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Does anyone here know this guy Mike Ladd at Missing Link Audio www.mlapedals.com? They sell a lot of Duane related pickups and pedals and one specific page makes the claim that the "Sound of Fillmore East" are the pickups Mike wound for Duane and he sells exact clones of those pickups. Supposedly Mike was the first person to offer custom wound pickups back in the late 60s? Early 70s? That's the claim, anyway. 

 

If this is true, why isn't his name ever mentioned in Duane's or Allman Brothers history? Or custom wound pickup history in general? In all my years, I've never read or hear his name mentioned with Duane's or Fillmore a single time except for when I found his website. Is there any way this can be verified today, other than through the only person who tells this story, Mike Ladd? 

 

Anyone got any insight on this? I even asked Alan Paul, Allman Brothers Historian and expert and he doesn't know who the guy is, either. If Alan doesn't know this history, how likely is it that it happened? <shrug> Anybody?? 

Edited by Wound_Up
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If you can find them anymore, Jim Wagner makes some great Duane inspired humbucker sets. Not cheap.... about $300 for the set, but they sound great. I have a "Crossroads" in my Les Paul and they are amazing. I have been thinking about one of the Duane sets for an SG.... I can't bear to remove the set that's in the LP now because it sounds too good.

http://www.jimwagnerpickups.com/

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14 hours ago, surfpup said:

If you can find them anymore, Jim Wagner makes some great Duane inspired humbucker sets. Not cheap.... about $300 for the set, but they sound great. I have a "Crossroads" in my Les Paul and they are amazing. I have been thinking about one of the Duane sets for an SG.... I can't bear to remove the set that's in the LP now because it sounds too good.

http://www.jimwagnerpickups.com/

yep, I've known about Wagner's but I've never played a set. I imagine they sound great. 

I've never heard about this other guy, making pickups for Duane & I've been a ABB fan for 50 years. but that doesn't mean it didn't happen lol ... just means I don't knw. 

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On 9/29/2023 at 9:07 AM, Karloff said:

yep, I've known about Wagner's but I've never played a set. I imagine they sound great. 

I've never heard about this other guy, making pickups for Duane & I've been a ABB fan for 50 years. but that doesn't mean it didn't happen lol ... just means I don't knw. 

Likely no one knows. 1970 was a long time ago. I got the Wagner pickups off eBay and they sound insane in that Les Paul. If he is still making them I might be tempted to order another set. I just don't know if he is.

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He had PAFs in his Goldtop, and took them out of the Goldtop and put them in the sunburst.  The SG was Dickeys, he gave it to Duane when Dickey went to Les Pauls, the SG had stockers in it, Dickey went all Seymour Duncan much later.

Tone?  Dickey on One Way Out and Stormy Monday.  Them right there is some Filmore tone to be chasing.  When we hung out at his bus in South Philly I asked Forest how he got that One Way Out and what was he thinking?  He was thinking nothing and the sound just was one of them nights.  "Jesus Christ that was some good stuff wudn it?"  Yes sir, it was.

In '99 or so they did like 7 nights at the Tower in Philly and I went to them all.  He knocked off the Stormy Monday solo almost exactly, one of the very few times I ever saw them do that one.  It was awesome.

rct

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2 hours ago, surfpup said:

Likely no one knows. 1970 was a long time ago. I got the Wagner pickups off eBay and they sound insane in that Les Paul. If he is still making them I might be tempted to order another set. I just don't know if he is.

When I asked Alan Paul, he said the only person left that would possibly know is their manager, Willie Perkins. I couldn't find any contact info for Mr Perkins lol. And I didn't ask Alan for it, either 

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