Victory Guitar & Pickup Co. was founded on a love of everything about guitars and music. Playing and building creative guitars for the past 30 years came first, making pickups came after seeing a need for affordable pickups that have a vintage look and sound.
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How does the acoustic pickup attach? Don’t want scratches on my Martin. Please post a Youtube demo of the acoustic pickup — please include an installation demo with a sound demo. Thanks
Hello,Sorry for missing and delay in correspondence – the pickup has foam protectors under the metal wings. I am posting a sound sample today.
Thanks,
Wade
I put a traditions pickup in my expensive Larrivee acoustic. The wings on the pickup swivel and have foam on the underside of the top piece to protect the top of the guitar. It’s a clever design and keeps the pickup secure in place while keeping the guitar’s top safe from scratches or other damage. It’s a great bargain, and, best of all, it sounds really cool. It sounds very much like an acoustic through a clean amp, but it can also sound like you’re playing an electric guitar if you go through dirt and effects. Super fun pickup. I’m gonna buy another victory pickup and put it in a solidbody electric soon.
Wade,
In terms of having a pickguard cut to fit the gold foil pickups, are they the same size as a p-90 or different. If different, could you provide the dimensions. Thanks.
Danny
Hi Danny,
Check out my offerings on reverb.com. https://reverb.com/item/259424-lowrider-vintage-gold-foil-style-pickup
I posted blueprints for each in the photo section. They are very close to a mini humbucker that you would find in a firebird guitar.
Thanks for the question,
Wade
Lawrence
so I have a vintage late 50s early 60s Key accoustic…
the sound hope is a bit smaller than modern guitars….. 3.5 inches…
with plastic binding…which foil pickup would has serve this guitar with out messing it up…?
Hi Lawrence,
Both Acoustic models, the Toaster and Traditions models fit into a 3″-4″ hole. Both use padded tabs to attach to the guitar using friction. No glueing or screwing is needed.
Cheers,
Wade
Hi Wade I just installed a low rider I bought from someone it’s amazing but is there a way of stopping the microphone clunk noise from it on the pickguard.i know how to wax pot but not sure about this one You time and help is appreciated. Regards Lee
Hi Lee,
The sound you can get from an unpotted pickup can be amazing! It can also have handling noise, especially in the bridge position. I usually recommend pickups in the bridge position to be potted.
If you have experience potting, you can pot the entire pickup. I offer vacuum potting for a small nominal fee. Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Wade
Hi Wade! If we wanted to order some and have them potted, would we just order through Reverb and send a note about potting?
Hi Keith, yes. Leave me a message once you order and I will vacuum pot your pickups. Thanks for the question.
-Wade
What value of potentiometer do you suggest?
250k sorry for late reply Mike.
Hi I just bought a Victory “Diamondback” Lowrider Gold Foil Pickup from your site on reverb and was wondering what size potentiometers 250K or 500K should be used with this pick up? I am installing it on a Ibanez acoustic flattop F hole guitar. Thank you.
Hi Jon-I would recommend 250k pots-sorry for the late reply
Wade
Wades low rider gold foil pickups are Top notch and sound so vintage and in a resonator they are fantastic! Highly recommend 🙂
hi, wade.
i’m delighted to find your surface mount pickups!
is there a way to get one with the mini VT controls attached to the pup?
like the old dearmond types?
thanks for any advice and thanks again for making them available.
sincerely-
djimi wrey bigsby
Hi djimi,
Thanks for checking out our line of pickups. I, along with others, have added volume and control directly onto the surface of the guitar similar to a hollow body electric guitar. I don’t currently offer the Dearmond style setup-Dearmonds are awesome pickups!
Hi Victory, I picked up this pregutted Washburn HB15 (don’t quote me on the accuracy of the model), for next to nothing; at the used shop. My question is, what would you suggest as far as your foil pickups, to throw onto this puppy. I’m not going to put on a pick guard, so it’ll be mounted straight to the body (potentially just temporarily, like an acoustic pickup) I’m going for a weird combo of lofi (percolated/fuzzy) punk, ambient post rock, and good clean jazz tones. So I want to be on the warmer, darker side. Suggestions please?
Thank you for your time!!
Sincerely,
Dietrich Tagarino
P.s. Leaning towards the Slim Jim
Hi Dietrich,
Congrats on picking up a great hollow body guitar! The Standard, Slim, Ultra and Diamondback are wound to almost the same specs, although some may have more ferrous metal on the top depending on the design which may change sound minimally. I think they all sound great and very similar to each other. I would go with the pickup that looks most appealing to you. I think you will be thrilled with any one of these selections.
Cheers,
Wade
Greetings Wade,
I am interested I purchasing a Lowrider gold foil ( or two) for a Rookie Telecaster build.
1). Do you recommend it more for neck or bridge placement (or both)?
2). Will the Lowrider fit in a standard Telecaster body & pickguard without having to modify? In other words, can I just remove the stock Tele pickup and replace it with a Lowrider?
3). Are new Pots required for the Lowrider. Any rewiring necessary.
Apologies, English is not my first language.
Regards,
Augusto
Hi Augusto,
I like them for the neck position, although they work well for any position that you choose. The pickguard will need to be enlarged slightly with simple hand tools, but it is not difficult if you take your time. Standard pots are perfect for these single coil pickups. Your english is great and thanks for the questions.
Cheers,
Wade
Hi, I have a few question about you great looking pickups:
What is the exact weight of your surface mount gold foil pickup?
And how hot is it, how many k ohms?
Also is it extra cost to have one wired RWRP?
Thank you!
Hi Brandon,
My slim pickup weighs 1.9 oz with 16” of lead. They measure around 5.10 ohms( this varies slightly due to being made by hand and temperature) I do have RWRP when buying sets on Reverb. Hope this helps and don’t hesitate to contact me if you have further questions.
Thanks for contacting me.
Cheers,
Wade
Hi Wade, have an old Harmony archtop that I’d like to add your low rider to. Do I need to add a curved shim to compensate for the arch? Happy New Year! Tom
Hi Tom. I would say most likely yes. The tabs can be bent slightly, but if you have clearance a shim would be best. Message me when you order. I can include a small slab of walnut for that purpose if needed.
Cheers,
Wade
Looking for a Silver Foil for my Silvertone Silhouette, Neck.
Hi David, yes. I offer Silver foil in all my models that are available on my Reverb Store. Just message me on Reverb after ordering and I will take care of making your pickup. Thanks for the question and Happy New Year,
Wade
Wade,
I have 2 of the Lowriders in my Tele and I love them. They sound out of phase and weak in the middle position. Is there a way to change the phase in 1 of the pickups like a typical pickup. If I need to I am more than happy to order another one to put in there that will give me what I believe will be a righteous both pickups tone. I can’t say enough how much I like these. Keep up the great work and I will continue to spread the word. I hope it’s ok that I have posted pics on Wampler pedals and Guitar builders resource pages. I look forward to hearing your advice and thank you.
Hi Christopher,
I’m glad to hear you like them! I build these like the originals-only one conductor wire and the bare wire is grounded to the base. I believe this is what gives them their unique sound. There is no way to wire yours RWRP. The easiest way to fix this would be to return the pickups and make a matched set. Both polarity and wind direction have to be opposite or you won’t get that middle position you are looking for. I have a quick turnaround time. Let me know if this helps. Thank you very much for sharing. Where can I find your post? I am trying to keep costs reasonable and if I don’t have to spend money on advertising I can achieve may goal to build killer pickups at a fair price.
Wade
https://www.facebook.com/groups/317284218739827/permalink/426056304529284/
Thank you!!!
Thank you. I think I will just order another set. I am building a couple of new projects that will be hollowbodies with one neck pickup. I will use the ones I have in the projects and order a proper set for the Tele.
Ok, perfect. Thanks again Christopher
Can your surface mount pickups be used on a bass? With no poles, I figured they would work. Has anyone done it and posted a video somewhere?
Hi Al,
Yes, customers have surface mounted them with surprising results. I have an Instagram account, Victorypickupco that has some great shots and customer clips of their projects. Hope this helps!
Cheers!
Wade
I have a Slim Jim on an old Harmony archtop. The string spacing is 51mm across the pickup which is too wide. It does not pick up the high E well. I’m wondering if it would help to remove some of the casing around the gold foil.
Thanks for contacting me with your question. Do you have the pickup placed near the end of the fretboard? That’s would give you the closer spacing and is where they are usually positioned on the arch tops. The magnet is a bar-no poles have you tried moving the pickup the slightest bit towards the high e side. Let me know if any of these options work or don’t out for you. Keep me up to date.
Thanks ,
Wade
I moved it toward the e string and found the “sweet spot”.
That’s great news Gary. please share photos or vids with me if you wish -like I said I love those old harmonys -I have a Harmony rocket that I am currently working on.
Cheers,
Wade
I love those old Harmony guitars. I will take some measurements and see if I can put a longer magnet in the housing for you. My guess is that a 1/16 of an inch longer magnet would be enough to get the full range of the strings. In the mean time if you can’t find another use for the pickup you can return it while I see what I can come up with.
Wade
I would like to try one of your PU on my weissenborn, but I don’t find the dimensions (except the height). String width on a weissenborn is larger than on a guitar, I wonder if it could fit. Maybe you have previous experience with such a project.
I think our pickup would be perfect for a weissenborn as long as the string width does not exceed 2 1/16”. The magnets are 2 1/8” long. Hope this helps.
Wade
Thanks for the fast answer, Wade, and sorry for the duplicate posts (for some reason, the system wanted me to log in something and didn’t show me any feedback of my actions…)
No worries-thanks for contacting me. I absolutely love the sound of weisenborns.
Unfortunately, strings width on my weissenborns goes from 2 1/4 to 2 3/8.
Aargh.
Dunno if you received my previous message.
Anyway, string width I got is 2 1/4″ or more.
Do you plan to make PUs for wider use ?
I would like to some day, but I would need to invest a lot of time and money into the project. Maybe something in the distant future.
Hey there,
Can you please cite the differences between the Toaster and Traditions sound hole pickups? Want to wire one into an old beautiful parlor I have.
Thanks!
Hi Patrick,
I’m very sorry I missed your post. It’s been a very long time! My Traditions pickups are wound a little hotter and warmer- great for general playing, but also great for warm overdriven tones. The Toaster is not wound as hot- great for general playing, but also great for fingerpicking and clean tones. I hope this helps if you are still looking for a pickup.
Cheers,
Wade
Will be purchasing either the Toaster or the Traditions sound hole pickup for use in an acoustic guitar. The question is, which one? I use the guitar as an “always there” instrument on the bandstand, either as the primary “main body” of sound or as a means to cue the band for changes (or both.) I’m sure there are many reasons for ordering either, but I’m seeking a recomendation.
Thanks,
Craig
The difference is subtle. I would compare them this way:
The Toaster is slightly cleaner and brighter -great for articulated notes and cleans-think of the Traditions as slightly warmer almost like comparing a standard single coil to a P90 pickup. The Traditions is just a tad warmer and does well with some overdrive. I especially like the Traditions for blues and slide work.
Many thanks !!
Wade, I received my Lowrider Ultra Gold and will be installing it soon in an old lap steel that my grandfather made back in 1950. I also plan to install one on a 1960s Kay Archtop Acoustic after I finish the steel guitar project. What capacitor uF value (assuming 250K Pots) do you recommend for the tone control on your pickups? I’ve read that it’s somewhat up to tone preference… but what do you tend to recommend and/or what are your customers saying? (and I’m a drummer, so keep it simple 🙂 Cheers! -Russ
Hi Russ,
Sounds like you have some great projects planned. I would go with quality 250k pots as you mentioned with .047 caps for tone.
Please share pics of your finished projects, I would like to showcase your work.
Thanks,
Wade
Wade, sounds great. I’ll go with the .047 caps as recommended. I’ll definitely share photos after these projects are done. Cheers!
Hi Wade, looking to add one of your pickups to my 37 Kay Arch top. Reverb is showing out of stock. Is there another source? Are you going to be at the Amigo Guitar show in Orange County Ca this weekend?
Hi Mac,
I love those old arch tops. Very underrated! My shop will reopen in approx. 2 weeks. I will not be attending the guitar show, but will check it out in the future. Thanks for contacting me.
Wade
Hi Wade, I have an old National archtop that is missing the original horseshoe pickup. The opening is more of an oblong shape and measures 7″ across. Can you make either a traditional or toaster with extended wings so that it could fit with this guitar? Thanks in advance, Don
Hi Don,
That sounds like a terrific guitar. Unfortunately I do not make anything that would fit your guitar at this time.
Sincerely,
Wade
I’m interested in your Lowrider gold foil pickup because I can mount it between the pickups on a LP special without routing. My only hesitation is because gold isn’t really my preferred aesthetic. Can you make one using a black or silver foil of some kind? Cheers.
Hi Jeff,
Yes, you can check out the foil color samples in the pictures section of my reverb shop. One of the options is silver. You can order when ready and message me through the reverb app as to which color you would like. Thanks for the question.
Cheers,
Wade
Sorry if I did not reply-most of my current sales goes through due to ease of the Reverb store. I do make silver, copper, red, green and blue foil.
Thanks for the question
Hope I didn’t miss the answer if you posted it but please talk to me about whether you ground the strings on any acoustic guitar for your gold foil acoustic pickups? Thanks!
Hello Chris,
Our pickups have a steel plate that the pickup is grounded to. It is a surprisingly quiet single coil with no need to add additional grounding.
Thanks for the question,
Wade
Hi Chris, Sorry if I missed your question. Do you make acoustic guitars in Nazareth by any chance?!! You do not have to ground this pickup to the strings.
Thanks for the question,
Wade
Unfortunately I am neither in Nazareth nor previously married to Gwyneth……
Hah! Hope I answered your question. I don’t always get notifications for my webpage for some reason. Please check out my instagram as I have a lot of info posted there. I sell mostly on Reverb.
Have a great day,
Wade
Hello, I’m looking to get a Toaster acoustic sound hole pickup from you. Thanks!
Hi Moot,
Thanks for the request. I am on vacation mode right now. My pickups will be available again on Reverb next week.
Thanks again,
Wade
Can you build a nick pup that would fit in a standard humbucker housing on my Superstrat guitar?
Hi Jim,
Sorry, I don’t make them right now, but I do sell router templates, pickguards and humbucker adapters on my Reverb page. Thanks for the question.
Are you not producing pickups at this time?
Hi John,
Yes, I am. You can find my reverb link on my webpage or in my previous message.
Thanks,
Wade
How does one contact Victory? I’m interested in the Toaster pickup.
https://reverb.com/shop/victory-guitars?utm_source=rev-ios-app&utm_medium=ios-share&utm_campaign=shop&utm_content=52285