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frontpage Posted by IndigoKnob7008 • Dec 16, 2024
frontpage Posted by IndigoKnob7008 • Dec 16, 2024

Wilde Electric Guitar & Bass Pickup Holiday Sets: L45S $138, L500 Black

& More + S&H

$110

$158

30% off
Wilde Pickups
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Deal Details
Wilde Pickups has select Electric Guitar & Bass Pickup Holiday Sets on sale. Shipping starts at ~$5 and will vary by location.

Thanks to Community Member IndigoKnob7008 for posting this deal.

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Editor's Notes

Written by ValPal2011 | Staff
  • Limited time sale, while supplies last.
  • View Wilde Pickups refund info here.
  • View Wilde Pickups shipping policy here.
  • Please refer to the original post & forum comments for additional deal ideas & discussion. -StrawMan86

Original Post

Written by IndigoKnob7008
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Wilde Pickups has select Electric Guitar & Bass Pickup Holiday Sets on sale. Shipping starts at ~$5 and will vary by location.

Thanks to Community Member IndigoKnob7008 for posting this deal.

Examples:

Editor's Notes

Written by ValPal2011 | Staff
  • Limited time sale, while supplies last.
  • View Wilde Pickups refund info here.
  • View Wilde Pickups shipping policy here.
  • Please refer to the original post & forum comments for additional deal ideas & discussion. -StrawMan86

Original Post

Written by IndigoKnob7008

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IndigoKnob7008
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In case you're wondering "Who is Wilde?", it's Bill Lawrence's company.

Bill Lawrence designed both pickups and entire instruments for both Fender (SCN noiseless) and Gibson (the Ripper, Grabber, and G-3 basses, as well as a couple Les Paul variants). He also sold his own line of pickups, used by everyone from Dimebag Darrell to Nuno Bettencourt to Alex Lifeson. He taught a guy named Larry Dimarzio how to wind pickups, back in the day.

Bill has passed away, but the company is still run by his wife and daughter, who wind the pickups themselves on the machines Bill built.
Their pickups are an excellent deal at regular price. At 30% off they're a steal. Blade humbuckers hand-wound in America for $55 each? Noiseless Telecaster pickups for $42 each? You can pay that much for mass-produced Asian products.

I have no affiliation with Wilde. I'm just a customer who has bought a bunch of their pickups over the years and has always been happy with them. I'm happy to answer questions as best I can.

31 Comments

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Dec 18, 2024
23 Posts
Joined Nov 2021
Dec 18, 2024
BombasticFantastic
Dec 18, 2024
23 Posts
Quote from IndigoKnob7008 :
In case you're wondering "Who is Wilde?", it's Bill Lawrence's company.

Bill Lawrence designed both pickups and entire instruments for both Fender (SCN noiseless) and Gibson (the Ripper, Grabber, and G-3 basses, as well as a couple Les Paul variants). He also sold his own line of pickups, used by everyone from Dimebag Darrell to Nuno Bettencourt to Alex Lifeson. He taught a guy named Larry Dimarzio how to wind pickups, back in the day.

Bill has passed away, but the company is still run by his wife and daughter, who wind the pickups themselves on the machines Bill built.
Their pickups are an excellent deal at regular price. At 30% off they're a steal. Blade humbuckers hand-wound in America for $55 each? Noiseless Telecaster pickups for $42 each? You can pay that much for mass-produced Asian products.

I have no affiliation with Wilde. I'm just a customer who has bought a bunch of their pickups over the years and has always been happy with them. I'm happy to answer questions as best I can.
Hi. I'm curious if you would help me with some info on the humbuckers available as a part of the sale.

I've got a prs se semi hollow and I was thinking about upgrading the pickups. These seem nice but I don't really know if they would work with my guitar or not and/or what all the options at checkout mean.

I wouldn't be able to install these myself so how much do you think it would cost to get them put in?
Dec 18, 2024
2,216 Posts
Joined Nov 2010
Dec 18, 2024
rage4order
Dec 18, 2024
2,216 Posts
Quote from manaknight :
so i'm new-ish to pickups other than slapping emg actives in everything.

which of the humbucker sets would generally go best with downtuned metal? picked up a les paul clone and the craftsmanship is superb but the electronics are lacking.
Same question. I put EMG pickups in my son's guitar and would like to change the ones in my guitar, but I can't justify another $200 for them.
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Dec 18, 2024
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IndigoKnob7008
Dec 18, 2024
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Quote from jcutrell :
How do these compare to something like a Fralin?
The workmanship is on the same level. They're both made by hand in the USA by people who have spent much of their lives winding pickups.
As far as how they sound, Fralin makes a LOT of pickups and so does Wilde, so it's hard to generalize.
Fralin seems to concentrate more on classic designs, while Bill Lawrence spent most of his life improving and refining his noiseless designs. If you're looking for noiseless, definitely go with Wilde.
If you've got questions about which variation might be right for you, try emailing or calling Wilde and they're usually happy to help.
Quote from manaknight :
so i'm new-ish to pickups other than slapping emg actives in everything.
which of the humbucker sets would generally go best with downtuned metal? picked up a les paul clone and the craftsmanship is superb but the electronics are lacking.
The guy from Torche uses an L-500L in one of his main guitars and speaks highly of it, and they're definitely downtuned! So you probably want one of the L500R/L500L sets.
Quote from BombasticFantastic :
Hi. I'm curious if you would help me with some info on the humbuckers available as a part of the sale.
I've got a prs se semi hollow and I was thinking about upgrading the pickups. These seem nice but I don't really know if they would work with my guitar or not and/or what all the options at checkout mean.
I wouldn't be able to install these myself so how much do you think it would cost to get them put in?
What you want depends on the sort of sound you're going for. On a semi-hollow you're probably not looking for an edgy metal pickup, so I'm going to guess you'd want an L90 set. Probably the 4H/6H set, but maybe even a 2H/4H set. Listen to the videos on the first page and you'll get a better idea. The 2H/4H set isn't on the sale page, but you can contact Wilde and ask if they'll give you the sale price on it.

This of course assumes your semi-hollow has humbuckers, and not P90s or something else.

As far as the cost, I have no idea what techs in your area charge, and some semi-hollow guitars are difficult to work on because you have to fish everything through the front and the F-holes. It depends completely on the guitar.
Quote from rage4order :
Same question. I put EMG pickups in my son's guitar and would like to change the ones in my guitar, but I can't justify another $200 for them.
If you like old-school metal like Pantera, 80s Metallica, NWOBHM, and so on, probably the L500R/XL set. If you like more modern downtuned stuff, probably the R/L set. The L has more clarity, the XL has more mids and higher output.

Hope this helps! Don't forget to rep me if it did Smilie
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Dec 18, 2024
233 Posts
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Dec 18, 2024
IndigoKnob7008
Dec 18, 2024
Original Poster
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233 Posts
Quote from mattysaurus :
Does anyone know what the resistance of the LS45 is?
Not sure. Wilde generally releases inductance numbers, but not DCR, because Bill spent most of his life trying to educate people that DCR is a useless number Big Grin and inductance is what affects the sound.

However, they don't have inductances up for the L45 set, so feel free to ask Wilde for that number. A Strat pickup will generally have between 1.5 and 3H of inductance. P90s are usually higher, 3 to 4.5H. Humbuckers usually have 4 to 8H, though neck humbuckers can be a bit lower.

The higher the inductance, the hotter and darker the pickup will sound, all other things being equal.

Here's the L45 demo video. Sounds partway between a Strat and a P90 to me. I'm going to guess 3.5H. Let me know what you find out from Wilde!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta0GmXPnGWk
Dec 18, 2024
34 Posts
Joined Feb 2017
Dec 18, 2024
johnord
Dec 18, 2024
34 Posts
Quote from himeko123 :
Just wondering if you have any video samples of the L-500-L playing more 90s rock songs and less of the metal samples I have found on Youtube. I'm looking for less gainy samples to listen to. Modern day rock tones are too heavy for my tastes, such as Gojira.I'm undecided on getting the L-500 L/R set. I'm into the mid/high gain PAF style humbuckers, but I do like the Dimarzio Fred which has it's own thing going on. I also got a pair of L90 pickups I bought I believe last year's sale that I haven't even tried yet. I thinking those may be more my taste.
Listen to any Extreme album. Nuno Bettencourt has these as his bridge humbucker on all his signature models.
Can't get more 90's rock than Extreme.
Dec 18, 2024
34 Posts
Joined Feb 2017
Dec 18, 2024
johnord
Dec 18, 2024
34 Posts
Quote from rumata13 :
are these associated with Zakk Wylde in any way?
No. That's just coincidence.
Dec 19, 2024
81 Posts
Joined Oct 2010
Dec 19, 2024
crxfluffy
Dec 19, 2024
81 Posts
I have a set of the Wilde Keystone pickups that I installed into my Squier Strat back in 2010. They are an excellent pickup for jazz and have quite different sounds in each setting. The keystones are no longer on sale and replaced with the Strat Microcoils that allow individual pole height adjustment. Note, these pickups like to be closer to the string, similar too the setup on Filtertron pickups.

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Dec 19, 2024
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Dec 19, 2024
rage4order
Dec 19, 2024
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Quote from IndigoKnob7008 :
If you like old-school metal like Pantera, 80s Metallica, NWOBHM, and so on, probably the L500R/XL set. If you like more modern downtuned stuff, probably the R/L set. The L has more clarity, the XL has more mids and higher output.

Hope this helps! Don't forget to rep me if it did
Unfortunately we play both. Started off playing Metallica but have recently got into Slipknot. lol. I play more of a mix than he does- Slipknot, Chevelle, Seether, etc. Thanks for the info tho. It definitely helped!
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Dec 19, 2024
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IndigoKnob7008
Dec 19, 2024
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For everyone wondering what the L-500 series sounds like, and how it differs from other high output humbuckers, here's a great writeup:
https://www.offsetguitars.com/for...p?t=125299

Money quote: "If you ever find yourself wishing you could have the high output of a humbucker but with the sharp attack of a single coil, check out Wilde pickups." This is exactly what you want for low-tuned modern metal: more attack, to give chugs and fast picking in Z-flat more definition.
Quote from rage4order :
Unfortunately we play both. Started off playing Metallica but have recently got into Slipknot. lol. I play more of a mix than he does- Slipknot, Chevelle, Seether, etc. Thanks for the info tho. It definitely helped!
If you play both, I'd probably start with the R/L. You can run the L through some pre-EQ, or even a Tube Screamer, if you want it to sound more midrangey like an XL.

Alternatively, you can buy the R/XL set and add one of their Q-Filter circuits, which can make it sound more like an L, or even an R. But it's extra work to wire up and you lose your regular tone control.
Dec 19, 2024
2,216 Posts
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Dec 19, 2024
rage4order
Dec 19, 2024
2,216 Posts
Are these just a simple swap out? With the EMGs I had to buy the whole wiring kit. BTW, it's a Jackson guitar.
Dec 20, 2024
23 Posts
Joined Nov 2021
Dec 20, 2024
BombasticFantastic
Dec 20, 2024
23 Posts
Quote from IndigoKnob7008 :
The workmanship is on the same level. They're both made by hand in the USA by people who have spent much of their lives winding pickups.
As far as how they sound, Fralin makes a LOT of pickups and so does Wilde, so it's hard to generalize.
Fralin seems to concentrate more on classic designs, while Bill Lawrence spent most of his life improving and refining his noiseless designs. If you're looking for noiseless, definitely go with Wilde.
If you've got questions about which variation might be right for you, try emailing or calling Wilde and they're usually happy to help.

The guy from Torche uses an L-500L in one of his main guitars and speaks highly of it, and they're definitely downtuned! So you probably want one of the L500R/L500L sets.


What you want depends on the sort of sound you're going for. On a semi-hollow you're probably not looking for an edgy metal pickup, so I'm going to guess you'd want an L90 set. Probably the 4H/6H set, but maybe even a 2H/4H set. Listen to the videos on the first page and you'll get a better idea. The 2H/4H set isn't on the sale page, but you can contact Wilde and ask if they'll give you the sale price on it.

This of course assumes your semi-hollow has humbuckers, and not P90s or something else.

As far as the cost, I have no idea what techs in your area charge, and some semi-hollow guitars are difficult to work on because you have to fish everything through the front and the F-holes. It depends completely on the guitar.


If you like old-school metal like Pantera, 80s Metallica, NWOBHM, and so on, probably the L500R/XL set. If you like more modern downtuned stuff, probably the R/L set. The L has more clarity, the XL has more mids and higher output.

Hope this helps! Don't forget to rep me if it did Smilie
Thanks very much for the info Indigo much obliged 👍
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Dec 20, 2024
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IndigoKnob7008
Dec 20, 2024
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Quote from rage4order :
Are these just a simple swap out? With the EMGs I had to buy the whole wiring kit. BTW, it's a Jackson guitar.
Yes, you should be able to swap them out without changing any of the other wiring. (EMGs are active pickups, which means they have electronics and a battery box and completely different wiring. With the Wildes you're just swapping one passive humbucker for another.)

The Wilde pickups will have five wires coming out of them, while the ones in your Jackson may only have two or three wires coming out. Assuming the wire colors are the same in the Wilde website pictures, you leave the red and green wires connected (solder them if they aren't) and cover the junction with heatshrink. (You can use electrical tape, but that's bush league because it can unravel.) You connect the blue and black wires (which are already connected) to wherever the ground wire from the existing pickups goes, and the white wire to wherever the live wire from the existing pickups goes. Usually both of these wires go to the pickup selector switch.

The reason for the five wires is that each coil of the pickup has its own wires, so you can coil tap or switch series/parallel, and then there is a fifth ground wire that is always tied to one end of the coils. (A lot of stock humbuckers on mass-produced guitars only have two wires because the guitar doesn't have coil tap or series/parallel, and it saves a few more pennies to not add the extra wires to the pickups.)
Quote from BombasticFantastic :
Thanks very much for the info Indigo much obliged 👍
You're welcome! Let us know how they sound once you're done.

Thanks, everybody! You're not just getting excellent pickups for a great price: you're supporting a family-owned small American business.
Dec 20, 2024
2,216 Posts
Joined Nov 2010
Dec 20, 2024
rage4order
Dec 20, 2024
2,216 Posts
Quote from IndigoKnob7008 :
Yes, you should be able to swap them out without changing any of the other wiring. (EMGs are active pickups, which means they have electronics and a battery box and completely different wiring. With the Wildes you're just swapping one passive humbucker for another.)

The Wilde pickups will have five wires coming out of them, while the ones in your Jackson may only have two or three wires coming out. Assuming the wire colors are the same in the Wilde website pictures, you leave the red and green wires connected (solder them if they aren't) and cover the junction with heatshrink. (You can use electrical tape, but that's bush league because it can unravel.) You connect the blue and black wires (which are already connected) to wherever the ground wire from the existing pickups goes, and the white wire to wherever the live wire from the existing pickups goes. Usually both of these wires go to the pickup selector switch.

The reason for the five wires is that each coil of the pickup has its own wires, so you can coil tap or switch series/parallel, and then there is a fifth ground wire that is always tied to one end of the coils. (A lot of stock humbuckers on mass-produced guitars only have two wires because the guitar doesn't have coil tap or series/parallel, and it saves a few more pennies to not add the extra wires to the pickups.)


You're welcome! Let us know how they sound once you're done.

Thanks, everybody! You're not just getting excellent pickups for a great price: you're supporting a family-owned small American business.
Man, sorry for all the questions, but I have one more- what does the "short/short" and "short/tall" mounting ring mean? Thanks again! You've been super helpful!
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IndigoKnob7008
Dec 21, 2024
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Quote from rage4order :
Man, sorry for all the questions, but I have one more- what does the "short/short" and "short/tall" mounting ring mean? Thanks again! You've been super helpful!
Look at the pickup mounting rings on your guitar. If they're both the same height or very close, you need short/short. If the bridge ring is a lot taller than the neck ring, you need short/tall. If you're not sure, measure how tall each ring is, from the guitar surface to the top of the ring (not the top of the pickup inside it) and ask Wilde which you need.

Also, double-check the wiring colors with Wilde! According to this website I'm right, but they would know for sure.
https://guitarelectronics.com/gui...lor-codes/

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Dec 21, 2024
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rage4order
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Quote from IndigoKnob7008 :
Look at the pickup mounting rings on your guitar. If they're both the same height or very close, you need short/short. If the bridge ring is a lot taller than the neck ring, you need short/tall. If you're not sure, measure how tall each ring is, from the guitar surface to the top of the ring (not the top of the pickup inside it) and ask Wilde which you need.

Also, double-check the wiring colors with Wilde! According to this website I'm right, but they would know for sure.
https://guitarelectronics.com/gui...lor-codes/
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