Ash at Oil City answers pickup questions:

60cycles

Got me a Japanese FGN made at the Ibanez factory, with the same humbucking pickups the old Ibanez Artists had on them.
They're a healthy mix of bluesy low output mellow and typical jazzy(tm) tonality/sensitivity. I know they're Alnico, but i haven't taken them apart to tell you which type. Can also measure them for you if we get to that point.

Was wondering what you'd recommend if:
1) i wanted something along the same lines only better(tm)
2) i was after the cleanest, most faithful in reproduction, sensitive pair of pickups i could get from you. Limit being the icepick territory. Which is also a matter of amp, granted, but i can say i've got plenty of headroom from that end.
Both cases we're talking about matched pairs.

Should your current lineup not cover either or both of the above, a custom order would also be fine with me, time isn't an issue; but i would appreciate a pointer regarding pricing, general ballpark so i know what i'm looking at.

Post Brexit and all.. ever from your standard lineup, am looking at an easy 400+ after customs and local VAT, so i hope you'll excuse my needing to ask this, presumably custom's more expensive i gather.
(you can always PM if mentioning a price here's problematic for you)

My thanks in advance.

OilCityPickups

Hi,
My alnico 3 Riot Act Humbuckers are what you want - they are £230.00 for a pair. Alnico 3 has a magic when used in low output humbuckers.

60cycles

Appreciate it Ash

Funkfingers

Without revealing any trade secrets, could you explain the difference between your Copperfield, Fortyniner and Honky Tonk Angel bridge position pickups?

OilCityPickups

Funkfingers said:

Without revealing any trade secrets, could you explain the difference between your Copperfield, Fortyniner and Honky Tonk Angel bridge position pickups?

the Honkytonk Angel is alnico 2 and wound with 43awg wire to give more mid push
The Fortyniner is alnico3 with a smoother and more compressed sound - like Fender lap steel pickups that were fitted to the very earliest Teles.
The Copperfield is a direct copy of a certain mega famous Tele pickup that came into my hands for repair. 
in deference to the wishes of the client I can't say which guitar or which star ... 
but it is also a copy of a lap steel pickup - but a very different one: less output than many music journalists have speculated.
it's alnico 3 but 42awg wire - shall we say it's very good when pared with a neck PAF ...
Oh the original bridge pickup had a butchered baseplate and a block of wood under to stop it flopping about  :-)

Funkfingers

Belated thanks.

I had forgotten asking this question, let alone WHY I wanted to know. Oct/Nov 2022 was roughly when I acquired a buyer's remorse pair of your "2012" limited run Honkytonk Angel pickups. 

The A2/43awg c. 10k formula is very similar to my favourite Seymour Duncan CS pickup for Telecaster.

Zoolooter

Not seeing the Copperfield on your site, sounds interesting.

OilCityPickups

Zoolooter said:

Not seeing the Copperfield on your site, sounds interesting.

https://www.oilcitypickups.co.uk/product-page/the-copperfield

drwiddly

Hi Ash,

A mate has ordered a set of Suhr Aldrich pickups but there are massive supply chain delays and he’s been waiting months for them. I said he should have a word with you - do you have something similar in your range?

OilCityPickups

drwiddly said:

Hi Ash,

A mate has ordered a set of Suhr Aldrich pickups but there are massive supply chain delays and he’s been waiting months for them. I said he should have a word with you - do you have something similar in your range?

Indeed,
My Black Arrow bridge pickup and my Scrapyard Dog Plus neck pickup are pretty much identical in spec. 
Ash 

stickyfiddle

OilCityPickups said:

Zoolooter said:

Not seeing the Copperfield on your site, sounds interesting.

https://www.oilcitypickups.co.uk/product-page/the-copperfield

My headcanon is Springsteen or Keef. I don't mind which

Funkfingers

.

drwiddly

OilCityPickups said:

drwiddly said:

Hi Ash,

A mate has ordered a set of Suhr Aldrich pickups but there are massive supply chain delays and he’s been waiting months for them. I said he should have a word with you - do you have something similar in your range?

Indeed,
My Black Arrow bridge pickup and my Scrapyard Dog Plus neck pickup are pretty much identical in spec. 
Ash 

Many thanks mate. I've passed that on.

elstoof

stickyfiddle said:

OilCityPickups said:

Zoolooter said:

Not seeing the Copperfield on your site, sounds interesting.

https://www.oilcitypickups.co.uk/product-page/the-copperfield

My headcanon is Springsteen or Keef. I don't mind which

One of the characters in the Dickens novel will confirm quite quickly 

SteveF

Hey Ash, sorry I have a few questions please. 

if I was after something from you in the ballpark of a PRS Tremonti, what would you recommend? 

Secondly, I’m a bit indecisive and switch back and forth between liking open coils and covered humbuckers. Is it at all possible to order covered pickups but spec zebra bobbins underneath in case I want to change? 

Lastly, I have some of your humbucker sized P90s with the open topped chrome covers. Do you sell the full chrome covers separately? 

Funkfingers

.

OilCityPickups

SteveF said:

Hey Ash, sorry I have a few questions please. 

if I was after something from you in the ballpark of a PRS Tremonti, what would you recommend? 

Secondly, I’m a bit indecisive and switch back and forth between liking open coils and covered humbuckers. Is it at all possible to order covered pickups but spec zebra bobbins underneath in case I want to change? 

Lastly, I have some of your humbucker sized P90s with the open topped chrome covers. Do you sell the full chrome covers separately? 

My Black Knight is in that 15.5k Tremonti ballpark - though not with square bobbins.
Yep on my site you can specify bobbin colour even for covered pickups - it's on the dropdown boxes.
And - we stopped using full nickel covers for HB P90s because after lots of experiments we discovered that it's the nickel full covers that cause HBP90s to sound different to plastic covered, full size P90s. The pole spacing on the open top Mighty Ninety etc is 49.2mm so fitting a full cover is possible, but the internal design is such that it's a very specialist job to remove the covers 

Neilybob

Morning Ash. 

I bought a MIJ Tempest P bass copy, apparently made in the 70's and I took it to the Western Jam last October but when we plugged it in it sounded really quiet compared to other players basses on the day.

Does this suggest the pickups need rewinding/replacing? 

OilCityPickups

Hummm it may be a 'zombie' pickup - in which case it will need rewound, or it may have a dodgy joint.  - I'd really have to have hands on (I only charge return postage for assessing a pickup). A DC resistance readout would be handy and tell me a lot! If you have a mustimeter you can simply plug a patch lead in the jack socket, turn tone and volume up full, and read between tip and ring. 
Check all your other solder joints too :-)

Lebarque

Hi, Ash. Still loving my Stonetones, thanks. I'm considering a Thornbucker neck and Thornbucker+ bridge for my 25.5" scale alder/rosewood partscaster. The keywords are clarity, balance, sweetness and versatility. Do you offer anything comparable, since I'd rather give my money to you?