Our Deluxe Series is our flagship design, revered for its unparalleled tone, quality, and reliability. Chosen by more professional guitarists than any other model, the ToneSpec Deluxe Series sets the standard in the industry, consistently delivering exceptional performance on stage and in the studio. Whether you're a touring pro or an aspiring artist, the Deluxe Series offers the tonal versatility, durability, and craftsmanship demanded by today's discerning musicians.
The ToneSpec Core Series (Blues, Twang, Punch, Jazz) pickups typically have a longer wait time of about 6 months due to their affordability—priced around $100 less than the Deluxe Series. The Core Series not only appeals to professional musicians looking for the highest quality tone at a value but also attracts many beginners and intermediate guitarists eager to take their game to the next level.
If you're serious about your tone, investing in professional grade pickups is a no-brainer—because no amount of pedals or amp tweaking can compensate for a weak, lifeless foundation. Your tone starts at the source, and installing our pickups ensure that your sound is as rich, full, and expressive as possible.
ToneSpec Pickups, are handcrafted with extreme attention to detail, using vintage-correct materials & proprietary techniques to create a warm, dynamic, and touch-sensitive response that truly brings a guitar to life.
Chances are, if you're here, your tone isn't quite meeting your expectations. You've invested significant time and money into finding a guitar that feels perfect in your hands. Now it's time to elevate your sound with pickups that truly match your instrument's potential. Don't settle for mediocrity—upgrade your tone decisively and effectively.
Sound is something you hear. Tone is something you feel. Great Tone has the ability to move you & the audience too. Nobody understands this better than the founder of Tone Specific pickups.
Upgrading to pro-level pickups make all the difference. Factory pickups rarely inspire, and mass-produced aftermarket alternatives often lack life and depth. Our pickups are meticulously crafted to bring out every nuance your guitar has to offer, capturing harmonic richness and delivering a dynamic, responsive sound.
Our proprietary techniques include Virtual Stagger Technology (VST), Dynamic Magnetic Response (DMR), Infinite Bridge Technology (IBT) and Harmonic Sustain Capture (HSR). Using custom Alnico magnets and proprietary vintage-correct aging techniques, our pickups reveal dimensions of tone previously unheard. Many describe this as a three-dimensional, tube-like sonic experience—others simply call it perfection. It's no wonder that countless professional guitarists trust our pickups exclusively.
Most musicians obsess over the concept of "tone," and rightfully so—it's essential. But exceptional musical experiences demand more than just great tone; they require an equally profound understanding of "feel."
Sound is something you hear, but tone is something you experience. Powerful tone doesn't just reach your ears; it moves you, resonates deep within you, and captivates your audience.
Professional musicians and master luthiers recognize this truth better than anyone else. That’s precisely why so many of them trust and rely exclusively on our pickups. In fact, for countless pros choose our pickups every guitar they own. Don’t just take our word for it—hear Marty5150 explain why in the video below.
Stage Worthy
Life as a Professional Guitarist is a constant journey of highs and lows, with every performance serving as an audition for your next gig. Top Pros embrace this reality, obsessing over every detail to ensure perfection.
You've dedicated a lifetime to finding your perfect instrument; don't compromise your sound with ordinary or stock pickups. Seasoned Pros understand that true tone begins at the guitar—specifically, with its pickups. Anything less than ToneSpec pickups diminishes the potential of your guitar, weakens your potential as a musician and weakens your tone.
From Nashville to LA, Austin to NYC, Brazil to Japan, elite touring professionals trust their tone exclusively to ToneSpec Pickups in their main performance guitars. Once you hear the difference, you'll instantly understand why. Experience it yourself—just listen.
LIVE ON STAGE
Studio Ready
In today's digital age, virtually everyone has access to a home recording studio—which means the session world is more competitive than ever before. To stand out, every note you play must be flawless, impactful, and memorable. Top session players know this, and that's exactly why they trust ToneSpec Pickups for all their primary studio guitars.
Your next session might be at a professional studio, where the producer simply asks you to bring your guitar. When you arrive, you might find yourself plugging directly into a high-end modeling rig or digital recording setup. If your pickups are merely average, your tone won't impress—and you may not get invited back. ToneSpec Pickups deliver exceptional sound quality through vintage amps, solid state devices and cutting-edge modelers alike, giving you the versatility and confidence to nail every take. This is precisely why elite session guitarists choose ToneSpec.
RECORDING SESSION
Luthier Approved
Professional guitarists and luthiers share a common goal: creating instruments with exceptional tone. Both thrive in highly competitive fields, where excellence isn’t optional—it's essential.
Luthiers dedicate years perfecting their craft, tirelessly experimenting with different hardware and components to achieve the finest tone possible. It’s an honor that many of the world’s most respected guitar builders and luthiers consistently choose ToneSpec Pickups to enhance their instruments. In the video below, renowned luthier Stephen Marchione shares insights into his meticulous approach to crafting some of the finest guitars available today.
Simply being asked this question is a major compliment—and there's a reason for that. Countless musicians tell us ToneSpec Pickups outperform everything else available today. In fact, vintage pickups are the only competitors worthy of mention. And when you consider vintage pickups can cost thousands more, the exceptional value and superior performance of ToneSpec Pickups become even clearer.
“You are a Genius. These things make a solid state amp sound like it has Tubes in it. They have this 3-D thing going on. I’ve tried every important pickup upgrade since 1983 & the pickups are the best by far. I want these in all of my guitars.”
"I was knocked out by your pickups! Plugged straight in, it sounds like it was going through a top shelf tube compressor—only better. I’m the luthier/owner of Stonetree Custom Guitars for over 20 years now. My goal is to craft a “brand new old guitar”. I have relied on a couple of the biggest boutique pickup makers for the most part, but your pickups are a game changer. I have built guitars for many pros including Eric ‘Roscoe’ Ambel & Joe Bonamassa."
"These are the best pickups I've ever used. I'm so happy to have these in my guitars. They are better than vintage pickups. I was shocked to discover they are even better than the Arlo's. They just feel & sound amazing. Man you are a Genius. "
“It sounds like the have Tubes in them...almost three dimensional. They just sound really sweet. I don’t how they do it but they even feel sweet. Just like vintage pickups but with more sustain and less noise. They are just amazing”
-Mike Gallaher, Legendary Guitarist - Joe Cocker, Leon Russell
"Just like vintage pickups only better. They have this dynamic thing going on kind of like a great tube amp. I imagine this is what new vintage pickups sounded like back in the 50's & 60's"
-Dani Robinson, Blues Guitarist (Performs Jimi parts w/Billy Cox Experience)
"Something about the way they feel when you play...the way they make you play& respond to you guitar is so important because it's inspiring & let you play better. They are the most sensitive pickups I've ever played...the best!"
"I love your pickups. I put them in my guitar and it is exactly what I was looking for. We play old honky tonk and Western swing, so I have to cover a lot of ground between twang and warm arch top tones. The ToneSpec bridge pickup is the first one that has made me happy other than an original 55 bridge pickup. The whole set has that great 50’s sound and feel. I don’t use any pedals and the combo sounds awesome plugged straight into my Princeton. Keep doing what you do!"
"I can't thank you enough for my pickup set. They are an answer to a prayer that I could create the perfect guitar. I spent a great deal of money for a Strandberg only to find the sound was not up to par. Now, it is fabulous. Thanks Again & God Bless You."
“It's like plugging into a nice Studio Tube Compressor...you hear every nuance of every note.Randall Van Dykemakes pickups that are more dynamic sounding, I'd say they're organic sounding. With other pickups you don’t get that. They sound very fat but very clear. When you hit it harder you hear the dynamics you want to hear. I’ve been trying for years and with other pickups you don’t get that. They sound like vintage pickups”
“Fascinating recording the Les Paul Gold Top with the 57/61 Deluxe PAF's and comparing to my other Les Paul with stock pickups! At higher gain levels the ToneSpec set has great definition. There are harmonics coming out of the amp in the room I’m not used to with when using the Tone Spec pickups & it translate's beautifully when recorded! Interesting!!”
"I wanted to thank you again for making these great pickups. At first I thought it was a subtle change, but the more I play, the more I can’t STOP playing! These things are sounding better every day. Anyhow, I am totally in love with these! I now own 2 sets & I can't get enough. I just bought another set for my brother."
“I’ve had over 8 different sets of pickups in my guitar…I can honestly say without a doubt…these are the best sounding pickups I have ever heard... Well done gentleman…thanks for ending my tone search.”
“I noticed the difference right away. I’ve tried every pickup you can imagine and the these pickups exceed everything else. Hands down the best pickups on the market. Just pure tone…the only pickups I’ll ever use”
“You guys are Geniuses. I can’t put my guitar down...the response is very Tube like..very 3-D sounding. I just played a gig with the Tone Specific’s and I got so many compliments. It’s really amazing what you guys are doing over there. You've made all other pickups obsolete."
“These pickups respond just like vintage pickups. What makes them better than vintage pickups is that each set is consistent. You don’t don’t get that with vintage pickups…some are great & some are duds. The Tone Specific’s always sound amazing. There's nothing else like these on the market.”
-Dan Courtenay, Vintage Guitar Expert/Buyer in NYC
“You are a Tone Wizard. My guitar has never sounded or felt so good. They respond to my playing in such an incredible way. It's just like playing an incredible tube amp. These pickups are so much better than everything else out there.”
“They bloom just like a vintage tube amplifier. There are just really vintage sounding pickups. Super warm, dynamic & they sustain forever. They just agree with all of my amps. There's nothing else like them. I put them in all of my guitars, even my vintage guitars.
-Ford Thurston, Session/Touring Guitarist based in Nashville, TN
“These are the quintessential sounding P.A.F. style pickups. They give you all of that warmth, bloom & sustain you’d expect in a vintage pickups without being overly wound.”
“These pickups sound absolutely fantastic. Perfectly matched and more versatile than my vintage pickups”. (He likes them so much, he put the box sticker on his guitar)
-Steve Ouimette, Session Guitarist - Alice Cooper, Guitar Hero, Public Enemy
“Tone Specific always delivers a masterpiece. These responsive pickups catch the essence of my guitars & enables the musician to create the sounds he wants”
“Randall Van Dyke makes the best pickups. The sustain and warmth is incredible. They are very dynamic, very tubey. They destroy all other pickups. They go in all of my guitars. It's kind of like plugging into and old Neve console”
-Mike Severson, Guitarist for Robert Glasper, Phillip Bailey (Earth, Wind & Fire)
"Your pickups are killer. I've played a lot of guitar in my life but these pickups are the best I've played. I know you've worked hard at your craft but you should be very proud. You deserve all the kudos you get. Thank you very much".
