Wizard Pickups – go on, give 'em a coil

[ShergoldSnickers]

I recently sent an original Shergold Marathon pickup to Wizard Pickups in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The pickup is similar in design to a 'P' type with two offset coils, both encased in a single rectangular block, rather than the two separate small blocks of the usual 'P' type.

Andy at Wizard suggested that he could replace the coils with hand wound ones that stretch the full width of the casing, and that the original magnets could be replaced.

I sent the pickup off on a Saturday, phoned Andy on the Tuesday to see if he'd got it, only to be told that the job had been done and it was on the way back. It arrived back on the Wednesday. Pretty smart turnaround if you ask me. Smart turnaround if you don't as well.

The original magnets couldn't be replaced, so were re-magnetised instead.

Soldered up and back in place, I found the new pickup coils to be out of phase, and guessed a simple reversal of the wiring for one of the coils would sort it. It did. Easy peasy. Andy was genuinely and profusely apologetic on the phone when I brought this up.

Previously the pickup was rather mushy and indistinct, with an over full bottom end emphasising things around the 100Hz to 150Hz mark. Now it's clearer with greater bandwidth, delicacy and just sounds several classes above. Hi-fi but with character and soul if you like. Before, I would always hesitate before using this pick-up alone. Now I don't. That's the difference.

I can't give Andy 10 out of 10, due to one coil being incorrectly inserted (don't take up gynaecology Andy ), but the sound is so transformed that anything less than 9 would be insanely churlish.

Cost? An extraordinarily reasonable £45. I'd heartily recommend Wizard anytime. Great job and a joy to deal with. Top man.

[beerdragon]

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