DeTemple SweetSpot Pickups
“All pickups were the same until I played Michael’s SweetSpot™ Pickups.”
— Tommy Kay
“I wanted to take this opportunity to write and tell you how happy I am with the SweetSpot™ Pickups equipped pick guard. It’s truly the ‘icing on the cake’: the detail which makes an excellent project complete. All other pick guards I’ve ever seen look cheap in comparison. I can only assume that your dedication to quality extends throughout your creative offerings. When I desire a Tele-style guitar, you’ll be hearing from me again.”
— John Toste
“Mike, I really love the SweetSpot™ Pickups. What I like so much is when you back off of ’em they’re clean and beautiful and when you push ’em they get a little wild and ballsy.”
— Jim Pollatta
“Just a few good words for your SweetSpot™ Pickups. I have recently had Mike install his single coil pickups on my relic Strat. I must say that Mike has discovered the formula for completely changing the personality of any Strat or Tele. These pickups are the most responsive and touch sensitive of any that I’ve ever played. From a soft brush of the pick on an open chord to snapping the string for your favorite blues lick it makes you feel like you are in complete control of any approach you want to take. Put the neck pickup on and roll off the treble for the fattest jazz sound you could imagine or crank it up in the middle position and just scream! These pickups are by far the one most dramatic change that you could make to improve your overall sound — and I’ll even go as far as saying your overall playing ability. Thanks Mike for making a difference in my sound and guitar playing.”
— Tony Galla
“I’ve always favored Keith Richards and Bonnie Raitt for the guitar sounds I was after. They turned me on to tone. Now it’s my turn. I owe it to them both to tell them about SweetSpot™ Pickups. Keith and Bonnie, you’ve gotta try ’em — you’ll love ’em!”
— John “Doc” Whittle
“I now have Michael’s SweetSpot Pickups in my ’60s Strat. The guitar has come alive. I’ve used it more now than ever before. The pickups’ warmth, clarity, and solidity are remarkable. Thanks, Michael, for designing these great pickups.”
— Dean Parks
“Michael DeTemple’s SweetSpot™ Pickups, combined with his unique titanium saddles took an ordinary guitar of mine and made it special. This previously uninspiring guitar now has a unique voice and finds it’s place in the mix with a character all it’s own. There is a sparkle to the high end and the low end digs in just the way it should. A very musical combination!”
— Carl Verheyen
“Just wanted to say hi and give you some feedback on the SweetSpot™ Pickups you recently installed on my Strat. I personally have gotten very used to them and the balance they create. Clarity is excellent and so is the tone. The added pickup selection features really capture other great characters of the guitar. My favorite being the neck and bridge pickups simultaneously, GREAT TONE! I recorded in my digital studio a few times and had no noise issues whatsoever, a rare situation with a single coil setup. I can not wait to go into a killer studio and record. Some of the reactions I get are like this: the layman — ‘Man, that thing sure vibrates a lot!’ the more experienced player — “What a noticeable difference in tone, how are you getting those sounds?” Well, to rap up all I can say is I am glad I have all the upgrades in my Strat and it is truly magnificent. The best I have ever had.”
— Paul Schelly
“I use the 4th position as well as the 2nd more than the others. Perhaps you should offer this set up in your consultations with your prospects as an option [Ed note: Rico ordered a special version of the SweetSpot S2.N for his DeTemple ’56]. It is an improvement to my ears anyway!!! The guitar is truly all that you claim it to be. Absolutely alive with tone and feel. My other Custom Shop guitars are up for sale!!! The more I play my DeTemple ’56 the more I enjoy it. You may use these endorsements if you like. By the way, the cons. date is one day from my birthday 50 years later. B-day 8-4-53 cons. date 8-3-2003!!! How about that!!!! Thanks for this Wonderful instrument and feel free to have a prospect email me for any help I may be able to offer.”
— Dennis “Rico” Rutkin
“I just wanted to say that my guitar has never sounded better since you put your Strat SweetSpot™ Pickups and the Titanium Saddles™ on it. The pickups are incredibly warm and even and a very true tone. The guitar has come alive. I can’t wait to put the pickups and bridge saddles on my Tele.”
— Chris Pinnick
“A good friend of mine, Jon Pringle from Warrensburg, Missouri bought a set of your SweetSpot™ Pickups, along with the Titanium Saddles™. He raves about them. In fact, when I picked up his ’62 reissue Strat I couldn’t put it down! That was THE Strat sound I’d always been looking for.”
— Robert “B.B.” Wiggs
“Received the SweetSpot™ Pickups Saturday. Put the guitar together and boy it does sound good. These pickups totally nail the 50s tone and then some, well balanced, quiet, very touch sensitive, better clarity than even the originals, sounds like a small piano. I am impressed. I love them. The titanium saddles are great too. I noticed better response, way better sustain, would like to put them on my other guitars. The quality of craftsmanship on everything is just top-notch. Thanks for putting that together for me so quickly.”
— Jim Neil
“I got the SweetSpot™ Pickups installed into a Tokai “Springy Sound” that was a very nice guitar even before your titanium and pickups but now it’s an amazing guitar. The pickups are very nicely balanced and well suited for a maple neck guitar. I love the neck pick up in particular!!! I can get it close enough to the strings without it becoming over powering. Way To Go!!”
— Jeff Snider
“Your SweetSpot™ Pickups are by the far the sweetest, the most toneful Strat pickups I’ve ever, ever ever played. They’re beyond vintage — in a class all their own. These pickups are bitchin’. I thought I was going to improve my tone but I tell you what, these pickups are too good for me (laughs)! Keep up the good work, Man, I don’t know how you can top that!”
— Gerry Nelson
“You probably don’t remember me, but just a kick in your side to let you know I am STILL digging the Strat SweetSpot™ Pickups you sold me a good while back! Worth their weight in gold AND platinum! Man, I usually get tired of hearing and playing through the same old grind and shit that it seems that pickup swapping is part of the traditional thing… OoooH BOY! Not any more…. I thought the ‘honey moon’ would have been over long ago. Not that fast, man!!! Hey, I keep getting compliments like, ‘What in the hell are those pickups you got in there???’ or ‘Why does your Strat sound so COOL?!’… This is from virtually EVERYONE who knows tone and how a Strat… make that a REAL Strat should sound… HA! They all want to play MY AXE!!! Always doing the A/B/C/ AND D-ing with other Strats!!! LOL! I wired it with the extra two tones like the G&L per your instructions using the push-push tone control…
Absolutely GORGEOUS TONES!! Mike, I’ve been around 51 years. My mom and uncles taught me my first tunes since 5 or 6 years old… And, I remember their axes and gear; Strats and 5E7 Bandmasters and some Brown Fenders… So I feel qualified to know the tone… Anyway, I can easily get Jimi, The Ventures, and everything in between! Mike, Thanks a bunch! I just can’t get enough of my axe! I just can’t leave it alone! It’s a fabulously beautiful thing, man! Sorry about the long on the wind….”