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Stephens Design VL JP set

honduras

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
81
I strongly urge anybody interested in early Jimmy Page Les Paul tone (double white PAF bridge pickup era) to look at the new clip posted by Dave on Youtube . He is demoing the pickups through his cranked Vibrolux which captures a lot of the Page characteristics but the clincher is the short Marshall clip which sounds absolutely dead on. Listen to the fade out at the end of the video of his neck pickup getting a scarily close Page tone on the intro to Since I've Been Loving You. Prepare to be amazed!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pEzGTyScAA
 

skeltone

New member
Joined
Aug 1, 2001
Messages
216
honduras, thanks for pointing this out. Fast forward to 3:25 ... fabulous. I'd like to hear an entire clip of this. Great demo of something special!
 

honduras

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2003
Messages
81
I emailed Dave and told him I thought the Marshall clip would really sell these pickups. He said he is going to put up some more Marshall clips on Youtube this weekend.

I recently bought a set of his VL2's which I am ecstatic about. I had a set of Rolphs '58 Pretenders in my R9 which I thought was as close as I could get to real PAF territory. As soon as I started playing the VL2's I realised how much I had been missing with the Rolphs. The clarity of the VL's is astounding.The neck pickup is warm and sweet but has a snap to it that I have never heard in anything other than a good original PAF. The bridge pickup has a wonderful bark and vocal tone with lots of PAF honk.

Dave advises all his customers that the tone of their new pickups will change over the first few weeks of playing and I have already noticed subtle changes in them after the first week as they settle in. Believe me, this is not hype,I have very good ears and there is definitely something happening to these pickups the more I play them.They are mellowing out and sounding more authentically PAFish all the time. Really, I am over the moon to be getting these sounds at a fraction of the price of a real PAF.
 

callaway_1

New member
Joined
Dec 22, 2005
Messages
460
I got a set to demo at the Vintage HIWATT Convention, Aug.20-21.

Hopefully we will get some decent quality clips!

I can't wait to get them loaded in my '09 R9.
 

efk

Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
519
I think his sound clips do not even remotely do his pickups justice. I have tried them all, and there is nothing out there currently that even comes close to what these pickups can do (mine are VLIII). I have to reiterate, though, they will not hide mistakes, that's for sure! Super clarity and unbelievably transparent - very woody sounding, because I feel that I am hearing the wood of the guitar (whether or not that is scientifically possible, I don't know...).
 

pb23r

New member
Joined
Jan 13, 2005
Messages
201
efk - you are right about the clarity and transparency! I am very happy with my VLIIIs. Thanks Dave!
 

StSpider

Active member
Joined
Aug 24, 2002
Messages
2,148
Dave advises all his customers that the tone of their new pickups will change over the first few weeks of playing and I have already noticed subtle changes in them after the first week as they settle in. Believe me, this is not hype,I have very good ears and there is definitely something happening to these pickups the more I play them.

I tought this was well-estabilished as far from being bullshit.. You have to let each change in the setup "settle" for some time before it really sounds its best, this is not only true for these pickups (which I've never tried myself) but for every pickup, or at least the more subtle ones, and for many other changes in the setup as well.

Back in topic, these pickup sound seriously good.

I'm eager to try some, I have an old Studio that would greatly benefit from some upgrades.
 

callaway_1

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Joined
Dec 22, 2005
Messages
460
I hope to install mine Friday.
They will get the snot played out of them this weekend at the Vintage HIWATT Convention!
 

efk

Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
519
I have compared my VLIII with both Holmes 455/450 (unpotted) and Throbaks (SLE101 limited I think they were - I bought them used) all in the same LP (a 09 DaPra R9). This is a very middy, honky LP with a HUGE neck (I think someone stuck an r4 or r6 neck on it by accident; it is 1.25 at 12th fret). I prefer the VLIII in this guitar: the Holmes are definitely more powerful pickups and were notably darker and more compressed, and the Throbaks were more muted sounding and also more compressed as well; not as "sparkly." These VLIII are a VERY open sounding set of pickups, somewhat P90 like in some ways, but let the basic honky character of this LP through without adding more color. That it exactly what I was looking for in respect to this particular guitar. My comparisons were straight into a 1965 Deluxe, a homebuilt jtm45 and 76 JMP 50W (4 hole).
 

efk

Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
519
I'm working on clips. I just bought a Macbook, now need to figure out the easiest way to use it. I've played around with grageband a little so I'll probably just use that, maybe just get a 57 and one of those apogee doodads - seems the easiest thing to do.

I have a few other amps I'd like to make clips for anyway, a Supro 1690T and a 1688T, and I've got my old Selmer T/B 50, a scratch copy I made of it and then I just grabbed another one off ebay that is absolutely untouched. I LOVE those T/B 50s. I swear Kossoff used them for some Free recordings, never live but some of the recordings - All Right Now in particular - have got to be T/B 50s, the marshall/vox illegitimate child. Just got a really old GA20, one of the early ones with an all octal preamp, but that needs some caps. Sounds really cool as is, but a wicked hum.

Back to the VLIII - they literally sound spectacular through absolutely anything.
 

korus

Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2003
Messages
636
I have compared my VLIII with both Holmes 455/450 (unpotted) and Throbaks (SLE101 limited I think they were - I bought them used) all in the same LP (a 09 DaPra R9). This is a very middy, honky LP with a HUGE neck (I think someone stuck an r4 or r6 neck on it by accident; it is 1.25 at 12th fret). I prefer the VLIII in this guitar: the Holmes are definitely more powerful pickups and were notably darker and more compressed, and the Throbaks were more muted sounding and also more compressed as well; not as "sparkly." These VLIII are a VERY open sounding set of pickups, somewhat P90 like in some ways, but let the basic honky character of this LP through without adding more color. That it exactly what I was looking for in respect to this particular guitar. My comparisons were straight into a 1965 Deluxe, a homebuilt jtm45 and 76 JMP 50W (4 hole).

Excelent, thank you for sharing this info! Throbaks and VLs in direct comparison for the first time AFAIK. Hope will be some more of it ... Since we all know his setup/tone/recordings, there just might be some way to put VLs in bluesforstevie's R9 ...
 

callaway_1

New member
Joined
Dec 22, 2005
Messages
460
Thanks to a substitute mail carrier being afraid of my 9 year old black lab, I didnt get my set until Monday.

It was Wednesday evening before I got them installed in my '09 R9.

I played for an hour or so..........not blown away. By no means bad, but not blown away.

I brought the guitar to my office yesterday so I could play unplugged throughout the day without disturbing anyone.

last night I got to plug in and they were substantially diferent sounding. Very much Page-like. Breaking in? They are very different and much better sounding the more I play through them. I am becoming a believer.

I am very impressed with the SD JP59 set. I will try not to gush over them and succomb to the new gear bliss syndrome. I will respond again in a week or two with follow up feedback.
 

callaway_1

New member
Joined
Dec 22, 2005
Messages
460
At this point I wish I had more than one R9. I want more.

I have found the best pafs to my ears.

After trying the DT102s, Dr.Vs, Antiquities, and countless others not even worth mentioning my search is over.

The Vintage Lab 59JP set is not "almost there", like those mentioned above.

These are it!

I don't get very excited about pickups, but I am absolutely in love with these.
 

StSpider

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Joined
Aug 24, 2002
Messages
2,148
They do have a freakishly paf-ish vibe, from what you can get from a youtube clip.
 
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