MOXY GUITARS’ Drive Series Models
The telephone, introduced by Thomas Edison in 1877, could be thought of as a pickup and amp combo, with the mouthpiece as the pickup and the earpiece as the speaker. The genesis of the pickup started between 1928 and 1936. Single-coil, dual-coil, and hum-canceling pickups; tone and volume circuits; tone-shaping effects and amplification; all were first developed during this period.1
The great guitarist Alvino Rey; Rickenbacker’s George Beauchamp; Lyon & Healey technician John Kutilek; and Frederick Dierdorf, applied for a patent on an electrified violin in 1924. Afterwards, hundreds of other innovators provided the knowhow resulting in the guitar electrification. Alvino Rey, became one of the first stars of the electric guitar.1
In late 1928, the Stromberg-Voisinet Company of Chicago, IL, introduced a new electrified guitar, generally regarded as the earliest known electric guitar offered to the public. The pickup in this guitar looked very similar to a speaker driver (electromagnetic pickup). The electromagnetic pickup was destined to become the standard for guitars. However, sensing the instrument vibrations was not best approach. Now, picking up the string vibrations (not the instrument) became the standard for all guitar pickups.1
Some of the earliest manufacturers of electric guitars, excluding Rickenbacker, were the Dobro Company in 1933, AudioVox, Volu-tone in 1934, Vega, Epiphone (Electrophone and Electar), and Gibson in 1935.2
Here’s a list of the coolest pickups in the market:
Benson Custom Pickups
All Benson Custom pickups are hand-wound, affordable, and made in the USA (NY) using high quality parts and magnets. They use their own hand scatter wind technique which lowers the capacitance. The pickups bring out extra tonal qualities creating a dead quiet pickup. Machine wound coils appear to be muddy and noisy.
Moxy Guitars decided to go with Benson Custom pickups due to its form and function. Who is Benson? Why their pickups? Why not go with well-known brand? Remember when the forefathers of guitars started. Thy were not well-known brands either. Look at them today. Moxy Guitars will someday be a recognizable brand. So, will Benson Custom pickups. Why? Because they are quality.
Both companies take every product to heart when they are manufactured. Read about Benson Custom pickups at www.bensoncustom.com. Then, listen to the Moxy Guitar tone powered by these incredible handmade pickups. It takes you from Heavy Metal to nice cool Jazzy Blues and everything in between. Benson Custom pickups and Moxy Guitars both drive for excellence. Reason each Moxy Guitar is powered by a Benson Custom.
Seymour Duncan Pickups
This California-based manufacturer is a world leader in guitar pickups. The SHPR-1 is one of their products capable of sounding like a Humbucker, a P90 or even a single-soil.3
Gibson Pickups
The “inventor” of pickups. 99.9% of the brands are inspired in Gibson models. So, rather than going in the direction of the vintage PAF pickups, the Nashville company continues bringing out new models, like the P90 Sidewinder.3
Fender Pickups
Fender is the biggest seller of electric guitar pickups of all time. A multinational company from offering quality pickups. Used in many guitars when looking for original and spare part pickups.3
DiMarzio Pickups
A Staten Island, NY, manufacturer known by the Super Distortion pickup. Delivers a big fat sound. Its notoriety grew with the support of technically skilled players like Steve Vai and his Evolution signature model.3
EMG Pickups
High-gain Active Humbuckers, like the EMG-81, are well-known for its spectacular output level. Very precise. The American brand also manufactures solid single-coils.3
Bare Knuckle Pickups
An English brand used by Ibanez in their high-end models. Specialized in “knuckling” pickups, like the Sinner, a single-coil that can stand up to humbuckers in terms of loudness.3
Lollar Pickups
Jason Lollar, a guitar maker who has specialized in pickups. Lollar wrote a book on pickup winding for DIY fans.3
Lindy-Fralin Pickups
A boutique manufacturer of customizable hand-wound pickups. Pickups are created to the exact specifications of each player. They also rewind vintage pickups to the correct period. Expensive.
1 The Pickup Story, Part I: the 1920s, Wallace Marx Jr, Premier Guitar, 9/18/2009
2 How the Electric Guitar Was Invented, Gizmodo, Theodoros II – TodayIFoundOut.com 10/29/13
3 A Look at the Best Electric Guitar Pickup Makers, Audiofanzine, FloSon 05/14/2014
