Bartolini Pickups And Accessories

[GregP]

After Googling and browsing a few websites, it seems that there is no proper or detailed information available about Bartolini Guitar (ie. not Bass) pickups. I'd like to get some product descriptions, wiring options, costs, testimonies, etc...

But so far all I seem able to come up with are sites of people who are selling the pickups and not providing much info. Worse, they're always on about the bass pickups, about which I don't currently need information.

Anybody know of a reliable source for the info I'm looking for?

Greg

[lovekraft]

Uhhh..., did you try Bartolini's website?

[bluespresence]

lovekraft Posted Today, 02:59 PM

  Uhhh..., did you try Bartolini's website?

Greg, go to Bart's site and check it out. It is one of the worst sites I have ever tried to navigate but the info is buried there.....problem is finding it. It took me hours last year to dig up any worthwhile info on there. I don't know if its better now or not because I haven't been back....

[lovekraft]

http://www.bartolini.net/information/guita...tar_pickups.htm

http://www.bartolini.net/information/guita...guitar_pu_s.htm

http://www.bartolini.net/guitarplayers.htm

http://www.bartolini.net/support.htm

Now, that wasn't too difficult, was it?

[lovekraft]

again...,

Edited March 16, 2005 by lovekraft

[lovekraft]

and again, ...

Edited March 16, 2005 by lovekraft

[lovekraft]

and yet again,...

Edited March 16, 2005 by lovekraft

[lovekraft]

Mods, please feel free to delete these echo posts! Sorry, if I knew why it happened, I'd avoid doing it, honest!

Edited March 16, 2005 by lovekraft

[bluespresence]

and again, and again, and again........

Lots of triple posts here lately. Is the site acting goofy for everyone? I can't even log into it half the time anymore....

Anyway, back to the post. LK, it looks like they changed it a bit since I last visited. That's a good thing. The last one I was on was almost all text and the menus for info were buried deep. It was a big PITA so I never went back.

[GregP]

Lovekraft,

That website was the first one I found. It's so bad and devoid of information that I just thought it was an opportunist who purchased the domain name "Bartolini.net" in order to hawk Bartolini pickups as an independent retailer. The first time I tried posting this topic (the server barfed on me) I even said, "other than Bartolini.net" but I guess I forgot to again when the server was finally co-operating. So to answer your question, "no, it wasn't that hard" to find those pages, but "yes, it's very hard to get any use whatsoever out of them."

The information is not even close to what I'd need in order to get any sort of impression whatsoever about the pickups. The closest I've gotten is David Myka's descriptions in his guitar write-ups. (third hit on Google for "Bartolini zbs-75, by the way, Myka!)

I appreciate your trying to help, though. I just wish that this wasn't the depth of the information available. So far I'm going to have to go with EMG simply because I can at least imagine what my guitar's going to sound like in the end.

Bartolini really needs to get their act together if they hope to compete. They've only gotten this far by reputation, which only helps me insofar as to say, "Lots of people love Bartolini pickups", but not in a way to help me configure a pickup and accessories selection.

Greg

[lovekraft]

BP, I do agree that it's not exactly a well-designed website, but compared to the DiMarzio site (which I fnally actually loaded a couple of weeks ago, after several months of trying), it really doesn't fare that badly. I guess it's all about your perspective.

Bartolini really needs to get their act together if they hope to compete.

I don't know that they need or want to compete - like Bill Lawrence, I don't think they're interested in being the next DiMarzio or SD, and their pickups (at least IME) don't have mainstream appeal, as evidenced by their artists list. I don't think the average young guitar player looking for hot humbuckers has any interest in sounding like Charlie Hunter or Tuck Andress, even if they do know who they are (which ain't likely!). OTOH, older guys like me, and professional musicians may have totally different needs, and are a lot less likely to be impressed by either popular artist endorsements or advertising, so they're more likely to seek out Barts and buy them for the sound. If it's worth it to you, you'll find them and give them a listen. Nobody said buying premium gear had to be easy.

[Jivin]

Hey Greg, i've been doing some research on Bartolini guitar pickups, and I decided if I end up going for them ill be getting the ZBS-70 and the ZBS-50 or 75.

The reviews and info I had read are all glowing, so I am keen to try them.

Some sites:

http://www.starspickups.com/

http://www.pickupcentral.com/bartolini.html

Ive been meaning to email bartolini or a reseller so I can find oot if the ZBS-70 is available F-spaced, but actually I dont think I will be getting them really soon in the end, cause after the latest Dimebucker/500XL thread, ive ordered an L-500XL (and I also asked becky to recommend me a neck pickups so we'll see), so i'll probably use that instead

Pleeeassee be sure to give us all the details if you buy some Bartolini pickups Greg

Cheers,

- Dan

[GregP]

Lovekraft - nobody said it HAD to be easy, but it sure would be nice if it was. Fair enough that they don't want to be the next Seymour Duncan, but our very own Jon Bell (of Swineshead Pickups) is a complete independent, and yet he made the effort to create an accessible website that gives exactly the kind of information I'm looking for.

If Jon can do it, why can't Bartolini-- which despite being a small company, is still established enough to have distribution in mainstream channels? Nobody said it had to be easy, but come on-- it's not only good 'marketing' sense, but good common sense to establish a connection with your customer. If you only want to sell a few specialized pickups, that's great, but you should STILL want to make a potential customer feel invited to the 'party'.

Even the 'starspickups' link provided by Dan has more information than Bartolini's own website!

As for trying them out-- I'd be curious to hear about any strategies for tracking down and testing a set of Bartolini-equipped guitars. If I'm lucky enough to find even ONE (not likely), who's to say it'll have a combination of pickups and electronics that suits what I'm looking for? I might find a jazz player's setup when I'm more interested in a rock player's rig or a hybrid rig.

And finally-- I'm a pretty big Tuck Andress fan.

Dan -- cheers for those links, and while the project is still many many months away, whenever I get around to it, I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out!

Not meaning to rant, and I'm certainly not intending any negative energy toward you, personally, Lovekraft. Au contraire, I 'feel the love' of people trying to help.

[GregP]

Actually...

Looking again at the Stars Pickups site... they don't seem to mention Bartolini by name, and don't refer to active electronics...?

This warrants further investigation.

[jnewman]

Hmm, I'm getting pretty interested in these pups too.

they don't seem to mention Bartolini by name, and don't refer to active electronics...?

←

They do mention Bartolini a few places in their site, including one place that say "Pickups manufactured by Bartolini." The Bartolini website, under the ZBF section, says they collaborated with Ron Armstrong of Star's Pickups on the ZBF series.

Are the ZBS's active and PBF's passive? Are they all active? Are they all passive?Am I missing something important? There really doesn't seem to be much information anywhere on the guitar pickups.

Edited March 18, 2005 by jnewman

[Jivin]

To my knowledge they ZBF and PBF pickups on starspickups are legitimate Bartolini's, and i think they are passive, but now that ive typed that, i must admit I don't have any evidence to back it up!

[Myka Guitars]

I have used the Bartolini ZBS pickups. I get them through StarsPickups and deal directly with Ron Armstrong who is correctly referred to on the Bartolini site as the co-designer of these pickups. These are genuine Bartolini pickups and are manufactured by them. Ron and his wife run a small distribution company (prices are th same). Ron is a great guy and answers his emails promptly so I go through him. He can get you anything Bartolini.

I don't think that any of these pickups are going to be f-spaced (if it even makes a difference with this design of pickup) but email Ron and ask: ron@starspickups.com. He will be able to help you out.

As far as the website is concerned, yes it could be better. On the other hand they do a great business by word of mouth and that keeps them quite busy. Ask any jazz or bass player and they can tell you all about them (or at least know someone who can).

As for trying them out-- I'd be curious to hear about any strategies for tracking down and testing a set of Bartolini-equipped guitars.

←

How about drivig to Buffalo, NY? I am right outside of the city NY about 6 hours from Ottawa. You are more than welcome to come and check my guitars out (it is a long drive but if you are ever in the area or need an excuse for a road trip). I will be completing a set of 4 guitars using these pickups in the next 2-1/2 months. At least 3 of them will have the ZBS pickups, the other perhaps the PBFs. 3 of them will be spruce topped hollowbodies.

I definitely feel that these are really great pickups. They have a clarity and definition that is perfect for hollowbodies and semi hollows. You can hear the woodiness and all the complex harmonics as clear as if it were acoustic. Of course thepickups color the sound when you are splitting the coils or switching from series to parallel (what pickups don't?) but the detail is always there. I highly recommend them. The PBF series looks good too. They will be in one of my next guitars for sure, probably the PBF 55/77D set for some serious fusion tones. Those Q90s look good too...

And yes, these are passive pickups.

~David

Edited March 18, 2005 by Myka Guitars

[jnewman]

Just curious, why have you used all ZBS's and no PBF's (to date) in your guitars? Have you tried out the ZBS's and PBF's and liked the ZBS's better, or is there some other reason?

[GregP]

I have to confess, I was originally going to go for active pickups, but I don't even have any experience with them.

The absolute truth of the matter is that one of the only people I consider a guitar hero of mine (not that I don't worship other guitarists, but I've never wanted to be able to 'play like them') has a Steinberger L-series as one of his main guitars, and I love the way it looks and sounds; however, I WOULD like a bit more variety than what he gets, since his tone is usually pretty much in that extra-crisp sound that's often associated (incorrectly) with active pickups.

Myka-- I WILL come on that road trip, for sure. I'll PM you to find out when would be convenient for you. My current contract is up in 2 weeks, at which point in time I'll be back on the supply teaching list. That means I could make it a weekday if that's better for you. (anyhow, PM to follow within a few weeks). Thanks for the invitation!

Greg

[frank falbo]

Whoa, a Bartolini thread, and I've only just found it NOW?! Sorry I'm late.

I've been meaning to try to do a write-up on them, where I give a comprehensive description of what you can expect from each pickup.

They are beyond a doubt my favorite pickups on earth. One thing you don't have to worry about, Greg, is whether they can sound the way you want them to sound. Bartolini makes passive pickups, and pickup/preamp combinations that can be tailored to do anything you wish. My best description of Bartolini pickups is "anything your pickup can do, these can do better."

I mean we all have our favorite passives, vintage pickups, and awkward combinations, but there was a time when I sold and installed large amounts of Bartolinis, and literally every single client that would try them was converted. If they owned multiple guitars, they'd become repeat Bartolini customers. I used their preamps with other pickups as well. Some people don't realize that when they have a pickup with a preamp built in (active pickup) you have access to both entities seperately. That means you can run the other pickups through that preamp if you wish. You don't need to purchase all three pickups as active models, just one. Or you can get all passives and locate the preamp in the control cavity. EMG's and other actives are hard wired as a complete unit. So you can't even coil cut, or choose series/parallel options.

As for competing, they're always busier than they need to be, between retail and OEM, so they may not see the urgency that we see in making their descriptions more marketing oriented. I guess the flip side to that is the bloated descriptions that other manufacturers use that make you feel like you and your bedroom modelling amp will be instantly teleported to an arena gig with rows of stacks behind you, and teams of sound engineers working for you. It's quite insulting when they use language that is better suited to describe an amp or preamp than a pickup. Or when they describe sounds associated with high volume levels and large quantities of speakers. Their pickup can't make your amp do those things alone, but it reads as if it can. Its like their taking credit for the sum of all the parts, instead of describing the net result of the pickup change itself.

[GregP]

Excellent reply, Frank.

Looking forward to those descriptions.

One thing I'm curious about that maybe you or Myka can answer-- when using a Bartolini single-coil in front of craptastic CRT video monitors, will they hum the same way a normal passive single coil will?

Greg

[frank falbo]

They'll be better, because they are well shielded. I have Bartolini single coils that I use with a preamp. Bartolini puts a disclaimer out, that if you use a true single with their preamp it can be noisy, but I have no issues. It's still much quieter than any standard single coil. But the CRT noise is pretty muscular. It will penetrate most anything. I just did a test for you and my Bartolini strat with singles is quieter with the preamp on than other traditional passive singles I have. But the noise is still there. The CRT noise is disturbing the magnetic field as much as it is penetrating the coil wires. So you can't really get away from it totally. It's like running a power drill over the magnets. The EMG design is a much lower output pickup with the preamp doing all the work. So perhaps EMG's would boast better CRT rejection, just because it's a lower output unit at it's core. I don't know.

Bartolini makes some fantastic hum-cancelling singles though. The only reason I have true singles was because at the time (decade ago) they fit my needs. If I were outfitting a guitar today I'd probably choose one of his hum-cancellers. Just now when I had N/M pickups on simultaneously (they cancel hum) it was extremely quiet right near the monitor with the preamp on. It was quieter than the Hot Rails I have in the bridge of the same guitar. If you want, when you get closer to choosing, just e-mail me or discuss your preferences here, and I can help guide you to the right models.

[GregP]

Thanks, Frank.

I have a Li'l 59 in my guitar, and the levels of hum I get are tolerable, so if the humbucking 'single coils' are in the same league, they should be fine for me.

Greg

[Jivin]

Still, with the lack of reviews and things i'm finding it hard to decide on a combination.

Id like if you could recommend a H-S-H combination which would be used primarily for rock/metal applications (currently EMG 81/SA/85), however if the pickups could geared to that sort of thing and still be split to S-S-S and have nice clean tone in both Humbucker and Single Coil modes I would DEFINITELY give them a go, especially at those prices.

I was thinking the ZBF-70 in the bridge, but from there im lost.... suggestions? Is there also someone at Bartolini who could help me with this sort of question? Perhaps Ron Armstrong that David spoke of?

[blackburncustomguitars]

Lovekraft - nobody said it HAD to be easy, but it sure would be nice if it was.  Fair enough that they don't want to be the next Seymour Duncan, but our very own Jon Bell (of Swineshead Pickups) is a complete independent, and yet he made the effort to create an accessible website that gives exactly the kind of information I'm looking for.

If Jon can do it, why can't Bartolini-- which despite being a small company, is still established enough to have distribution in mainstream channels?  Nobody said it had to be easy, but come on-- it's not only good 'marketing' sense, but good common sense to establish a connection with your customer.  If you only want to sell a few specialized pickups, that's great, but you should STILL want to make a potential customer feel invited to the 'party'.

Even the 'starspickups' link provided by Dan has more information than Bartolini's own website! 

As for trying them out-- I'd be curious to hear about any strategies for tracking down and testing a set of Bartolini-equipped guitars.  If I'm lucky enough to find even ONE (not likely), who's to say it'll have a combination of pickups and electronics that suits what I'm looking for?  I might find a jazz player's setup when I'm more interested in a rock player's rig or a hybrid rig.

And finally-- I'm a pretty big Tuck Andress fan. 

Dan -- cheers for those links, and while the project is still many many months away, whenever I get around to it, I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out!

Not meaning to rant, and I'm certainly not intending any negative energy toward you, personally, Lovekraft.  Au contraire, I 'feel the love' of people trying to help. 

←

Hi!

I use a LOT of Bartolini's in the guitars I build,(see self-explanatory website). I have found that they are especially effective in the neck position full, rich tone, but not muddy. In the bridge, The ZBS 80 is about the best option. Not as powerful as some, but good. I like to combine an Anderson HN2 or HN3 in the bridge for bite and definition with a Bart PBF 49, ZBS 60, or ZBS 70 in the neck. Very good combo.

Dave