lostindesert Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Not familiar with GFS pickups here in the Netherlands but don't think it's an upgrade. Good pickups are expensive for a reason and not only for their name. Pot's and hardware upgrades aint cheap so why budget on pickups. A good setup is also very important. Too many newby's adjust their pickups to close to the strings for more output, but you got and amp to adjust the knobs. Most guitars sound better when lowering the pickups from the factoty settings. peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freednighthawk Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 M'kay. Was there a question in there? Or were you just nocking on GFS? Cause if you're just nockin on 'em, dont say anything untill you try 'em. I'm an avid fan of GFS, because the do actualy build their parts with guility. And their pickups, which you can see in the guitar in my pic, have been quoted by many as sounding amazing. So honestly, before you say anything, drop $35 on one, drop it in a guitar. If you dont think its worth the money, then you may say so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostindesert Posted March 8, 2008 Author Share Posted March 8, 2008 I wasn't nocking on GFS but never heard of them over here in Europe. The question was, if you want to upgrade why budget on pickups ? Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 If you've never heard of them, then how do you know it's not an upgrade? Or do you judge the quality of a product by how light it makes your wallet feel? With that line of reasoning, how do you justify owning an Epiphone? It's not expensive, so it can't be any good... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron G Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 As players of brands like Epiphone, some of us are aware that there is a certain premium one pays for a name like Gibson. There are also some of us, like me, who simply can't afford it. The big name does not necessarily guarantee quality. And conversely, off-brand does not guarantee garbage. Serious competitors, like GFS, do quite well for themselves and their customers by offering quality merchandise for reasonable prices - in other words, value. I just installed GFS pickups on my Dot. Not only am I totally happy with them, I'm sure they are as good as the name brand competition costing 3 time as much - AND they were the only ones that came in black to match the hardware on my guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankS1281734010 Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 totally agree with everyone else. and furthermore, i'd say mid to higher-level epiphones (standard and up) are far better than the lower-end gibsons that i've played, so higher prices don't always reflect better quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Mr. Dutch Putz: As players of brands like Epiphone' date=' some of us are aware that there is a certain premium one pays for a name like Gibson. There are also some of us, like me, who simply can't afford it. The big name does not necessarily guarantee quality. And conversely, off-brand does not guarantee garbage. Serious competitors, like GFS, do quite well for themselves and their customes by offering quality merchandise for reasonable prices - in other words, value.[/quote'] I think that was really mature of you to resort to name calling. That certainly prepared me for the level of intelligent argument I could further expect from you. By the way, I have tried GFS pickups and I found them to be...in a word...Cheap. Not a serious competitor for any of the "name" brands but a cheap replacement for the OEM pickups found in Epiphones et al. Just because you can't afford something that doesn't make it over-priced and just because it's cheap that doesn't make it a bargain. I bought two of the '59 PAF's or whatever name cutesy name GFS uses for their Asian-made PAF knock-offs, had them in a guitar for exactly one week and then gave them to a fifteen year old kid who replaced the stock pickups in his Epiphone Les Paul Custom and quite honestly I didn't hear any improvement in his guitar. I guess to you if you put some generic product in fancy, shiny packaging, make it cheap enough for the unwashed masses and throw enough hype out there you consider that value. Sorry, I don't. GFS pickups are cheap replacements which make sense when you don't want to spend half the price of a new Epiphone replacing the pickups but they are not a serious competitor on their best day for Gibsons or Seymour Duncans or any other high quality after-market pickup. Actually, I think our Dutch friend made some very good points. Perhaps if you weren't so insecure about your choices you could actually learn something from him but it's that same insecurity and immaturity which leads to the constant and inevitable Gibson Vs. Epiphone debate...which by the way never occurs on the Gibson forum in reverse. I never hear a Gibson owner feel compelled to say that their guitar is better than an Epiphone but I'm forever hearing Epiphone owners protest that their guitars deserve to be compared on some level, any level for that matter. Why do you think that is? GFS may or may not be an upgrade over the Epiphone pickups. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they were actually one and the same. I found them to be rather ordinary and generic sounding but they are cheap. also..comparing one brand's bottom of the line with another's top of the line really isn't going to prove anything is it? or if anything, perhaps that an area of comparison exists between the bottom of one line with the top of another.. ...and Al's your uncle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I don't know about all that, but I got some GFS pickups for my Tele project and I was quite impressed with them... Showed the guitar to a friend of mine when I was finished and we ended up A/B'ing it against his USA Tele with Noiseless pickups... We both agreed that the GFS pups sounded better... Now he's thinking about swapping out his "Genuine Fender" pickups with GFS... If it sounds better to your ears, I call that an upgrade.. But that's all a matter of opinion... Or "horses for courses" if you prefer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonCO Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I think that was really mature of you to resort to name calling. That certainly prepared me for the level of intelligent argument I could further expect from you. By the way' date=' I have tried GFS pickups and I found them to be...in a word...Cheap. Not a serious competitor for any of the "name" brands but a cheap replacement for the OEM pickups found in Epiphones et al. Just because you can't afford something that doesn't make it over-priced and just because it's cheap that doesn't make it a bargain. I bought two of the '59 PAF's or whatever name cutesy name GFS uses for their Asian-made PAF knock-offs, had them in a guitar for exactly one week and then gave them to a fifteen year old kid who replaced the stock pickups in his Epiphone Les Paul Custom and quite honestly I didn't hear any improvement in his guitar. I guess to you if you put some generic product in fancy, shiny packaging, make it cheap enough for the unwashed masses and throw enough hype out there you consider that value. Sorry, I don't. GFS pickups are cheap replacements which make sense when you don't want to spend half the price of a new Epiphone replacing the pickups but they are not a serious competitor on their best day for Gibsons or Seymour Duncans or any other high quality after-market pickup. Actually, I think our Dutch friend made some very good points. Perhaps if you weren't so insecure about your choices you could actually learn something from him but it's that same insecurity and immaturity which leads to the constant and inevitable Gibson Vs. Epiphone debate...which by the way never occurs on the Gibson forum in reverse. I never hear a Gibson owner feel compelled to say that their guitar is better than an Epiphone but I'm forever hearing Epiphone owners protest that their guitars deserve to be compared on some level, any level for that matter. Why do you think that is? GFS may or may not be an upgrade over the Epiphone pickups. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they were actually one and the same. I found them to be rather ordinary and generic sounding but they are cheap. also..comparing one brand's bottom of the line with another's top of the line really isn't going to prove anything is it? or if anything, perhaps that an area of comparison exists between the bottom of one line with the top of another.. ...and Al's your uncle.[/quote'] Well said, what ever happened to people having there own opinion? if you Don't agree then thats your opinion!! Unless your comparing apples for apples there is no comparison, why would you bother? I'm a firm believer in you get what you pay for , there has to be a market for all tastes and budgets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I don't know about all that' date=' but I got some GFS pickups for my Tele project and I was quite impressed with them... Showed the guitar to a friend of mine when I was finished and we ended up A/B'ing it against his USA Tele with Noiseless pickups... We both agreed that the GFS pups sounded better... Now he's thinking about swapping out his "Genuine Fender" pickups with GFS... If it sounds better to your ears, I call that an upgrade.. But that's all a matter of opinion... Or "horses for courses" if you prefer. [/quote'] Fender Toneless ummm Noiseless Pickups...well, there you go...I have a Fender American Deluxe Strat that came with those crappy pickups. I replaced them with Lace Holy Grails and never looked back. I can't say about their single coils having never tried them but I was quite underwhelmed by the GFS humbuckers even after hearing all the ooohs and ahhhs here about them. I agree that much of this is subjective but I think calling someone a "Dutch Putz" because they express their opinion while offering valid advice is the true mark of a cretin. I happen to like Ramen noodles (50 million college kids can't be wrong) but I'm also so fussy about my steaks that I will rarely order one out because I prefer to pick my own and cook it my way rather than leave it to some Bozo at Outback so yeah, life does cover the entire spectrum and there's usually room for everyone's opinions and perspectives and everyone is entitled to theirs...even the Dutch. ...and Al's your uncle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Wait a minute... I never said I endorsed the name calling... But if someone feels compelled to make an unsolicited statement about a product they've never tried, and tell other people they shouldn't use it based on no personal experience whatsoever, I'll offer my opinion... Which happens to be based on actual experience, and not blind speculation... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonk Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I bought myself some GFS FAT Paf's I found them to be an improvement over the stock Epiphone pickups. They cost me about $30 or so. If had bought some Seymour Duncans and were not pleased with them, I would have been out alot more than with the GFS pickups. I'm pleased with GFS and will buy again. I can afford to with those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron G Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Apologies to all! I did, in fact, edit my post shortly after the original posting but alas, too late. Shame on me. Bottom line is opinions are like a**holes - everybody has one. (shouldn't drink beer and post at the same time) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyelcrrt1281733995 Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 This strikes me very much as a "I can't afford a Gibson but I can afford insert big name brand of choice pickups, so my modded Epi's better than your modded Epi!" Get over it. Both of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Wait a minute... I never said I endorsed the name calling... But if someone feels compelled to make an unsolicited statement about a product they've never tried' date=' and tell other people they shouldn't use it based on no personal experience whatsoever, I'll offer my opinion... Which happens to be based on actual experience, and not blind speculation...[/quote'] As was my post-based upon my actual impressions of and experience with the product , not blind speculation. I didn't mean to suggest that you did endorse any name calling and I do really think we can all express our opinions, perspectives and perceptions without being subjected to name calling. ...and Al's your uncle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 This strikes me very much as a "I can't afford a Gibson but I can afford insert big name brand of choice pickups' date=' so my modded Epi's better than your modded Epi!" Get over it. Both of you. [/quote'] I got news for you...this is tax time. For the time being I can't afford a guitar pick. ...and Al's your uncle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freednighthawk Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Here's one thing everyone seems to completely forget... When we say something is good, we dont mean its top of the line, absolutely the best out there. Sometimes it seems that if someone makes a recomendation for a product that works well in an epiphone, it must imediatly be able to hang with a gibson. I mean, yeah, you do get what you pay for. But it does come down to the fact that some things are better values than others. And I'm sorry Iconoclast, that you may have recieved some pickups that werent what they could be. But we should all know by now that some manufacturers have products that can be considered sub par. Even the almight G has this problem. Anyone remember the Faded SGs? I've cut my fingers on the frets of soooo many of those it makes me sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 After reading the posts and taking in consideration that everyone lost an hour of sleep, I'll put my 2 cents worth in. I'm not entirely sure that my SD pearly gates pups were worth the extra $50 per set when I could have had the Seymour's favorite sh-2/sh-4 set for a lot less. Having owned and played a REAL Gibson with 490/498's, I know that they are good pups, but maybe not worth $250 per set. Someone really ought to post controlled MP3 studio samples of all the popular pickups. When I was shopping, most of the samples sounded so much the same that I found it very difficult to choose. Pups are probably the most sensitive choice besides strings that have a sonic impact on our playing sound (besides the actual personal technique). It's almost like arguing about what's the best car for the money and then fighting about which color it should be painted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carverman Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 After reading the posts and taking in consideration that everyone lost an hour of sleep' date=' I'll put my 2 cents worth in. I'm not entirely sure that my SD pearly gates pups were worth the extra $50 per set when I could have had the Seymour's favorite sh-2/sh-4 set for a lot less. Having owned and played a REAL Gibson with 490/498's, I know that they are good pups, but maybe not worth $250 per set. [/quote'] Well the opinion "civil war" had to happen sooner or later.... and what is more dear to our hearts than our Epiphones and our constant strive to improve their performance. I say, buy what you like and what you can afford...it's like the softdrink taste challenges. I'm sure that if one was handed 6-8 different p_ups that were retrofitted with fast connectors for evaluation, and all name brands were disguised..after testing out a few, you might be surprised between what you like and what you didn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfsboy Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Well the opinion "civil war" had to happen sooner or later.... and what is more dear to our hearts than our Epiphones and our constant strive to improve their performance. I say' date=' buy what you like and what you can afford...it's like the softdrink taste challenges. I'm sure that if one was handed 6-8 different p_ups that were retrofitted with fast connectors for evaluation, and all name brands were disguised..after testing out a few, you might be surprised between what you like and what you didn't. [/quote'] Very true .I tried out a cheapish but good Crafter PRS copy and was amazed at the tone of the combined pickups run through an indifferent SS amp .I nearly bought it .It sounded brilliant . I have ordered a set of Toneriders for my Dot but I may also fit a quick connector if I can find some .The standard Alinco Dot pickups are OK but a bit muddy possibly.I just like mucking about with guitars really .I do note that unless all test comparisons are done of the same amp its worthless exercise IMHO .Tonerider include what amp is used at least . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan 58 Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Put me down in the GFS camp. After 37 years of P U shopping,Im going with them. Stan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lerxst1281733995 Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 As was my post-based upon my actual impressions of and experience with the product ' date=' not blind speculation. I didn't mean to suggest that you did endorse any name calling and I do really think we can all express our opinions, perspectives and perceptions without being subjected to name calling. ...and Al's your uncle.[/quote'] Ok... we're both misunderstanding who our comments are directed towards... I know YOUR opinion is based on your experience... I was talking about Lostindesert's original post. And no, he didn't deserve to be called a "dutch putz", but Ron G already apologized for that.... So.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daneman Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 I'm sorry to disagree with anyone, but I've put the GFS vintage '59s in 2 of my Epi's an LP Standard, and a G-400. And I'm totally happy with them!!! They are very well made,fine sounding pickups IMHO. We can't all agree on everthing,and why should we? Then there might be only 1 guitar model/brand period. Variety is the spice of life,someone once said or wrote somewhere. And yes I'll probably by more stuff from GFS. They make satisfying mods affordable. Speaking of mods that were less satisfying,I have a set of EMG hz-3s if anyone is interested PM me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
layboomo Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Well since opinions are like a$$holes and I have both....my $.02 is that GFS makes some very good bang for the buck PUPS and they also make some real sh!t too. Their fatboy tele pickups are some of the best tele pickups I've herd regardless of price....on the other hand the dream 180's were a Big disappointment as was a middle of the road set of strat pickups from them. Their lipsticktubes are decent as is the mean 90 but their split tele humbucker pups suck eggs IMHO. They won't ever get close to a handwound set of WCR's or Florence voodoo's etc...but they don't cost $300 a set either. They fill a niche for modding asian imports and hit a very good pricepoint as most of the stuff on the GFS site does...but it is what it is. Sometimes modding is nothing more than turd polishing...when it's all said and done you have a pretty turd...but a turd none the less. That doesn't mean all asian imports are turds...or even that some turds can't be polished up quite nicely...but lets just keep it real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syrma Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 At the end of the day, it's all personal opinion, also, different guitars, sound different, made from different wood etc, so will need different pickups... I've heard the SD pearly gates on a mates LP and they sound horrid, but when switched to his HH tele, they sound great... Also it depends on your music style (and budget of course)... I'm upgrading my LP, and looking at the GFS '59 and tonerider classics to start with... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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