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Jim Rolph

oldflame

Active member
Joined
Jan 11, 2004
Messages
1,142
Just bagged two sets of Jim's pickups off the bay. Set of Zebra PAF's and a set of Strat 'Pretenders'.

Just wow!
 

marshall1987

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
3,278
Congratulations! :3zone

I'm a happy and very satisfied Jim Rolph customer too!

Did your PAF Pretenders come with covers? When I bought a set of '59 Pretenders back in 2012 Jim did not provide covers, they were exposed zebra coils. Jim didn't have a good source for authentic covers so he choose to omit them from his PAF replicas, rather than install marginal covers which could affect the sound. As a result the price was very competitive with other boutique PAF replicas. I recently bought a set of ThroBak nickel covers and installed them on mine. They are the best sounding PAF replicas I own.
 

oldflame

Active member
Joined
Jan 11, 2004
Messages
1,142
Congratulations! :3zone

I'm a happy and very satisfied Jim Rolph customer too!

Did your PAF Pretenders come with covers? When I bought a set of '59 Pretenders back in 2012 Jim did not provide covers, they were exposed zebra coils. Jim didn't have a good source for authentic covers so he choose to omit them from his PAF replicas, rather than install marginal covers which could affect the sound. As a result the price was very competitive with other boutique PAF replicas. I recently bought a set of ThroBak nickel covers and installed them on mine. They are the best sounding PAF replicas I own.

No covers on these either. Actually I don't mind seeing some nice zebra coils. I bought some thro-bak covers about 3 years back. Whilst good replica's, sadly the nickel on one of them started to flake off from the bottom edges and eventually worked it's way to the top.
 

duaneflowers

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
2,522
I got both of my sets (58 and 59 Pretenders) from Jim in 2013... both came with covers. Talking to Jim was a hoot and I couldn't be happier with them. Along with OTPG, Wizz and Rewind, Jim ranks among my all-time favorite winders... :salude
 

Blackie66

New member
Joined
Apr 30, 2020
Messages
3
Trying to confirm if these are Rolph pickups. Taken from a 2001 R9 imported from Mark's Guitar Loft.
Pictures below. Can anyone help, or is there an email for Rolph I can send to??
Cheers
Colin
Rolph1.jpgRolph2.jpg
 
Last edited:

Nick-O

Active member
Joined
Aug 12, 2015
Messages
223
I don't think Jim does email Colin. At least he didn't used to. You call him and chat with him and it goes from there. Well worth the time too. I don't see your pictures either.
 

Blackie66

New member
Joined
Apr 30, 2020
Messages
3
I don't think Jim does email Colin. At least he didn't used to. You call him and chat with him and it goes from there. Well worth the time too. I don't see your pictures either.

Thanks Nick - have tried to load pictures again.
Cheers
Colin
 

Nick-O

Active member
Joined
Aug 12, 2015
Messages
223
I have '58 pretenders in my main guitar, and there is nothing on the back of them that I recall. The only proof would be the tube containers that he shipped them in. I reckon he still does that, but its been a long while since I got these. Kind of ended my pickup search then and there, but I would love another set for my SG.
 

Blackie66

New member
Joined
Apr 30, 2020
Messages
3
I have '58 pretenders in my main guitar, and there is nothing on the back of them that I recall. The only proof would be the tube containers that he shipped them in. I reckon he still does that, but its been a long while since I got these. Kind of ended my pickup search then and there, but I would love another set for my SG.

Hard to confirm, I guess. They came in a guitar I got in a deal.
Thanks again:)
 

Sol

Active member
Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
775
After some enquiries I got Jim's email, and when I received his reply I was given the international phone number, to call in order to talk with him.
I replied asking if an email correspondence was possible due to my location here in the
UK, but I've had no response. I've concluded that I will have to call him despite the limitations and the cost of international call charges.

For those that know Jim, could you help me understand his reluctance to communicate through email?
I'm genuinely interested and would love to agree on the wind he recommends, and if not for me could a time come where prospective international customers might communicate through Skype, Zoom or some other means with Jim Rolph?
 

duaneflowers

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
2,522
After some enquiries I got Jim's email, and when I received his reply I was given the international phone number, to call in order to talk with him.
I replied asking if an email correspondence was possible due to my location here in the
UK, but I've had no response. I've concluded that I will have to call him despite the limitations and the cost of international call charges.

For those that know Jim, could you help me understand his reluctance to communicate through email?
I'm genuinely interested and would love to agree on the wind he recommends, and if not for me could a time come where prospective international customers might communicate through Skype, Zoom or some other means with Jim Rolph?

Jim is old. Period. And he doesn't do technology. Ever. Be grateful he is willing to even talk to you at all let alone wind pickups. I think I was on the phone with him for an hour and a half as he won't be rushed... so plan accordingly. If you don't want to go through that then just order a set of 59 Pretenders and be done with it. :salude
 

goldtop0

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 19, 2003
Messages
8,931
Real cottage industry stuff................love it.
Just like the 'old' days when international orders were done by letters sent overseas............:2cool
Reminds me of Tim White handwinding his pickups in the early 2000s..........craftsmanship and old methods(ways).
 

Mr. Legit

Active member
Joined
Sep 11, 2016
Messages
112
Jim Rolph is an absolute master, has a wealth of information, and he has been doing this longer than some winders have been alive. I switched from a bunch of the top names to Jim’s pickups.
 

ourmaninthenorth

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
Messages
7,119
After some enquiries I got Jim's email, and when I received his reply I was given the international phone number, to call in order to talk with him.
I replied asking if an email correspondence was possible due to my location here in the
UK, but I've had no response. I've concluded that I will have to call him despite the limitations and the cost of international call charges.

For those that know Jim, could you help me understand his reluctance to communicate through email?
I'm genuinely interested and would love to agree on the wind he recommends, and if not for me could a time come where prospective international customers might communicate through Skype, Zoom or some other means with Jim Rolph?

Sol, for something as bespoke and special as these, I'd actually want an old fashioned conversation on the blower.

International calls aren't as expensive as you think, it's just the time difference in the new world that'd get me, they're like 40 years behind....

:hee

Hope you get it sorted, good luck.
 

marshall1987

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
3,278
Jim is old. Period. And he doesn't do technology. Ever. Be grateful he is willing to even talk to you at all let alone wind pickups. I think I was on the phone with him for an hour and a half as he won't be rushed... so plan accordingly. If you don't want to go through that then just order a set of 59 Pretenders and be done with it. :salude

I can vouch for the particulars of duane-flower's experience with Jim Rolph regarding his quest to procure a set of Jim Rolph '5x Pretenders.

Several years ago I was motivated to purchase a set of Jim Rolph '59 Pretenders .... based on a Tone Quest magazine article that reviewed several popular PAF replica pickups. When I initially contacted Jim about buying a set of his '59 Pretenders, he immediately set the tone and pace of our conversation. Our hour-long conversation was almost like a job interview. He also played live guitar demos over the phone, and asked me to comment. He told me of his lengthy celebrity client roster, and his close relationship with Robin Ford. His favorite amp is a mid-60s, "blackface" Fender Twin Reverb. We even talked about our ancestry and family trees going back to the early colonial period in America! He's one of the most colorful characters I have ever talked with.

Rolph's turnaround time for a set of '59 Pretenders was under two weeks as I recall. At the time, Rolph did not provide PAF replica pickup covers with the orders, so the pickups shipped uncovered. Best of all....his prices were extremely competitive compared to some of the other big names in the PAF replica business. Bottom Line......I consider his '59 Pretenders to be a bargain, and the best sounding PAF replicas I own. :dude:
 

Sol

Active member
Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
775
Just a brief reply to thank those helping me understand the modus operandi of the great man, much appreciated..
I apologise for the delay in my response, the metaphysical beers are on me.. :eek:la:eek:la
 
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