Sheptone Pickups

Just put together a strat partscaster: MTJ lake placid blue body, WD all rosewoodneck w/ 12 in radius, White pearloid pickguard, Wilkinson tremolo, RS guitarworks super pots, Vit-T .047 tone cap, orange drop volume cap w/resistor for added volume control and of course the GEFL strat set. This thing is a monster, glassy, articulate, all three pickups are sonically compatible blending perfectly for each of the classic 5 switch positions. Couldn't be happier! I also have the sheptone standard telecaster set which I also Love.

Amazing pickups, really a fantastic match for my vintage SG. Thanks!!!

The Alnico Blues (AB) Strat pickups are like the voice of an angel. They're advertised as higher output, grittier than your average Strat pickup - in all fairness, most modern Strat pickups will sound harsh compared to these. The slight increase in mids actuality fill the hole in the midrange you'd find in your typical Strat pup. Lows and highs aren't sacrificed in the name of output thanks to the updated flat pole radius (no need for 'staggered' radius nowadays). Wonderfully balanced overall. Even with the Alnico V magnets, the overall character is warm, refined, smooth, woody and unbelievably three-dimensional - along with the flat or modern radius (an upmost important feature, imo) gives a masterful balance of qualities, consistency that not only make it as responsive and tasty as possible, but also plenty loud, clear and very, very quiet thanks to the perfected construction techniques at Sheptone. Lay into them for some SRV licks, then clean up for ultra-linear jazz. Blues in the vein of Clapton? Mayer? Absolutely. Gilmour silky lead tones? Sure! Niles Roger's style funk? Done. These will handle anything you throw at them with poise and grace. Sheptone just may have created the best Strat pickups of all time. Me? I'm a customer for life ;-)

A few years ago I bought an Ibanez Artist AR420, my first Gibson-type guitar. It's a very good medium-price instrument that's somewhere between an LP and an SG in weight, wood, and tone. I found the stock Ibanez Super 58 Custom pickups to be OK but not great - too modern for my blues and classic rock tastes, not as sweet, open, and articulate as I wanted. So of course I spent endless hours on the web researching replacement pickups (which can make you nuts). I liked what I read about Jeff Shepherd and Sheptone: the sound of his PAFs, the reasonable pricing, and that he's an small independent US shop. He answered my email questions promptly and we talked on the phone once as well. On Jeff's recommendations I ordered a Tribute set. I found the neck PU just about perfect but the bridge PU was a little weak in comparison (every guitar is different). I contacted Sheptone again and on their recommendation I returned the Tribute bridge and they sent me an AB to try, no additional charge. The AB bridge did the trick. Still clear, open, and articulate sounding, but in this particular guitar a better match for the Tribute neck. I had originally planned to try Alnico 4 magnets in the Sheptones, since I tend to prefer that EQ and tone. But Shep's degaussed A5s sound so good that the A4 magnets are likely to stay on the shelf. I need to add that there was a slight mechanical problem with the AB bridge pickup they sent me. When I notified them they sent me a free replacement within days, and suggested that I just keep the first AB as a spare. Excellent customer service, and excellent pickups!

When I got my 63 reissue I decided to change the Gibson Burstbuckers after a while because I found them a bit too cold and harsh. First I ordered a set from a pickup winder located in Manchester, oh man I was disappointed.. The tone was ok but it was clearly lacking dynamics and was flat sounding. Lesson learned. When you find something great, stick to it! And since I already had a pair of Sheptone blue sky's in my Les Paul which I think are great, why fool around with other brands? So I decided to email Shep who recommended me the 6T8. They are know installed and they are exactly what I had hoped for. They are clean and bright but gritty and gnarly with an overdrive. It turned the guitar into a blues machine! Why didn't I just order them from the start? oh well, the 335 had been sitting in the corner for almost a year and now it sings again and I enjoy it every time i pick it up. Shep definitely is a good pickup winder with a talented ear for tone