Kloppmann 58 humbuckers

[slowerhand]

Anyone has them and/or compared them to other high-end boutiques like Throbak, Stephens Design, Rolph, Holmes...?

I know about the German Guitar and Bass magazine shootout and have heard the clips online but would like to get a better idea how they compare to the above mentioned brands. Thanks.

 

[darkbluemurder]

I have had a Hot PAF 60. It sounded good, very similar to a Voodoo 60 - bright and edgy in a good sense but not really smooth. I also had a WCR Fillmore bridge in the same guitar - more output and midrange which made it smoother. Right now that guitar has a Wolfetone Marshallhead in the bridge which blows them both away.

BTW the neck pickup is a Gibson 57 Classic which Kloppmann rewound for me to his 58 neck specs. I like it better than the Marshallhead neck because it has less bass, more mids and more highs which makes it less muddy. The only thing which I had to get used to is that it has a lot more top end but that can be easily controlled with the tone control.

 

[xroads]

I have them in a Morgaine (LP type), and can only compare them to WCR Crossroads: indeed, the Kloppmanns have a more detailed sound (less mids, more even spectrum). While the WCRs gave a great rock sound, the Kloppmanns are much more flexible, with more open sound. I can do much more with the tone/vol controls on the guitar.

 

[slowerhand]

Thanks for the responses so far. Over the past few days I've listened to what clips I could find. Especially the ones by Musik Schmidt on youtube are great, an education in comparing pickups. (Oli u da man!!) I contacted Erik van de Haar in the Netherlands since I've been thinking about getting one of his guitars and he even took the VAT off (I live outside the EU) so the cost is essentially the same as a set of Throbaks or Stephens. Just mentioning that because I've seen claims that these are 600-800 USD which would have been roughly correct when the dollar was at its lowest against the euro, if you assume full price and shipping.

I went with the 58s. I have many guitars so I'm sure they'll be excellent in at least one. I'm usually in the slightly hotter camp so it's possible that for LPs I would prefer the 59s, but if anything they should be great in my 335.

Erik told me it would take a week or two because what I wanted was not in stock. Will definitely post an update.

 

[Seegs]

Thanks for the responses so far. Over the past few days I've listened to what clips I could find. Especially the ones by Musik Schmidt on youtube are great, an education in comparing pickups. (Oli u da man!!) I contacted Erik van de Haar in the Netherlands since I've been thinking about getting one of his guitars and he even took the VAT off (I live outside the EU) so the cost is essentially the same as a set of Throbaks or Stephens. Just mentioning that because I've seen claims that these are 600-800 USD which would have been roughly correct when the dollar was at its lowest against the euro, if you assume full price and shipping.

I went with the 58s. I have many guitars so I'm sure they'll be excellent in at least one. I'm usually in the slightly hotter camp so it's possible that for LPs I would prefer the 59s, but if anything they should be great in my 335.

Erik told me it would take a week or two because what I wanted was not in stock. Will definitely post an update.

Oli is quite the Kloppmann advocate...we've had many discussions about that...btw we disagree most of the time but have a great time doing it

I've played quite a few sets of Kloppmanns and like all pickup winders there seems to be a common signature sound that run throughout his line...at least in the models I have tried which were mostly confined to select Strat and humbucker sets...

In this case it is the presence of an upper-mid bite which I suppose accounts for the open and airy quality that his pickups have...very articulate and clear otoh I also find that this quality also causes an edginess and in my case a very fatiguing and sometimes painful listening experience...

Of couse as always this is my opinion based on my experience with these pickups which has been at Musik Schmidt and also in my home with Kloppmann loaded guitars that my friends brought over...YmmV!

Chow,
Seegs

 

[slowerhand]

I'm surprised you say that Seegs since I saw that thread recently where you were smitten with the custom shop strat with the Kloppmann 62. I bought them because of you dammit! Just kidding. I've listened to lots of clips and I agree there seems to be a common voice to his pickups. What I'm hearing is a clarity and aliveness, but without any harshness to the tone. As Oli says, you have a fat tone, but the right amount of treble on top. In the videos where he switches guitars back and forth the Kloppmanns always seem rounder, but plenty clear. Like this, for instance. There's a lot of gain but there's still a major difference between the two guitars. If I hear the regular pickups (I think JB in the bridge and tex specials single coils, may be wrong there) by themselves they sound OK, after the Kloppmanns you notice this scritchy treble.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YX9Rgdixh4

Unfortunately there's very few clips of the humbuckers, other than Gregor Hilden's. Much as he's a great player, the tone in all demos is the same regardless of the guitar.

PS: is that Session Music shop easily accessible via public transport or close enough to take a taxi without getting ruined? Once in a while I pass through Frankfurt...

 

[Seegs]

Sorry SH...please send me the bill if you don't like em

Funny what a difference a day makes...that day if I had had the cash I would have taken that strat home with the Kloppmanns...

As fate would have it I went back 4 times and put about 10 hours on that strat to make sure...before I spend 3.4K€ I need to be sure...

In the meantime a Suhr strat came up that I could afford and being the good GearPager that I am I grabbed and brought it into Session to compare to that grail CS strat...

I recorded my Suhr and the CS strat on my iPhone and called a bud and did a blind phone demo and both the recording and my bud agreed and came to the same conclusion...

My interest in both the pickups and the CS strat were dead and buried after that

I don't mean to rain on anyones parade I just thought I would relate my findings...

Session is a real PITA to get to for me...I live about 15 minutes west of Frankfurt and I kind of have to go through Ffm to get there and sometimes it can take over an hour if I go during rush hour...I tend to go during the late morning...early afternnoon on Fridays if I can help it

I'm sure there is a way to get there with a combo of the trains and busses but I'm not sure the exact routes or transfers you have to make. There is a bus/train stop across the street.

Depending on where you are coming from Taxi's can be really expensive...

Chow,
Seegs

I'm surprised you say that Seegs since I saw that thread recently where you were smitten with the custom shop strat with the Kloppmann 62. I bought them because of you dammit! Just kidding. I've listened to lots of clips and I agree there seems to be a common voice to his pickups. What I'm hearing is a clarity and aliveness, but without any harshness to the tone. As Oli says, you have a fat tone, but the right amount of treble on top. In the videos where he switches guitars back and forth the Kloppmanns always seem rounder, but plenty clear. Like this, for instance. There's a lot of gain but there's still a major difference between the two guitars. If I hear the regular pickups (I think JB in the bridge and tex specials single coils, may be wrong there) by themselves they sound OK, after the Kloppmanns you notice this scritchy treble.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YX9Rgdixh4

Unfortunately there's very few clips of the humbuckers, other than Gregor Hilden's. Much as he's a great player, the tone in all demos is the same regardless of the guitar.

PS: is that Session Music shop easily accessible via public transport or close enough to take a taxi without getting ruined? Once in a while I pass through Frankfurt...

 

[slowerhand]

No problem, we don't all like the same things. Maybe to prove I don't care I'll add an ST-60 or Thomas Blug set to my order. . I love my Slider 59s too but those would be a nice complement, especially the Thomas Blug set.

Too bad that shop is hard to reach. From the map on the internet it looked like some kind of highway. When I fly via Frankfurt I usually stay in a hotel around the central station.

 

[Seegs]

No problem, we don't all like the same things. Maybe to prove I don't care I'll add an ST-60 or Thomas Blug set to my order. . I love my Slider 59s too but those would be a nice complement, especially the Thomas Blug set.

Too bad that shop is hard to reach. From the map on the internet it looked like some kind of highway. When I fly via Frankfurt I usually stay in a hotel around the central station.

You're actually only about 20 minutes from Session and there is a way to get there by train/bus...not sure how much a round trip taxi would cost...

you're also close to Cream Music which is across the street from the Hbf but they don't carry the high end stuff anymore...

fwiw...Oli is no longer in sales he's working in the marketing dept. doing the YT videos for which he is generating a large cult following...

One guy said I wonder what is faster his speaking or his playing

Chow,
Seegs

 

[slowerhand]

Thanks, 20 minutes isn't too bad, I'll look into that next time I stop over in Frankfurt.

Yeah, Oli's quite intense, not quite like that guy from Fretted Americana, but in his own way.

How are you liking the Slider's? I have a set of A5 59s that I love. They're the regular ones, not the SRV set. Been looking at an Ellis tele set also. I'm not really a tele player, but just to round out the collection I have a vintage Japanese one coming in (expect it any day now) and I've been looking at pickup options.

 

[Seegs]

Thanks, 20 minutes isn't too bad, I'll look into that next time I stop over in Frankfurt.

Yeah, Oli's quite intense, not quite like that guy from Fretted Americana, but in his own way.

How are you liking the Slider's? I have a set of A5 59s that I love. They're the regular ones, not the SRV set. Been looking at an Ellis tele set also. I'm not really a tele player, but just to round out the collection I have a vintage Japanese one coming in (expect it any day now) and I've been looking at pickup options.

Absolutely killin...just rehearsed them and was able to lower the volume on my amp and have the guitar just sit perfectly in the mix...truly amazing...my drummer remarked how comfortable these pu's sound compared to the last set which he said were drilling a hole in his ear

I have a set of Ellis's and a set of Stuart's that I keep swapping in and out of Underwood and based on my fascination with the Slider's Strat pu's I just placed an order with Rod for an all A5 reliced....non-RW/RP...post 55 set with Nos wire in the bridge...should be shipping in 2-3 weeks...

gonna have a big massive shootout and probably end up keeping only one of the above sets or buy 2 more teles

Chow,
Seegs

 

[slowerhand]

Well, I just got this guy coming in yesterday:

It's a circa 1980 Navigator with sen ash body (a great tonewood) and brass nut, bridge, saddles and control plate. I used to think I can get close enough to tele sounds with my strats, but I was wrong. It deserves some better pickups though. I also looked at the Slider tele pickups but could hardly find any clips of them and the ones I found didn't grab me.

Let me know if you want to swap your Ellis tele set for my backup pair of Slider 57s (A5). I liked my strat 59s so much I thought I'd buy a backup pair just in case. They're the regular wire and from talking to Rod, very similar to his 59s. I look forward to your impressions of the tele pickups. I may still go for them.

I'm kind of getting over the Kloppmann pickups, for now. I still have the 58 set on order and very much look forward to it. For the strat and tele pickups, I don't know if what I'm hearing justifies a premium (never mind a very large one) over other boutique winders. I'd love for Oli to do a comparison of the Kloppmanns against other boutique winders, instead of stock Fender and Seymour Duncan.

 

[Seegs]

Well, I just got this guy coming in yesterday:

It's a circa 1980 Navigator with sen ash body (a great tonewood) and brass nut, bridge, saddles and control plate. I used to think I can get close enough to tele sounds with my strats, but I was wrong. It deserves some better pickups though. I also looked at the Slider tele pickups but could hardly find any clips of them and the ones I found didn't grab me.

Let me know if you want to swap your Ellis tele set for my backup pair of Slider 57s (A5). I liked my strat 59s so much I thought I'd buy a backup pair just in case. They're the regular wire and from talking to Rod, very similar to his 59s. I look forward to your impressions of the tele pickups. I may still go for them.

I'm kind of getting over the Kloppmann pickups, for now. I still have the 58 set on order and very much look forward to it. For the strat and tele pickups, I don't know if what I'm hearing justifies a premium (never mind a very large one) over other boutique winders. I'd love for Oli to do a comparison of the Kloppmanns against other boutique winders, instead of stock Fender and Seymour Duncan.

Exactly what happened to me...I've heard them on several occasions before and had many discussions/arguments with Oli about them...then one day I connected and kept going back until I disconnected and saved myself 400€ in the process...the kicker was bringing in my Suhr with the stock V60LPs in and comparing them to the Kloppmanns...not even close in my book...

The Slider's are just something else...I'm not sure what I will do with my stable of tele pickups yet...gonna get the Slider's in and keep the winner...

Don't really need anymore strat pickups and am really happy with the 69 classics so I wouldn't really be interested in a trade for the Ellis's...

Chow,
Seegs

 

[slowerhand]

Well, maybe it'll start a stampede for the Slider's if you think they're better than the Ellis. Maybe Rod should play a bit harder to get also. It kind of kills the mystique that he replies to his email and that you have the pickups in 1-2 weeks.

 

[Seegs]

Well, maybe it'll start a stampede for the Slider's if you think they're better than the Ellis. Maybe Rod should play a bit harder to get also. It kind of kills the mystique that he replies to his email and that you have the pickups in 1-2 weeks.

Not sure if they will be better but they might suit me more?? When I got my Ellis's there was a very short wait for the first set and when I sent the tall neck pu back for an exchange for something more to my liking...it took forever to get back to me...that's when he got hit and the wait times kept going up and up...

I think there are a few talented winders coming out of Australia and because of the distance they don't get the recognition they deserve...

Chow,
Seegs