SoloDallas founder and resident tone archeologist Fil Olivieri has done it once again! In his quest for emulating Angus Young's searing guitar tone he discovered a humbucker design that is often misunderstood and overlooked by modern pickup manufacturers.
When it comes to the humbucker we tend to think the key to perfect vintage tone is found in the PAF pickup, but there's another little-known pickup heard on countless recordings from the late 60s to present.
The pickup we're talking about is the amazing T-Top humbucker circa 1968-1971
An avid collector of all things Angus, Fil has over two dozen SGs from this era. They all sound great, but his 1971 SG (same period as Angus Young's #1) had something special going on with the pickups that made it get all the attention. The lower impedance humbuckers in this guitar seem to accentuate the acoustic vibrations from the instrument rather than simply transmit interruptions in the magnetic field like higher output pickups. These specimens possess gorgeous clarity, woody lower frequencies and unparalleled articulation that makes every string ring out no matter the saturation level.
The result of a painstaking R&D process that involved nearly 20 prototypes is what we feel to be an authentic 1:1 clone of the finest example from the golden era of T-Top pickups. This is THE definitive tone with an instantly recognizable voicing that for maybe the first time ever is available to musicians who don't have thousands of dollars to gamble on a vintage set of T-Tops. SoloDallas pickups offer precision tolerances and European handcrafted quality that make them a sure bet for anyone in search of that elusive 70s guitar tone.
After hearing the drastic improvement the newly created SD71 T-Tops made in some of his vintage SGs, Fil decided to give them a try in one of his vintage LPs. "Holy Rock-a-mole!" It was in that moment that he realized not only are these pickups responsible for the iconic tone produced by 68-71 SGs, but they are also the pickups used by many legends who play LPs from that era. With a little research Fil discovered that LPs from that short time frame are extremely popular among famous guitarists known for having the ultimate LP tone. These guys are all on to something... and now, so are we!
SD71 pickups are available as a single bridge pickup or as a set. Covers choices are shiny, bare and aged nickel.
7.8kΩ DC Resistance
Short bar A5 Magnet
Carefully selected poly 42AWG wire
Authentic T-top 'PAT n°' Pickup Tone
Long mounting legs
Braided conductor wire (other options for coil tap built on request)
Shiny Nickel, Bare Nickel, Aged Nickel, Chrome, Gold and open bobbin available
Variations to be discussed, we will work something out!
