# GFS Surf 90's



## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Don't know if this has been posted, but has anyone seen these? Pretty interesting looking.

GFS Surf 90 Alnico II Rockabilly Pickups










De Armond style pickup in a humbucker shell.


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## Steve Adams (Dec 31, 2009)

very interesting.

I will be having a few sets of GFS in my guitars in the next little while. im thinking of selling my SD p90s for a set of GFS p90s.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

Steve Adams said:


> very interesting.
> 
> I will be having a few sets of GFS in my guitars in the next little while. im thinking of selling my SD p90s for a set of GFS p90s.


That would be a horrible decision in my opinion. The 'flowery' descriptions on the GFS website nowhere near describe the sound- and I am not saying that they understate it. Worst pickups I ever had were a set of GFS - certainly not worthy of being in the same room as any Seymour Duncan.


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## Steve Adams (Dec 31, 2009)

I just find the seymour duncan p90s really dark....not my style of pickup....i figure i can sell them and get all the pickups for my guitars with the cash from them...they are going for over 200 on ebay.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

smorgdonkey said:


> That would be a horrible decision in my opinion. The 'flowery' descriptions on the GFS website nowhere near describe the sound- and I am not saying that they understate it. Worst pickups I ever had were a set of GFS - certainly not worthy of being in the same room as any Seymour Duncan.


There are plenty of people, including myself, who use and love GFS pickups. The above is just your opinion. I have used pickups in every price range there is, and use my GFS ones by choice.

Steve, my experiences with the SD P-90's were the same. I love P-90's but just wasn't a fan of the SD ones I have tried.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

Well...I had a long post covering a lot of detail and so on but it went into cyber-space without hitting the thread so...I'll summarize:

-I did say that it was my opinion. I don't really go around stating other people's opinions unless I say it is someone else's. 
-Money doesn't decide 'how good' (though often, there is a correlation)...it's the sound that decides that. 
-GFS product is inconsistent. I've heard it from many so yes, that is other people's opinions but since the set I had were the worst pickups I've ever had out of maybe 100 or more pickups and nowhere near match their 'product description' then I must concur. I even felt a little guilty when I sold the set for $40. I did tell him that I didn't like them at all in the guitar that I had them in.
-Steve, if the Duncans aren't what you are looking for then there is definitely no reason to keep them. I can't comment on SD P90 but judging the SD product on countless pickups of theirs that I have had I can't imagine them falling short of a GFS product. If they are selling for good money then that will be a bonus. I hope that you aren't disappointed with the GFS product.

*the above is my opinion*


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

The problem is you are basing it on one experience. No one will deny you could get inconsistent product just like you could buying from anyone selling budget products. How they deal with it is a key issue, and GFS's customer support is very good. If you had an issue, they would have taken it back or done an exchange. Price is a factor in this case because you can't realistically expect much more than that from a mass seller selling $30 pickups. Their product and service is quite good for the price.

More to the point though, why is it a 'horrible decision' for him to try them out? I don't like SD P-90's that much either for a lot of the same reasons he doesn't like them. I do like the GFS ones I have tried, I love Gibson P-90's. I have even liked the cheap ones I have used in SX guitars. Everyone is different. If he doesn't like them, he can sell them. But it's a cheap experiment try. One thing is for sure, they do sound different than the SD P-90's from my experience. So they may be what he's looking for.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

torndownunit said:


> The problem is you are basing it on one experience.


There is no problem with that. I said in both posts that it was my opinion.
People like Jason Lollar and Lindy Fralin et al who hone their craft by study and trial & error aren't matched by someone who ships mass produced product in from Korea, sell cheap and make money on volume. Long time mass producers like Seymour Duncan and Dimarzio etc. aren't either. 

As you said though...it isn't much money to spend on an experiment. You're right about that. Furthermore, they may indeed be what he's looking for. That said - at any rate, the pickup is what takes that string vibration and makes a signal to be sent to your amplifier - why skimp there? I always advise to go with the best pickup that you can afford.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I took a set of Fralins out of my Tele and use a set of GFS though. So again, it's all perspective and taste. If you find something you like, how is it skimping? I have owned a ridiculous amount of pickups, so I am not about to settle on something just for the heck of it. Either are most of the other players who say they prefer GFS to other pickups they have used.

It is opinion and opinion is valuable to every thread. The problem is how you state it. Using terms like 'horrible decision' and 'skimping' imply that those of us who use GFS pickups by choice must be making some kind of mistake. Should I spend another $200 on a set of Fralins again just because they are Fralins, even though I like my set of GFS more?


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## Hired Goon (Mar 4, 2008)

That's the thing with pickups...it's sort of like asking someone's opinion about a piece of art hung on a wall. Plus the natural tone of the guitar (woods, hardware) and the strings are all going to influence the sound, so the same pickup will of course sound different in differing guitars.

I've not tried the GFS because a part of me says the price is too low for any type of quality parts to be in there...but I'd also hesitate to buy the most expensive pickups feeling that money spent wouldn't necessarily translate into a better sound.


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## Steve Adams (Dec 31, 2009)

for the cost of the GFS is'nt it no reason NOT to try a set....

Now, I have a guy close to me wanting to work with me on winding custom pickups to my tastes so im going that route. to my spec's! thats awsome!...


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

That depends Steve...it depends upon how much you enjoy taking pickups out and reinstalling pickups. Once again...in my opinion, you set yourself up for 2 removal/install processes by getting the GFS...one to put them in and one to take them out and put something else in.

Cheers for getting someone to wind them for you. I hope that works out well - it certainly has worked out awesome for me the few times that I have done so.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

torndownunit said:


> Steve, my experiences with the SD P-90's were the same. I love P-90's but just wasn't a fan of the SD ones I have tried.


The previous owner of my Les Paul had put those in it, but it wasn't the sound I was looking for.

And I found someone who was looking for SD P-90's--so it worked out well.

However over the years I have come to appreciate P-90's more than I used to, and am going to put a P-Rail in the neck of my LP copy.
P-90's in the bridge still don't suit my playing, but in the neck, they do.


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## worn (Dec 4, 2008)

I just saw the Surf/Rockabilly pickups on the GFS site last night and was wondering if anyone had tried them. I have a couple of bodies and necks here and thinking which direction I will be going with them. 
I've used GFS Fatbodies in a couple of Teles and really like them. I put a set of Lil Puncher rail pickups in my Pinecaster Tele and I am very happy with how they sound. I can't comment on any of GFS's other pickups, but these two I've tried were well worth the money. 
I have an LP Special with P-90s and I wouldn't look any further than Gibson for P-90s. I've heard complaints about the GFS and SD P-90s, but nothing negative about Gibson's P-90s.


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## Steve Adams (Dec 31, 2009)

cool,

i may have to look for a set of gibson p90s then. don't want to sell a strat neck do you worn?


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## worn (Dec 4, 2008)

Steve Adams said:


> cool,
> 
> i may have to look for a set of gibson p90s then. don't want to sell a strat neck do you worn?


No sorry, no necks for sale. I made the mistake of selling off spares in the parts drawer a few years ago and have since gone out and bought the same parts over again!


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## Steve Adams (Dec 31, 2009)

Well,

I got some pickups with a "testacaster" from copperhead the other day, He has a setup that is EXACTLY what I want. they sound awsome! nice scooped mids, lots of bottom end and nice bright highs without being harsh. I am really impressed. now to see if he can do P90s.

He's going to be winding a scooped set, a texas set and a 50's set for me.....

can't wait to get them!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Keep in mind that P90s are not only the sort of thing one would find on a LP Jr wielded by Leslie West or Paul Westerberg aiming for raw tones, but the pickup you'd find on big body jazz boxes destied for mellow smooth sounds. What counts as an "ideal" P90 is likely to vary by intent.


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## mrfiftyfour (Jun 29, 2008)

I've got the Dream 180's in a project guitar, and they do everything as described on the web page. Nice blend of Filtertron and PAF tones.
The lack of quality materials and quality control is reflective of the price, but I'm sure the pups will perform as advertised.
I think it's cool that a company is around selling cheap pickups with some great designs as well.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

Re: The value of opinion...

"_Opinions are like a**holes. Everybody's got one and everyone thinks everyone else's stinks_" :banana:


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

mrfiftyfour said:


> I've got the Dream 180's in a project guitar,


Those were the ones that I had.


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## mrfiftyfour (Jun 29, 2008)

smorgdonkey said:


> Those were the ones that I had.


Goes to show how experiences can differ. 
All I can say is; the pickups sounded like the website described. Certainly not the holy grail of tone, but effective.
Just fine to throw into a cheap guitar. Hell, you can buy 2 different sets for the price of one Seymour Duncan.
That being said, anyone one who claims these GFS pups can hang with the big boys is smokin' crack.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

mrfiftyfour said:


> That being said, anyone one who claims these GFS pups can hang with the big boys is smokin' crack.


I'm with you 100% and buying the beer on that one!


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## fishin' musician (Jun 19, 2008)

I bought this guitar used with GFS p90's already installed (including a reverese wound, reverse polarity pickup in the middle). I even got the stock p90's with it! Who knows what sort of mad scientist project those pickups will get assigned...
Although I haven't been able to A/B these GFS's against a Gibson or a SD p90, I can say that this guitar sure sounded fantastic at the first gig it played. The sound was sharp and well-defined without being boomy or harsh. Great for trebly Scotty Moore style stuff - made "Mystery Train" sound awesome and was beautiful and warm for jazzy blues.
While it's possible that installing $600 worth of Gibson, Frahlin, Lolar, or Seymour Duncan p90's would make this guitar sound better, I'll never find out because there were alot of people in the crowd who came up to me after the show and said, "Ohmygawd, that guitar sounds wonderful!"...and that's good enough for me. I'm not about to go splitting hairs (especially not $600 hairs).


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