Gold Entwistle HV58's on my Bills Brothers LP Custom
I didn't want to depend on a maybe from TMS, so I went ahead and ordered these from Ebay. Good thing I did. I checked Hi-Fi Lounge last weekend and wala talaga silang gold-covered pickups.
I'll try to keep things in perspective here.
For the most part, they look well made - they're definitely generously potted, which is a good thing. But I swear I wouldn't mind spending an extra dollar or two if Artec used sturdier wiring. Having them longer would be nice too, as there was little allowance left for the neck pickup's wiring by the time the other end made it to the electronics cavity of the Les Paul.
Sound-wise, I'll need to explain. This particular pickup change of mine was a downgrade (I had a pair of Bill Lawrence L-90's on the LP previously) and I heard a noticeable drop in clarity. But I expected that. The sound isn't anything mind blowing, but the HV58's are still definitely better than any stock/OEM MIK, MIC or even MIJ pickups I've heard, and that includes the stock pair of my Les Paul. The stock pickups were downright muddy. While the HV58's still accentuated the already warm inherent tone of the guitar, I wouldn't consider it muddy at all. It's that vintage tone thing, I guess.
I still favor my Lawrences, but they're nearly twice as expensive as the HV58's and not as easy to procure. A Seymour Duncan '59 costs nearly three times as much. So, with options like the Artec/Entwistle along with my favorite Bill Lawrences, I don't think I'll ever think of buying a Duncan or Dimarzio again.
