What started nearly four decades ago - with one man building guitars and winding his own pickups - has become the standard of what a high-quality instrument pickup should be. The choice of many of the most respected instrument manufacturers, as well as countless professional musicians on stage and in studios around the world, every Lollar Pickup is handmade in the Pacific Northwest of America - Tacoma, Washington. Established 1995
Unfortunately we the ES125 and similar full hollow-body guitars aren't candidates for the DC-90, as they require Dogear pickups and the Soapbar DC-90 isn't compatible with that mounting style.
Great video! Love this kind of a boutique mic manufacturer from USA! Lollar P90 pickups rock! After watching this video I made my choice, I'm gonna get me a Heritage H-530 trans cherry guitar equipped with fine Lollar Dogear P90s made in USA! A red guitar, on fire, desire!
Thank you so much for your kind words and support. And thanks for watching the video. We're happy to have been able to help you find the pickup of your desires!
Trying to figure out what pickups to use is like looking at a Mexican Restaurant Menu or Sushi menu. The distinguishments all start getting jumbled together and everything starts seeming like it has the same ingredients...
You're not wrong. In fact, in pickups, many of the ingredients ARE the same and it's just a matter of how they're prepared that sets them apart. Much like, to follow your analogy, salmon sashimi versus smoked salmon. They're the same base ingredient, but the preparation makes them completely different dishes. Any two pickups might have the same magnets, wire, and/or basic fundamental design; but the way in which they are built, at the more finite level (turn count, magnet strength, etc.) can create a totally different "dish". Likewise, changing one ingredient, say wire gauge or magnet type, also yields different results with regard to sound and feel of the pickups. In addition to this - and what really sets our pickups apart - the level of care and quality that goes into both the ingredients and the preparation really affects the results. Just like having a famous award-winning chef make you the same dish you might get at the restaurant down the street from your house and finding that theirs just tastes better simply because they were more particular in the choice and measurements of ingredients as well as the method in which it was prepared. By insisting in the highest quality of materials and craftsmanship, we are able to take those finite differences of ingredients and create a broad spectrum of really good sounding pickups that, while they have a through line between many of them, remain distinct offerings on their own. We're not fooling anyone into buying one of each. But, for those looking for something particular, we have enough options to allow them to narrow it down as close as possible to the sound in their mind. That is to say, you're absolutely right. Though it's not so cut and dry, if care is taken to maximize each offering's potential.
I appreciate your videos, but you have it backwards according to electronics experts: Capacitors act as high-PASS filters, not low-pass filters. The greater the capacitor value, the lower the frequency below which (lows, mids) go to ground. Resistors act somewhat in reverse of that, though the best effect of putting a resistor in parallel with a capacitor is that it makes the cutoff frequency less sharp...more gradual. Hence, the concept behind "grease bucket" circuits, which not only use cap/resistor in the grounded line, but an additional resistor in the "hot" wire. What tone pots do primarily is cut the resonant peak out more or less, which makes the lower tones appear to be boosted or cut...but, it's an illusion, deriving from the ratio of lows to highs. As to whether the capacitor material makes a difference...many experts thing it is "in the mind" of people who claim to be able to tell the difference. But, vendors are happy to charge, for expensive caps, between 10 & 100 times the cost of cheap ones, for those who insist on being able to distinguish between them. Ultimately, the best idea is to add a graphic equalizer pedal, an active control, which is more precise than passive controls, because active controls can both boost & cut frequency ranges...whereas passive controls can only cut them.
Thanks for watching and for your comment. I'm sorry for any confusion. The capacitor does, as you say, act as a high-pass filter. But, since the end result of a guitar's passive tone circuit is that everything passing through that capacitor goes to ground, the net outcome is a low pass filter effect. This is because the only thing that "passes" through to the amplifier is what is lower than the cutoff frequency. Also, the tone circuit doesn't just cut the resonant peak, that would be more like a notch filter. With guitar tone circuits, the resonant frequency peak tends to move lower as you increase the amount of attenuation (turning the knob down), which sounds different in different circuits due to the combination of frequency and Q. The frequency of the resonant peak is determined by the cutoff frequency and the peak's level is inversely determined by the attenuation level. So, as the frequency dips lower into lower frequencies so too does the resonant peak. As the amplitude of the frequencies above the cutoff decreases, the level of the resonant peak actually increases. And the narrower the cutoff, the tighter and higher the peak. This is why some folks say that a .015 cap can sound somewhat like a wah effect when the tone control is rolled up and down because the peak shifts in frequency and amplitude. Of course, this is all an oversimplification that doesn't include things like impedance, inductance, or any number of other related variables. But this is all originally only intended to make things clearer for the average guitarist, not necessarily aimed at electrical engineers and the like. I hope this clarifies things a bit for you and other viewers. Thanks again and take care.
@@LollarPickups I didnt want to assume, and there has been scant comparisons. So, I applaud your efforts and skills that accompany your wisdom and delivery. Thank you sir.
Great video, the .047 makes that Telecaster sound "Fuller". Messing about re-wiring a duff tone pot I ran out of .022uf for a Strat ( bridge+neck) , found an old Jensen yellow .1uf paper in oil which is physically large but once I hooked it up I found a way to make it fit. Sound is far more versatile than with the .022uf, pedals, clean everything but only on the middle and bridge( I put a .047uf on the neck to have 2 different capacitor values) . The treble pickup got wired to the middle pickup on the selector by jumping a short wire from Bridge lug to middle pickup lug to have 1 tone for both, the bridge has it's own tone pot( .047uf) . I may stick with this settup for a bit as I use a lot of clean tones with Reverb and a Dunlop fuzz (without reverb) and it just works!! I have tried treble bleeds and low value capacitors on Strats but I find it a bit limiting although if you find a good Mullard .0022uf it can work well for the bridge and middle but you only get 1 really usefull tone. Perhaps Mr Fender and co really did test out capacitors and on the 50s and 60s models you usually get .1uf on Stratocasters and .050/.047 on Telecaster( maybe doubled up on 50s Esquires and Teles for the "Dark" sound). Anyway the best way is to just solder in a capacitor that fits and try it out , all that soldering in wires to test various caps will drive you nuts( speciall on a Strat) use cloth covered cable that"s pre-tinned cos some wires can add resistance too. When you find something a bit different solder it in and go for it, you can always try another. Whatever you do try to salvage a good quality part, I spent too much time and money on ( magic tone spells) pots and caps so as long as it's a full size pot( easier to solder) and bit of effort in tracking down a varied bunch of good quality caps and you take your time and really listen( or record) to the tone you will smile everytime you pickup that Electric Guitar.
We can't say for sure, as we have never tried. I've never even seen that bass in person, so I can't make a claim one way or the other. But, as for the pickups, they are completely different in their design and dimensions. The stock pickups appear to be Firebird/Minihumbucker-sized pickups that mount into a cavity routed into the body, whereas the Thunderbirds are larger in both length and width and mount to the surface of the instrument. But, because the T-bird mounts to the surface, there's a very good chance that it would work - you just need to be sure that the space between the top of the bass and bottom of the strings is enough to accommodate the depth of the Thunderbird pickups and allow for enough space for the strings to move freely without interruption from the pickups, physically or magnetically. Here are some dimensional drawings for you to compare: Firebird (your stock pickups) - www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/1/firebird-dimensions-800x800_450x450.jpg Thunderbird - www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/1/thunderbird-dimensions-800x800_450x450.jpg I hope that helps you in your endeavor.
When we shot this video, we were still unsure if this would be the final version of the pickup and we weren't 100% sure where it would be placed for good. So yes, we used double-sided tape to hold it in place for the time being. If memory serves, I think we ended up making some small changes to the spacing of the two parts and he may have settled on a place to install it on the body since then. I'm not sure if he drilled the neck and screwed them down or not, as I haven't seen Dan play since the day we filmed this.
Great video of comparison. For myself, I use a .010 or .015 orange drop caps in all of my guitars, according to which pickups are in it. I like getting that half kicked back wah sound when the tone control is set at about 20% like the 58 Les Paul use to sound like (with oil filled caps) but works well on P90s, Jazzmaster pups and single coils on Teles and Strats. BTW Lollar pickups are great. Thanks for the video.
Thank you for your kind words and support. I too really like the half-cocked wah sound, it can really push the guitar through the mix nicely and doesn't sound as shrill as a treble boost.
Had the old Horsie and after 10 hrs of adjustment work we only got the E string loud and the rest stayedweaker. Now based on the video its even response, which you might expect when buying a 500$-600$pickup!
Yeah, we totally agree. We held off making changes to the design because we didn't want to put off the purists. But at some point, you just gotta bite the bullet and do what your gut tells you is right. Everyone knows of the pain of dialing in a traditional design HS pickup, and the fact that, sometimes, you just have to settle for good enough. But now we can offer a pickup that captures the original intent while staying true to our ethos of making the best possible pickups that we can offer. If you still have your old HS, you can reach out to our customer service team (contact info can be found on our channel details) and they can discuss the possibility of swapping out the coil for our new design. I can't say the price off the top of my head, but I know that we plan to offer a discount on the parts and labor for customers who have bought one of our Horseshoe Bass pickups from us in the past.
By far, our most popular Tele pickups for jazz aren't actually included in this video. It's our Charlie Christian for Solidbody neck and Blade Style bridge. (Please note that the CC neck does require modifications to the body and pickguard) Here are links to check them out. Charlie Christian for Solidbody: www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-charlie-christian-pickups/charlie-christian-for-tele BS Tele: www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-telecaster-pickups/bs-tele-bridge
so if u have volume on 10 and tone knob on 10 , is the capacitor making a difference? or is it only when u lower ur volume and tone does the capacitor make a difference. thank you
With both controls all the way up, there is still a negligible - almost imperceivable - effect. Unless you have "no load" pots, where there is absolutely infinite resistance to ground, then the components will always have a bit of a fingerprint on your tone.
You need to make a vid comparing them back to back SAME SOUND AND POSITION, like neck only all pickups, then bridge all pickups, testing all positions and sounds on one then moving to another one no one can tell because they are not back to back same thing... these vids suck as you cant tell anything. By the time I hear 10 sounds of one pickup, impossible to tell when you move to the next.
If we had, there'd just be someone else complaining that we split the sets up. We can't please everyone all the time. I might suggest using the chapter timestamps listed in the description or on the video progress bar at the bottom of the video to jump from one model to the other if you want to hear them back-to-back. That's what they're there for.
I really want to use these in a fretless bass build! Any thoughts on these vs. You jazz bass blade style pickups? Pretty well settled already but open to suggestions..
The Thunderbird is a great option for those looking for a singlecoil-like sound with the added benefit of a humbucking pickup. The BS J-Bass has a bit more top end and attack, whereas the T-Bird is a little more emphasized in the mid and low frequencies. So, if you want something that's somewhat more focused on clarity and attack, the BS is the way to go. But if you're looking to get a fuller, fatter sound and without the hum, the Thunderbird is where it's at. Hope this is helpful. If you want to compare them a bit more, you can head over to our website and check out the individual product pages for more details.
PS: If you're still tuned in: Among my current builds is an ash-bodied simulation of a Fender Mary Kaye strat (originally 1957 or 1958, I believe). If you've had a chance to play an original Mary Kaye, it's a worthwhile experience. Is there a pickup set that comes to mind for reproducing that sound? I was originally assuming that was the domain of your Blondes, but after hearing this comparison, maybe it's Tweeds? I'm always cautious about putting bright sounding pickups in swamp ash, due to swamp ash's already scooped resonance. But your thoughts on this are appreciated.
The Blondes will be the most period-correct option for that instrument. But, having said that, if you like the Tweeds tone better, then you may be happier with them instead. You'll just have to choose between the sound you prefer and what's more historically accurate.
I'm surprised at the sound from the Tweeds. They actually seem punchier than the Blondes here. I have a lot of Lollar pickups, including Tweeds, which have stayed in the box until now. I expected them to be too thin for most of my builds. But they were the surprise star of this video.
I would love the older varnish series if they did NOT relic the body as they do. Gorgeous tops purposely scarred before they get to see the world. The newer finish it appears they are still doing the relic job but much less.
That was interesting. Thanks for doing that. I’d find the same type of test with different capacitor ratings (15, 22, 47) instead of different styles of the same rating
You're welcome and thank you for watching! As for the cap value comparison, here's exactly what you're looking for: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0Fzsc7uqc3g.html&ab_channel=LollarPickups
We can never make guarantees regarding whether or not our pickups will be directly compatible with any given manufacturer's instruments, due to builders changing specs without our knowledge. So we always suggest comparing the dimensions provided on the respective product page of our website before making your purchasing decisions. Here's a link to the Chicago Steel product page: www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-steel-guitar-pickups/chicago-steel
If i have to place the pick up Lollar Broiler among the neck and bridge already placed pick ups ( i have the Eastwood tenorbaritone with a " blade" at neck , and a mini humbucker at the bridge) ,what kind would be better in this case? A Lollar bridge or neck? Just as information , the string " C" , that is the thickest, has a powerful bass output . The instrument is tuned A / 14 , D/ 23 , G/ 38 , C/ 49 . Thanx for your kind reply, Patrick from Italy
Ciao Patrick! I'm sorry, I think that there might be something lost in the communication here. I'm not sure if you're looking to replace the existing pickups with our Broilers or if you want to simply add a broiler in addition to the existing pickups. It seems like, perhaps, you want to keep the original pickups and just add the Broiler to the instrument. In this case, we cannot say for sure because we don't do any sort of side-by-side comparisons between our pickups and other manufacturers' products, so we don't know how the output or tonal balance will sound. Also, we can't say for sure whether our pickup is in phase with the existing pickups. You may require a completely custom wind on the pickup to ensure optimal cooperation between the three pickups. Also, if you're putting the Broiler in the middle, it will only hum-cancel if it's wound in the opposite direction as another pickup. So that means that you're best to ensure hum-cancellation with the neck pickup, since the bridge has two coils in opposite wind directions, so it the Broiler will hum-cancel with one of those coils but not the other, regardless of how it's wound. Because of these considerations, it's probably best that you reach out to our Customer Service team at info@LollarGuitars.com and talk the situations through with them to determine which option might be best for your individual needs.
@@LollarPickups thank you very much for your precious informations, i will talk to the guy that is my " instruments artisan " , and show him you kind reply. Greetings from Italy, Patrick
Great explanation except for one thing: True, if you are looking for pickups to be hum cancelling and in phase, it doesn't matter whether you record the meter's needle movement upon the ferrous melal drop, or upon the lift off. They'll be in phase & hum cancelling as long as the same test (either drop or lift off) on both pickups yields identical needle movement direction & the two pickups are opposite polarity. (They'll still be in phase with identical polarity...but not hum cancelling). So, from a practical standpoint, it doesen't matter whether you verify the drop or lift off needle movement is identical (both positive or both negative). As long as the movement from 2 pickup tests is the same, they are in phase, and if the polarities are opposite between two pickups for them to be in phase & hum cancelling. But, if you want to modify a pickup by flipping the bottom magnet, or reversing the leads, to get hum cancelling, it helps to know whether the phase is positive or negative. And, reading the lift off meter needle movement with be in a direction opposite to that positive vs negative movement. (Ie; needle momentarity moves in a negative direction for a positive phase pickup.) It is more logical to know that, with a drop, rather than a lift off, positve needle movement means positive phase pickup. ' The problem limitation with your method, especially when using a digital vs analog meter, is that you're simpy laying steel onto the pole pieces down, which is slower than the lift off, because in the lefit off, it is as if the the pole pieces "let go" of the steel suddenly. A good reading is accomplished by that relatively rapid movement of the steel in relation to the pole pieces. Hence, you can get great reading with drops if you literally drop the metal onto the pole pieces from a height of an inch or so, rather than laying it down. It's harder to describe than actually doing it...but this method works to get a good reading movement every time, even with a digital ohm meter. And, the needle movement matches the phase of the pickup...again, positive movement, positive phase. StewMac has a good chart which identifies which combinations of polarity & wind directions of two pickups (16 possible combinations) are in phase & which are not (8 & 8( and which are in phase AND hum cancelling (4 possible combinations). BTW, your info on the Lollar pickups page that discusses pickup phases is very helpful in describing why some pickups can't have phase reverses by reversing the leads (or when doing so would make for a noisy pickup) because in those pickups the ground wire is also grounded to the pickup case (Vintage Gibson or P90 pickups with only a single inner wire inside of a braided shield). In order to be able to swap the leads, you would have to replace the shield with insulated wire, and ensure that ground wire was not in continuity with the case...complicated since the connection is in the middle of the coil. (Likely, you'd have to remove the coil wire from the bobbin & rewire/rewind it "from scratch".)
Remember when I first installed humbuckers on my mahogany thinline. Started out close and it sounded horrible. Then just lowered it until it was beautiful. But I play light fingerstyle. A lady friend played it with a heavy pick hand and I was like wo wo. We need to lower it again.
I just purchased a 64 Strat with a really early refinish in gold, Aztec Gold, and it has the Lollar Dirty Blonde pickups in it... AMAZING GUITAR!!! I got it cheap because of the refinish and the replacement of the original electronics... But HAVE MERCY they sound phenomenal... I kinda knew they would though because of the Lollar El Rayo thats in my 2011 Gibson Les Paul Jr... So I now have two outstanding sounding guitars, thanks to Lollar!!!
I see your point and I agree that it is definitely part of the buying decision, but we didn't forget. We never mention prices in our videos because prices can change over the years. Some of our videos are more than a decade old and still retain usefulness because all of the info in them is still valid. If we had mentioned price and the price changed as time passed, that alone would make those videos inaccurate enough to require taking down from our channel. It makes more sense to just leave it out and folks can find that info on our website, seeing as they'll have to go there to get them anyway, since they can't buy through RU-vid.
No worries, it didn't seem snarky, really. It seemed like it was a genuine concern and we just wanted to be sure it was clear that we're not obfuscating the price for any reasons other than purely practicality and longevity for the videos that we make. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and for your continued support! Take care.
You mentioned mix-matched pickups like the special 64 (special in the bridge, 64s in the middle and neck). Are there options for this on the website or do I have to go to a dealer?
There are options on the Sixty-Four product page on our website for that, you just select the set of three (Special Sixty-Four Set of three flat *OR* staggered), choose your covers, and add it to your shopping cart. And you can also mix and match other models as well, should you wish to based on your individual needs, by selecting the model and positions individually and adding them to your cart.
Haha! No worries! It's a legitimate question. I'm glad someone asked it, because I'm sure others might be thinking it, but aren't willing to ask. Now, they can see this and know the answer. Thanks and take care!
Thinking about a set of his p90’s in my Gretsch G5210 Electromatic. The stocks are decent, but a little generic and I can tell the guitar wants to sing. These sound fantastic! I’m wanting a little more umph and these got it and clean up beautifully.
I have Lollar 64's with an Imperial High Wind bridge humbucker in a Custom Shop Strat, and a Lollar Special S bridge with Vintage Blondes in a Nash Strat. Amazing sounding pickups and the customer service folks at Lollar are super helpful and responsive. Couldn't be happier with the pickups in both of these guitars!!
Literally any of them would suffice and provide a great sounding result. But, to home in on your particular tastes and what might match best, reach out to our customer service team using the contact info on our channel bio and they can help you choose what will work best for your individual needs.
