One of the major tone contributors to any guitar are the pickups. This cannot be overstated. Changing pickups can radically improve your tone. Luckily, there is a good deal of innovation and technology in this area. One interesting maker is Ezi pickups. They combine some interesting ideas into one very nice design:
- Wooden enclosure, often custom sized with exotic woods
- Neodymium magnets
- Solid strips of iron instead of standard pole pieces
- Unique structure between magnets and iron strips
In these pickups, I hear a great balance between vintage and modern. Modern pickups — often active — can have a fuller frequency response but sound sterile. Vintage pickups can sound great, but can vary a lot and also have a reduced frequency response and output. The Ezi pickups bridge the gap here and have the advantage of modern pickups with the chime and vibe of vintage.
Standard options for wood are Wenge, Maple, and Bubinga while options for the pickup style are single-coil, humbucker, or staggered humbucker. You can also have options to have the iron strip exposed or beneath the wood. Overall, these are great pickups that blend old and new technology. The beautiful wood complements well the modern guitars made today and adds a customized aesthetic to any guitar.
