Kōkako Strat Pickup

 

The Kōkako Strat Pickup is is strongly influenced by the Fender Stratocaster pickups of the 60’s but with a little more. It has a full yet clear bottom end , smooth highs and clear mids. It’s aimed at players who love the sounds of Frusciante and Hendrix.

The Kōkako set was spawned by a few things coming together in November ’22.

For a while I’ve been offering my Bellbird Strat set with various winding options – 5% under, 5% over or 10% overwound. I’ve been playing with a 10% over wound set in one of my own Strats and for me they have ‘that’ vintage Strat tone that’s perfect with a little dirt be it fuzz or overdrive.

I was sent a Strat pickup to re-wind and the customer told me his ideal sound was Hendrix. I’d just read an article saying how Seymour Duncan had wound some pickups for Hendrix and the spec of those pickups looked very similar to the 10% overwound Bellbirds. 

That got me thinking.

The same day a customer contacted me wanting advice about my pickups and which one would be best for a John Frusciante sound. 

Well, it’s the Bellbird +10%.

Here are the numbers: 

Neck 6.15 KOhms, 2.79H, AlnicoV

Middle 6.15 KOhms,2.79H, AlnicoV

Bridge 6.64 KOhms, 3.08H, AlnicoV

For the shop and more pickups go to :  mrglynspickups.com

I thought this was too good to let go. 

I could have left the pickup as a version of the Bellbird but decided it needed its own life. 

 

My Strat pickups are named after native New Zealand birds like the Bellbird and the Tui; I chose the Kōkako because its song reflects the tonal characteristics of the pickups. I wanted a bird that has a song fatter and fuller sounding than the Bellbird but not as aggressive as the Tui – so Kōkako Strat Pickup it is.

 

 

Here’s the original Bellbird pickup https://mrglynspickups.com/2020/03/29/bellbird-vintage-strat-set/

 

 

And YouTube demos of all my Strat pickups https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOdXLT6XwMymw8-Kvl1fQi1wfkQ-iDg7z

Telecaster Bass

There is something so unbelievably cool about the Fender Telecaster Bass. 

The classic lines, that headstock, the pickguard, the association with great players and, of course, the tone. 

What ever it is we all love about this great instrument here’s a pickup to do it justice.

 

 

 https://mrglynspickups.com/2022/10/14... 

 Whether you play with fingers or a pick this classic pickup will deliver. 

More present in the mix than the Precision split pair but with that distinctive punch and clarity. This bass is also known as a '51Bass.

 

 Over the years I’ve re-wound a lot of old Fender pickups. I like to make notes to record what I find in these old pickups, wire gauge, insulation types, d.c. resistance, magnetic gauss, dimensions. 

My notebook is getting pretty full. 

This is my constant reference when I’m designing a new pickup, that and my ears. I’ve based these pickups on the best of the old Fenders I’ve come across over the years.

 Not all vintage pickups are great but when you see enough of the good ones patterns begin to form. 

 I still repair pickups and still add to my old notebook, always learning 😎. 

Thanks to Mark Hughes for his playing on this bass pickup demo, he is available for on line lessons http://www.markhughesbass.com/ Telecaster Bass Pickup - Mr Glyn's Pickups