Testimonials
Davin Goudie I had this mid 80's Squire Jazz Bass that played pretty good but had these crappy stock pickups in it. I knew about MJS Pickups (I have them in my Les Paul), but I hadn't heard his bass pickups yet. I wanted a very specific sound and we discussed every detail and left no rock unturned. Smitty installed his MJS Vintage Jazz Bass set and I love them! I consistently get compliments after every show. Thanks Smitty!! |
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Ryan - Mississauga, Ontario “Just a quick thank you for the great job you do working on my guitars. I have two guitars you've built pickups for and I couldn't be happier with the results, service and level of expertise." "Using MJS Custom pickups allow me to stretch the tonal landscape of any particular guitar in any way I dream up. I appreciate the consultations to find out what sound I am looking to achieve and I have experienced that MJS won't do something that isn't going to be beneficial just for the sake of the business." "I have also had MJS service and maintain many guitars for myself and my friends, all with fantastic results in a timely manner. MJS will do what's right for the guitar and for the musician. I have and will continue to recommend MJS to anyone that plays.” |
Rob H - Mississauga, Ontario “I've been playing guitar for 35 years or so now and have played a ton of guitars during that time. Most recently, I've been on a quest for pure tone. New pedals, new cables, new guitars, new strings, but after all that effort, some character and tone were still missing." "Then by chance I happened to hook up with Smitty of MJS Custom Pickups. I've got them now in a Telecaster and a Les Paul Studio and the results exceeded my expectation…the comparison to the stock pickups was dramatic. Crisp highs combined with beautiful well defined lows. Soon a pair are going into my mid-80's ES-175 which I know will make this now dull sounding jazz box come alive." "Smitty's knowledge of electronics, hand wound pickups and all that goes into creating a great tone is as good as it gets! Thanks Smitty, and looking forward to getting the next set.” |
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Kevin R. – Toronto, Ontario “Love your Pickups!! Small world…I came into Guitar World a couple of years ago curious about your pickups for a new bass I bought - I never ended up moving forward with it (regrettably). I just bought a Lakland bass, and he said the pickups were not the originals…I was bummed, until I found out they were your Pickups!" "The tone on this bass is outstanding!!! I hate to say it but it seems to put my American Fender's to shame. Thank you!!! I think I'll want to bring my P-bass in to look into a pickup change!” |
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Frank Pionteck “As a guitar player, if you had to stop & think for 2 minutes on what are the most important things to look for in a guitar, what would it be?!? For me personally it is "tone & playability". These are 2 words I swear SMITTY must have invented! I first came to Smitty more then 5 years ago with one question: "How can I make this thing rock?" Instead of throwing me some boxed product off the shelf to get a sale, Smitty stopped me and asked "well what's the problem?" - "What is it you think you are missing?" Smitty cared & wanted to know exactly where I was with my instrument, & explained to me how he thought he could bring my vision to life. Aside from many guitar setups, intonations & repairs (which are all professionally done) he opened my eyes to the exciting new realm of MJS custom pickups! We spent a good 2 hours after closing time to discuss what I was not satisfied with in my tone, & the many options he thought would benefit me for the demands I had.” “For the most part of my professional playing career I have been an endorser of EMG pickups... As a guitarist in a Pantera type metal band, I never thought I could have better tone then what they provided me... Boy was I WRONG! After the many hours of debating where to go, I gave Smitty the green light to build me my dream tone. *The last thing he said to me before I left that day was "Frank, I won’t let you down man" - Damn was he ever right! EMG who? My MJS custom pickups scream louder, punch harder, & cut through better then anything I have ever heard! I wish I had a dollar for every time I have been told my guitar tone is amazing!” “Let me tell you - I have 20 guitars with MJS pickups! Any of you who take your guitar tone seriously... what are you waiting for? Smitty really is "my guitar god" You should make him yours!!!” |
Ken Vella – Toronto, Ontario
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Sam Bakos – Mississauga, Ontario “I bought my first pickup almost 3 years ago and have bought several since. The most recent ones have been a couple of Vintage Tele (II)'s. I originally wanted a classic early 50's tone and got them with this set and more! The neck is warm and sparkly and the bridge is spanky and not too harsh. Wherever I play my tele, people are amazed at the sound and always ask me where I got those pickups.” “If you are a tone chaser, talk to Smitty because his pickups rise way above the rest. Period!” |
Glen Cunningham – Milton, Ontario “Hey Smitty, a funny thing happened the other day. I have been playing that Dillion Paul I grabbbed a few years back. I put an old Duncan 59 in the bridge and tore everything else out. I played this same guitar at one of the jams a few years back. I have had it plugged into the same little Vox amp and thought it was quite good, I was very happy with the sound. I left the whole set up in my son's room in hopes he would pick it up. He has not, the little s_ _ t! Well, I moved that little amp back down to the basement where my Gibson Paul with MJS pickups is. I figured I might as well have it close in case I decide to make some noise. I did not change any of the settings on the amp. The other day I plugged my MJS loaded Les Paul not expecting anything different and my eyes raised and jaw dropped. I had forgotten how good this guitar sounded with the MJS combination of a Single Coil in the neck and Humbucker bridge. It was like eating a sandwich with the plastic still on then taking it off. In the bridge the highs were so clear and clean yet all the raw punch, balls and bottom end were still intact. Unreal. The louder I cranked the amp the better it got. That muffled tone typical of ALL neck Humbucker Pick-Ups which I can not stand was not there. Yet the full, fat signing bottom was still there, this all coming from a single coil pick-up! The beautiful full tone without the "hand over mouth sound" I hate, was clear and clean. What a breath of fresh air. Combine the two Pick-Ups and you get a fat yet clean and balsy and rich....really the best of neck-bridge pick ups combined I have ever heard. Before putting your pick ups in this guitar I never used the neck pick up, ever. Combining the two was not even thinkable. I would have not believed it was possible to make this pick up combination work, especially to a metal head like me! Keep in mind my tone pots are disconnected and have been for years, I hate any kind of muffled tone. You have to hear this to believe it.” “I may not be known to many people these days but once was known for always having a great guitar sound. I know tone. I have had over 40 different Marshall amps from Plexi's to modern, modded high gain amps, probably 30 different good Les Pauls. I have tried just about every combination of pick ups out there and never found a neck-bridge combo that worked. I am very demanding when it comes to tone and not easily satisfied, but brother, you have nailed it. Hats off man!” |
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Aaron Little—Toronto, Ontario “I love my MJS pickups. I get comments on the sound of my guitars at every show I play across Canada. I have yet to find other pickups with the same balls, depth clarity and tone. I'll never buy another store boxed pickup again”. |
Ron Davis—Mississauga, Ontario As a guitar player of 40 some odd years, I have used pretty much every commercially available pick-up. Five years ago I acquired an MJS P-90 and Humbucker that I installed in one of my guitars. Instant new favorite! Since that time, I have purchased other MJS models, including my newest acquisition, 3 Single-Coil Strat-Set. WOW! Sparkle and clarity like I've never heard from all but the best old Strats. The 2&4 position "Quack" is amazing, even with substantial amounts of gain. |
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Chris McAleer — Toronto, Ontario "I undertook Mike to design and create a custom pickup for a new Archtop Acoustic I had recently purchased. I left all in his hands with no need for my input. What I received back was a design beyond what I would have imagined or would have received at any store. The attention to detail is exquisite and the sound quality is exceptional. Perfect balance!" |
I’ve been bringing my over used, over abused, seasoned, beaten up Gibson SG to Smitty for nearly five years. He has always been able to make her sing exactly the way I like. No one else in this industry puts the time into doing the job right or explain to his customers what went wrong in the first place, not many people in this industry would chat with you for an hour or two after the store closed allowing you to try every guitar and amp in the store in order to find the right tone. I have been a working class musician for the past 15 years, my guitar has seen many repair people. When I brought my guitar to Smitty the second time I snapped the headstock off, he said, “Brandon, I don’t know if we can handle another one”. Smitty repairs and upgrades my guitar like it was his own. I will never bring my guitar to anyone else and would gladly recommend him to anyone. “Hot” P-90. |
Brandon McColl—Toronto, Ontario |
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Mike Zammit—Port Credit, Ontario “MJS pickups are the most amazing sounding customized pickups I've ever played. I was initially going to get rid of my Gibson SG because it sounded like it had no energy or bite left when I played it. Since I had the custom pickups you built for me installed, the amazing tone and sound quality they provided was the sound I was precisely looking for from the start; they breathed new life into my guitar. Now, I wouldn't dream of selling it. From blues, rock, and metal to jazz, funk or any type of music I play, MJS custom pickups are simply the best pickups around...period!!” |
Steve Grisbrook—Toronto, Ontario From the highest of highs, to the lowest of lows, Smitty’s Pickups has them all! |
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MJS Custom Pickups • 3163 Winston Churchill Blvd. • P.O. Box 26035 • Mississauga, ON • L5L 5S0 • Tel: (647) 887-2151 |
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