Pick ups on LS 380

What are these Rolphs? Where are they made and are they exspensive? I've never herd of them until I joined this forum. How do they compare to SD's wich are very well known in the States?

Mark

Homepage of this boutique pickup winder:

http://www.cinternet.net/~rewinder/

LPF thread describing them a bit with samples:

http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=98829

In fact this only was the latest thread there, but if you use their advanced search with the option to search for "rolph" only in the title, you'll find about 40 different threads with more replies and samples, too:

http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/search.php?

http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3976
http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49944
http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31972
http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28766
http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18781
http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12414
http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8244
http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8018
http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4015
http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5216
http://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3924

It seems that someone in the "Tokai Electric Guitar Project" reads the LPF, too...

[Later...]
And if you use "rolph*" as a search term, you'll find more than 90 threads about them. The bad news is that all the older attached samples by EdA have been deleted during a forum update in 2004.

About the price: it seems that Jim Rolph doesn't want it to be discussed in public, but you could check the Musicland Key shop in Japan where they are officially sold right next to the Pacifix Series Tokai LS290s:

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pacifix-ltd.com%2Fimport%2Fjmrolph%2Fproduct.html&langpair=ja%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8

78,750 Yen (incl. tax, without covers) are around ? 580, so it should be ~ $700 for a set without shipping. It seems to be 87,150 Yen with covers.

And then there's eBay, too, but at the moment no one wants to sell his JM Rolphs...

By the way, this price also is a reason why the LS320 with Seth Lovers is cheaper than the LS380.

Thanks Hans, that is a way pricey set of pick ups. I have seen alot of custom makes here in the states, but nothing in that price range. If you think of how simple and inexspensive the stuff is that they are made of and how subjective the sound is to peoples ears , I'm stuned! That does explain at least part of the price increase.

Mark

I don't know what he wants if you buy them directly from him or from one of his dealers in the US, as he obviously asks each customer not to tell. But a new set of Tom Holmes pickups is about $600 in the U.S., as far as I know. You can also find them in Japan, by the way, either as a limited "Joelton" version for 120,000 Yen the set or made in Japan for 20,000 Yen (one J455 pickup):

http://www.j-guitar.com/sp/sea/view_detail.cgi?pid=10451550
http://www.j-guitar.com/sp/sea/view_detail.cgi?pid=10451545

I have no idea what those LPF-featured Timbuckers cost though. Here's an eBay auction with them:

http://cgi.ebay.de/PAIR-TIM-WHITE-TIMBUCKER-PICKUPS_W0QQitemZ7402824793QQcategoryZ22670QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

And the German pickup winder Kloppmann asks ? 409 (~ $500) for one set without covers (? 449 with nickel and ? 579 with gold govers).

So yes, JM Rolphs seem to be at the top of the "boutique" price list besides Tom Holmes. Maybe Tokai Gakki was fed up with people ripping out their pickups no matter what... Or it's simply "we'll take only the best parts for the top model".

I believe that Tokai has choosen this winder because their humbuckers are the closets to PAFpickups in the market,including some feedback you get as old PAFs cause.....Just remember Tokai try to emulate old guitars in detail,specially the highest models.....A good move to me.

These Rolphs sound like they are dialed into a very traditional, vintage tone, which I also happen to like. It doesn't surprise me that those wizards at Tokai would go with a relatively unknown boutique (expensive) pickup if they are after a certain sound. I've seen Rolph's ads for pickup rewinds for years in Vintage Guitar Magazine.

Recently the bridge pickup on my 1980 LS50 Reborn Old went south. I replaced it with a Harmonic Design bridge humbucker. One of the columnists in Vintage Guitar was raving about them so I thought I'd give one a try. It wasn't cheap ($170) and it took two months to get here but I have to admit that this is the first bridge pickup I have ever really liked - very musical at all volumes (Vibrolux Reverb reissue, no effects) without being shrill. None of the deadly icepick in the ear sound. Not a high gain or hot pickup - more on the vintage side. It also blends very well with the neck, which is the original Tokai PAF. So was it worth it? Yes, to me.

I'm thinking of replacing the neck pickup as well, although the original sounds very good already. And then of course I'll have to sell something else to get it. :lol:

I admit that all this is silly because no one except me cares about the sound difference but there's something about trying to get the right tone. I play out a couple times a year for friends, and at no point does anyone ever say "You know, that bridge pickup sounds great."

I guess there are worse hobbies, like car collecting.

It is all very subjective when it comes to tone. I think after all the years I've been playing, The fingers are the ultimate tone control, at least for me. I see alot of young guitarists using electronics to do what only time and lots and lots of practice can do. And that is of course, your TONE. And thanks Hans and and everyone else for the input. I think if I played real clean Jazz I would pay even more attention to Pick Ups.

Mark

hans-j?rgen said:

I have no idea what those LPF-featured Timbuckers cost though. Here's an eBay auction with them:

http://cgi.ebay.de/PAIR-TIM-WHITE-TIMBUCKER-PICKUPS_W0QQitemZ7402824793QQcategoryZ22670QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Click to expand...

Sold for $306.03, that's even less than a set of Tim Shaw PAFs...