# GFS pickups



## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

from guitarfetish...anyone ever purchase any of them?

i was looking at the GFS single coil noiseless for my tele rebuild...but don't see many (if any) reviews...

thought i would check here...


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

i've used the "Mean 90" pickups before.

they are a humbucker sized P90 type pickup. they're ok. they're generally better than stock import pickups. a lot of users on the les paul forums like them. some hate them, mostly the boutique snobs.


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## Tarbender (Apr 7, 2006)

I found GFS pickups to be weak and lifeless. OK for a cheap hobby guitar but nothing I would want to put in a quality instrument. You get what you pay for... just my 2cents.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

They vary greatly in my experience. I've had 2 that were okay, one that wasn't, and have heard others that were so-so. As with all pickups, pots and set-up are a factor.

Peace, Mooh.


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

interesting...i've heard about the variance in quality...its an old Lero telecaster i've got...its going to be a gigging beater...guess i'll keep shopping


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

I've used GFS pickups and I've also found the quality to be inconsistent. If you're looking for quality Tele pickups at a better price, check out the Keystones from Bill Lawrence. 

Wilde Bill's Keystones

$64 for the set of Tele pickups. $72 if you want them with a cover on the neck pickup! I've had a bunch of different Tele pickups over the years: VanZandts, Fenders, Texas Specials, Rumpelstiltskins etc. After replacing the stock pickups in my MIM Tele with a set of Keystones, I wouldn't even think about swapping them out - they're awesome. Head over to tdpri.com and do a search for Bill Lawrence Keystones. You wont read a bad word about them.


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## ThePass (Aug 10, 2007)

bagpipe said:


> I've used GFS pickups and I've also found the quality to be inconsistent. If you're looking for quality Tele pickups at a better price, check out the Keystones from Bill Lawrence.
> 
> Wilde Bill's Keystones
> 
> $64 for the set of Tele pickups. $72 if you want them with a cover on the neck pickup! I've had a bunch of different Tele pickups over the years: VanZandts, Fenders, Texas Specials, Rumpelstiltskins etc. After replacing the stock pickups in my MIM Tele with a set of Keystones, I wouldn't even think about swapping them out - they're awesome. Head over to tdpri.com and do a search for Bill Lawrence Keystones. You wont read a bad word about them.



+1 on the Bill Lawrence suggestion. While I haven't heard many 'bad' things about the GFS pup's, I've heard much better about Bill Lawrence. And $64 isn't that bad.


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## YJMUJRSRV (Jul 17, 2007)

gone fishing


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## NB_Terry (Feb 2, 2006)

I also thought of suggesting the Keystone pickups, but the OP is looking for noiseless. 

I have a Keystone in the bridge position in my tele and it's great.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

With almost any product, final product quality is going to depend on the quality of the raw materials, and the time you spend attending to detail. If you read the pickup-makers forum over at MEF, you'll see that, apart from magnets (easy to get), flatwork (easy to make), and wire with specific kinds of insulation (somewhat trickier to get in the desired volumes), one of the big factors in producing desirable-sounding and consistent-sounding pickups is monitoring of tension and wire scatter. 

GFS, and their Asian source, are going to be able to produce inexpensive pickups largely because they will try and wind them as fast as possible. Remember that the machinery is paid for, the building is paid for, and the materials are paid for. What makes the difference in production cost will be labour, and time is money. The various steps involved in producing a pickup will be made as brief as possible. I think they make a decent product for the price-point, but they WILL sacrifice attention to detail in order to be able to achieve that price-point. And that will likely result in hit-or-miss pickups.

Now, you could probably identify a budget guitar that has rougher fret ends, or a better grain or finish, but until you intall a pickup, you won't be able to tell if it is a little loose in the wind or not, if the inductance is higher or lower, if the magnets are fully charged, and a bunch of other things that can matter with pickups. One of the hardest and most important things for any boutique maker to achieve is consistency, since it will be word of mouth and _living up to word of mouth_ that will provide them with customers. Once your price-point drops low enough, value for money starts to take over, and consistency is less critical to drawing business. I'll bet many who read the comments here about inconsistency would still consider throwing thirty-five bucks at a GFS pickup that intrigued them (like one of their oversized polepice Tele neck units), just to try it out.


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

mhammer said:


> :
> :
> :
> GFS, and their Asian source...
> ...


ME ME ME haha  

I read a bunch on these not long back. I followed and backtracked many of the positive and negative comments. The 'gist' I got from that is; pre-Asia 100% positive, post-Asia its a real crap shoot.

However, for the price as a low end first step upgrade most people on most forums that I read over suggest they do tend to have a 'spot'.


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## John Kingma (Jan 30, 2008)

I've used a number of different GFS pickups over the years and I have no major complaints about any of them. The only negative comment I can make is that a set of Strat pickups I bought sounded a tad bit weak/thin.

In my opinon they are pretty decent value for the money.


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

i also found dragonfire pickups and guitarhead pickups...may try them instead...don't have any noiseless tele's but, i may go with a rail humbucker...i just want to make sure i can get a good tele tone...the rail could at least be tapped...so single coil sounds


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

ezcomes said:


> get a good tele tone...the rail could at least be tapped...so single coil sounds


Hmmmm ... I'd say "approximations of single coil sounds". I've still never heard a tapped humbucker which has anything close to a real single coil tone.


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## YJMUJRSRV (Jul 17, 2007)

gone fishing


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

YJMUJRSRV said:


> Me either. I've had people send me their "noiseless" single coils many times and while some have been fine pickups when ou cancel teh hum you cancel some chime - every time.
> 
> As far as the "good for the money" type outlook in relation to the thread topic .... I never understood that logic. I guess you could say Smarties are good chocolate for the money but ... really? Thats how I feel with everything. If I want it, I want what I want, not sort of what I want. If I cant afford it then I find the way or forget it completely. I did not grow up rich (far from it) but when I really truly want something I have always found the way. If you want a total 59 Les Paul burst for instance ... dont do something sort if. Polish up your kit and do it totally, 100% nail it and love it. One can attain such a thing with their own two hands by using best materials and learning how. Its not even hard just do it 100% and it will fall into place. Polishing turds always ends up the same way. Messy, depressing and then you gotta pawn off the turd on someone else. Its a sad way to live a short life. I have seen tons of guys who have 3 epiphones some mexican Fenders, Seagul acoustics etc but not one really good guitar and I think "why would someone collect almosts when for half the dough he could have one real deal"


first...i understand what you are saying...but i paid $80 for the guitar...i've put $20 more into new saddles...its a plywood body, and needs the frets dressed to get rid of fret buzz...so...i think at this point...the best phrase is...you can't polish a turd...i can put frickin wicked pickups in it and spend whatever money deemed necessary for others to lower their noses, but as much as i'd LOVE to put pickups in that cost just as much, if not more, than what i paid for essentially a beater guitar, i'd rather not...

i would love to hot rod it, but its still not going to sing like a normal tele, or even a squier...but if i can get it playing decent, and put pickups in it that can be audible through an amp...i'm not overly worried about tone right now...

i guess i'm in a pissy mood today...and...i'm glad you've got the money to drop on "good" equipment...but if i tinker and learn on a turd, i'm not butchering a 'good' guitar

thanks though


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## mgarofolo (Jul 20, 2010)

I have the "reverse stagger Jimi" Strat pups. They sound great to me but I've never owned a vintage Strat. 

I have those days where nothing in my rig sounds good but I can't blame GFS. I think it's my lousy chops.


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## keeperofthegood (Apr 30, 2008)

there are those that will walk till the day they own a Jaguar.

 there are those that get there faster in their Honda "hunchback" and may like the looks of the Jaguar never really feel the need to own one.

Me, I take the bus.


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## Jimmy_D (Jul 4, 2009)

YJMUJRSRV said:


> Me either. I've had people send me their "noiseless" single coils many times and while some have been fine pickups when ou cancel teh hum you cancel some chime - every time.
> 
> As far as the "good for the money" type outlook in relation to the thread topic .... I never understood that logic. I guess you could say Smarties are good chocolate for the money but ... really? Thats how I feel with everything. If I want it, I want what I want, not sort of what I want. If I cant afford it then I find the way or forget it completely. I did not grow up rich (far from it) but when I really truly want something I have always found the way. If you want a total 59 Les Paul burst for instance ... dont do something sort if. Polish up your kit and do it totally, 100% nail it and love it. One can attain such a thing with their own two hands by using best materials and learning how. Its not even hard just do it 100% and it will fall into place. Polishing turds always ends up the same way. Messy, depressing and then you gotta pawn off the turd on someone else. Its a sad way to live a short life. I have seen tons of guys who have 3 epiphones some mexican Fenders, Seagul acoustics etc but not one really good guitar and I think "why would someone collect almosts when for half the dough he could have one real deal"


Ahhhhhh...eloquent cork sniffery at its best .


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## YJMUJRSRV (Jul 17, 2007)

gone fishing


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## Jimmy_D (Jul 4, 2009)

YJMUJRSRV said:


> Oh Jimmy .. all that anger channeled into affirmative action .... your life would do a 180.
> 
> Dont hate those who attain what you feel is out of reach. Its all in your head. Its just a decision.


I guess you can't tell the difference between someone who's mad and someones who's laughing...kids these days


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

YJMUJRSRV said:


> Me either. I've had people send me their "noiseless" single coils many times and while some have been fine pickups when ou cancel teh hum you cancel some chime - every time.
> 
> As far as the "good for the money" type outlook in relation to the thread topic .... I never understood that logic. I guess you could say Smarties are good chocolate for the money but ... really? Thats how I feel with everything. If I want it, I want what I want, not sort of what I want. If I cant afford it then I find the way or forget it completely. I did not grow up rich (far from it) but when I really truly want something I have always found the way. If you want a total 59 Les Paul burst for instance ... dont do something sort if. Polish up your kit and do it totally, 100% nail it and love it. One can attain such a thing with their own two hands by using best materials and learning how. Its not even hard just do it 100% and it will fall into place. Polishing turds always ends up the same way. Messy, depressing and then you gotta pawn off the turd on someone else. Its a sad way to live a short life. I have seen tons of guys who have 3 epiphones some mexican Fenders, Seagul acoustics etc but not one really good guitar and I think "why would someone collect almosts when for half the dough he could have one real deal"


yeah-
and when, after months of getting beer spilt on it, getting dragged all over the place and thrown around on stage,
his one "real deal" gets stolen at a club,
he should then cancel all gigs and just not play guitar until he can save up to buy a new "real deal".

as the OP put it- "a gigging beater".

re: the noiseless single coils-
i agree with you 100%


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

GFS are Pickup's made by Artec & Jay from gfs puts his butter on them in he's laughable description of these pickups 
These pickups don't all sound bad & I think are a step up from the stock Korean pups ...Boutique no 
here's a little bit from his classic 59 humbucker 
"wound like a good solid set of late 50's PAF's- 8.5-8.8K for the Bridge, 8.0-8.2K for the neck. Vintage construction with classic bobbin shape and size, Formvar 42 gauge enamel wire,"
Formvar 42 gauge enamel wire .........really ,Fender used Formvar wire & gibson used enamel wire ................
He used to have a set of strat pups on his site ....Texas power surf i believe he described them as, but i can't find them now


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## buckaroobanzai (Feb 2, 2006)

Don't forget about Bezdez on EBay - his pickups are from Artec too I believe, and he's in Canada.


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## Rockguitar77 (Nov 24, 2011)

I might get the veh pickup. Itvseems gimicky.. Anyone try it?


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