EZPZ Gold Foil Surface Mount Pickups

Setup, repair and restoration of Rickenbacker Instruments

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Dom
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EZPZ Gold Foil Surface Mount Pickups

Post by Dom »

I picked up a couple EZPZ pickups off the 'bay partly because I want to mount stuff in a Ric that shouldn't ever be in there like odd pickups & string drivers & just buying a normal toaster cover by itself is $20 more. I have a Guyatone Gold Foil that I had intended to mount in a toaster although I really didn't want to wax pot anything in the first place-hence another reason for buying these things.

They are advertised as "gold foils" so I figured it was some sort of Teisco-esque single coil stuck in a toaster cover. It turns out to be a 2 wire humbucker like from a copy. Hmmmm. I really should know the drill by now...ask the seller first. They are certainly surface mount...get some double sided foam tape & you could stick a "fauxster" anywhere you want! The gold "foil" is in reality expanded metal which I'm calling a bonus. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt & stick one at the neck of a 330...where I wanted to use a real gold foil anyhow. I don't expect too much Hound Dog Taylor out of this, but ya never know...I'll solder it on later tonight.
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Dom
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Re: EZPZ Gold Foil Surface Mount Pickups

Post by Dom »

Not bad! Quiet & has a nice mellow fatness in the neck position. Testing is ongoing, bridge pickup next. Not a gold foil but decent & doesn't mud up. Pickup is taller than stock.
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Dom
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Re: EZPZ Gold Foil Surface Mount Pickups

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https://youtu.be/Zug9rkjaYHw

Not very distinct...too clean & safe for me, no edgy breakup when hit hard. Missing the growl & bark & chime is subdued. No coil options. I'll use these for projects.
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Dom
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Re: EZPZ Gold Foil Surface Mount Pickups

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Well, um, I was wrong, very wrong, and they are purty durn cool. Tiny Vox amp, a fresh battery in the booster & there is something pretty bluesy unlocked. Permanently wired the pickups out of phase.

https://youtu.be/d3s9KxkGrf4
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Dom
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Re: EZPZ Gold Foil Surface Mount Pickups

Post by Dom »

Check out these.
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Built form cheap acoustic soundhole gold foils. They are functionally the same as on my 1960whoknows 12 string Kent Guyatone. If you want authentic Gold Foil this does it. But they are super sensitive. You really hear the construction of the guitar, good news on a Ric even though Rics just sound like rics no matter what.

Face it, with Rickenbackers our pickup options are limited which is a shame because there is oodles of tone in a Ric. I saw nothing on these EZPZ pickups so I figured I'd be the guinnea pig. All told I do think the EZPZ is a great pickup for a change of tone & flavor and is far more livable in the real world than a true microphonic Gold Foil. No room for the foam spacer so this lies right on the top and it looks odd next to a true Ric size pickup as in this pic. It has a great vintage sound. They are very nuanced and have all the jangle & something else too.
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