14 DAY TRIAL // There are so many good-sounding, smooth-playing stock guitars in this big world, fit for anyone, from the complete newbies laying their fingers on a guitar for the very first time and up to the old-beards who grew up with BB King. From the cheapest to the most expensive, all these guitars will usually deliver you sound for every penny you've spent.
But if you really think you want more, the custom shop design is the only way. And since usually the first thing one decides to change are the pickups, its quite clear why there are specialized Pus-designers and manufacturers around, offering the widest variety of choices imaginable.
BG Pups is a Northern California-based producer who has been delivering discerning guitarists exactly what they were seeking: extreme control over their tone by means of specialized pickups. The latest release from BG PUPS contains three whole new models oriented towards three directions in contemporary music.
First in line is the Smoke Stacks, pickup with southern rock, country and blues in mind, resembling somehow the BG Bucker and Dark editions but with sensibly more attitude, as BG Pups declare. With a nice open sound, it comes in a 4-conductor wires configuration so it splits easily.
The second new model is the PUF. I don't have any doubt that serious guitarists already know what's on with this new piece. If you thought about the DiMarzio PAF - you couldn't be closer to the truth! The PUF is the most vintage of the three, with a warm and creamy tone in the neck and rather tight and well-definite crunch in the bridged position. Like its Smoke sister, the PUF sports Alnico 4 magnets for sustained output and contoured sound.
The last but by no means the least, is the Lizard, Alnico 2 magnet-based pickup, by far the one with the warmest and cleanest signal. Sounds perfect and adds some distortion. The same 4-conductor wires configuration allows the player to run this humbucker in split mode for a wider variety of tones. These new pickups cost $75.99 each or $139 a pair (handwound, remember?). Wanna create your own sound starting from its very first steps? Go for new pickups! Myself I guess I'll make some changes to my axes soon...
Here you can hear the way the new PUs sound.