■ Toneism Pickups are the ultimate pickups, created as the culmination of the work of the legendary Yasuhiko Iwanade, who has an illustrious career in the custom department of a well-known American guitar brand, and is also renowned as the author of the guitar enthusiast's bibles, "The Beauty of the Burst" and "The Galaxy of Stratocaster." ■ Product concept A vintage pickup that responds sensitively to the player's touch and expresses every emotional movement. While based on the excellent original design, numerous manufacturing techniques have changed over the decades of their history. Furthermore, even after these pickups were installed in guitars and released to the public, various changes occurred to the components over time, effectively changing the specifications. The vast individual variations that are a major feature of vintage pickups are the result of the combination of these two factors. Among these variations, only a select few have captivated audiences with their highly expressive power, connecting with the player. It's no exaggeration to say that vintage pickups are more than just parts; they were an essential part of the guitarists who helped shape the history of the music scene. Based on this understanding and the results of our many years of analytical research into vintage pickups, Toneism produces models that reproduce classic vintage tones, as well as custom pickups that utilize our sound-making know-how. ■ Creator: Yasuhiko Iwanade He began his career in the musical instrument industry in the 1970s repairing guitars and restoring vintage instruments. In the 1980s, he put that experience to good use and began manufacturing his own instruments. He then moved to the United States and worked in the custom guitar manufacturing department of an American company before returning to Japan. He served as an advisor to an American brand import agency and then launched his own guitar brand. During that time, he wrote columns for guitar-related magazines and wrote specialized books on musical instruments, some of which were published in English in the United States. In the 2000s, he returned to work for an American company, expanding sales channels not from the manufacturing side but from the management side, overseeing numerous countries, including Asia. He became head of a Japanese subsidiary overseeing the Japanese and Asian markets, and after a career spanning more than a decade, he went independent. He launched Toneism, a pickup manufacturing and sales business that can be considered the culmination of many years of planning and research. ■ What is VOHB? The TONEISM VOHB is a double-coil humbucker built faithfully to the original vintage manufacturing methods. While countless variations exist in PAF tone, we've grouped them into three distinct eras: '57, '58, '59, and '60. We've then combined subtle changes over time to create a foundational PAF tone. The patent number for the PAF's successor, '64, focuses on the period when specifications were more stable. ? VOHB#59 Front It is based on the Alnico 4 magnet, which was used in many models towards the end of the 1950s. The basic character of Alnico 4 is tight lows and juicy mids and highs. Its character is somewhere between Alnico 2 and Alnico 5, with more presence and complexity in the highs than Alnico 2, and not as dry and boomy as Alnico 5. The front uses a slightly warmer coil. *Screws/springs are not included. Please use standard inch-size screws (#3-48) for installation.Product size: 84.5×37.5×29.5mm Product weight: about 120g Power Level: Medium Resistance: 7.5-7.6K Coil wire: AWG42 plain enamel Magnet: Alnico 4 Bobbin: Butyrate Base Plate: German Silver Lead Wire: Push-back, 2-strand braided wire Shield Potting: None Screw Size: Inch #3-48 Package size: 10.2 x 9.8 x 6.8 cm Total weight (including packaging): approx. 0.165 kg Accessories: None Country of Origin: Japan