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Cats whisker pickups


Bassman Sam
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I had a reply to a question I asked on Alpha's website. They used Wizards custom pups on their basses and now that Wizard are no more, I wanted to know who's pups they would use in the future.

They replied ( Ta for that) that they are having their pups wound by Cats Whiskers in the future. I've not heard of these guys before. I've had a look at their website and they look good but has anyone on here got any experience of them.

How do they compare to Wizard, Kent Armstrong and etc? I'm asking because I'm upgrading my niece's bass for her and wondered if they might be good replacements on her P bass.

Edited by Bassman Sam
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It might be a bit difficult for me to help you out, as I have two Catswhisker humbuckers that both split into single coils and my main specifications when choosing how they were going to sound were something along the lines of "monstrous, like a Musicman Bongo", but after using them and getting used to what they do, I'm chuffed to bits with them. They do what I asked of them, they really pack a punch and I would struggle to compare them to much I've heard of other humbuckers, but they're definitely in that beefy Warwick/Musicman/EMG style. Splitting them down to single coils gives them a great single coil sound, as you might expect although I really don't use that option as often.

Unless it was specifically a set of Wizards/Ken Armstrong/whatever-other-brand-pickup that you heard and wanted, you really won't be dissapointed with how they sound, that's for sure. :)

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[quote name='Bassman Sam' timestamp='1388800338' post='2326330']
I had a reply to a question I asked on Alpha's website. They used Wizards custom pups on their basses and now that Wizard are no more, I wanted to know who's pups they would use in the future.

They replied ( Ta for that) that they are having their pups wound by Cats Whiskers in the future. I've not heard of these guys before. I've had a look at their website and they look good but has anyone on here got any experience of them.

How do they compare to Wizard, Kent Armstrong and etc? I'm asking because I'm upgrading my niece's bass for her and wondered if they might be good replacements on her P bass.
[/quote]

Hey :)

Allan at Catswhisker pickups is a very talented chap! He has never failed to meet and most of the the time exceed our expectations, even on the more complex and custom orders! He can make absolutely anything you can think of and does it all at great prices :)

From our experience they are some of the best available. I'm sure allan would be happy to talk about your requirements :)

Best of luck

Chris
Alpher

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Recently tried Catswhisker pick-ups as The Creamery was more expensive and didn't respond to my enquiries. Have to say though that this is in a baritone guitar so I can't vouch for the bass pick-ups, but I think for the price they're easier on the pocket to try, and they will be better than stock. I had a Tele middle pick-up and humbucker-sized Wide Range from him.

Plus it's nice to support a fellow Brummie.

[url="http://s426.photobucket.com/user/Mr_Arkadin/media/BaritoneCU_zpscb850d36.jpg.html"][/url]

Edited by Mr Arkadin
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[quote name='Mr Arkadin' timestamp='1388886740' post='2327407']
Recently tried Catswhicker as The Creamery was more expensive and didn't respond to my enquiries. Have to say though that this is in a baritone guitar so I can't vouch for the bass pick-ups, but I think for the price they're easier on the pocket to try, and they will be better than stock. I had a Tele neck pick-up and humbucker-sized Wide Range from him.

Plus it's nice to support a fellow Brummie.

[url="http://s426.photobucket.com/user/Mr_Arkadin/media/BaritoneCU_zpscb850d36.jpg.html"][/url]
[/quote]

Thanks for your input. This is why I love Basschat, ask a question and you get great feedback.

I have been working on this Legend branded p bass tonight and I'm happy with the setup now. I just need to take it to work where my old amp is stored to suss the pups out. I think they are going to be crap but who knows.

Anyone heard of the Legend brand. It plays well now I've tweaked it and it's not a bad p bass. My niece will be happy with it as it was unplayable before.

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I have used several Catswhisker pickups in both guitars and basses. Allan is a great chap to deal with and always happy to help where he can. Just tell hime what you want to achieve.
I wanted to get precision sounds out of a Jazz bass so we spoke about the options and he eventually hand wound me some slightly hotter J pickups but using a different gauge wire and magnets. Not sure the exact details but the neck pickup full on with a hint of bridge had the precision sound nailed. Unfortunately I didn't get on with the body shape so moved it on. I still use his pickups in my strats and tele though. Really cost effective too and I found certainly better than the likes of SD and Dimarzio.
One warning though, becasue of them being handwound to your spec, make sure you talk though the options (unless you plump for a standard model) as you may find that what you thought you wanted didn't quite work out as you thought and the resale value is not as good as regular brand. I fell foul of this by asking for effectively a hotter 50's strat tone, when what I really wanted was a clearer rich vintage tone. He is generally happy to take them back and rewind them for you but it is annoying!

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  • 10 years later...

I used Catswhisker for my build last year, on recommendation from a more experienced builder from BC. I hadn't heard of them before but took the plunge.

 

Allan was super helpful, and happy to accommodate whatever I wanted. The price came in a lot less than the big brands, and I can honestly say they're the best sounding pickups I've used in nearly 30 years of playing! Very happy with them indeed.

 

@Mick Dolan I only ever conversed with Allan via email, and it doesn't look like they have a phone number listed on the website. Is he not replying to your emails?

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