Give me some of that old time Rock and Roll!!!

Being an addict of gear can sometimes be one big pain in the ass, "I want this, I want that, when will they make this...", and so on and so fourth. Then there's those few moments when we come across those very special pieces of gear. For me it's all about the old school, the classic sound of years gone by. Who the hell knows why it sounds so good, something about the way music sounded, was recorded, and played in the those days just bled earthy tones and organic greatness. One of the tools responsible for the meaty sounds of yesteryear is the vintage P.A.F. pickup, there is nothing like it. And unless you own one those magical guitars like a 50's Les Paul, chances are you won't be getting that tone. And so came along Rod Kinkade and his Skatterbrane pickups. To give us back the sound we have been craving and needing for so so long. Ah yes my friends, our tunes will scream vintage heavenly tones.

Skatterbrane

handwound pickups

In 1955 Seth Lover invented one of the greatest greatest guitar pickups known to man, the PAF, the world's first humbucking pickup. Through the years the humbuckers construction would change, using different materials and methods would eventually change the outcome of the pickups characteristics. Well, now we have the great old school tone of the original PAF through the wonderful Skatterbrane Pickup brand. Skatterbrane Pickups is the brain child of Rod Kinkade, a man with a talent for building some of the world's sweetest, and true to vintage voiced humbucking pickups. The sound, the build quality, the dynamics, and the harmonics all come together to make one hell of a killer P.A.F. pickup. A tone heard in all our favorite classic rock records, a sound that unleashed the rock and roll era. Now you can rock out with a authentic vintage humbucking tone by slapping in a set of Skatterbrane's into any guitar you see fit, it is an absolute dream come true! I put a set of Rod's humbuckers into a Gibson Studio Les Paul and the outcome was like day and night. A sudden rush of Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend, Frank Zappa, and Santana came blasting out of my guitar amp. I couldn't even begin to compare the Studio Les Paul's stock pickups to the Skatterbrane set. I was instantly shot right into a mind blowing, thick'n'creamy, rich'n'screaming tone of classic rock madness. It is damn near impossible to get a bad sound of these pickups no matter what amp I plugged into, now matter what pedal I used, and they sound absolutely amazing when recorded through low wattage amps. Skatterbrane pickups are well balanced, respond great to your playing dynamics, and stay tight and even through both light and heavy overdrive settings. They're also capable of growling out some really heavy and extreme guitar sounds, which makes them perfect for scorching lead tones. We all know when hunting down a pair of vintage PAF's that it can be a risky and difficult trip, you're never certain to get that great sounding set. Sometimes we strike gold, sometimes we're not so fortunate. The price of a vintage set can also rip a serious hole in your funds and with today's world we just can't afford to throw away that kind of money. With Skatterbrane's Rod makes sure every pickup delivers to it's fullest while at the same time keeping to the traditional build of the old time favorites. I believe just like our music writing sessions, shaping a pickups to give us the sound we want is also a form of art. How this is achieved I do not know. All I do know is that as a player I absolutely love the sound and tone of a great P.A.F. I needed to get it straight from the man himself, needed to find out where his nitch for building us pickups comes from.

Interview
with
Rod Kinkade

Analog War Cry:

Where did the passion for building pickups come from?

Rod Kinkade:
It was simply that I tried so many other "Boutique" pickups, wanting to improve my Historic Les Pauls, and they always left me wanting to put the Gibson pickups back in. So, I started experimenting with winding my own. Now, all my Les Pauls have my own pickups in them.

AWC:
How long have you been in the game and when did you start Skatterbrane Pickups?

Rod:
Once I got the tone I was seeking with my pickup experiments, I decided to market them. I started SKATTBRANES in 2007, so, as you can see, I am a newcomer compared to the established masters like Lindy Fralin, Tom Holmes and Jason Lollar.

AWC:

Is there a certain era that influences you?

Rod:
Music wise? Well I love all kinds of music, rock, jazz, classical, pop, trip-hop, electronica, from Elvis to Emerson Lake and Palmer to Eurythmics, to Evanescence to Everclear. (I can do that with any letter of the alphabet.)

AWC:

What goes into the build process if you can walk us through it?

Rod:
Well, before I go to bed, I lay out all the parts, and get them prepped for the next day. Trim burrs off the bobbins, cut lead lengths, strip connecting wires, etc. In the morning I set up my machine and get my coil wire primed. I wind all the coils for the day first. Once they are wound, I do the assembly. Now, I am very paranoid about something causing a dead coil, so I test each coil individually, test them again when a pair is connected together, test again when they are mounted on the backing plate, again when I tape them up and once more after the cover is soldered on. I also test just before I ship.

AWC:

I see that for the most part you offer humbucking pickups. Why is that and are you planning on building others?

Rod:
I have already started to offer P90s, I call them SKATTER90BRANES. They have tested well in the field and I am ready to take orders.

AWC:

There is a very special sound and feel about your pickups, you can definitely hear the vintage tone of classic P.A.F.'s in your work. What is it you hope players are getting for your pickups? What separates your pickups from others?

Rod:
Well, I try to make a pickup that matches the tone I like, that is in my head. I have noticed some others are too creamy, or smooth, some are too harsh, some seem great until you dial the tone down and then they seem weak. I try to offer the best balance possible in the P.A.F. tradition. I LOVE when you turn the tone to 0 on the neck pickup and you get this woman tone, but with some grit and punch still present. It is also important that they FEEL right. Any experience player knows what I am talking about.

AWC:

What kind of materials are you using?

Rod:
I use only the best steel keepers, screws and slugs I can find, 42awg plain enamel coil wire, German silver backing plates and covers, individually rough cast AlNiCo magnets and the current industry standard in bobbins.

AWC:

Can you tell us a little bit about the different kinds of models you offer, some that you're most proud of?

Rod:
When it comes to humbuckers, I just wind one variant for the neck and one for the bridge. (and one for the middle pickup for a Les Paul Custom) You will get tonal variance with the magnets, various covers and pole screws I use. I also offer Pat No or P.A.F. stickers on my more expensive models. My Raw set and especially my R-K I-Q set have fairly expensive covers that retail for $60-$120 a pair if you were to buy them individually from a retailer, hence this accounts for much of the difference in price between say my $295 set, and my $395 set, and the magnets account for some of it too. People have to remember my standard set INCLUDES nickel cover and shipping to the USA for $295. This set is about 60% of my sales, although the Raw set is beginning to outsell the Standard set recently. I am most proud when my customers write back and basically say "finally"--as in their tonal search is satisfied. You see most of my customers have already tried so many other pickups, that is part of their hobby, to seek out equipment that can improve their tone. I also feel pretty good when I get so many return customers. This is very nice. I have ongoing conversations with many of my customers.

AWC:

What is it you hear when you think of the perfect humbucking pickup?

Rod:
Well, I like Peter Green and Danny Kirwan. I also like early Santana when he played a SG. I like Martin Barre of Jethro Tull, and even John Fogerty of CCR. Then there is Page, Clapton and Beck of course, and oh, Robert Fripp, Duane Allman etc. Now I really like Warren Haynes and very much like Derek Trucks.

AWC:

Was there a lot of trial and error when you first started building pickups?

Rod:
Oh hell yeah! I have always loved Les Pauls, and have studied their history and details, along with the humbucker pickup. Way before I even considered making pickups, I had a basic understanding of their construction and some of the specs. So I had a good starting point as a basis for my "trial and error". I made quite a few before I zeroed in on what I wanted, and with a few tweeks, I have stuck with what I settled on for the last 2 years or so. Man you should have seen some of the hairy monsters that were my first few bobbins!

AWC:

Is there any new designs coming out or anything you're planning on working on?

Rod:
Well, I have already developed a P90 as I mentioned. This is a very recent development that has happened since we last spoke. I like Telecasters, so it is not out of the question that I may do vintage style Tele pickups in the future. But, don't expect it soon.


For more info on Skatterbrane Pickups go to www.skatterbrane.com or click the logo on our links. I must say that if you're hunting for a great classic sounding humbucker this is a great place to start. Rock on and may the voice be with you.