From the Heavens to You

If I can say one thing that's for sure it is that my entire life as a musician has been one of learning, great experience, and more learning. Through trial and error I have found what works for me and what sounds best. Every once and when we come across those few pieces of gear that just sound and work great from the get-go. Whether it be some great sounding compressor you use in the studio, a dirty old little amp you use to record with, or that magic pair of pickups in your favorite guitar. This has always been the gear that has made our music special. Ken of Angeltone Electronics has taken it upon himself to build us some pickups that deliver some of the most unforgettable and immaculate tones from the golden era of rock, country, soul, and everything in between. Angeltone's pickups have been one of treasure finds for us here at Analog War Cry and as a musician has brought me some of the signature tones I have been seeking since day one. Out of an obsession and passion for great tone has Ken brought us these amazing musical tools. Because sometimes it takes more than just the love of sound to get the job done.

Angeltone Electronics

V Series

Model: 50b Pickup

Alnico III Flatpole Magnets

43 Gauge Plain Enamel Wire

Real Black Wax Potting

Original Spec Cloth Covered Hookup Wire

In order for a guitar to sound great it needs the 3 key ingredients, a good player, a sweet sounding amp to play it through, and a killer set of guitar pickups. It has been my experience that even the most flimsiest of guitars can sound great when equipped with some decent sounding pickups. Throw in a great set, a bit of skill and you're on your way to rocking in the free world. When I discovered Ken's Angeltone pickups I was in the middle of putting together a clone of a custom Tele I had lost. This was probably my all-time favorite guitar (being that I am a big-time Tele player) and putting together a clone of this guitar was proving to be one tuff task. His name was Black Dog, an all black Tele with a humbucker in the neck, single coil in the bridge, 5-way switch, and some sexy dings and scratches. Reproducing the sound of the neck pickup was easy, I had opened up Black Dog and discovered it was a Seymour Duncan Seth Lover humbucker, not too hard to find. I never learned what the single coil Tele pickup was, it had no markings of any kind other than what looked like some vintage specs. I had explained what kind of pickup I was interested in checking out when I spoke to Ken, he suggested his Broadcaster 50B lead pickup, I was game. The pickup came in the mail a few weeks later looking more beautiful than I had imagined it would. Something happened to my Tele that day, it came to life and took the shape I was going for. Yet there was something more in the sound, it felt more open and in your face. As I dug in and began to play with my tones, pedals, and volume settings I noticed how transparent the 50B pickup was. There were some great rhythm pickup characteristics in it and also a projection in the sound I don't come across very often. Building a great sounding Tele bridge pickup is something many cats have told me is not an easy task. I've been fortunate enough to play some very early Broadcasters/Telecasters, Ken nailed that early 50's tone spot-on and with absolute authenticity. From this one bridge pickup I am now able to get all the tones I got from my lost guitar, and at the same time some of my favorite rock, country, and funk guitar tones. Combined with a good sounding tube amp these pickups are a dream, they hold and release the notes like a true vintage guitar does. That warm yet slightly aggressive tone you can get form digging in to the strings, that sound that works great with any type of music. Played through a completely clean amp tone the sound is full, spanky, and fills the air just right. Almost like they've been hit with a hint of compression and eq. It really is something special to listen to. The response is instant and hits hard enough to dish out some great naturally sounding overdriven sounds. Lots of rhythm guitar parts I play in my band are played with my Tele. With a bit of tube amp grit I was able to get some of the most perfect sounding rhythm guitar tones. Adding in a booster or drive pedal made things even better! To every sound I needed for a gig all I had to do was lay back on the guitar's volume knob and that was that. For those of you who love your pedals and mostly use pedals to get your crunch you will absolutely love these pickups. There is great dymanics, depth, and attitude in these pickups, because of this each note is well balanced and comes across clearly. We all know how much it can suck when you dial in a great sounding dirty tone only to discover that the pickups you're using can't handle and deliver the sound they way you want it to. These pups won't disappoint. Next I went through some of my favorite fuzz boxes, there aren't many cats who are known for using fuzz with Tele's. This is kind of my thing and I've discovered mixing Tele pickups with fuzz can produce some insanely cool and original tones. Just like I expected the pickup sounded great through all the classic voiced fuzz boxes. But what really surprised me was how well it took to some of the more extreme fuzz pedals I have. This is where I saw just how great of a lead pickup the 50B really is. Imagine all those killer Jimi lead tones blended in with some of Jason Simon of Dead Meadow's tone, absolute psychedelic rock heaven. Last just to see how well they handled high distortion we went ahead and plugged it into the hot-rodded Marshall. Again it came through with flying colors. We all know how hard it is to get those sounds we love, those sounds we work so hard to get. When we're able to dial-in a tone that's been floating around in our heads it's like magic, like pulling something out of thin air. Every once and while we need a little help to get the job done and that's where cats like Ken and his fabulous Angeltone pickups come in to play. Everything you do and play as a musician lives and speaks through your tone, make sure you're speaking clearly and with the right voice.

For more info on Angeltone Electronic pickups go to www.angeltone.com or click the Angeltone logo in our links for direct access to their website. Look for more info and Angeltone features to come in the near future.

1 part quality + 1 part talent = KILLER TONE

I have been so fortunate this last year to come across some pretty great boutique gear companies. One of them being Rumpelstiltskin, a fantastic one-man operation pickup company run by the talented Aaron Campbell. All of Campbell's pickups are hand-wound one at a time, right here in the good ol USA, with tip top materials and parts. You will not only hear the quality in these pickups but notice how well they are put together when take them out of the box. The specialty of the day for Rumpelstiltskin is and always has been Strat and Tele pickup sets. They hit everything from the '54 Strat sets, Pre-CBS Strat sets, to killer sounding Black Guard Tele sets and beyond. Aaron's spin on these classic pickups is spot-on, it is something you can tell the man has studied and studied well. These are perfect pickups for tricking out a guitar or adding some extra needed character to an already ok sounding axe of yours. There is one thing that's for sure, that much needed vintage howl that has been missing in today's music can easily be found in these amazing pickups. If you don't know now you know.

Black Guard Tele

Telecaster set

This set instantly gave me the feel and tone of the authentic vintage Blackguard Telecaster. I've been lucky to have had some pretty cool guitars in my hand, a Blackguard being one of them. This is a tone one will not forget easily and will fall in love with on the spot. I'm happy to say Aaron has captured this beautiful tone. There is something about these pickups that just stands out from the many I have tested and tried. One thing, holding them in your hands you can feel the work that went into building them, this is an area in gear that I just can't get enough of. How can you go wrong when you have a nicely built piece of gear? People who know me know that the Telecaster is my #1 guitar of choice, they also know that I am one tuff judge when it comes to Tele pickups. The Tele tone is unlike any other, it's a guitar tone that has worked so well for so long and for so many types of music. The classic, traditional, and spot-on twangy tone that these Rumpelstiltskin pickups deliver will have even the most hardcore of guitar collector drooling and satisfied. To make sure I got the most our of these bad boys I tested them through a series of clean and classic vintage Fender amps. The chime and ringing goodness floored when I struck that first chord, there is a bite to these pickups that give them their own signature tone while maintaining the classic Blackguard tone. You can definitely hear a bit of Aaron Campbell's flavor in these pickups. I've never been much of a "chicken picker" but you can sure as hell count me in when it comes to blues, funk, and rock. I slammed down on some James Brown funk chords and was quite impressed at the how well they held their clarity, each string well balanced and defined. With a tad bit of overdrive, just a hair, these pickups sound absolutely immaculate! I almost want to say I was able to get a killer Stevie Ray tone out of these pickups. There is a response to these pickups that I haven't been able to get out of most Tele pickups. When I cranked up the overdrive level of my stompbox they were able to hold their own, and boy did they do it well. One thing about some other Tele pickups I haven't dug in the past is how they begin to sound muddy once you introduce a fair amount of drive. You won't get that unwanted character out of these pickups, whether it be funk, blues, rock, you will be able to hang. The Rumpelstiltskin Blackguard pickups passed with flying colors and I would highly suggest you get your hands on some before they blow up...These are one one of the best kept secrets in the underground and boutique world.

Pre-CBS Strat

The name of these pickups says it all. If you've been fortunate enough to try out the classic Pre-CBS Fender guitars and pickups you know how wonderful they sounded and played. It is just a fact that the guitars from back then were built much better than the standard runs that are available today. What about them is better? Play one and you'll know the answer to that question. Well now you can get the tone of those killer guitars in any Start model available today. Think of the great tones from yesteryear and you have what these pickups are capable of, it is a gift sent from heaven! Again I must speak on the attention to detail and quality of Rumpelstiltskin pickups, you know you're holding something special once you get them in your hands. These Pre-CBS model pickups just like Tele sets are built just as beautifully. Now the tone. If I could get it down in one word it would be...immaculate. The springyness, definition, and pop of a great Strat pickup all live inside this amazing Rumpelstiltskin model. There is a character to these pickups that bring back all the great tunes I grew up with. I ran them through my favorite overdrive, boosters, and fuzz pedals, getting some of the most tasteful and true to vintage tones possible. Now we all know how killer a fuzz pedal sounds through a humbucker, but I still think that the best way to get a killer fuzz tone is with a quality single coil pickup. These pickups fall into that category of pickups that work really well pedals no matter what kind the effect. The bridge pickup had lots of tasty highs, with a hint of tight lows, and well balanced mids. The bridge pickup being perfect for cutting through any mix when things get wild on stage. The in-between of the bridge and middle pickup sounded to me like everything I just described only a bit more of it, more balls if you will. The middle pickup alone is the perfect position for slamming down on chords and picking. The mid pickup rings really well as if being pushed by a hint a compression, how Aaron did that I do not know. Now my favorite position, which surprisingly enough is most Strat players least favorite position. The mid/neck pickup setting, oh baby! Through these bad boys you get everything you want, great for rhythm strumming, picking, lead work, and everything in between. I found some really wonderful tones by rolling back on the volume, which reminds me. These pickups hang in there when backing off on the volume control, the eq stays intact and doesn't get too muddy and lost. The neck pickup really growls and sings like a beast leaving it's cave. I had a blast with these pickups and had to throw them into a Stat style guitar of my own...actually my rhythm guitar players Strat, but I do get to play it and see it everyday. I can't say enough about these pickups. Aaron Campbell has a special and great talent for knocking out some wonderful sounding pickups. He is part of that elite group of pickup builders that will continue to be a favorite amongst the "player" community.


For more info please check out the Rumpelstiltskin website at www.rumpelpickups.com or click the logo in our links. If you're looking for a great vintage tone or looking to upgrade your guitar these are perfect for the job. Have a blast!!!