|
Testimonials Artists Playing David
Allen Pickups TelecasterPickups Colt 51 set Justin Derrico (Pink, The Voice) Doug Seven Roger Coleman (Lead Guitar,
Justin Moore) Specials set Gilby Clarke (GNR, Kings of
Chaos) Jason Jordan (Nashville Studio Artist, Love and Theft) Adam Shoenfeld (Session
Guitarist-Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, on Tour with Tim McGraw) Patrick Thompson (Guitarist Rend
Collective) Fat 59 set Pat Buchanan (Nashville Session
Guitarist) Andy David (The Band Perry) Cheetahs set Andy David (The Band Perry) Ben Helson (Maddie and Tae) Jason Jordan (Nashville Session Artist, Love and Theft) Keith Urban Sean Hurwitz (Smash Mouth,
Enrique Inglesias) Allen 53 set Brad Paisley Justin Derrico (Pink, The Voice,
Tori Kelly) Andy Andersson (FUEL, Black
Robot) Paul Jackson (Blackberry Smoke) TriplePlay John Osborne (Osborne Brothers) Single Coil “S” Style pickups TexasFlood set Charles English (Alabama) Rudy Paris Adam Shoenfeld (Session
Guitarist-Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, on Tour with Tim McGraw) Justin Derrico (Pink, The Voice) Tru 54 set Josh Henson (Guitarist Kelly
Pickler) Kerry Marx Richard Young (Kentucky
Headhunters) Tru 62 set Adam Shoenfeld (Session
Guitarist-Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, on Tour with Tim McGraw) Ben Helson (Maddie and Tae) 60’s RocknBlues set Tyrone Carreker (Guitarist Sam Hunt) Dover set Melissa Etheridge Adam Shoenfeld (Session
Guitarist-Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, on Tour with Tim McGraw) David Lapsley (Kip Moore and the
Slow Hearts) Tyler Chiarelli (Tour guitarist
for Florida Georgia Line) Humbuckers Tru 59 PAF set Derek St. Holmes (Whitford St.
Holmes, Ted Nugent) Bart Walker (Royal Southern
Brotherhood) Adam Browder (Kip Moore and the
Slow Hearts) Charles English (Alabama) Chris LaCorte (Dustin Lynch) POWERAGE set Kip Moore Ryan Roxy (Alice Cooper) Stevie D (Buckcherry) Clint May (Cole Swindell) HellCat Set Billy Morisson (Guitarist Billy
Idol) Jack Frost (Seven Witches) P-51 Mustang set Matt Scannell (Vertical Horizons) Adam Shoenfeld (Session
Guitarist-Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, on Tour with Tim McGraw) Andy David (The Band Perry) Jason Jordan (Nashville Session Artist, Love and Theft) Chris LaCorte (Dustin Lynch) Mitchell Curtis (Dustin Lynch) Ricky Tillo (Lady GaGa) Kirk McKim (Pat Travers Band) Rudy Paris Charles English (Alabama) Clint May (ColeSwindell) Joel Hutsell (Cole Swindell) Tyrone Carreker (Sam Hunt) Tyrone Carreker (Sam Hunt) Brian Baker (Bad Religion) Adam Browder (Kip Moore and the Slow Hearts) Andy Andersson (FUEL, Black Robot) Andy Davis (The Band Perry) Sean Hurwitz (Smash Mouth, Enrique Inglesias) Kirk McKim (Pat Travers Band) Adam Shoenfeld (Session
Guitarist Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, on tour with Tim McGraw) Andy Davis (The Band Perry) Kip Moore Matt Scannell (vertical horizons) Sean Hurwitz
(Smash Mouth, Enrique Inglesias) Bart Walker (Royal Southern
Brotherhood) Tyrone Carreker (Guitarist Sam Hunt, Blues
Artist Nashville 2013) Tom Abraham review of the DAllen P90 CoolCats Tom was FOH for Alice in Chains, Marilyn Manson, Metallica, Garbage, Shakira, and Now with Keith Urban I have owned a 1977 Ebony Pro Deluxe for a number of years. Ya know - the standard with P90's and the ebony neck. I always kept it because it played great and looked great. But I never played it much because it just never sounded much like anything. Really dead sounding - no life - no attack....nothing close to classic P90 chunk. The original Gibson pickups were terrible - so noisy, microphonic and lifeless. The next try was Seymour Duncans - still dead and lifeless. Really started to believe my lovely axe was a dud in terms of wood. Next try was 2 different sets of DiMarzios - both single coils and P90 sized humbuckers. Same results -- dead and dull. None of that great P90 chunk and top end attack and 'life and air' I wanted to hear. 4 sets of pickups later, I put it back in its case in the "collector" pile, where it sat for many months. Chris gave me a set of your pickups to try. I had low-to-no expectations due to my previous attempts. I put a set of 60's Cool Cats put in my "troublemaker" LP. Plugged it into a JTM45 clone - and there it was! All the depth, chunk, air and responsiveness I always envisioned this guitar should have. I picked lightly, and it was clean and belly - I picked hard and it was Malcom Young with my pant legs flapping. I rolled back the volume and there was no muffled tone - clean and clear. The Cool Cats took the guitar out of the case and it now lives on the kwik-grab stand right next to the amp as it has become the go to heavy rhythm guitar for virtually anything -- distorted or clean. Great job D. Allen pickups - you made my old LP better than when it was new. 69 VooDoo’s Well I have been playing them for the past three hours, tinkering with height etc. IMO I love em! They are wonderful sounding & working things. The stagger is nice , a little different than vintage . The string spacing is also which makes for a nice , strings passing over the mag. thing!!. Even in the CV with 2 1/16th. They capture the essence of what a good pickup for that era is .Strong clear thinish non over powering Bass, clear mids and highs with no harsh icepick . Even when tone and volume dimed. Cept if in ya pound on the strings over the bridge in Pos.#1. None of the pups are micro-phonic, all sound great with my amps cranked (saturated) .They give me just the right amount of thick OD through my 5e3 cranked without getting too muddy . Which made for a nice woman tone! They are very well balanced have a nice swirl to them , great woody tone . The 2 & 4, though they are Hum Cancelling , sound less muddy (2 mainly) then any other pickups I have had, and the quack is fantastic. Mid. pup alone nails the Anson Funderburg thang! So I am sold. LOL As I say they do have that character going on ,but at the same time they have something unique that I can not put into words, like they got more soul I guess. They are very pick sensitive which means all kinds of tones roll out of your guitar just by varying attack and hand pos. I am starting to come to a loss of words on what I think of them. So in closing I will say if you want something great and a little different get some. They are unique IMO also the stuff about them being quieter than others is correct .They are noticeably so as compared to CS Fender or 57/62 etc. Fenson Strat- Talk Canada 3/2011 P Bass 1088’s "I am really digging the P bass pickup from D.Allen. There is a wonderfully focused low-end heftiness that sits well against a kick drum and the top end is much more open than some other passive offerings. All in all a very versatile pickup." -- Sean O'Bryan Smith, --solo artist, producer, session bassist 60's RocknBlues A good friend of mine had been singing the praises of David's pickups & after taking a set of CS 54s out for a spin I had to admit I liked what I heard. I went to the website, & decided on the CS JM 60s Rock n Blues set. I installed them in a alder bodied, rw fingerboard Strat I had. I was floored. Meaty tone, great string to string definition, a rich varied tone palette..... and roll back the volume, clean, sparkle-y chime, without any of that pesky nasally thinness. Impressive, very impressive. After running through the positions on my 5 way few times, I found myself returning to the number 2 position. Massive quack, kind of compressed sounding, but still full & lavish. I love these pickups & now believe that my pals had a bit of a flair for understatement. If you're a fan of the 60s Strat sounds, I suggest you give these pickups a try. Your ears will thank you for it. You could spend more money, you're not going to find more (or sweeter) tone. LeOtis Duvalier Austin Blues SSS These are the finest sounding pickups I have ever purchased. Being a tone nut I've tried a few too! (Lollars, Kleins, Fralins, & more). These just are very musical sounding pickups. The tones are well defined & crisp. They do have that Texas blues thing down, but they clean up to some of the clearest pups I've ever tried. The best part is they are bone quiet! No hum at all. They go from deep clear bass, thick mids, to sparkling highs without the "icepick in the ear" feeling. Not simply a clone of a Texas Special, but a tone all it's own. David is a real human also, & a pleasure to deal with. Get a set for yourself, you won't regret it!!! Rick Mansfield 60’S RnB’S I was looking for a set of pickups to get me most of the way to John's tone and was not prepared to spend 500 or more on a set of "big dippers" I took a shot on these after hearing David's CS 60's RnB's and with some skepticism I ordered and installed them in my CV 60's Squire Strat. I was MORE than presently surprised, I was blown away! These are the real deal for a very sweet price. I have a sound clip I can share so YOU can be the judge! http://chirb.it/wp/ykOOAE Harry (JRguitar) Austin Blues Quiet…No Hum…Full warm round tone…. From Artist Steve White at the Nashville Summer NAMM 2010 www.SteveWhiteBlues.com RnB’s CS 69 VooDoo’s These are the real deal. You are going to make me get my strat back out again! Artist Denny Jiosa http://www.dennyjiosa.com/homepage/home/index.html 69Voodoos - These are the first set of pickups I played from D. Allen and instantly changed my view of the classic word, "tone"! These pickups take you straight back to the Hendrix era with its well balance of punch, clarity and snap, while covering a variety of genres! If you're looking for the sound you hear by the mere word "stratocaster," look no further...the CS VooDoos are what a strat is "supposed" to sound like! I recommend these to everyone! - William A. CS Austin Blues (HSS) - The Custom Shop Austin Blues are by far my favorite set to play! It's everything from from mild-mannered blues and jazz to classic and aggressive rock! I can go from the meanest riffs in the bridge to rhythmic heaven in the neck with plenty of stops to bliss in between! All with a fat punch and quick response that leaves me in awe with every note! In the studio or an stage, they will set the TONE for any situation! - William A. William Anthony www.myspace.com/williamamusic D. Allen pickups - Holy Toledo!!! S JM RocknBlues ________________________________________ I just put a set of D. Allen's pickups in one of my strats this evening and i am BLOWN AWAY by the sound. none of my guitars have ever sounded this fantastic. I've put Toneriders in my guitars. I've put GFS. I've put Fender Tex-Mex. let me tell you, the D. Allen pickups are in another universe. i will be ordering another set very soon. and i will post sound clips tomorrow. Peskypesky from Strat-talk.com just recorded some rough clips. clean Chirbit | Share audio easily | peskypesky | ... distorted Chirbit - D_Allen_pickups_overdriven - peskypesky - share audio easily Jazz Chirbit - D. Allen pickup sounclip Sugar01b - peskypesky - share audio easily Chirbit - D. Allen pickup soundclip Sugar01a - peskypesky - share audio easily and here's a long clip of me jamming with them. you can really hear their crystal clarity: Chirbit - D Allen pickups soundclip long jazzy jam - peskypesky - share audio easily Peskypesky D. Allen Pickups CS JM RocknBlues ________________________________________ I installed a set of D. Allen pickups in my CV 50 strat today.Shortly after reading about and hearing his clips of the pickups, I emailed D. Allen and he hooked me up with a set. So here is what I found out, they sound good thru my fender amp and scream thru my Mesa Boogie Mark V. 4 0f the 5 settings on the 5 way switch are to die for tone wise. I will have to tinker with the pickup height on the neck position later, I think I have it set to low and once I dial it in, wham! I will have the total package. Thank You, Peskypesky for turning me on to a wonderful pickup maker. Thank You, D. Allen for making my CV 50 Scream the Blues just like it should. SevvyCat from Strat-Talk.com 69 VooDoo’s Now that I have spend a few weeks with the CS 69 Vodoo's, I have to agree they are boutique quality. The richness and complexity of the tone makes the GFS Grey Bottoms sound more on the sterile side. I have had a few of the local players try them out as well. So far, nothing but good things to say about them including positive comments on tone quality and how quiet they are. One of my regular customers (see Green Genie and ES-137 Custom on the guitar pro shop page of www.turnstyleswitch.com) might be interested in using some of your pickups in a future project. I see you have your website up now. Looks good! Thanks Michael www.turnstyleswitch.com D.Allen Pickups – Review Posted on June 6th, 2011 by Will Kelly http://www.robbiecalvoguitar.com/blog/d-allen-pickups-review/ I build pickups, too …You’ll notice I said “too”. Once in a great while a craftsman discovers someone else who shares similar interests, but is also “head and shoulders” above the rest in talent. David Allen is such an artist. I really mean “artist”, because he takes the basic components of pickup construction and takes them to another level of performance and tone. I am jealous, but not bitter. It’s refreshing to see someone really excel at their chosen livelihood. D.Allen Pickups are based upon two premises: the first is, “be true to vintage specifications” and the second is, “but with a twist”. You can order most sets of D.Allen pickups with either vintage windings and output or tweaked versions that are slightly ‘hotter’ and more ‘modern’ in tone. But rest assured that either way you’ll be getting a handmade, custom wound pickup that has clarity, detail and tone for days! I recently had the opportunity to evaluate some of David Allen’s finest creations and came away with some strong, favorable impressions. My good buddy the Nashville Super Picker, Johnny Hiland, let me know he was working with David on some new pickup models. Johnny is legally blind; consequently he has some of the BEST ears in the business! He can simply hear things that most of us can’t. I trust his opinions implicitly when it comes to tone, so when Johnny introduced me to David Allen and arranged for some sample sets to be sent to my shop for evaluation, I was stoked. I’m writing a new book for Voyageur Press on how to build an Electric Guitar, and David’s pickups will be a great addition to the section on customizing electronics. D.Allen Strat PickupsThe first set I tried was for Strat style guitars. This set’s nickname was “JohnnyCats”, being Johnny Hiland’s prototype pickups. They really captured the vintage Strat chime, quack and piano like tones, but still have enough power in the bridge position to drive an amp when picked hard. The neck pickup was based around a genuine ‘54 Strat neck pickup, but made with some custom materials that add dimension. The middle pickup had similar influences from a ‘59 Strat pickup, but was RWRP (Reverse Wound, Reverse Polarity) for quiet operation in the 2 and 4 positions. The bridge was designed to balance volume-wise with the rest of the set, especially when changing from the neck position to the bridge pickup. This is an extremely flexible set that handles many types D.Allen Pickups Strat Installand styles of music but still always manages to sound like a Strat. David uses high quality, hand-beveled alnico magnets, USA-made ‘push back’ cloth hookup wire and real fiber flat work. A special scatter wind technique, a unique wax potting process, and lacquer dipped hand-built bobbins all add up to superior build quality. I especially liked the fact that each pickup coil is fabric taped to protect the delicate-build wire assemblies. You just can’t buy a more authentic, better made and superior sounding pickups for your Stratocaster than these. D.Allen Cheetahs The next set of pickups I was anxious to get my hands on were for Telecaster style guitars. Johnny Hiland is known throughout the industry as a ‘chicken picker’ and the Tele is his home turf, so I was especially hoping these were going to be good. And they were! This set was designed to bring clarity, and great note definition. There’s a responsiveness that allows you to produce different tones simply by changing your pick attack angle. David D.Allen Tele Installuses an extremely thin nickel silver cover to help the magnets interact better with the strings. These are wound hotter than vintage specs to really balance well with the bigger sounding bridge. The bridge pickup is also wound a bit hotter so that it drives the amp better, but not so hot that it loses tonal range and definition. These are great examples of some of the best vintage Tele pickups around with a Nashville ‘super picker’s’ best recommendation behind ‘em! D.Allen Humbucker SetTake it from me, humbuckers are some of the most difficult pickup sets to build. All of David Allen’s pickups are handmade in his shop by the man himself, so I really wanted to see a true craftsman’s work with this set, P-51 Mustang. D.Allen Humbucker Install They’re wound like an extremely articulate late 50’s vintage ‘PAF’ with lower output but producing a tone that plays and sounds much hotter (think Van Halen I and II). They’ll play snappy or soft depending on your pick attack. The bridge seemed to be designed to balance better with the neck; it’s hotter but still keeps the widest tonal range possible. I really liked the fact that this set plays so smoothly with gorgeous glassy highs, and without getting brittle or harsh in the process. D.Allen P90 InstallI’m a huge P-90 fan. The problem is that for most of us they’re a bit ‘harsh’ in the midrange, and sometimes unmercifully noisy thanks to 60 cycle hum. Not only do I think D.Allen resolved these issues, he’s improved the format to boot. David’s “CoolCats” were inspired by some really great, early 1960’s P-90’s. But David uses a hand built bobbin carved from real maple wood and deploys Alnico 5 magnets to add the crunch we all expect from a great P-90 of the era. I really found that this pickup can bark and play dirty just like you’d want, but still cleans up really well. These were wound to 8.68 ohms, so they’re a little bit hotter to bring back that period tone with a little extra balls. D.Allen PickupsD. Allen pickups are handmade interpretations of the best in classic electric guitar tones, but with a modern ‘twist’ to them. David takes the best of vintage and adds modern enhancements that don’t detract from what we all love about vintage guitars, but adds to that with taste and tone. Price-wise, these are mid-range replacements, well worth the money. You can go to DallenPickups.com to check out his wide array of pickups, and feel free to write David directly if you have any specific questions about his products. He’s a small operation, and he’s invested his heart and soul in to providing the best upgrades in the pickup market to average players like you and me! |