centerfolds do?

[Jason]

Actually, yeah that's a good suggestion. I also like to see an "About Us" sort of section on small business' websites. A pic or two of the guy or guys in the shop is pretty cool too.

[SKATTERBRANE]

I wonder if my girlfriend will let me take a picture of her naked, holding a set of my pickups?

[SKATTERBRANE]

Some of the suggestions would not change your mind about buying my pickups really, would they? When I buy stuff, I only care about the product and the price. If two people sell the exact same product (which is not the case with boutique pickups I know) I go with the guy who charges less for the EXACT same product, including the shipping charges. I do not care about the person at all. If his service sucks, I find someone else the next time I order. I am not very emotionally driven. I do not have to LIKE the person I am dealing with, as long as he gets the job done. If Hitler is the best roofer, I hire him. If Charlie Manson can make a better cabinet than Jesus, I go with Charlie.

[SKATTERBRANE]

I am just very pragmatic, practical, and dependable. I like to get the most done with the least effort. I like to be on time, and for others to be as decisive, and logical as I am. But then I AM dealing with musicians after all!!

[180gROC]

Originally Posted by SKATTERBRANE

I wonder if my girlfriend will let me take a picture of her naked, holding a set of my pickups?

I may have judged your marketing skills too quickly...

Get back to us on that one.

[SKATTERBRANE]

Okay due to many useful suggestions here an on my PMs I have simplified my "products and payment" page. I have also lowered the price of my open coil SKATTERBRANE Standard set to $275 for black or zebra:
https://www.skatterbrane.com/ORDERING_AND_PAYMENT.html

[Zhangliqun]

I'm also a part-time winder but coming from almost the opposite philosophy. Like Skat, I have my own niche, or specialty, which is medium output bridge pickups intended to combine the best qualities of vintage and hot, which explains my slogan for those who know it. (That's my passion as a winder and what got me into winding, frustration at the No Man's Land between about 8.5k and 14k among pickups you could buy at the store.)

But I do about 99% custom work and encourage my customers to feel free to mix and match specs or come up with something of their own, anything from hardcore vintage to metal.

Like Skat, I don't pretend to like every kind of music my customers play. But my philosophy is to come up with a wind within the parameters of the pickup type and the customer's specs and sound description that is so transparent that it responds to their every nuance and they get to really sound like themselves -- for better or worse!

Anyway, enough of the Zhangbucker commercial. It's not to brag about my "flexibility" (I don't make stacks or actives or bass pu's) or to put Skat down for being "rigid". In part it's to defend him because he has this vision and passion and from what I've heard about his pu's, it's really working in terms of quality. I have yet to hear a complaint about them anywhere. He's also right not to bother with high output pu's. He doesn't hear the magic there so there's no way he can reproduce it. It's not as if I'm a cookie monster/grind core fanatic either, but I guess I'm just arrogant enough to think that my basic formula can work for nearly anything, hence my willingness to try, and so far it seems to work.

The surprise for me was that I don't get nearly as many requests for high output pickups as I thought I would when I started, so maybe Skat is onto something there. In my experience, the market for high output pu's is almost exclusively for under-25's without enough money to spend on a boutique wind they've never even heard of anyway. In most cases they have so little experience with pickups that at that age, they still think somebody out there makes a pickup that will all but play the guitar for you. As a result, this is also the demographic that is hardest to please in my experience. So I'm not sure Skat is missing out on much.

The only thing I would humbly suggest for Skat is some variations on the PAF formula. The real thing varied quite a bit so I see nothing wrong with offering up to a 9.0k bridge and as low as a 7.0k neck. If your wind is good enough for 8.3/7.5, and by all acounts it is, it should work 8.8/7.2, etc.

[SKATTERBRANE]

Thanks Zhangliqun, I really appreciate the kind words and wisdom. I have tried hotter pickups..up tp 9K and they ain't bad. Getting much below 7.3K I have found then the neck pickup loses it ability to do a convincing woman tone. I cannot give that up! So many of the boutique winders I have tried that led up to the development of SKATTERBRANES was my disappointment of their tone when you started rolling off the tone controls or lowering the volume. I think a pickup should sound good at any tone setting. And still keep its clarity when volume is turned down.

I too think my pickups offer a wide variety, but maybe for a different reason. I think mine have a neutrality and transparency that many do not. This is coming from my long standing audiophile interests.

I agree with your point on the younger customers, in general it takes a certain maturity or experience to get away from the overdriven, processed tones, to a more woody and natural PAF character.

[Jason]

That woodiness is something I crave in my tone. It comes out of my Strat so sweet through my Classic 30... but I haven't yet owned any humbuckers that could pick it up. If I ever pick up another humbucker guitar, which I need to do... I'll definitely be looking for humbuckers that can pull it off. It's funny that even though I buy cheap guitars, I'm a tone snob... I just choose my cheap guitars carefully and get creative.

It's my experience though, that winding a good humbucker is DEFINITELY an art. I have yet to hear a decent sounding cheap humbucker... I've got cheap Strat single coils and cheap p90s that sound incredible, but cheap humbuckers seem to be garbage.

[Zhangliqun]

But a 7.0k (and even lower) humbucker is what a lot of players crave as a Tele neck pu. A lot of folks don't realize just what different animals Tele pu's and humbuckers are until they have them in the same guitar. Even the most sparkly, woody, jangly humbucker with normal low-PAF specs sounds like mud next to vintage Tele bridge, especially with a cover. I have a 7.2k version and even a 6.6k version too. It's just a different application than needing the "woman tone" -- they want something obviously fatter than a Tele neck pu, but still clear and jangly to balance with the bridge.

Unlike the high outputs, this is not an area that's at all far removed from your tastes as player, listener or winder, so it's something to consider. If not, I'll continue to corner the "Telebucker market".

Speaking of Tele's, have you considered branching out into Strat/Tele pu's? Strat pu's in particular are so quick and easy to make once you have your wind formula down. Just two solder joints. Okay, you have to glue the thing together, but that still isn't all that much work.

[#1guitarman]

Originally Posted by SKATTERBRANE

I appreciate this, but tell me If I HATE metal and to me it is anti-tone, then how will I know if I make a good metal pickup or not when to me they ALL sound like shit? I cannot make something I do not appreciate or understand.

I HATE snakeing out sewer systems, but I learned how, you could reverse engineer a top selling pickup, and copy it....or you could wind up a few HOT pickups...and front 'em out to a few of the Metal Heads on here (Of which I am NOT one)...and go for reviews...Manufacturer's do it all the time, Vinny probably gave away a thousand V Picks before he set up his Website, so he could get feedback and tell people exactly what the V pick would do and what it wouldn't...now he probably does about 10 grand a month in sales...$4 picks??....yea thier that good...Your "Death Metal Monster Hot Humbucker" set could do as well, ya just have to trust yourself...try it!...You have nothin to lose but a little time and maybe $100 worth of parts...The guys on this forum will tell you excatly what you want to know about a new pickup model...you could do ONE set...pass 'em around...get reviews...and go from there...in 3 months time you could be selling the hottest damn thing since pop tops on a beer can..and all because you said WTF??,Why not wind up a set and see what happens...I know Metal sucks, YOU know Metal sucks,(hell it's almost as bad as RAP) but if that's where the market is, Mr. Manfacturer, that's where I'd be putting MY R&D money...speaking of R&D money...I'd be willing to invest a bit of cash, to go towards a lil R&D to expand your line, If it pops, COOL...If not, oh well...but, YOU HAVE TO SAY YOU TRIED!!!

[SKATTERBRANE]

Yes, I understand they sound great at tone at 10 (the 7.0K humbuckers) but Teles, Strats and low output Humbuckers sound like they are underwater when you roll the tone back all the way (unless you have boost pedal)

I really like Teles too, but you see I NEVER use any processing or pedals. I play straight into a Fender 57 Tweed Twin RI. I use this amp to test everything I do.

I just added P90s, and maybe someday I will do Teles, but NOT HBs for Teles. I am strictly into vintage tone...that is all I want to do.

[BCRGreg]

Originally Posted by SKATTERBRANE

Please do not take this the wrong way, but I wonder if I could improve my sales by offering a "WB" clone?

No class.

[SKATTERBRANE]

Originally Posted by #1guitarman

I HATE snakeing out sewer systems, but I learned how, you could reverse engineer a top selling pickup, and copy it....or you could wind up a few HOT pickups...and front 'em out to a few of the Metal Heads on here (Of which I am NOT one)...and go for reviews...Manufacturer's do it all the time, Vinny probably gave away a thousand V Picks before he set up his Website, so he could get feedback and tell people exactly what the V pick would do and what it wouldn't...now he probably does about 10 grand a month in sales...$4 picks??....yea thier that good...Your "Death Metal Monster Hot Humbucker" set could do as well, ya just have to trust yourself...try it!...You have nothin to lose but a little time and maybe $100 worth of parts...The guys on this forum will tell you excatly what you want to know about a new pickup model...you could do ONE set...pass 'em around...get reviews...and go from there...in 3 months time you could be selling the hottest damn thing since pop tops on a beer can..and all because you said WTF??,Why not wind up a set and see what happens...I know Metal sucks, YOU know Metal sucks,(hell it's almost as bad as RAP) but if that's where the market is, Mr. Manfacturer, that's where I'd be putting MY R&D money...speaking of R&D money...I'd be willing to invest a bit of cash, to go towards a lil R&D to expand your line, If it pops, COOL...If not, oh well...but, YOU HAVE TO SAY YOU TRIED!!!

I have TONS of great reviews already. They go unnoticed here. I am thinking a $300 set of Metalbranes, not matter how good they were, or how many great reviews I get, will not make a difference. If my PAFs have not caught on, why would another design? Once bitten, twice shy. And every musician wants free stuff. I have been mentioned in Vintage Guitar, I have been reviewed in Premier Guitar, people have come here (and been run off) saying how much they love my pickups, I have rave reviews on Harmony Central. All my reviews on my site are cut and paste from actual emails. I honestly do not think that adding product will have that much of an impact. And to tell you the truth I STILL do not think it takes anything special to come up with a Metal pickup. Any winder can make a decent metal pickup so, the cheaper ones are what people buy, and the market that buys metal pickups usually do not spend the big bucks anyway.

People tell me here that they have heard nothing but good about my pickups and service. Yet, these people are not my customers, why? Because they do not like my website, or they want this or that ,or whatever.


Hey I like your tone, but could you do THIS? Well if I did THAT, the would not sound like the tone you say you like.

I want logic not emotion.

I have told this story before. With ONE customer I made 3 or 4 sets to HIS specs, each set slightly different. He loved them all. His last set he told me his "idea" and it was EXACTLY to the letter what I have always done. He told me they were my best set ever. I told him, had he just ordered my normal set, ALL 5 of his sets would sound like that. He told me that he would just let ME do my thing from now on. I have ALREADY done the trial and error before I made them availible. I am DONE doing trial and error.

Are there no metal players who use vintage Les Pauls and stock PAFs? I bet there are. Nothing is more versatile than a good PAF.

[SKATTERBRANE]

Originally Posted by BCRGreg

No class.

Just sass.

[SKATTERBRANE]

Originally Posted by BCRGreg

No class.

Greg this was in the context of many other "clone" threads like who makes a T-Top clone etc. And it is well known that WB is number one here, so I thought it would be funny to ironically suggest I would become more successful cloning a WB pickup. I would NEVER actually do that, and if you NOTICED I put down PRS for copying WB with their 58-08 pickup model, or whatever it was called.

Lighten up. I COULD do a SKATTERGREG Wind!

[Led Zep Fan]

Originally Posted by SKATTERBRANE

Lighten up. I COULD do a SKATTERGREG Wind!

Only if you cut him in on the deal. Then they'd go on to be the best sounding and most recommended pickups on the forum!

[SKATTERBRANE]

I get offers from overseas for people to become my dealer. They want me to sell them my pickups at 1/2 price. I know this is the usual arrangement, but I cannot afford to sell them that cheaply. I would be better off NOT selling them at all.

[SKATTERBRANE]

Originally Posted by Led Zep Fan

Only if you cut him in on the deal. Then they'd go on to be the best sounding and most recommended pickups on the forum!

Point well taken.

[st.bede]

Originally Posted by SKATTERBRANE

I modded it last night. Is it any clearer now, the different models?

SEE: https://www.skatterbrane.com/ORDERING_AND_PAYMENT.html

nice...it makes sense to me.

[st.bede]

Originally Posted by SKATTERBRANE

Some of the suggestions would not change your mind about buying my pickups really, would they? When I buy stuff, I only care about the product and the price. If two people sell the exact same product (which is not the case with boutique pickups I know) I go with the guy who charges less for the EXACT same product, including the shipping charges. I do not care about the person at all. If his service sucks, I find someone else the next time I order. I am not very emotionally driven. I do not have to LIKE the person I am dealing with, as long as he gets the job done. If Hitler is the best roofer, I hire him. If Charlie Manson can make a better cabinet than Jesus, I go with Charlie.

The qualities that make you an excellent PU winder might make it hard for you too give enough acknowledgment of some human nuances....

in reality what should count is the quality of the product...as a person who cares about tone and music very much, that makes sense...but, I would venture a big portion of what typical people buy is based on image and status...even if it is not consciously thought about.

An example is...when I received a analog man DOD modded pedal, I was happy to see analog man written on the back side...it was not a conscious thought out thing....I know that it doesn't matter and, what matters is how it sounds....also, I like the little analog man logo...why?

Why was it cool for me to draw the whole VH logo on my notebook in junior high....why is the art work on Yes albums so cool...why is it that, blue note photographs are much more appealing then a typical jazz cover....image...how many bands would not even exist with out image....I am expressing the negative side.

On a positive note, as we all know art is so powerful...symbols take on deep and powerful meaning...trasformitive...Think about Nietchez...he said/wrote nothing that had not already been express (a lot of times, expressed with much more clarity and therefore power)...very few people are talking about German idealism but, every one knows of Nietchez.....because he used symbols in an artist why to state the argument...if you asked me to quote Kant, I could think of a few quotations but, Nietchez still lives in my mind (in his strange and scary way).

I know it is strange but, people are not only logical....my fav movie that points out the loss of the muse to enlightenment reason...or logic over art/sentiment....The Adventures of Baron Munchausen....

if I bought your PUs I would be strangely thrilled to get a sticker of that cool frog.....or if I was given a choice...I would chose a PU cover with that logo on it verses one with out that logo...

People are largely emotionally driven with good and bad consciousness....(image and art)