7 Wide Range Buckers in 1 Guitar: CuNiFe(Fender/Lollar/Creamery)

[@haskitt]

At 17:52 it should be labeled Fender CuNiFe '20 Bridge... it is currently labeled as Neck. Thanks for spotting that, Bryan!

[@vladlabyrinth6335]

do blind test for us, pls)

[@LollarJason]

I just saw this- its old I know but I dont check often. Anyway- great job comparing- very thourough with valid playing for comparison. Now facts- anyone using a threaded magnet.... alnico is way too hard and brittle to machine like that so Alico is combined with threaded FerCo magnets to get an almost exact match with Cuniffe. Cuniffe had not been available since the 70s and recently Fender had small batches made and bought all of it and they have a deal with the manufatcurer to be the sole consumer- thats what I heard from a supplier that knows but could be BS possibly.., The old wide ranges were wound exactly the same- any ohms difference is minor and typical or could be due to temperatuire differences- have a pickup in your pocket for a minute or two and it will read higher than ambient temp- resistance is futile! One thing that gets bypassed is the original fender pickups have inductor plates inside- steel, similar to a tele bridge pickup. Lollar doesnt use one in the neck but who needs more boom in the bass strings on the neck if you play in a band? If you want a vintage set use two lollar bridges and youll get a softer attack on the bass strings on the neck position. I heard the 2020 fender reissues to be darker than the originals, the lollars and the creameries. I could say more about the LGP high and low wind neck- a nice difference there. So The originals the LGP and creameries are about as similar as you can get consistantly MY opinion. Thanks for the good demo!

[@haskitt]

I don't know how I missed this comment, but hey there and thanks for the good info! Interesting about the FeCrCo in AlNiCo slugs... and that Fender reportedly bought all of the CuNiFe. Also interesting about the higher temp -> resistance... "is that a pickup in your pocket or are you just trying to induct me??" I'm assuming this is actually Jason Lollar, the account is from 2011 and anyone pretending to be JL for 10 years and obviously knows what they're talking about is worth replying to either way. Cheers!

[@cnmngirl76]

This is probably the most thoughtful pickup review I have ever seen. You did all the comparisons I look for. So just my opinion, I liked the 70s in the Neck and the 20s in the Bridge, The Creamery in the Neck and the 20s in the Bridge. But I would have to say for overall utility purposes just going straight 20s got me in the feelers in every way. They take me back to 90s grunge in all the best ways.

[@haskitt]

Glad it helped, thanks! Funny, I sold everything Wide Range I had a few years back. Just started looking again. The 2020 CuNiFe will definitely be the direction I go. Although… I never tried the Fralin (or Gemini!) versions.

[@cnmngirl76]

@@haskitt I love Fralin Pickups! Never been disappointed

[@stockholm1752]

Honestly, I can’t hear any difference between the vintage ‘70s and the 2020 reissues. Which makes me happy: I just installed them in my 2010 Fender FSR Tele’ Deluxe. What a difference from the old, original “fake” WRHBs! Thanks for the excellent demo/playing. Must have been a lot of work to put this together.

[@haskitt]

Yeah the difference is subtle there… I do hear a little bit more microphonic stuff and maybe not as powerful on the vintage but they’re close! Cheers!

[@simonpepper9721]

Ditto on the pickups.

[@calebwhitcraft1664]

Thanks for taking the time to make this video, it was super thorough and so helpful evaluating my options. I think I honestly like the Fender reissues the best other than the originals, although I really dig that Lollar lo-wind. I didn't really love it in the mid position with the regular lollar bridge though, makes sense I guess because math or something. Playing was great, and you really threw a ton of different sounds into them, just a killer demo.

[@mikec6617]

That Warmouth neck is incredibly cool. I liked the lo wind Lollar best. All sound great.

[@haskitt]

Thanks! Yeah I love that neck… Sometimes I wish it were a 9.5 radius but the 7.25 is cool

[@HeronFly]

Excellent comparisons. I really appreciate you taking the time to do this, it must have been very time consuming. Great playing and sound quality. I hope this video picks up on the algorithm even more, it was suggested to me and I’m happy about that!

[@haskitt]

Thanks for taking the time to watch! The process is super rewarding in itself, and it’s so fun knowing that it’s helpful!

[@rep1979]

Absolutely fantastic comparison. This answers a lot of questions. Great job!! Thank you for making this!

[@angusorvid8840]

I love 'em all, but then again I've always loved wide range buckers. For gain the Lollar takes the cake. They all sound good clean, especially the Fender and Creamery. The Lollar retains a lot of sweetness with overdrive whereas a lot of pickups can get dry and dull. Again, they are all very good. I've never owned a guitar with wide ranges but I've been thinking of it lately, hence my visit to this channel. Good video.

[@CastlesMadeOf...]

Never mind the pickups, let's hear it for the playing! Wonderful stuff 👏👏

[@haskitt]

Thanks James!

[@beelbrother1648]

THANK YOU for taking the time to install them into the same guitar!

[@haskitt]

Cheers!

[@manifestgtr]

That’s an awesome instrumental arrangement of “black”. Great stuff, man ✌️

[@chrisglitta]

Great comparison! I just put a Fender 2020 CuNiFe in my 72 Tele Custom (reissue) on Friday. It sounds amazing, so much clearer than the original reissue pickup that was in it. I've got a Fender Starcaster reissue too and now I'm thinking about either a set of 2020 CuNiFe or Lollar Regals for that guitar. I think they both sound great.

[@haskitt]

Oh man, I’d love to play or hear a starcaster with legit wide ranges. Maybe they’ll reissue an American original with the cunifes! Cheers!

[@nocaster4747]

Thank you for doing a very thorough comparison here. All of these pickups sound very nice.

[@traviscurry6142]

Excellent review. I was looking to upgrade the pickups in my 72' reissue and this review has everything I was looking for.

[@turningpointmusic4607]

Great comparison, great playing. Looking forward to round 2!

[@haskitt]

Brandonwounds arriving likely before Saturday!

[@jr0706]

All sound great. The A5 pups do seem to drive harder than the CuNiFe.

[@LordFuzzman]

Nice video.. someone is as obsessed with WRHB as I am 👌

[@haskitt]

Yessir - Enjoyed your videos thoroughly!

[@yourefromdownsouth9728]

Great comparison. Surprisingly similar honestly, but that’s a good thing as they all sounded great. The Lollar low winds stood out as sounding different than the others, not surprisingly.

[@haskitt]

Very true! the differences are subtle... more important to the player than the audience IMO.

[@davidwilliamson8029]

​@@haskittthe player is the first pair of audience ears to hear it though! Great video thank you for posting

[@nodfactor8808]

4:25 I really appreciate the demoing of different styles here! I'm kind of exploring pickup options for a solid body guitar that is versatile but that particularly sounds good (preferably GREAT) for jazz. What are your feelings on pickups for jazz? More so, what pickups have you tried that you felt were well rounded and sounded great for jazz? Do you think a CuNiFe/wide-range would be over standard/PAF humbuckers?

[@riverstone5994]

This is quality content! All were great. Totally validated my reissues

[@haskitt]

Glad to hear it! Cheers!

[@casey17w]

Was that some old school PJ I heard there. Tasty links dude. Nice work on the vid. Thanks

[@haskitt]

thanks casey! I think someone else mentioned PJ... if I did it was accidental - which section was it??

[@SoftButReady]

@@haskitt I heard it too! The neck clean picking parts are reminiscent of Black

[@marcocardoni1970]

Great comparison. Thanks for taking the time to do this video. Thinking of pulling the trigger on a set of 2020 CuNiFe from Fender. Imho they come really close to the original. Though I also liked the sound of the Lollar Low Wind neck pickup....🤔

[@haskitt]

Yeah, agreed. Looks like I’m selling the Lollar low wind. Great pickup but I’ve been using the lollars for years and feel a change. Cheers!

[@-Atmos1]

72 T style guitar sounds awesome , I particularly like the attack of the Fender Humbuckers . Good demo .

[@boddumblues]

The original has more "air" than the others, very special sound. Great video! BTW I'm a big Alnico 4 fan when it comes to humbuckers, I like evenness of the eq. curve more than any other alnico magnet. FWIW

[@haskitt]

i don’t have much experience with A4, but I have combo of A4 and A2 in a p90 Bridge and really love it! Agree about that vintage WR…

[@voodoochild1975az]

Everyone's taste is different, but to my ears... the recent version Cunife sonded best, followed by 70's Cunife. Just got one of the second batch (21 Cunife I guess) and put it on my (MIM) Tele Custom.... I'm in love. 'Just a mexi' heheh... It has some of the prettiest straight grain alder I've seen... hard to find the seams even knowing where the are it was matched so well. Maple on neck has some quilting... and the fretboard is about the prettiest pau ferro I've ever seen. I put a tortoise pickgaurd on her, brass intonated saddles, RS Guitarworks pots and caps (with proper 500k for neck, why Fender puts 250k's on these neck pickups is baffling), and now Cunife Widerange neck. I have something special planned for bridge pickup soon. It might say Made in Mexico, but Ensenda knows what they are doing. The wood is fantastic, and the electronics are top shelf. It plays amazingly. Sounds incredible. With the upgrades and setup I've done, it's on par with my MIA '96 Lonestar Strat (which to be fair, needed no upgrades). The Lonestar is another story, it's the perfect Strat for me personally. And the Tele I've put together? It's the perfect Tele for me. I'd have to order from Custom Shop to get it's equivalent if I didn't trick this Mexi Classic series out myself. Side note... you have any idea how much sonic ground you can cover...WELL... with a good Fat Strat and Fat Tele? Those two guitars can get you through any electric gig you can imagine.

[@haskitt]

I'm a big fan of the MIM series guitars. I actually prefer the MIM standard profiles to USA standard (the discontinued ones).

[@michaelsablan8772]

Aloha Braddah, All I can say is….Beautiful guitar Brah! Mahalo nui loa for sharing….

[@slazper]

I own a squier CV tele custom. The factory pickup I just found to be extremely muddy and dull, couldn't adjust my way out of it. Then I got hold of a used Creamery WR and replaced the original. I can definitely hear that the quality of the Creamery pickup is better than the origianl squier one, but still very dark and muddy. Same issue you explained in the end that I had to use an extreme amount of treble to clear it up that the high strings was way too bright. And then due to my guitar has a single coil bridge that one is becoming even more trebly, way out of how it should sound. My best way at the moment has been to lower the WR and increase the height of the magnets to the extreme, but I know this is not the way it was supposed to be used. Just dont like the muddiness. Its so bad that Im in doubt whether the pickup is defective, but the output dont seem to be low, by ear at least. Now I wonder if I should invest in a 2020 Fender CuNiFe, but its expensive and I worry I will end with similar results. I would really like to love this guitar, as it was a gift, but currently I just dont enjoy it :(

[@etiquettemona]

They all sound wonderful. The Lollar low wind was a little bright though. Excellent demo!

[@2speedy4u22]

Great comparison. Hard to beat the 2020 fenders imo. IMO they Had a little more clarity than the Lollars at times but they all sounded good. Looking forward to your part 2!

[@deanallen927]

I agree, all great pickups, I did think the original WR just barely edged out the new one though, but not a dramatic difference. I'd take either of them.

[@ryanwalters8131]

To me the 2020’s were the only ones that sounded harsh. My favs were the lollars not low winds maybe I am biased because I have them in 5 guitars already haha

[@bobsanders8030]

Great demo. I like the arm relief on the guitar.

[@NOLNV1]

Damn all of them are close as hell, Fender really did deliver after so many years of faking their wide-rangers though! Those 2020s sound mighty fine, but I have to say none of the others are bad, even though they aren't made the exact same way! The Lollar low wound ones are especially great although I've never heard a lollar pickup I didn't like so quelle surprise, right?

[@haskitt]

Yeah love the new Fenders! Actually about to compare some of the fake MIM ones this week... Will be uploaded this coming Friday or next

[@MB-ur5zh]

Pretty nice to see that comparison, thanks for that. One year ago I stumbled over the history of those WRHB coincidentally, never noticed or heard them before. After reading the story and listening to some videos of them, I (GAS) decided to buy one original 70s, found a seller in the US, to put it in my 2010 Squier VM Tele Custom I, which is kind of a hybrid with the body and neck of the Custom and the hardware of the Deluxe. I also bought a new pickguard with that wider space for the WRHB. Then put it in the bridge and was blown away by the clarity and special sound. To match it with the neck I needed to buy the reissue MIM WRHB, but was not satisfied with that sound. It was definitely dull, compared to the original one. Not bad at all, but also not what I was expecting. Then I found a second one of those originals from one seller in Australia, which made me wait almost two months for shipping, but then finished the set in the squier. They definitely make the difference. I think they sound kind of scooped, with great bass response, sparkling highs and, to my ears, some smoother, bell like mids. I loved the sound of those WRHB so much, that I had to buy an original 1975 Tele Deluxe (which became my absolutely dream guitar to own). It sounds almost the same as the Squier, but you notice the better/older woods and the feel to play some real deal for sure ;) After all was done, I heard rumours about the new CuNiFe by Fender and was excited to hear them compared to the 70s. To me they sound a little different to the 70s, with less of that typical bell sound, but slightly more presence. Seems to be a great upgrade for those reissue Fenders. I'd love to see more of those videos.

[@haskitt]

So cool how so many people have a good story about how they got into WRHBs... So great you got a real '75! Someday I might. This week's video was a Blind Test, you might have fun with it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/omfIhn-IociBj7M Cheers!

[@MrReuno]

Not sure yet for the bridge one, but low wind for the neck is just perfect!

[@ThatHuskyisCrazy]

Guitar Fetish has Wide Range pickups. I have a Squire 72 Thinline 2 and I purchased a ceramic magnet version for the neck and and Alinico for the bridge but have not put them in yet. I paid $45 each for them.

[@ZachariahConnor]

Great comparison! I liked the playing and tones a lot! If you ever do another comparison, I'd love to hear the Mojotone WRHBs

[@haskitt]

Thanks! Yeah I'm very curious about the mojotones as well. I still haven't heard a coil split pair of wide ranges and I think they do that. Cheers!

[@ZachariahConnor]

@@haskitt I believe the Creamery also offers there's with a split as well

[@haskitt]

@@ZachariahConnor I think you're right... I had the Brandonwound that were splittable but I got a good offer selling them before I actually wired them to split.

[@jc6721]

My favorite was the Regular Regal’s. I don’t usually love Lollars although I would say that they are one of the most highly regarded of the boutique pickups out there. They were also probably the most PAF-ish of the bunch which also surprised me that that is what I would find the most pleasing in this group.

[@elwrongo]

Great video thanks!! So good to hear the reissue Fender Cunifes are very similar to 70s ones. Lollars very close too, good news. Creamery a bit boofy in low end. Lollar low winds nice but another thing altogether. I can vouch for the Curtis Novak ones too.

[@haskitt]

My feelings exactly! It’s funny, a lot of people heard the creamery as not being very muddy/boofy… I just couldn’t get what I wanted from that Pickup.

[@GoodmanRecordingsTokyo]

Wow Lollars. Great Beyond The Sea. I was really moved by that and forgot about the pickups.

[@haskitt]

Thank you! Glad you recognized it!

[@Dr.PhilipSkiba]

Great demo! What amp / speaker are you playing thru?

[@user-cq3oh8eq3n]

I'm surprised that Fender failed to nail the vibe of their own 70's era CuNiFe pickup. The reissue sounds mid-scooped and a bit harsh to me. It's even evident on the overdriven parts. I thought that both the Lollar and Creamery pickups sounded a closer to the original 70's, but still not quite the mid-rich warm sound of the original 70's. Your chord-melody playing is very good, Scott. Perfect for demo'ing these pickups. Unlike a lot of others' KZbin pickup demos, I feel like I can trust what I hear from your videos.

[@thomaszonkowski2115]

I have a 70s tele custom with the original CuNife in the neck. I bought it with out knowing there was a mystique around wide range. It was a guitar I was fasinated with scince I was a teenager. That neck sound blew my mind, microphonic is exactly the word to describe the quality. I'm ecstatic to here how the new CuNiFe really captures that sound as well as the Lollar Regals!!! The low wind collars and the Creamery sound a bit more aggressive

[@haskitt]

I love hearing stories like that. these pickups are so much their own thing, and so funny how they weren’t super appreciated in their time. I’m really having trouble deciding between the 2020 and my vintage one in the neck. Cheers!

[@richieryan2127]

I played a Tele Deluxe at a shop across from my HS here in PHX in 79 or 80. Into one of the Fender tube models. I can still hear that tone.😍 I have a Squire Tele Custom II P90 that I'd love to try some of these in.

[@TequilaRob]

Howdy Scott.....I enjoyed watching this...I've been down this road (partially)..I've only been able to demo the originals, the Regals, the MIM reissues and the MIJ reissues....the latter are not terrible but not quite in the class as the ones you've demo'd...Honestly, the only ones that, IMO, had a significant difference in tone were the Lollar Low wounds....they seemed to be a bit more open and less compressed......I've got 3 sets of the originals in parts casters...I had them all wax potted because they screamed like a little girl when a hit the pedal....I cant' say that some sounded significantly better than others...which is a testament to the the non originals.....well done sir...its hard to argue that one is better than the other... Another rabbit hole to go down with these is how they respond with 500k volume pots vs the 1 meg.....but thats a subject for another video..😁

[@musicroom98]

Thanks Scott - that video was very well done and looks like a ton of work! One of the new offerings on the wide range landscape are the Gemini Tone Rangers - built with cunife magnets. Have you checked them out?

[@haskitt]

I haven’t but they look super interesting. He’s really going for it, great winder.

[@musicroom98]

@@haskitt I used to have a set of 73 wide range pickups - sadly too young to know what I had. Just bought a set of Catwhiskers and they are very nice indeed. I own 2 other gemini pickups and knowing how great they sound - I would like hear the tone rangers from clean to od. Thanks Scott - appreciate your work.

[@mazdaz7422]

Fender 2020 pickups in both positions sound the best, clear, punchy and sensitive. I think the old fender pickups magnets are demagnetized a bit, so they generated lower output as well as shifted down eq from higher mid frequencies, have lost their touch sensitivity and openness. Thank you for this great comparison.

[@J.C...]

You came up with all that from compressed youtube audio? 🤣🤣🤣 You're full of it.

[@TheMrCull]

Think I liked the originals 70's the best. Lollar and Creamery sounded great too!!!

[@michaelrutigliano9479]

Love the video! Love the high gain sound too. What pedal are you using? My vote is for the originals or the 2020 reissues.

[@user-cq3oh8eq3n]

PS: Scott: You mentioned that you use a 1 meg volume pot and 500k tone. I'd personally do the reverse. The overall loading impedance will be about the same if you switch to 500k volume, 1 meg tone. The benefit: A 500k volume pot won't roll off as much of the highs as you turn volume down (the series resistance works against the cable capacitance to form a high-cut filter). Using 1 meg as a tone control won't have that effect.

[@larschristophersen4497]

Since I had my 2010 MIM Telecaster Deluxe "wide range humbuckers" rebuilt by a swedish pickup-maker, I no longer believe the cunife alloy is the most important factor. My pickups are now rewound, have a reflector plate and magnetized FeCrCo pole pieces. Thats the same alloy both Lollar and Creamery probably use (?). I say this since they (according to my luthier) both started making wide range pickups right after the chinese Sensmag factory began delivering FeCrCo to the market. This alloy resembles A2 magnets so they can be a thad stronger than CuNiFe. You have to take that into account when rewinding the pickup. I am not sure how my new pickups stand up to the new Fender Cunifes but I am very happy with them! They sure sound both brighter, more Fendery and more "musical" than the "fake" ones.

[@haskitt]

Yeah it came to my attention after making this that all the non CuNiFe that are legit mag poles are FeCrCo. So many great examples of true wide ranges

[@speckofdust21]

Best vid. Should be mandatory viewing for all tele 72 owners considering To switch pups

[@angusorvid8840]

Like P90s, filtertrons and gold foils, wide rangers are one of those everything-old-is-new-again alternatives to the standard buckers vs singles dichotomy.

[@danmiller7708]

Best sounding WRHB demo on youtube! Though, I'd love to hear a comparison with PAFs in a tele, using the same amp/mic setup.

[@vincentl.9469]

yes...in a way these p/ups with offset bass & treble poles are like a slanted neck pick up that you see on some electrics. good for some things...not for others

[@ziggyzipgun]

@@vincentl.9469 It's only cosmetic, since there are slugs under the cover.

[@vincentl.9469]

@@ziggyzipgun yes but..half are passive -correct ?

[@ziggyzipgun]

@@vincentl.9469 No, they all function the same. The screws allow a small amount of adjustment in terms of string balance, just like a regular Gibson PAF, but all screws and slugs are functioning the same all the time.

[@ziggyzipgun]

@@vincentl.9469 The only differences between these and a traditional humbucker are which poles you can adjust, and that the screws/slugs are the magnets, rather than being metal screws/slugs that have a magnet underneath.

[@demian113]

Thanks for the comparison! I was just mulling over the new Fender cunife set since they're available now. They all are very similar, but to my ear the 2020s are pretty darn close to the original. The low wind neck had a bit less low/low mids so more clarity although when used with the bridge I noticed a big volume drop compared to the other sets. All of them sound great, but I'd put those 2020s in my tele deluxe and I'd use the low wind neck in a different guitar if I was looking for clarity. Currently eyeing the Suhr Thornbuckers actually for my HH jazzmaster, but the low wind might work too

[@haskitt]

Yeah I was impressed/shocked at how similar they all sounded! The differences are of course significant, albeit in their nuanced way.

[@Dave_Stafford]

Thanks for this, difficult video to pull together.

[@haskitt]

Thanks for watching!

[@christophernoia5197]

I have a set of creamery baby 71’s for jazzmaster and love them. My middle pickup is a gold foil and I run that through the rhythm circuit. It’s a partscatser jazzmaster with an ash body and it gets very close to the 70s tele sound. I built it a few years ago before fender reissued the cunife and I really want to try them! Thanks for this comparison.

[@haskitt]

That is awesome! I've always wanted to run a middle pickup on a set of wide ranges. Seems like it should really be magical. What foil did you use? Glad you dug the comparison!

[@christophernoia5197]

@@haskitt I put a middle position supro single coil goldfoil

[@robcarter6599]

Excellent comparo! They are all excellent and I know tone is subjective. I’m torn between the 2020’s and the Regal regulars.

[@haskitt]

Those regal regulars have SO much character… just a little less definition on the low E than I’d like. Cheers!

[@cowboymusicstudio4911]

I like the Fender CuNiFe 70 Neck total balance on a melody type song, also liked the bold sound of the Fender Cu Ni Fe and the 20 B and to top it off the 2020 CuNiFe was great, good luck choosing.

[@haskitt]

Totally agree... Kept the 2020b and 70s neck for my solid body, or the 2020 neck in a hollow body to give it more articulation

[@bdogjr7779]

Well done《☆》👍😁I'm thinking about upgrading the pickups on a Donner Thinline $159 guitar. I'm heading over to check out your BrandonWound review☮✌

[@TheRyanM42]

Hi Scott, great comparison once again! I'm actually considering a Nash tele deluxe and wondering your thoughts on them since you mentioned one here? Curious as to why you went the route you did vs. a nash or other builder (open to suggestions)? I could grab an American pro 1 or 2 and replace the pickups with lollar, fralin, or cunife, plus work puts you right at the Nash range $ wise so that's what I'm debating. Thanks again, these videos make it so much easier for all of us at home trying to decide what to buy!

[@haskitt]

Hey Ryan, thanks! I do really love the Nash Deluxes, but the girth of the necks are a bit of a gamble, because Nash is essentially a parts builder who is really good at finding components that work well together. I'm super picky about neck specs, so I went with a warmoth build because I love a few of their profiles, also to have fun building it from parts and cut costs a bit... and I can swap anything without killing the value of the guitar! If it were between a nash and a fender I'd probably go nash, mostly because each of his seem like a unique instrument. Those fenders are SWEET though... can't go wrong with either option! Cheers, sounds like fun!

[@TheRyanM42]

@@haskitt thanks for the insight. Does warmoth do complete builds and finishing? Or just parts? With Nash you can get a medium c 10" radius which is close to my strat. My issue was the aging which i'm not a fan of, but they now offer an "extra light" version which looks good. I'm torn! It's also wild that you can build a guitar in the fender mod shop for $1,800 and not have the option to put CuNiFe '20s in. Also crazy they aren't in the american pro IIs (who wants a vmod ugh).

[@ironman1290]

Just bought the 2020 Cunife and I’m excited to install them on my Custom 72’ Reissue Fender Tele. Tell me what saddles do you have in your Warmouth Tele? My Tele is Mexican and I wanna install Wilkinson saddles, maybe but I’m unsure exactly which ones??? Superb video btw, thanks a million!!!

[@haskitt]

Thanks! I have a callaham Bridge with their compensated brass saddles - I’m a big fan of the compensated ones that compensate on the saddle itself rather than normal saddles being on a diagonal. I know they sell them separately, I’d probably just replace the whole ashtray but I assume the saddles would fit fine on the mim.

[@MarkusDiersbock]

Great video -- liked Fender 2020's the best!

[@haskitt]

Thanks! Cheers!

[@brownmonkeybananayellow]

Great vid. I have Lollar Regals on their way right now :). What song were you playing at 4:28? Thanks! Edit: La mere!

[@haskitt]

Ha yeah you got it! Somewhere Beyond The Sea… and thanks! Standard Regal Neck or low wind? Both are great, bigger difference than I’d imagined

[@brownmonkeybananayellow]

@@haskitt you know I’m not sure it’s coming with the Danocaster I bought. Love his guitars. I’ll see on Monday :)

[@philipbrister]

Loving my CuNiFe reissues in my ‘72 deluxe

[@micahmccuistion4457]

Great video! I would love to know the specs of the guitar itself.

[@poopypanysou812]

Thanks for this. IMHO the original CuNiFe's sounded the best. Dynamically, I think you played on the Lollars the best.

[@haskitt]

Ha, interesting - I’ll have to listen back with that in mind. I had the lollars for a long time, maybe subconsciously they felt the most natural.

[@PatricksBreastplate]

Clean I thought they had the best low end. I liked the new ones too.

[@indieairtonight3981]

Really great video. But even more important, where can I buy that neck???

[@haskitt]

Nice username! This is a warmoth snakehead roasted maple with Rosewood board. it was a custom order that they don’t offer on the site with the Rosewood board and vintage construction (7.25" radius). slight upcharge but still a relatively affordable neck because it doesn’t need a finish. honestly couldn’t be happier with it! Cheers

[@indieairtonight3981]

@@haskitt Thanks for the info! Wonderful neck!

[@drothberg3]

I really want to hear a side-by-side comparison of the Cunife pickups in the Fender American Original 2020 with the non-cunife wide-range in the 2020 Fender American Professional II. To my ear, the Fender American Professional II Tele Deluxe sounds damned good.

[@haskitt]

great suggestion... I haven't played those guitars or pickups.

[@ryanacree]

Have you heard or heard of the Madlove Wide Range Humbuckers? I have no affiliation. Just curious.

[@ricardoleandrooliveira9920]

i got a pair of telenator's in my tele and it's difficult to balance the pickups. If bridge is good than there's much low end in middle or neck, if bottom end is good in neck it usually gets harsh in bridge too.

[@gmuj]

Great job, for me I prefer the Fender 2020 neck position, It seems have a very good tone and well balanced between bass and treble middle just right amount and it have the punch... the others pickups some of them have more bass or more middle, like I said, the Fender 2020 is my favorite!, I already ordered one for my Squier black Telecaster classic vibe 70's I will swap the neck pickup. Thanks for the review

[@williamvann4305]

Thanks for all the time and effort putting together these comprehensive comparisons of WRHB pickups. I am curious about the Shaw version of these that came out in the Limited Edition Professional Series telecasters a while back (6-7 years?). How are they constructed and how do they sound? I've heard mixed reviews, but the sound pretty good to my ears over KZbin videos. Thanks in advance for any enlightenment you can provide. And thanks again for the extensive research. P.S.: I agree with your opinion that the original Fender CuNiFe sounds better than the reissue. I believe wax potting dampens the voicing of most pickups, especially paf reissues. (Those are the only ones I can speak to from personal experience.)

[@haskitt]

hi william, I don't think I have played the shaw version of these... were they full size wide range with 4 mounting screws or the ones with 2 screws on one side and one on the other?

[@williamvann4305]

@@haskitt The Shaws have the 3 adjusting screws and having looked at them again, would appear to be standard HB size. So, they probably don't have magnetic pole pieces either I would guess.

[@ChrisOBrienMusic]

preferred the vintage... it just sounds better to me... don't love the higher output versions...

[@haskitt]

That vintage is very special… still have it!

[@ryanacree]

The new Fender 2020 CuNiFe did sound "tighter", but that is probably more likely to stronger magnetism. If you got the old CuNiFe re-magnetized, then it would sound closer. Although I am not advocating for that. There is a tone to the magnet because of the magnet strength as you say, because they have different hysteresis curves, just like different tape formulations can sound different. But all magnets lose magnetism over time and that kind of becomes the sound and why even Seymour Duncan and others have made pickups that are slightly under full magnetized to get that more antique sound.

[@haskitt]

The Vintage Cunife was restored and re-magnetized before I bought it. I think I remember that it read a little lower in Resistance. Could’ve been a few other things but who knows

[@ryanacree]

Yes @haskitt, fewer winds could also be part of it.

[@paul-franz]

Hi! Thanks for the vid!! I bought the Fender cunifes after watching : ) Do you know if you can do a coil split with the Fender cunife because there are only two wires. And if so do you maybe have a schematic or a linkt to one?

[@haskitt]

I’m sure you can, but you’d have to take apart the pickup to do it and I don’t know how accessible the coil ends are. Sorry I can’t be more help!

[@paul-franz]

@@haskitt Ok, well then I guess I let them as they are and take the Tele when I need single coils : ) Thanks Scott

[@brookchivell]

Hey Thanks for a really helpful A/B etc I guess it all depends on what style of music you’re playing. That regular wound Regal with gain just sits so well in a country/rock band mix. I love them (also I enjoyed it the most of all your gainy tones in the bridge position).

[@haskitt]

Yeah that regal Bridge cuts mean!

[@andyfeldman2590]

​ @Scott Haskitt I'm in a similar position. Several years ago I had put a pair of the Lollar Regals in my FSR AVRI Tele Deluxe (before these Cunife 2020s and before even the Low wind Regals existed, and I love the Regals so much. That guitar became my number 2. Now.... what I originally wanted is possible... getting actual Fender Cunife pickups (albeit the 2020) into that guitar. Only thing is (besides $400) I LOVE the Lollars! Do I risk purchasing the new Cunife Fenders and replacing them into that Telecaster, or just leave well enough alone and stick with the Lollars? I'm almost thinking of buying ANOTHER guitar just for the Cunifes, exactly what I don't need... another guitar. HELP!

[@brookchivell]

@@andyfeldman2590 do what I would do. Buy another guitar and put the fender CuNiFe pickups in it, tell yourself you’ll keep the one you like the best..... then end up keeping both lol. You know that’s the only way this ends lol

[@andyfeldman2590]

​@@brookchivell Haha! I'm afraid that is exactly what will happen. I do have a Tele (fully solid) that I could have routed out to fit the Cunifes, but I'd prefer a Thinline to put the Cunifes in. My other Thinline is a 69 which I can't see routing out. I've seen some Custom Shop Telecasters with the new Cunifes. If I can find an ideal one (color, weight, ash or alder) I might go that route. I've ten Telecasters... eleven is just getting crazy.

[@brookchivell]

@@andyfeldman2590 I feel your pain believe me but honestly is there really a ‘too many teles’ number 😂

[@fdhal87wn]

Hey Scott, thank you for a great demo! I feel the same with your conclusions. Also, being used live and recorded guitars with WR humbuckers iu realized how different they are with different types of guitar combos/guitar amp simulators. Maybe i missed something but what was your amp/recoding gear, microphone (or processor) in your demo? That's really important to make my own final conclusion. Thank you!

[@haskitt]

Hey, thanks and glad you found it helpful! The tones on this were kind of scattered between several different setups. Most of them were UA amps… the clean stuff was the UA Marshall bluesbreaker plug-in with the UA RAW (Rat clone) plug-in before it to brighten things up. Distorted tones were the suhr pt100 and Fuchs train II plugins… I may have used some Logic amp plugs too.

[@fdhal87wn]

@@haskittThank you for your detailed explanations. I can to say that your sound on this demo is absolutely organic and in my experience it's not as easy to make a clean sound good and full as distorted sound with digital processors, plug-ins or other virtual amplifications and emulators. Great job!

[@BushidoPhoto]

It sounds like you need a TV Jones Magnatron in the neck.

[@Scaredycat-dad]

I just purchased a Fender American Professional 2 Tele in roasted pine. I went with that because of neck and shoulder issues so the lighter the better. I am about to put one of the Fender wide range cunife humbuckers you demonstrated in the neck and for now I’m going to leave the bridge pick up alone. I’m putting a stacked 500/250 K pot in the volume. I wasn’t sure if I should leave The 250 K pot in the tone alone or or maybe move up to a 300 K. Let me know if you have any thoughts good or bad. I haven’t done it yet. I would just get the original 70s Tele but I’m afraid it would be 8 pounds or more. The one I bought is just over 7 pounds and for me it makes a difference.

[@haskitt]

I totally get it about lightweight guitars. The body is weight relieved on this guitar, Swiss cheese style under the pickguard. So yeah, good question… In my experience the resistance of the volume pot matters the most. I prefer one Meg on these, but everybody’s going for something different, could be fine! Good luck, curious to hear how it goes!

[@randallabracadabra]

70's and Lollar Low Wind sound like the best Neck Pickups to me. Lollar Bridge ftw

[@haskitt]

yeah retrosopectively the lollar really sounds special among these, even thought they all sound great.

[@andyfeldman2590]

Several years ago I had put a pair of the Lollar Regals in my FSR AVRI Tele Deluxe (before these Cunife 2020s and before even the Low wind Regals existed,) and I love the Regals so much. That guitar became my number 2. Now.... what I originally wanted is possible... getting actual Fender Cunife pickups (albeit the 2020) into that guitar. Only thing is (besides $400) I LOVE the Lollars! Do I risk purchasing the new Cunife Fenders and replacing them into that Telecaster, or just leave well enough alone and stick with the Lollars? I'm almost thinking of buying ANOTHER guitar just for the Cunifes, exactly what I don't need... another guitar. And as much as I appreciate these videos, you can't really tell until you are playing, with the pick between your fingers. HELP!

[@haskitt]

Is there anything specific you’re not happy with on the lollars? If you’re happy with them I wouldn’t do the swap. Maybe slightly lower output on both Fender pickups, and slightly less bass/low mid. I miss the lollar Bridge, honestly. Less bass/low mid on the Fender neck was a plus for me.

[@andyfeldman2590]

@@haskitt I can’t see removing the Lollars. I’ll looks for either a guitar that will take the Cunifes, or find one that has the new Cunife 2020 pickups already installed.

[@haskitt]

@@andyfeldman2590 nothing wrong with that!

[@andyfeldman2590]

@@haskitt I scored a Vintera Tele Deluxe and have a pair of the new CuNiFe Fender pickups coming any day now. The overall quality on the Mexican made Vintera guitar is not too bad, but I haven’t looked at any of the wiring. I’m guessing when putting the new CuNiFe pickups in I should probably have the guitar components and wire upgraded to American quality. My question is where to start on pots. I want that 70’s “dirt with definition” that I hear on original CuNiFes and the great new reissues. I’m afraid 1meg might be too bright. I typically use both pickups together on my Telecasters, but with a pair of humbuckers it’s hard to say. My American 72 Thinline AVRI-FSR with Lollars sounds incredible and I did not want to touch anything on it. This Vintera was purchased just so I can enjoy the CuNiFe thing, and have that sound/vibe available in my studio. Can you offer any help or advise on the pot values I should start at? (I’m having a tech wire this up so I dont have as much opportunity to experiment.)

[@lafemmeparallel]

Great review! Are the 2020 cunife the ones that come in the tele deluxe vintera road worn series? Or are they different?

[@haskitt]

Vintera deluxes have their own line of wide ranges... they're quite different but pretty cool!

[@lafemmeparallel]

@@haskitt thank you, i did a bit of reading and now i know the difference, thanks

[@johngonzales8224]

so why was the bridge position missing the creamery. that's the one I was most interested in this comparison?

[@haskitt]

I buy most of the pickups I review used… especially creamery since the wait is so long from the UK. I got lucky finding the neck!

[@uzieleliud]

Quiere decir que las cápsulas Fender wide Ranger cunife 2020 no es iman cunife realmente?

[@ecantalk]

I recently bought a Titan KR-1 with Lollar Regals and man, they’re LOUD and powerful. I had to turn the volume up on my fuzzes and drive pedal as there was a significant volume drop compared to the clean tone when they were activated. I also had to turn the gain down on that same drive. To my ears, they are bit more pokey(?) and aggressive compared to the 2020 CuNiFe pickups. Thanks to your video, I’ve ordered them.

[@haskitt]

I actually found the fenders to be a little more "pokey" than the lollars... lollars seemed a bit warmer to me. but, we're all looking in different corners of the same room! Cheers

[@ecantalk]

@@haskitt Yeah, now that I have them, I can hear a difference in the treble response. It’s nothing a couple of screw turns couldn’t fix though. 😎 Your “spongy” description was spot on! I love the cleans and they take fuzz like a champ! Thanks for doing the work, sir!

[@ggvbeer4339]

we need a comparison: any Wide Range humbucker VS. Danny Gatton (Joe Barden)

[@haskitt]

Interesting idea, though from what I remember of those, they sound drastically different from a wide range humbucker. As they should… they sense a significantly smaller portion of the string.

[@JacobChoiGuitarBunker]

6:34 6:41 9:41

[@hustlinc3540]

Creamery sounds a bit muddy. How is that possible?

[@pavil58yt]

I wonder if anyone has tried mixing magnets/pole pieces within a pickup. Say three of the CuNiFe pole pieces for the lower octave strings and the AlNiCo for the three treble strings? Or vise versa. All of the pickups sounded good to me and I would almost bet it would come down to what sounds good to the person playing.

[@sidestyle05]

I think Curtis Novak is using FeCrCo in his WRHB.

[@haskitt]

Interesting! I had his regular bucker size with wide range guts and it was cool but not quite there. I’ve been curious about his wide range

[@stewarttomkinson3356]

I like Alnaco 2 pickups

[@tomduckworth8335]

If we are trying to get close to the Fender 70s the 2020 fenders were good but the low wind Lollars were very nice too. Didn’t really think the other alnico V magnet pickups worked for me warmer and rounder sounding more like a regular humbucker. The 70s Fenders had the most character the 2020 Fenders were almost there just a bit smoother and warmer. I think if I was building I would go with the 2020 Fenders just to keep the same magnets.

[@Daniel3NT]

Did you try Shawbucker that they put in Telecaster Deluxe these days? Its Alnico II, not exactly the same but you might like it. Also, regarding your unbalanced string tone problem, did you try old-school all nickel "rock and roll" strings? They are bit less snappy but much better balanced.

[@haskitt]

I haven’t tried the newer shawbuckers… Good suggestion! I really love the fender Cunife reissues and the vintage. I am pure nickel strings all the way… I haven’t used anything else for years (dr pure blues).

[@blahblah7381]

​@@haskitt Shaw explained in some interview that 3+3 screws design is what causes that unbalance: "the treble strings are largely being sensed at different points along the scale length than they would have been in a traditional six-hole cover"

[@haskitt]

Interesting, I'd love to read/see what else he had to say. because they have 12 mag poles, so then theoretically if you lower the 3 on the bass side closest to the neck and the 3 on the treble side closest to the bridge, should be able to even them out EQ wise... some models are even able to be adjusted underneath on the non-showing poles. I've never been able to totally alleviate the issue, so I attribute it to some other part of the construction. Kinda accepted it as a good/challenging limitation... Makes me play a little differently!

[@markferguson3745]

Right away, on just the cleans, I'm hearing a significant diff beween the Fender and others.There remains some of the characteristic high/low separation, especially on the Low Wind, - but the cunife sounds more single coil and undistorted.This makes that otiginal design killer when distorted or square clipped.For my money, either way you cut it, the lower the output, the better for most purposes; the 7k & change is the go to number.

[@michaelsablan8772]

Eh Brah…..An equalizer pedal or two might help to shape the two opposing strings(the base or trebles)when you get it where you like it. This is in reference to your closing comments on the CuNiFe pickups. Mahalo nui loa for sharing your time on

[@haskitt]

I’ve tried all kinds of EQ, and I really prefer getting the sound I want right off the bat and letting EQ do less corrective work and more stylistic work. Cheers!

[@2speedy4u22]

Curious if you’ve done much experimenting with pots and the fender cunifes. I know fender historically used 1 Meg pots but are now using 500 meg pots with the cunife reissues. Have you tried both and have any observations between the two? Just wondering what I should be using for my upcoming install.

[@haskitt]

I haven’t really experimented with 500k on any of the wide ranges (Cunife rods or Alnico rods), but I suspect it might be nice on the bridge as I often roll off a little on the bridge tone knob. For middle position I really like the tones all the way up though, so it’s nice having 1 Meg on both.

[@poptweaker]

@@haskitt so it’s 1meg vol and 500k tone? Cap, .22?

[@monkus747]

Scott Haskitt, I am asking your advice. I have the Lollar Regals in a tele. I did go with the Lollar low wind in the neck. I was considering switching the bridge pickup only. In your opinion, how would the match be if I used the Lollar Regal Low Wind in the neck, and a new Fender 2020 CuNiFe in the bridge? Thank you in advance. Clay

[@haskitt]

Hi clay, I think the output situation would be great! I don’t now if they’d be in Phase, though. I don’t think either pick up is set from the factory with the ability to flip the phase. You should hit up Gemini pick ups… He would custom make you a CuNiFe Bridge that would definitely work with the lollar.

[@markgrimm3564]

are the new CuNiFe made of the orginal material form the 70's pickups

[@haskitt]

Yes… the pole screws are made of the same Copper, Nickel and Iron alloy magnets!

[@jeremycrutchley4740]

Very thorough and enlightening comparison, thanks Scott! Much as I like the Fender 20's ( I doubt I'll be getting an originall!) I feel the Lollar Low Wind has been under-praised as it really stands out and is noticeably more responsive and musical to my ear - I was glad you included this in your selection as I've read very few other supporting comments for it. Could that be because it may perceived as having a slightly more individual tone, differing from the original? I felt it truly lived up to the 'Wide Range' feel (eeven mystique) and complemented the other bridge p-ups probably the best, bringing out a fuller more ringing sound in combinations, and alone had a certain resonance that others seemed to lack to the same degree. I have other Lollar pickups, Goldfoils, and they are amazing alive too (backing up NOLNV's comment re the maker!). The Creamery I felt were rather disappointing. Having said that, I also quite keen on the Fender 20's Cunife. I'm presently also conjuring a personal Tele '72 Deluxe combo design so I appreciate your experience and your playing here. All very helpful!

[@haskitt]

Hey Jeremy - I agree, that Low Wind Lollar is a fantastic pickup and really stands out. I had the Regular winds in my guitar for almost a year, and the low wind for 2 years. I was just ready for a change and honestly missed the slightly higher wind sound, and I feel like the wide range character goes away a little when the wind is lower, though the low wind totally presents as a wide range. I do feel like the weaker Cunife magnets make for a slightly more spongy response which I love, so I'm digging the Fenders at the moment. Cheers and have fun with the build!

[@3l84r70]

I found the lollars a bit more punchy, I don't thing it would anything to write home about on a mix or a gig. Get what you can afford would be my advice. Either way the result would be a great sounding guitar. Edit: Really nice playing BTW. and cool video and good comparison. Thank you for sharing this.

[@williammunny9756]

Really enjoyed demo - well done. 2020 cunife neck nice punch, vintage cunife's nice overall balance. Creamery close 2nd. Lollars sounded thin and under-powered; a bit hollow.

[@haskitt]

Interesting, all the lollars sounded thin to you or just the low Wind? The regular Wind are THICK! Probably moreso than the CuNiFe.

[@thebreakfastmenu]

The originals take the cake for me. Maybe the age has something to do with the sound, but they're got just a bit more clarity than the new ones, without losing any of the beef. All the others were decent enough sounding. The low wind ones sounded too much like a split humbucker to my ears. And the Creamery's were a bit too Gibson-y sounding to me. Cunife is the only way to go for WH pickups in my opinion.