Keiyo MK2 Pickups

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Sigmania

Sigmania

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Trying to untangle the various humbucker models and of course have to eventually tangle with these, Keiyos.

Going to try to sort out what they are and when they were made roughly.

Not much of anything out there in the way of official documentation.

There seems to have been two versions (CP-1 & CP-2) with one version having relatively hot bridge pickup (11.5k), and the other not (8.4K).

Possibly made by TEISCO.

F6KZQaC.jpg
 
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MK2 / CP-1
Keiyo - 7.5/11.5
Steel braided cable.
Silver backs, gold screws?
Circa 2004-2014?
Neck:7.5k, 7.5k, 7.4k, 7.5k, 7.5k
Bridge:11.4k, 11.5k, 11.3k, 11.3k, 11.5k
Examples:
2004 LS125SEB
2005 ES120

MK2 / CP-2
Keiyo 7.5/8.4
Steel braided cable.
Silver backs, gold screws?
Circa 2008
Neck:7.58k, 7.50k
Bridge: 8.43k, 8.39k
Examples:
2008 ES205
 
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Keiyo CP-1


These MkIIs are from my 2004 LS125 SEB and are now fitted into my 1980 LP Navigator. They are one of my all time favourite pickups. Anyone know for definite whether they are Gotoh or Keiyo....?


MK2: Keyio vs Gotoh

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Keiyo CP-1 set in a 2005 ES120.

This is about a pair of Tokai PAF-Vintage MK2 with nickel covers made by Keiyo out of a 2005 ES-120. Great and like new condition.

The neck pickups is 7.5k and a nice PAF copy, warm and full for comping even at distortion levels. The Bridge is 11k (but probably with a 43 AWG wire) and so it is a lot like a lower output version of Custom 5 (of Seymour Duncan). Both are very likely Alnico 5 pickups.

They soundverall very clear and cut thru, but with balls especially in the bridge. The neck is PAF all over. I would think they will excel in warm and a tad middy Les Paul.

Tokai PAF-Vintage MK2 made by Keiyo
 
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2003 catalog.


LOVE ROCK Il
Body: Flamed Maple one piece top;
Mahogany one piece back
Neck: Mahogany one-niece
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Bridge: LS-VB Bridge;
LS-VT Tailpiece
Pickups: Keiyo Vintage
Controls: 1V, 1T Coil tapped, 3 way-SW
Colour: All standard colors
available, see colour chart on
reverse of brochure

PbNVgIr.png
 
"No muddyness here. Neck is quite dark but perfect for my purposes. 😁 I did a 50s de-coupled wiring, my favourite one, and I can mix to taste both pickups. With similar sounding pick ups, like a 57 classic set, this wiring is quite useless but with the Keiyo dark neck, you can blend to taste both and get a lot of sounds.


There are plenty of pick ups producers out there, sometimes a small company gets a lot of unfairly buzz and sometimes you get by chance a set of pick ups that was made by a larger producer with no reputation at all but it happens to be amazing. This is what I want to find out, if it was by chance :lol: Maybe the worker had a bad day and did a good pick up.


The set I have is great, sound is totally alnico II but with high output, it is compressed, gritty, a lot of mid-range, sustained... The guitar + the pick ups have some kind of natural compression that I like a lot and you don't need to use any compressor."

Keiyo pick ups in 2006 Love Rocks
 
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KEIYOピックアップ、取り扱い開始！ - ナインボルトワールドレポート　 Ninevolt World Report

Translation:

2010-03-19

KEIYO Pickup now available!

A few years ago, when I was just starting out (even now), I really wanted a Keiyo pickup from an acquaintance of mine in Singapore. I was asked if I could help.

I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know the manufacturer KEIYO at the time, but later I found out that he was an amazing manufacturer. The most important brand in the early days of Japanese electric guitars, TEISCO, is the first electric guitar in TEISCO.

(As for this area, I think that the blog of a Japanese vintage guitar maniac will be more detailed, so I will omit it.)

As for the actual lineup, single size

The TDL-N/TDN-B for Telecasters are twin-blade pickups featuring a powerful and clear sound.

Designed to take full advantage of the unique characteristics of the Telecaster. One way to create a “vintage sound” pickup is to follow a classical and traditional method.

However, in the case of Keiyo pickups, which are originally made with a focus on materials and are made with even higher technology, by adopting a unique method from there, the pickup "SS-1" can create a vintage sound no matter what guitar you put it on. was successfully developed. You can choose from 4 different pickup cover colors, so you can match the look of your guitar!

Humbuckers

Humbuckers come in two lineups, CP-1 and CP-2!

Both were developed in pursuit of the sound of vintage PAF models, but the CP-1 is made with a more modern feel, while the CP-2 is a complete vintage model. It is made in search of the sound.

Choose the CP-1 for a more modern PAF sound, or the CP-2 for an old-school sound.

It might be a good idea to separate the front and rear. KEIYO has a lineup of classic models, but all of them are made with carefully selected materials and the best of techniques.

There are surprisingly few pickups made in Japan, but I think that the craftsmanship of making pickups is suitable for Japanese people.

Please try it!

With coupons every time!

Sign up for our newsletter here!


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CP-1 and CP-2 designation supported by this older 2009 post that links the mfr page which is now gone.

ganzua said:
Yeah, I came across before this page 😁 and you can't come to any conclusion. The only PAFs they have are called CP-1 and CP-2 with almost any further spec. It is stated that CP-2 is sported by D'angelico guitars. Not a bad reference at all.

As MIJvintage said, they made YUTA pick ups and they better change the brand name if they want to export to Spain :lol: because the translation is almost like saying "*****".
Click to expand...
 
While the MKIIs in my 2008 ES Custom (ES 205) were probably custom ordered (normal PAF specs - no hot bridge), they sounded excessively bright to me. I had them replaced with Throbaks.
 
glenngross said:
While the MKIIs in my 2008 ES Custom (ES 205) were probably custom ordered (normal PAF specs - no hot bridge), they sounded excessively bright to me. I had them replaced with Throbaks.
Click to expand...
Seems like you had the CP-2 model Keiyo pickups.

I remember trying to sort those out. 7.5-8.5k range?

"...the bridge measures 8.39 not the overwound 11 or so that I’ve read about, and the neck measures 7.50."

2008 ES-Custom (ES-205) Love Rock
 
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