Introduction: I've been using this set of Mojotone pickups for about four months. I had been using active pickups in an HSS configuration. The active pickups were great, but I was having trouble maintaining a clean tone while playing high volume punchy rhythm parts in a funk band. To suit the music that I had been playing often, I wanted to try pickups that had a vintage sound but didn't have as much hum as traditional single-coils. I found the Mojotone pickups while searching the internet for noiseless single-coils that had a true single-coil sound. Reading through Mojotone's website, I was attracted to their innovative and simple pickup designs. Design: Mojotone's Quiet Coil pickup is not a traditional single-coil, and it is not a stacked coil design either. It is not split with separate coils under the bass and treble strings, nor is it a dual-blade pickup, as those typically use two metal blades with a separate magnet underneath. The Quiet Coil design uses two parallel bar magnets oriented vertically, similar in size to a dual-blade but with magnets instead of blades. To those familiar with what a lipstick tube pickup looks like under its cover, I think this design could be best visualized by imagining two miniature lipstick pickup magnets placed side by side, wound like a humbucker, and then placed in a single-coil-sized housing. There are no separate pole-pieces, and what appears to be pole-pieces on the outside of the pickup are plastic decoys for cosmetic purposes only. The pickup covers look great and I understand exactly why they decided to make covers that are cosmetically similar to true single-coils, but one reason why I wanted to try these pickups in the first place was because I admired the purity of design and minimalism that these pickups exude. Hiding the uniqueness of the pickup's design under a cover with fake pole-pieces seems to damage the purity of the design philosophy to me, though I'm sure that Mojotone will sell far more of these because of the traditional looking covers. I'd personally enjoy having the option to purchase a set with simple flat covers, or maybe an original cover design that showcases the unique magnets underneath. Tone: I've played these pickups through a 1w Blackstar practice amp, a 40w Blackstar combo, a Fender twin reverb, a 100w Marshall half-stack, and other various amps. These pickups have stellar tone. Obviously, many players will first want to compare the tone to a traditional single-coil. I think the overall tone is nearly a perfect match to a warm and soft vintage single-coil. An experienced player could find a difference in the way that these pickups react to playing technique. Traditional single-coils have an uncanny ability to showcase a player's touch transparently. They are dynamic and bursting with overtones that are ready to leap out at any moment with no more deliberation than a quick wrist or heavy hand. The Quiet Coils are superbly dynamic and inviting, and also transparently showcase a player's technique, but I think that it is possible to notice a slightly softer attack with higher gain settings. When I played using the middle pickup position on funk rhythm parts, like James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Prince, etc., the sound jumped out with a nice bright crack, but it didn't have the same sting at the beginning of each note like a true single-coil would. However, I wouldn't describe these as spongy in the way that some would describe stacked coil designs. The Quiet Coils do the best job of capturing the essential tone of single-coils out of anything else that I've heard so far, and they simply bring some of their own unique dynamic quirks along for the ride, although in far less noticeable proportions than other noiseless designs. The neck pickup sounds every bit like a strat, especially when using a Fender style amp. The neck and middle pickups together have the same signature tone that strats are known for, and I think everyone would be happy with it. The middle pickup is great for funk and blues rhythm playing, country hybrid picking, and a driven tone that still has some twang to it. The hot bridge pickup is outstanding in every way, but it's worth knowing exactly what you're getting before you buy. The hot bridge pickup adds noticeable bass and midrange, and a little bit of gain, to the overall tone. It's enough of a boost to the mids and bass that when using a stage volume clean tone, switching between the bridge and other positions gives a sensation of someone adjusting the knobs of an amplifier. This is perfect for someone who needs a beefier tone out of the bridge position for general lead playing or for rock rhythm parts. For someone looking for jangly cleans out of the bridge, I'd stick with the stock version. In my experience, using the middle pickup often worked better than the bridge pickup when a bright and cutting clean sound was desired. The middle and bridge pickups together get close to the classic clean quack sound, but the extra bass and mids of the hot bridge pickup change the tone somewhat. For punchy rhythm playing, the added midrange in this position can be a benefit, but if a quack tone with heavily scooped mids is desired from using the middle and bridge pickups together, like Wayne Krantz for example, I would choose the normal bridge pickup instead. With gain, the difference in eq between pickup positions smooths out and is more consistent between each position of the selector switch. With the Marshall, I was getting distorted tones that were bright but thick, like Jeff Beck, or like glass with a side of peanut butter. The hot bridge pickup sounds glorious with anything from light overdrive to heavy distortion, and has a unique tone. It doesn't sound like a humbucker, and it reacts to playing dynamics and volume knob changes more like a single-coil, but it's tone is noticeably beefier than a regular single-coil. I would describe it as the sound of a single-coil with some of its twang and sparkle taken away, but with all the stringiness and clarity of a single-coil intact. Jeff Beck tones are easy to achieve, and you can mimic humbucker tones such as Van Halen simply by adding more gain and perhaps turning down a bit of treble. I think these pickups shine by being versatile enough to work well with any amp or drive pedal that you throw at them. With a high gain amp, they can scream. With a clean combo, they can do everything from jazz, to country, to funk. They also sound very transparent with modulation and filter effects, which is another highlight of traditional single-coils. The Mojotone pickups allow every pedal on your board to shine, where humbuckers and some stacked noiseless designs can tend to make pedals sound generic. For anyone who prizes single-coils on their ability to let every other part of the signal chain standout, these Quiet Coils definitely achieve the same. Quality: I ordered the pickups in a prewired pickguard. I chose black as the color for both the pickguard and the pickup covers, and it looks great on my surf green strat. The wiring is all done very well with vintage wire that is cut precisely to length and solid metal pieces instead of wire that limit excess movement between the volume and tone pots. The wiring also includes an option for solderless installation. Using a small screwdriver, the wires from the output jack and tremolo claw ground can be friction-fitted to the volume pot. This is easy and convenient for novice solderers and also allows for quick and easy swapping of pickguards if so desired. The connection is solid and has been reliable during regular rehearsals, performances, and transportation. The pickups themselves seem to be very well-made and the pots are great. I've had some problems with scratching noises while turning the volume pot, but I think it's from dust in the pickup cavity of the guitar that got trapped during installation. It's something that I will keep track of and possibly report on later. The pickguard itself is high quality and can be ordered to fit various model years of strat style guitars. Summary: With this pickup set, Mojotone has achieved outstanding tone that closely resembles that of vintage single-coils, as well as adding incredible versatility due to the hot bridge pickup that can handle medium- and high-gain tones without crossing over entirely into the tonal realm of a humbucker. With these pickups it is possible to play a set of music that includes jazz standards, blues, rock, country, pop, funk, and anything else, just by varying the gain of the amp or using a versatile drive pedal. This is all possible with far less noise than single-coils and even some humbuckers. I recommend this set to anyone who needs great tone, simple installation, and versatility, and I would recommend the regular set without the hot bridge pickup for anyone who needs a traditional thin tone from the bridge position.
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