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Post subject: Vintage Pickups - Worth the Cost?
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 10:46 am
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A seller on my local Kijiji site has a 1968 Tele bridge pickup for sale and is asking $700.00. Says it is all original except for replacement connection wires and in perfect operating condition. I'm not interested in buying but it did cause me to wonder as to its value.

I am not a collector of anything but I do accept that owning something vintage and rare is important to many people and therefore has value. My question pertains to the sound and performance of the pickup. Would a 1968 Tele bridge pickup sound any better or different than a quality Fender pickup made today (recognizing that "better" is a very relative term)?

Would the average ear be able to tell the difference?


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Pickups - Worth the Cost?
Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 6:49 pm
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Vintage Fender pickups (and vintage Gibson pickups) varied a lot. Machines and hands applied tension to the coil wire unevenly, and the number of turns of wire on the coil varied. Some were great, some were good, some were just ok.

The value of vintage replacement parts comes from restoring vintage guitars that have been modified. Back in the '70s and '80s when a late '60s Tele was just a used guitar, lots of people put in Duncans or DiMarzios.

Now that late '60s Teles are vintage collectables, correct parts add value compared to aftermarket parts. Not as much as an all original never been modded Tele, but more than aftermarket parts.

In some cases, the value will go up much more than the cost of the vintage part. Sometimes it's just break-even or a slight loss, but it makes the guitar easier/quicker to sell.

Sometimes it's not about resale. The owner just wants to put the guitar back to original condition and doesn't care about cost. Maybe for sentimental reasons -- he bought the guitar long ago and regrets modding it.

Or he bought the guitar recently and $700 isn't a big deal. Someone who pays many thousands for a guitar that's not really any better than a new Custom Shop for half the price probably won't flinch over $700.

(Custom Shop vs vintage is highly debatable and there's no right or wrong answer. If someone wants to buy vintage, it's their money -- more power to them.)


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Pickups - Worth the Cost?
Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 1:28 am
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Pudbert wrote:
My question pertains to the sound and performance of the pickup. Would a 1968 Tele bridge pickup sound any better or different than a quality Fender pickup made today (recognizing that "better" is a very relative term)?

Would the average ear be able to tell the difference?


A vintage pickup do not make a modern guitar body sound like a 1968 tele.
Pickup made by hand in 68 may sound not better or even worst than a high quality ( Custom Shop ? ) 2018 pickup.

Only good to rebuilt as original a '68 Tele


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Pickups - Worth the Cost?
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 4:52 am
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q: Vintage Pickups - Worth the Cost?

a: No......


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Pickups - Worth the Cost?
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 5:19 am
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KidBlast wrote:
q: Vintage Pickups - Worth the Cost?

a: No......


+1


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Pickups - Worth the Cost?
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 3:29 pm
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stratele52 wrote:
Pudbert wrote:
My question pertains to the sound and performance of the pickup. Would a 1968 Tele bridge pickup sound any better or different than a quality Fender pickup made today (recognizing that "better" is a very relative term)?

Would the average ear be able to tell the difference?

A vintage pickup do not make a modern guitar body sound like a 1968 tele.
Pickup made by hand in 68 may sound not better or even worst than a high quality ( Custom Shop ? ) 2018 pickup.
Only good to rebuilt as original a '68 Tele

While I disagree that the guitar body has any affect on the electrified sound of an electric guitar, I agree with stratele52 that the only inherent value that this pickup has, is the value someone may place on repairing a '68 Tele with an original pickup having "replacement wires".

Even if the pickup had original wires, it is highly doubtful that the original pickup would increase the value of a '68 Tele by $700.00 as opposed to using an aftermarket pickup.
Now if this were a '52 Tele, and the pickup had original wires, it may be quite a different consideration.

But as far as delivering superior sound quality, compared to modern Custom Shop quality pickups -- forget it.


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Pickups - Worth the Cost?
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2018 7:30 pm
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MickJagger wrote:
But as far as delivering superior sound quality, compared to modern Custom Shop quality pickups -- forget it.
Bingo. Quite the opposite.
On a "vintage" recording, you are listening to a fairly new instrument, recorded through an old design mic into a 4" tape reel from a tube powered mixer, mixed by an engineer trying to put together a "hit".
You aren't hearing what that guitar sounded like in the studio.
Now add the fact that the magnets in that 50 year old pickup have weakened, even the guitar itself doesn't sound like it did in the studio in 1968.

+1

If you can get it at a reasonable price, and it's presence can kick the value of the guitar up by more than double the pickup price, maybe.
Just to have for your own personal collection? Nope.

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