Hear What People have to Say About Skatterbrane

Roger Daguet, a luthier from France made this series of clips of Earthbranes in his SG copy shown here.

All the way from Singapore, Lionel with Waterbranes playing one of my favorites:

Ben from Japan playing Waterbranes through a VOX:

And again through a Tweed Champ:

The thing I find most interesting is that virtually everyone is coming from a similar frame of reference-D Allman, Clapton, etc when they talk about humbucker tone. Nobody ever mentions the classic blues players like BB- Freddie- Albert King, Otis Rush, and tons more that all bought humbucker loaded Gibsons as soon as they made a dollar. These were the guys that turned on Duane, Clapton, Kim Simmonds, Mike Bloomfield and the like to killer humbucker tone. And they did it playing thru low wattage amps as well. I guess the point I am trying to make is that your pickups truly capture that tone, which most guitarists these days are barely familiar with. One of the reasons I struggled to find the pickup maker I wanted to invest in was that all the frames of reference were these rock gods playing thru gigantic amps in stadiums. Nothing wrong with that....the tone is killer, it is just not in my playing reality.

I hope that the club has a PA with enough mics that I can bring my 8 watt 60's Premier amp(aftermarket weber bluebell speaker) and matching reverb unit and leave my 40 watter at home! Anyway, I poured over all them damn sites-Throbak, Wolfetone, JS Moore, Lollar, Fralin, Bareknuckle, Harmonic Design, WCR till my head was ready to explode. I believe you have the clearest vision of what you want to produce-your product line is nice and tight, and each pickup has nuances that seem to make sense-to me anyway. I apologize for the long-winded note. I am a sales rep in the wonderful world of high end womens' fashion and I can't help myself sometimes! Keep selling!
Andy

Santana channeled through Laszlo and Earthbranes

HG Thor playing a 2006 Les Paul with Yangbranes thru a Zendrive II (slight drive) into a Vibrolux reissue.

My quick first impressions after about 10hr play time. The neck pickup is everything and more than I could have hoped for. I 've read many a time how good Rod's neck pickups are, they weren't exaggerating. Mine came with an amazing looking raw nickel cover. It is sooooooo damn clear and deep. From clean to quite heavy gain, it remains this way. Focused, bright, smooth and deep. Just beautiful. The notes sort of swell up and grow after you've hit them. I have never experienced it to this level before. Even chord work on the neck pickup whilst using a fair bit of dirt sounds clear. No mud what so ever. It is ever so slightly microphonic, perfect. Not unpleasant in any way and is very easy to control. It really does add another dimension.

The Bridge pickup I really did think that this may not work for me as I usually like my bridge pickups a little hotter than most. I got the bridge uncovered. It is just freakin perfect. Again, just sooooo clear, so expressive and useable all the way up to quite heavy gain. It rocked very, very well indeed Both pickups respond to volume and tone control adjustment better than anything I have used previously. "Brand X's" were excellent, but these are just better again. I suppose the big thing for me, I was playing away, looked at my watch and realised I had been strumming for a good hour and it felt like 10 minutes. I was just lost, and it FU*CKING ROCKED! Oh and lastly, the harmonic feedback from these nearly gave me a bloody woody I had my Lionheart cranked pretty loud, around 4-5 and the feedback just sung. I really was just like Thank you Rod. Thank you very much. I know they are only going to get better and better.

HG Thor playing a 2006 Les Paul with Yangbranes thru a Zendrive II (medium drive) into a Vibrolux reissue.

HG Thor playing a modified Epi Dot live with Waterbranes thru a Zendrive II into a Vibrolux reissue.

Rod; I have probably the 1st set of Jazzbranes in a Custom Shop all Korina Les Paul. They are the best pickups I have heard for slide guitar. They are Creamy, Smooth sounding pickups with just enough BITE. 3 Thumbs up on these!!! ThankZ! Paul Newman

Hi, Rod.

Ben-Wabranes arrived today. It is perfect. The balance of a high tone, an middle tone, and the bass is exquisiteness. The sound with softness, warmth, stickiness, and freshness is like the living thing. I feel the life from the SKATTERBRANES sound. The fault is not found. AlNiCo 2 is tried later. I wanted the time machine up to now, because to buy Original PAF. But the time machine became unnecessary now. the guitarist in the future becomes impossible to get original PAF. SKATTERBRANES is only PU that can reproduce the PAF sound. I want you to leave more SKATTERBRANES PU for the next generation.

p.s. Five months ago I injured the finger of the left hand. I am doing rehabilitation of finger now. Because the finger did not move according to the desire, I started giving up the playing the Guitar. It became impossible to give up playing the Guitar because SKATTERBRANES was able to be obtained. Thank you ! Thank you ! Thank you !!

Shinjou.

Dear Rod,

Sorry for my long silence. Your SKATTERBRANES are doing wonders in my H-155, both clean, crunch and with heavier distortion. Natural, responsive, wonderful dynamics, warm jazz/bluesy tones, ... I am advertising your great products to friends here in Switzerland. Hope they will contact you soon.

All the best Laurent

Dazed and Confused with Laszlo and Earthbranes

Hey Rod,

I just rebalanced my Earthbrane pickups today because I realised after playing live at louder volumes, they were a bit off previously. Something strange happened. Previously, I realised the bass side was a bit too high, and the neck was quite a bit lower than the bridge height-wise. After balancing again, the pickups sound very even in frequency response and volumes across all positions. But. Previously, my middle position was very thin and trebly, which was very strat-like. It was nice. But now, it's a bit fuller, and not quite as bright. I didn't know how it would sound live, so I went with it to test anyways. We played Peter Green's "need your love so bad" today. I started the intro, and was rewarded with an amazing tone. So amazing, that I thought it couldn't be coming from my guitar. It was clear, crisp, full and hollow at the same time. I've never heard my own tone sound so good before; and I was 100% clean! This tone invited a lot of stunned faces, and compliments and drools from fellow guitarists and the audience alike. I swear, I never sounded like this before. I only wish I could have recorded it for you to hear. I'm afraid to touch my settings anymore.

Lionel

Rod,
Just to let you know now that the first night shivers are over, I wasn't over reacting these are incompable pups head and shoulders above the pack and I know I will be buying more very soon thank you is just to impersonal for the gratitude I feel owning these pups
Bill

Hey Rod,

Holy shit! I LOVE the pickups! I haven't done the phase/series or coil split wiring yet, but I couldn't wait to hear them. Very impressed. Finally, a middle position that is completely usable and not too muddy, with all the chime and buttery goodness I've been looking for. Most middle positions just sound like a neck, but shittier. The neck is sweet as can be with the very best note definition I've ever heard in a PAF neck. The hotter bridge was a good call - thanks for the suggestion - it does everything from Duane Allman to Angus Young, and if I drank a 6 pack and popped a couple valium, I have no doubts that I'd sound just like Page. My favorite bridge pickup I've ever heard - it has all the quack and honky attitude I've been looking for. All positions have some serious complex overtones and killler double-tones, as well as that elusive vintage "chirp". And they are an excellent contrasting tone compared to my other Paul with the lower output wound A2s. All of this and they look sexy as hell, too - the raw covers are gorgeous. Just amazing - nice work!!

My buddy often brings his Les Paul with Throbaks into my studio - amazing pickups in their own right, and a real pleasure to track with - and we both agree, him somewhat begrudgingly, that mine (or yours, rather) have even more magic and more sweet nastiness than his Throbaks. Anyway, I couldn't be happier.

The thing I like the most about your pickups (especially the bridge) is that in addition to sounding full, they are bright - but it's a musical brightness. They're not harsh, brittle, or ice-picky at all. Too many manufacturers mistake the arbitrary and very trendy term "warmth" for "let's strip all the treble away so people will think it sounds good". Or they go the other direction and cheaply hype the upper frequencies and claim it has "detail". Neither of these are a valid approach. I complain all the time because you can't buy a nice tube or condenser microphone anymore either (in the $1000.00 range) without the manufacturer carving off the high frequencies and claiming it sounds "vintage". Think of the Neumann ELA M251 - considered to be the holy grail of mics - a very bright microphone, but you can't get any more vintage-y than its tone. It's because the high frequencies are accentuated correctly and musically. It seems that you've achieved the equivalent in the PAF world.

Thanks again,

Mike

PS - when I get the money, I'm thinking of replacing the A2s in my other Paul with another of your sets - maybe the Earthbranes.

Marty, from downunder playing Waterbranes through a Peavey Classic 30.

Dan, with Yangbranes through a Marshall.

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