This is less about my guitar (which I’ve posted before) than about the new pickups I just installed … they’re fantastic!
They’re handmade by Bill Wiggins of
wigginsbrand.com; all wood core, hand-wound, and I was able to give him my own artwork – which he etched on top with a CO2 laser.
I spent so much attention on how they would look, that I underestimated how they would
totally change the sound of the guitar … for the better.
This started out as a 60th anniversary American Standard Strat that came with Custom Shop Fat ’50s on the neck and middle, and a Diamondback humbucker at the bridge. They sounded good … but I can’t believe how the guitar sounds with the new pickups. They make the old ones sound flat and scratchy in comparison. It’s not a subtle difference; it’s a new instrument.
They really knock me out, and the Axe-FX III
loves processing them. Less noise and crackle.
Bill delivers different wind styles – Vintage, Overwound, Texas wound, and Hot – that you can research further on his website. (Mine are Vintage.) Sorry to sound like a commercial, but I’m so happy with these I want to make sure Fractal Folks know about them.
OK – now the guitar … in addition to the pickups, I’ve installed Sperzels, a Super-Vee Blade Runner trem (love it!), found a custom textured pick guard on Etsy that I hand-painted, and a set of glass knobs made by Renee, Bill’s wife. Here’s Windy the Strat (but of course, everyone knows it’s Windy
)