Skatterbrane Pickups [merged]

[vmjoe]

I went back and read all the posts on this particular thread and have realized a few things. Discussing gear (especially pups) is like discussing religion or politics. We all have certain things we agree/disagree with and it is hard to change our minds.

I think it boils down to what pups each person not only prefers but how much we are willing to pay for them. If I can make a comment (I think most of us already know this), listening to comparrisons on the net is a good starting point, but we will not truly know what we like most until they are in our guitars and played (by us) through our equipment.

I have tried several boutique pups and I made the decision to originally try them by reading reviews and listening to clips. Most I tried were an improvement over the pups I replaced (mainly Gibson and PRS pups), but most didn't make a significant improvement. It is costly to do it this way. I resold all of these pups, including the originals for an average of half what I paid for them.

I finally ordered the Firewaters and what I heard in these was a significant improvement not just a marginal one. I didn't really have the money set aside, but I almost immediatly bought a set of Earthbrane's and I got the same result. A very noticeable improvement. And these replaced a set of boutique's I had already put in one of my LP's. They are worth every penny I paid, because I want to spend every minute of free time I have playing these guitars.

I don't intend to be a billboard for Skatterbrane, they just happen to be the best I have tried imo. That is not to say they are the best out there. I haven't tried everything, but my search has ended with Skatterbrane's. I will soon order a set of Metalbrane's and I forget the name of the other (Alnico V neck & Alnico II bridge) to go in two more of my guitars. I first have to resolve an issue I've run into with another winder that I will not comment on.

The only reason I'm writing this is to say we all like different things and I try to respect everyone's decision and not criticize their choices. There are several top notch winders out there, we all just have to find what gives us that tone.

[kernelofwisdom]

Originally Posted by vmjoe

Hey Rod. This is Joe. I enjoyed talking with you last night and I appreciate all your help.

I want to let everyone here know how great Skatterbrane pups are imo. I first bought a P90 Soapbox set (Firebranes) and installed them in a PRS SE Soapbox. These sound so great I can't praise them enough. I bought this guitar on sale for $500.00 + tax and it now sounds like a $3000.00 guitar. The clarity of the Skatterbrane's is outstanding. No muddiness. I have had several sets that claimed no muddiness when the tone is dialed back, but until the Skatterbrane's this hasn't been the case. They are amazingly dynamic and organic. They react better to pick attack than any pups I've tried and without naming them, I have tried several other highly regarded pups.

I also bought a set of Earthbrane's for one of my LP's and they are equally as good. I have never had the opportunity to play an actual set of PAF's, but the Skatterbrane's sound more like what people describe than any other I've owned. I highly recommend these pups for anyone that hasn't tried them.

Rod is a great guy and very helpful. Both sets I ordered arrived (North Carolina) from Arizona in 2 days. I have been very happy with all aspects of my dealings with Rod.

Same experience. The PAF style I got have wonderful ringing clarity in the treble and are crisp all the way down to the low E.

[Starrman]

Skatterbrane Benwah branes clip for you. These have a great smooth neck sound and a hotter bridge. They are another great pickup option from Skatterbrane. I have tried almost every model he has, and I have to say....Skatterbrane pickups live up to the hype and are worth the price. If your looking for those old school tones....Real PAF like sounds, Skatterbrane delivers the goods !

YouTube - Ben Wah Pickups

YouTube - Ben Wah Pickups

[Fixxxer]

cool

[Weldaar]

That's some tasty playing Brother. Great tone as well. What are you playing through? No pedals right?
Rod makes some nice stuff, huh?

[xsouldriverx]

Originally Posted by FF_Pedals

I keep seeing your add at the top of the site, looks good.

yes agreed. im 100% glad you broke your set mold and redid the site and added to some more pick ups to your repertoire. the clips starrman are putting up dont hurt too much either.

[Splattle101]

Well, I bought a pair of Waterbranes, which are the Earthbrane line without the vintage covers and the PAF sticker etc. I’m not much interested in stickers, and I don’t give a flying f*ck about vintage correct covers because I run them with covers off. So the lesser cousin of the Earthbranes was the way to go for me.

I stuck them in my old Norlin 1978 Les Paul Standard. This has:
* one piece mahogany body;
* three-piece maple neck and top;
* 500 k pots, 1950s wiring, PIO caps (0.022 uF bridge, 0.015 uf neck);
* Goto ABR-1 and alloy tailpiece.

My first impressions are that they sound very good. The bridge is a more interesting sound than either the SD’59 or Tonerider AlNiCo IV Classic, both of which were adequate but rather ‘white bread’ sounding. It’s got a good aggressive snarl and bite to it, like a good P-90. It is definitely brighter than the aforementioned pups, but it’s not shrill. It fattens very nicely with the tone control keeps its detail with the volume down. When overdriven it’s got a nice edge to it, regardless of whether the tone is up or down.

The neck is likewise a very bright and aggressive pickup that mellows with the tone control. It produces a good ‘woman tone’. Again, it keeps its detail well with volume down.

But the most ear-catching sounds are from the middle pickup position. There is a slight quack to them that I’ve not had from this guitar since I took out the stock T-Top in the bridge when it went microphonic. They interact with each other slightly differently than other pairs I’ve had in this guitar (or any other).

I’ve been playing mostly dirty with these, including a lot of slide. They really like the bottle neck, brining out lots of harmonic complexity, particularly if I don’t damp with my left hand. All sorts of zinging and inter-modulation going on.

I’ve not yet had a chance to really play these at volume for a proper length of time (a few hours), but what I’ve heard so far is that they’re aggressive, they behave a like a good single coil in many ways, and they offer a lot of harmonic complexity. All of which makes them ‘interesting’ to listen to, in my book.

Thumbs up. Very nice pickups indeed.

No recordings as yet.

[Goldtop75]

Can someone please do a demo of the branes with clean playing? Most clips i've come across with great recording are all recorded with drive. I remember hearing some great clean tones, but the recordings weren't too great.

[Splattle101]

Addendum to my previous post:

I ordered my set of pickups from Skatterbrane after an online correspondence (I'm in Oz, Rod's in the US, so telephone is not practical). Rod answered all questions promptly and helpfully.

I ordered the pickups on a Friday or Saturday (depending on your time zone), and they arrived in my hands a week and a half later. That's US to Oz. From the tracking information it was clear that Rod shipped them on Sat morning his time.

So the interaction was helpuful and fast, the transaction was simple and hassle-free, and the actual delivery of the goods was prompt. It was an excellent buying experience.

On the basis of this and a very good, well priced product, I would have no hesitation doing business again.

For the Aussies on here, have a look at the exchange rate. I bought and imported this pair of Skatterbranes for less than the price of a pair of off-the-shelf Seymour Duncan SD'59s from a local vendor here in Oz. The local sellers have to recoup the cost they paid when they bought their stock months ago, and then there's their overheads. Importing directly is quite cheap now so it's worth having a browse - for pickups or whatever else you're chasing - and making hay while the exchange-rate sun shines...

[vmjoe]

Originally Posted by Splattle101

Addendum to my previous post:

I ordered my set of pickups from Skatterbrane after an online correspondence (I'm in Oz, Rod's in the US, so telephone is not practical). Rod answered all questions promptly and helpfully.

I ordered the pickups on a Friday or Saturday (depending on your time zone), and they arrived in my hands a week and a half later. That's US to Oz. From the tracking information it was clear that Rod shipped them on Sat morning his time.

So the interaction was helpuful and fast, the transaction was simple and hassle-free, and the actual delivery of the goods was prompt. It was an excellent buying experience.

On the basis of this and a very good, well priced product, I would have no hesitation doing business again.

For the Aussies on here, have a look at the exchange rate. I bought and imported this pair of Skatterbranes for less than the price of a pair of off-the-shelf Seymour Duncan SD'59s from a local vendor here in Oz. The local sellers have to recoup the cost they paid when they bought their stock months ago, and then there's their overheads. Importing directly is quite cheap now so it's worth having a browse - for pickups or whatever else you're chasing - and making hay while the exchange-rate sun shines...

I agree with your earlier assesements of the Skatterbrane pups and I also agree with your comments regarding Rod. He is very professional and gets pups out promptly. I receive them from Arizona to North Carolina in 2 days.

I just ordered a set of Metalbranes for my Peavey Wolfgang. Rod told me it would probably be Sunday or today before he could get to these. I received a notification on Saturday that these have already shipped.

There are some great pups out there, but imo, the Skatterbrane's are amoung the best.

[SKATTERBRANE]

Originally Posted by Goldtop75

Can someone please do a demo of the branes with clean playing? Most clips i've come across with great recording are all recorded with drive. I remember hearing some great clean tones, but the recordings weren't too great.

I prefer clean demos too, not a fan of pedals or overdrive:

YouTube - Skatterbrane pickups - Clean

YouTube - Skatterbrane pickups - Clean

[kernelofwisdom]

Originally Posted by Goldtop75

Can someone please do a demo of the branes with clean playing? Most clips i've come across with great recording are all recorded with drive. I remember hearing some great clean tones, but the recordings weren't too great.

Here's some clean tones compared w/ other pickups. Not a playing demo, just notes and chords to try to compare the tone of the pickups. The SB's, I thought, had great clarity and nice treble sparkle.

Pickup Comparison

[Stowburst]

Originally Posted by Goldtop75

Can someone please do a demo of the branes with clean playing?

Here is a quick clip of my A2 set going head to head with real 57 GT and a killer set of PAFs

YouTube - 1957 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop and 2007 R9

YouTube - 1957 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop and 2007 R9

[SKATTERBRANE]

Some people do not gander at the "Business Classifieds" so here is a link:

SKATTERBRANE demo set for sale

[SKATTERBRANE]

I have a set of Quiescence Branes that are scratch and dent nickel covers for $225.