JULIAN, CALIF. — Guitarists looking to warm up a bright-sounding guitar or amp have a new solution in Sheptone’s Tribute 2 neck and bridge pickups for electric guitar. Hand-built with Alnico 2 degaussed magnets, "Patent Applied For" 49.2 mm pole spacing, butyrate bobbins, nickel silver base plates, long feet, and vintage braided lead wire, Sheptone’s Tribute 2 pickups are designed to replicate the classics, but with a personality and delivery all their own.
The tone generated from Tribute 2 neck and bridge pickups is a result of number of winds and the Alnico 2 magnets with lower magnetic pull, which allow the guitar strings to vibrate more freely. Upon listening, players will note the warmer sound with clear mids, spongier bass and a softer attack. Typically with Alnico 2 magnets, a squishier bottom end occurs in the bridge pickup, while a muddier, darker tone is generated from the neck pickup. Sheptone mitigates this effect in the Tribute 2’s in the winding. In this process, Sheptone scatter winds 57-58 spec 42 enameled wire to a specific number of turns per bobbin. This technique effectively creates more airspace in the coil and lowers the distributed capacitance, enabling more treble to come through and slightly increasing the resonant peak of the pickup. The resulting tone will not only satisfy Alnico 2 aficionados but will also get the attention of other vintage guitar fans looking for a special pickup with a reasonable price tag.
Shepstone's Tribute 2 pickups help players make a statement both tonally and aesthetically, as they’re available in a variety of bobbin color combinations or with nickel silver covers plated in nickel, chrome or gold. They can be purchased individually, starting at $129 each, or as a bridge-and-neck set. Learn more at www.sheptone.com.
