Guitar Pickup Rewinds and Repairs
I repair a lot of pickups. It’s fun! Along the way I post about them on Instagram both as a record of having done them and as a record of how to do them.
From the obscure, vintage and prized, Revel Custom Pickups goes the extra mile to repair, rewind and/or restore your pickup.
Prices start at $70 per coil. Example: You have a Tele bridge pickup that just needs to be rewound. That’s $70 plus shipping. Does that same pickup actually need rust removed from the magnets and the flatwork to be flattened and it all put back together? That’s $100.
In the case of difficult assemblies, new leads, covers, baseplates, potting, and/or additional services there will be additional costs. I aim to keep it affordable and will always tell you the cost upfront.
We also offer 3d printing capabilities to recreate covers, bobbins and like plastic parts that would be otherwise unobtainable. This service consists of designing, printing and finishing, and is billed per shop hour.
Joe Applegate –
I came across Revel’s website and I so happy I did. Not only did Jesse rewire my 1965 Jazzmaster to sonic perfection he also answered all my questions and got back to me quickly. I could not be happier with his service, honesty, and workmanship. I would highly recommend Rebel Custom Pickups to anyone needing pickups or repairs.
Great job Jesse.
Thank you.
Joe A.
Michael J Adams –
We built this guitar with a Wee Range humbucker and a Black Watch in the bridge. It’s wired to a four-way, and sounds nothing short of incredible, extremely rich creamy tones out of the humbucker and a serious bottom. You can literally dial in so many tones (plenty of Tele twang) that it makes it incredibly versatile tool. Jesse’s attention to detail and the quality of his pickups is evident when you unpack them – they are simply something that was made with a lot of attention to detail and love. We’re extremely happy with the results. Thanks, Jesse, for your help. Always prompt in your email replies, and a pleasure to deal with. Thanks again!
J. Fraizer –
Sent in a non working 30 year old Guild HB1 pickup for Jesse to check out. Very happy that he was able to restore it to its original tonal bliss! Thank you!
Mike D –
I contacted Jesse @ Revel about rebuilding a very unique pickup from a rare vintage guitar, essentially a clone of an Alembic guitar made by Fernandes in the early 80s. This was a very tricky job, because the original was an epoxy-potted pickup – there was no way to simply repair it. Jesse was extremely helpful in communicating what options were available, things to look out for, and what he would need for the rebuild. In the end, Jesse was able to build a replacement into a new pickup cover that I provided, plus the original magnet. He wound it specifically to match the special low-impedance design of the original, and even custom-designed and 3D-printed a new bobbin to fit perfectly in the new cover. I A/B’d it with an actual ALEMBIC guitar pickup from a vintage Series 1 (!), and I could not tell a difference. No joke. And Jesse did it all at an amazingly reasonable price.
Extremely impressive work – Jesse really went above and beyond. I very highly recommend Jesse’s repair/rebuild services!
Ray –
One word!! Incredible service and technical skill!!! Can’t go wrong with Jesse. He rewound and repaired a 1959 DeArmond Pickup that went to a 1959 Martin 00-18e owned by Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes!
S. Fay –
More than I hoped for! Jesse took a P13 Speed Bump that worked intermittently, and that I screwed up further and returned to me a warm, and lovely toned rewound pickup that made my Speed Demon my go to guitar! Money well spent and I’m glad I found Revel Pickups. Jesse makes it so easy!
M. Cornish –
Outstanding customer service! I needed custom repair on a 30 year old EMG piezo pickup,. I had no option for replacement. After consulting with Jesse we agreed to go for it. The repairs were perfect and the unit functions like new again. It’s truly amazing what a skilled craftsman can accomplish. Thank you.
Peter Hoffmann – Daytona Beach, FL –
Jesse repaired a vintage German bass pickup for me (late 1960s). Excellent communication, repair done on time and for a good price. The old bass sounds like new again! Highly recommended!
Bill Kenville –
Jesse,
Thanks for the work you did on my original Fender 1973 WRHB. It sounds great and it was nice to hear its voice after all these years!
Greg Ingraham –
I have a ’67 Guild Starfire. I couldn’t find any replacement pickups that would fit without modifications. Jesse rebuilt them and they sound fantastic!! It was a great experience dealing with the problem. He answered all my questions and got back to me right away. The turn around was fast. Jesse is my pickups go to from now on.
Drew Ailes –
I would recommend Revel pickups for any repair you could ever imagine. I had a busted bridge pickup from one of my favorite vintage basses – a late 60s Hagstrom II bass. Somehow the casing got broken open and I lost some of the pieces. It was feeding back and just generally sounded awful, which bummed me out because I use that pickup far more than the neck. I was also stressed out because the only time I’ve even seen pickups for this cool vintage bass was on Reverb for like $300. Then I remembered Revel offered repairs! Jesse put a ton of work and care into finding a solution that both looked good and sounds just like it did before. And at a completely reasonable price, too!
John –
1981 Gibson GGC-700 “Tim Shaw dirty fingers” two lead humbucker. Pickup was close to destroyed, hacked up before I owned it, it was ugly. Revel rewound one bad coil, fixed all the cosmetic issues, and reinstated the original two lead system. Sounds Great, looks great. Dude is a craftsman!
Bryan – The Rocket 38’s –
Pleased to find a midwestern soul capable of executing on such a killer rewind.
After many attempts to get the SD custom shop to fix my original Gibson Ripper neck pickup in my 81’ Gibson V-Bass, I ran across Revel pickups on the web.
Reached out to J and instantly we hit it off in our like minded desire bring the Ripper back to life.
I was able to free the Ripper windings from the epoxy shell. And Revel was able to rewind, and re-secure the original magnets and bobbins back into a NOS cover whilst wax potting everything.
Upon reinstallation – I was pleasantly surprised to not only find that the pickup carried the original sweet vintage tone – but now sounds even more warm and thick in the neck position than ever before.
An absolutely stellar pickup shop to work with. More than great service, conversation and results. Highly recommended!!
Ethan Bowers –
I sent In a 1964 National Varsity 66 foil pickup for repair. It had a terrible feedback issue and was overly microphonic. Typically I enjoy the microphonic nature of vintage pickups, but this one was barely playable. So I looked around and contacted Jesse at Revel. He had worked on one for another customer and suggested I send it for repair.
When I sent the pickup I expected to pay extra due to the rare nature of the pickup, and the unique bothersome construction. The lead time was listed at 3 to 4 weeks. Jesse had the pickup potted and refurbished in 3 to 4 days. Amazing turnaround and the pricing was more than fair.
Jesse’s great service didn’t stop there. There was a shipping issue after the package was picked up by UPS. The package sat for a week without an input scan, and I feared that this rare pickup was lost. However, After messaging Jesse about this, he went down to UPS personally and was able to help them find the package and get it on its way.
I received the repaired pickup and all the feedback issues were cured. The pickup sounded even better than before and was now playable. If you are hesitant to send a pickup to Jesse at Revel for repair, I can wholeheartedly recommend his work. He was extremely professional, responsive, and above all he does quality work. His customer service is unparalleled and he is absolutely awesome.
Tom Swanson –
I sent in an old National Lap Steel String Through pickup not working. I couldn’t be happier with the hands-on service, start to finish, from Jesse. Great communication throughout, and it actually came back quicker than I expected. Got the guitar back together, and it’s as sweet as hoped for! Thank You!
Bobby Volpendesta –
I was modifying a set of vintage Japanese pickups to restore an old Vantage of mine. The two-wire to four-wire conversion worked great on the neck pickup, but I broke the bridge pickup. Jesse did an amazing job salvaging my pickup (which I spent a lot of money on and didn’t want to have to throw out), and all for a very reasonable price. Now my Matsumoku Vantage sings and is my favorite guitar! I will be saving up to buy some of his Filter-tron humbuckers for when I rewire my Sheraton II. Just another shining example of how you can find a person for anything in Minneapolis if you know where to look 🙂
Billy Shane Edwards –
I have owned my Stratocaster 24 years. 1971 with neck 1969, middle 1968 and replaced 12-17-65 bridge. As you can imagine I have a personal relation with her. Long story short b string magnet on middle pickup had rust that killed her. It killed me. I found Jesse and saw he could do what I needed. If my pickup came back the same I would have considered him a magician. It came back the best pickup I have ever played on. The most dynamic, organic and musical pup I ever owned. When the other two die… Yep I just tempted fate, nobody but Jesse will work on my stuff. He is an artisan.
Ron –
Awesome, Outstanding, Amazing!! That is my experience with Revel. Jesse is the top of the top. He completely restored both pick ups in my SG 90 double.(Gibson wouldn’t touch them!!) It sounds Amazing!! Communication was above anything I have experienced with anyone. If you have a question, you will get an answer. Excellent work!!!
John Thurston –
Got our ’74 Tele neck rewind back from Revel, it’s reinstalled, and it sounds AMAZING. Great work, very timely turnaround, a pleasure doing business with you all. Thanks, we’ll be back!
The Dead Fret –
Insanely rad rare Vintage Baldwin semi-hollow came in for a new switch, setup, fret dress, rewire, and the pickups needed completely restored. A huge thanks to Jesse at Revel Pickups who completely rebuilt the pups for my customer and I, as that was a little out of my expertise. Working together makes the dream work, baby. Check out Jesse for all your pickup needs; can’t recommend him enough! Great work, turn-around time, and price! Thanks again, it sings!!
Mike Adams –
Dealing with Jesse was a pleasure! He was kind and patient and help me sort out my Duosonic guitar after rewinding the pickups. It sounds great and his work is exceptional. Definitely would recommend to anybody who wants first cabin service. Thanks Jesse. – Mike Adams Washington
Mike Adams –
Jesse went above and beyond helping me get my duosonic sorted out. I’m a wiring neophyte and slightly dyslexic but I finally got it squared away with his help . he was patient, & thoroughly knowledgeable .and just generally a nice guy thanks , first cabin service Mike Adams Washington
Jack Schaaf – Leatherback Jack –
I had a set of Fender Wide Range Humbuckers that were very noisy and squealing. After corresponding with Jesse, I sent the pickups to Revel to get them wax potted. He had noticed that the bridge pickup cover had not been installed correctly and was not quite on all the way. He removed and replaced the cover, as well as the wax potting for a very reasonable price. Jesse is a great guy to work with and his customer service is truly amazing and appreciated.
Thanks again!
Jack
Niles –
I brought Jesse a ‘76 Tele neck pickup that had a break in the windings and needed a rewind. He was able to avoid a full rewind, and I got the pickup back sooner than expected. The pickup sounds great, and Jesse took the care to keep it as original as possible, which I love. Thanks for the excellent work.
Violet –
Jesse did an amazing job with my 1958 Telecaster pickups! The bridge has had a short for as long as I’ve had it, and the neck was as noisy as could be. Sending pickups of this caliber to have worked on was nerve wracking, but Jesse truly outdid himself! The rewind on the bridge sounds absolutely killer. I’ve never heard it sound so good before! And the neck is crystal clear, no noise at all!
I’m absolutely thrilled to have my dad’s tele playing great again, and next time I need a rewind or new pickups, I know exactly who I’m going to!
Andy Webber – Whalehazard Guitars –
Jesse at Revel Custom Pickups does outstanding work. As a guitar tech, it’s great to have a local pickup winder with his level of knowledge available. It’s never easy to tell a customer their pickup is dead, but I know just the guy to fix it, and at a reasonable price. I’m happy to refer customers to Revel if they’re looking to match a pickup with vintage specs, or if they want something custom wound. I also love them in my own builds!
Steve Richter –
I sent several pickups to Jesse for rewinding. He made sure to get all the information needed to duplicate the original and in one case, essentially fabricated a new spindle. I was very impressed with the quality of his work and the excellent communication and the pickups sound great! Warm, with good definition. I think his prices are a bargain for what you get. I deal in old, vintage Japanese guitars and some of these have unique-sized, single coil pickups, or in another case wide range humbucker pickups, so simply buying a drop in replacement is not an option. With Revel pickups I can be assured that my restoration will remain original, but with great sound!
Jimmy R –
Jesse took the Wide Range humbucker from my old Tele Custom and woke that tired old bad boy right up. It’s like meeting an old friend again. The service is courteous, quick, and very reasonably priced; Jesse knows his stuff and obviously takes much pride in his work. If you’re reading these reviews to help make up your mind, don’t hesitate—-Revel is the way to go.
Shawn Penney –
I reached out to Jesse to repair/rewind the bridge pickup from my 1980 G&L F-100. Communication from the start was phenomenal, and Jesse gathered all the info he needed to attain what I was looking for. The intent was to get this 40 year old pickup back to its former glory. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out……Jesse nailed it! Make no mistake, I’ll be back for more!
Ben –
Jesse installed new leads on two 70s wide range Humbuckers that were aggressively clipped at some point in their life. He did a vintage style braid on one and three wire on the other so I could get in/out of phase tones when they are played together. Jesse is fast and professional with great communication! I won’t go anywhere else for pickup work.
Bill Saunders –
OMG!
Jesse rebuilt and rewound the bobbin and coil for my 1937 Electar Lapsteel. I wired it in and set the pickup screws about 3/32 below the strings and it blew me away!!!
It screams….
Deep rich bass and super clear and bright highs. Mid-tones are wonderful. Harmonics have incredible sustain!!
Its output actually helped me to realize that one of the potentiometers on this old lapsteel is probably really a “gain” control. It has three pots, Master volume, tone and the newly discovered gain control.
You brought it back to life.
Beforehand, it had a subtle, mellow sound, but now it rocks!!
Thanks for your talents!!
Bill Saunders
Jason –
Jesse at Revel repaired the dead middle pickup in my 1965 Airline 7230. The sound blends in perfectly with the neck and bridge, which are still the original winds! I had looked for a while for a repair shop that would repair the pickup. Many turned me down until I found Revel Custom Pickups on the web. Jesse was quick to reply and had my pickup back to me in no time! Excellent craftsmanship, and excellent tone! I’ve found my pickup repair guy! Thanks!!!
Brett B –
My PRS 513 bridge pickup had an intermittent signal problem. PRS’s repair shop would only look at the entire guitar itself and I had a feeling it was going to be pretty expensive to ship it to them and have them look at it.
The pickup is proprietary both in wiring and size so I couldn’t just replace it.
I elected to have the pickup repaired but no pickup shop would touch it – except Revel.
J was an absolute pleasure to work with. There was open and transparent communication throughout the entire process. He rewound the 513 pickup in his own style while keeping the exact functionality that PRS designed it with.
Not only is my guitar functional and reliable again but the sound is absolutely incredible and breathed new life into my tone.
Revel is definitely going to be my first choice for anything pickup related in the future.
Ned G –
I needed an old Fender Jaguar bridge pickup rewound. I asked around, and Jesse was the go-to-guy for this. We talked about winding it slightly hotter, but the importance of it blending well with the neck pickup. The pickup sounds fantastic. Great combination of definition, clarity and bite. Exceeded my expectations.
Hound dog –
Jesse did a fantastic job repairing my rickenbacker horseshoe pickup.fair prices fast service. I would certainly use his service again
Brian Stewart –
Jesse rewound an old Rickenbacker “Electro” lap steel pickup for a repair customer of mine. The rewound pickup sounded great and the customer was very happy.
Jesse has great communication skills and is easy to work with. Turn around time was fast as well. Revel pickups is where I go for rewinds and other pickup repair work that I won’t do in my own shop.
Brian Stewart, Tree Strings, LLC
Brad W. – The Guitar Shop, Rosemount MN –
Had a vintage pickup serviced. Quick turnaround and reasonable price! Will be sending all my work here.
Doug Rogers – A.K.A. bunnyman – Wood River, IL –
his was the first time I had ever had a pickup rewound. Jesse carefully guided me through the process and asked pertinent questions in order to make this pickup into what I wanted.
I admit that I had no idea what to expect; after all, Jesse was rewinding the stock pickup from a $349 Squier Telecaster! I got a great surprise after installation. I could tell that this man loves what he does! It is evident in his work. I was chuffed when I turned the pot to 10 and cranked my Champ 600!
If you have not had this genius rewind a pickup, do yourself a favour and send him one to rewind! You will thank yourself for doing it and thank me for the recommendation!
Mike Munson – Winona, MN –
My rewound vintage Gibson P-90 sounds fat and fantastic.
Overall tone is sweet and just the right hotness. Hotter than the original and lesser than the Lollar I had in its place. Perfect. My ’65 Gibson ES-125 sounds just like it should.”