Where Have All the Stock Pickups Gone?

[neuftone]

With apologies to Pete Seeger...

Basically, with the huge market out there for aftermarket pickups, and the huge amount of imported guitars with subpar pickups, I'm wondering what happens to all the stock Korean-made pickups that get unsoldered and removed from guitars.  I ask this because I am in need of a not-fancy humbucker for a lapsteel project, and I don't want to pay...well much of anything at all, really, I just would like a basic humbucker, really.  But I can't bring myself to plonk down 50 bucks, or even 30 bucks, for a cheap aftermarket humbucker with the thought that somewhere out there are unwanted pickups that no one wants or is using.

In general, what happens to these pickups?  Do guitar shops just trash them?  I can't see them reselling them very successfully.

 

[tfarny]

1. No I don't have any, sorry.
2. You see them on ebay once in a while, people pay $10 or so for them.
3. A  homemade lap steel and you don't want a decent pickup in it? Why not? You can pick up a scratched up SD 59 or something for maybe $30 on the bay.

 

[AprioriMark]

I was just asking myself why I hadn't thrown away some asstastic pickups I've torn out of guitars.  Unfortunately, both humbuckers that I have only have about 2" on the lead wires.  If you're not afraid of that, and you want them, message me and I'll send them to you if you'll paypal me the shipping costs.  I already have to send some packages today and tomorrow, so it's not even an extra trip.

-Mark

 

[JaySwear]

get on ebay or one of those type sites and search for Dimarzio IBZ pickups. they're made by Dimarzio for Ibanez in the USA but everybody seems to think they're cheaply made korean pickups. you'd get a pretty quality $10 pickup then!

 

[neuftone]

Thanks, Mark, for the offer...I honestly wasn't starting this thread as a "send me your old pickups please!" thread but I do appreciate the offer, though I'm not really set up for ebay.  I was more wondering in theory, what shops do with what must be a large number of swapped out pickups. 

I scanned through the vast quantity of non-pickup results under Buy it Now on Ebay for "humbucker"...the first one I came to, for only 15 bucks, is a new pickup, not used.  Seems these end up in junk drawers more often than not...that's where mine are, at least...unfortunately all single coils! 

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Unless they have any "real" value, I would expect to find them in the garbage.

 

[ocguy106]

I used to own a stereo shop and everyday would replace factory radios with aftermarket. I had boxes of factory radios that I couldn't give away. I put them on ebay and found people will pay top dollar for OEM product. where I couldn't get 5 dollars for these things in my shop I sold some for well over 300 on ebay. I would think the same is NOT true with pu's so they are probably filling up someone's junk drawer

 

[tfarny]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Duncan-Designed-Bridge-pickup-with-cover_W0QQitemZ300317918827QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar_Accessories?hash=item45ec57c66b&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A15|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A1|293%3A1|294%3A50

http://cgi.ebay.com/Genuine-FENDER-Squire-TELECASTER-Bridge-Pickup-NEW_W0QQitemZ350199447837QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar_Accessories?hash=item518983811d&_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

http://instruments.shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_dmptZGuitarQ5fAccessories?_nkw=epiphone&_sacat=22670&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313&_odkw=&_osacat=22670

People will sell anything, as long as they can get $5 for it they'll list it.

But I still don't know why you'd seek to put a crappy pickup in a homemade guitar. Lap steels need good pickups, too!

 

[metalman22105]

I needed some cheapo humbuckers for a guitar I built for one of my beginner students, I just asked my buddy at the the guitar store I've been going to for years and he hooked me up with some decent humbuckers that he had lying around, he just gave 'em to me!

 

[Rick]

they go to ebay!
Some are pretty good.  In fact, the Duncan Designed PUPs stack up very well against the originals and 1/3 the price used.  Others are crap.