ThroBak Guitar Lounge

ThroBak Electronics
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Guitar players, sit back in the ThroBak Guitar Lounge and be part of the internet's most informative guitar hang! Fun takes on tone, guitar collecting, repair and installation tips, guitar news of the day and much more. ThroBak Electronics owner Jon Gundry and co-host Matthew Quail draw upon decades of guitar expertise and insights from their work at ThroBak Electronics making the finest reproductions guitar pickups available today.  Join us each week by subscribing to the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast!

  1. 21h ago

    Blues Dentists and Blues Lawyers Are Stealing Our Vintage Guitars?!

    Blues Dentists and Blues Lawyers Are Stealing Our Vintage Guitars?! Upgrade your guitar with ThroBak Pickups 👉 https://www.throbak.com/ Are guitar collectors ruining the guitar world? In Episode #074 of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast, Jon and Matthew debate whether wealthy collectors are pricing real players out of vintage guitars, inspired by Jared James Nichols’ comments about “blues dentists” gobbling up prized instruments. In Pickups of the Week, Jon unveils a new set of prototype ThroBak P.A.F. humbuckers meticulously recreated to match the original pickups in a 1959 Gibson ES-335 owned by a notable Nashville session guitarist. Hear vintage tone reborn! 🎸 Gear Featured in This Episode '67 Gibson ES-335 ThroBak '59 P.A.F. Proptype pickup set '64 Epiphone Newport Deluxe Bass '79 Fender Silver Panel Deluxe Reverb Nobels ODR-1 🎸 THROBAK GUITAR LOUNGE PODCAST — EPISODE #074 🎸 🎬 INTRO Welcome back to the ThroBak Guitar Lounge! Jon and Matthew kick off Episode #074 with vintage guitar talk, pickup discoveries, and another spirited Guitargument! 📬 THROBAK NEWS + VIEWER COMMENTS We catch up on the latest happenings at ThroBak headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and respond to questions, observations, and comments from our viewers. 🎸 PICKUPS OF THE WEEK — THROBAK '59 P.A.F. PROTOTYPES Jon introduces a special set of prototype ThroBak P.A.F. humbuckers engineered to reproduce the characteristics of original 1959 Gibson P.A.F. pickups found in a vintage '59 ES-335 owned by a prominent Nashville session guitarist. How close can we get to the magic of the originals? 🔥 THE GUITARGUMENT — ARE COLLECTORS RUINING THE GUITAR WORLD? Jared James Nichols recently stirred up controversy with his comments about wealthy “blues dentists” buying up vintage guitars. Are collectors preserving guitar history or pricing working musicians out of the market? Should legendary instruments be played or displayed? Jon and Matthew debate! 🎵 RORSCHACH RIFFS It's time to test your musical memory! See if you can identify the famous mid-80's era guitar riffs in this week's musical challenge. Play along! 🎼 MATTHEW'S MUSICAL MUSINGS — GHS STRINGS! Matthew takes us to Battle Creek, Michigan, for a look at the history of GHS Strings, one of America's iconic guitar string manufacturers. Discover the Michigan roots of a company whose strings have helped shape the sound of generations of guitarists. 👋 OUTRO Thanks for joining us in the ThroBak Guitar Lounge! Like, comment, subscribe, and tell us: Are guitar collectors helping preserve history or ruining the vintage guitar market? 👉 Explore ThroBak Pickups: https://www.throbak.com ThroBak Electronics is a world leader in classic reproduction guitar pickups. To learn more visit.: https://www.throbak.com/p90-pickup.html https://www.throbak.com/paf-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/stratocaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/telecaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/alnico-magnets.html https://www.throbak.com/pedals.html https://www.throbak.com/strings.html

    Blues Dentists and Blues Lawyers Are Stealing Our Vintage Guitars?!

  2. Oct 10

    The Fender Winder That Remembers: Evidence From the Birth of the Electric Guitar

    The Fender Winder That Remembers: Evidence From the Birth of the Electric Guitar Upgrade your guitar with ThroBak Pickups 👉 https://www.throbak.com/ Episode #073 uncovers a piece of Fender history! Jon services the historic Fullerton 457 pickup winder purchased at the Jim Irsay auction and reveals evidence of its decades of use. Then hear the new ThroBak T-’52 Telecaster pickups, hand wound on this legendary Fender machine and coming soon to ThroBak.com. Plus, with celebrity-owned guitars hitting the auction block at record pace, the Guitargument asks: Is Rock ’n’ Roll becoming a Collector’s Museum? 🎸 Gear Featured in This Episode Gibson R8 with Carmelita neck carve with ThroBak '60 SteelHead Pickups installed Chambered Gibson R6 with ThroBak SB-Special P-90's Vintage 1979 Fender Silverface Deluxe Reverb 2004 Gibson Les Paul Historic Reissue with ThroBak '57 SteelHead A4 pickups Fender American Vintage II 1951 Telecaster Reissue with ThroBak T-'52 Fullerton 457 Telecaster pickups Nobels ODR-1 effect pedal 🎸 INTRO Welcome to Episode #073 of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast! Jon and Matthew are back with vintage Fender history, brand-new ThroBak Telecaster pickups, celebrity guitar auctions and a fascinating piece of Michigan musical history. 📬 THROBAK NEWS + VIEWER COMMENTS We catch up on the latest ThroBak news and dig into your questions and comments from last week’s episode. 🔥 PICKUPS OF THE WEEK – NEW T-’52 TELECASTER SET Meet the upcoming ThroBak T-’52 Tele pickup set, hand wound on the historic Fender Fullerton 457 coil winder. This machine was purchased from the Jim Irsay Collection auction earlier this year and may be one of the earliest pickup winders used by Fender. ⚙️ FULLERTON 457 – BACK TO WORK! Jon gets hands-on with history, replacing the rubber drive belt on the Fullerton 457. A close look at the machine reveals fascinating evidence of the thousands of pickup coils that may have been wound on it during its working life. 🔊 AMP & PEDAL SETTINGS Jon walks through the settings on the 1979 Fender Silverface Deluxe Reverb and Nobels ODR-1 used for this week’s pickup demonstration. 🎶 HEAR THE NEW T-’52 SET Now it’s time to hear them! Jon puts the new T-’52 Telecaster pickups through their paces and lets the historic Fullerton 457 speak again through a set of pickups wound right here at ThroBak. ⚔️ THE GUITARGUMENT – IS ROCK ’N’ ROLL BECOMING A COLLECTOR’S MUSEUM? Celebrity guitars are flooding the auction block. Instruments owned and played by rock legends are commanding enormous prices—but what does it mean for guitar culture? Are these auctions preserving rock history, or are we turning Rock ’n’ Roll into a museum for wealthy collectors? 🧊 THE COOL DOWN After another heated Guitargument, Jon and Matthew cool things down and continue the conversation. 🎵 MATTHEW & JON’S RORSCHACH RIFFS The mystery riffs return! Can Jon and Matthew identify the songs before time runs out—and can you beat them to the answer? 📚 MATTHEW’S MUSICAL MUSINGS – V.C. SQUIER OF BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN Long before Squier became Fender’s affordable guitar brand, Victor Carroll Squier was making violins and strings in Battle Creek, Michigan. Matthew explores the remarkable history of V.C. Squier, its connection to Fender and an overlooked chapter of Michigan guitar history. 👋 OUTRO Another trip through guitar tone, history and questionable opinions comes to an end. Thanks for watching the ThroBak Guitar Lounge! 👉 Explore ThroBak Pickups: https://www.throbak.com ThroBak Electronics is a world leader in classic reproduction guitar pickups. To learn more visit.: https://www.throbak.com/p90-pickup.html https://www.throbak.com/paf-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/stratocaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/telecaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/alnico-magnets.html https://www.throbak.com/pedals.html https://www.throbak.com/strings.html

    The Fender Winder That Remembers: Evidence From the Birth of the Electric Guitar

  3. Oct 3

    Long A4 vs. Unoriented A5 | Biggest Difference Yet? The Great P.A.F. Magnet Duel Rides On!

    Long A4 vs. Unoriented A5 | Biggest Difference Yet? The Great P.A.F. Magnet Duel Rides On!  Upgrade your guitar with ThroBak Pickups 👉 https://www.throbak.com/ The Vintage P.A.F. style Alnico magnet train keeps rolling in Episode 072 when ThroBak compares Long Alnico 4 vs. Long Unoriented Alnico 5 magnets in ThroBak Reference pickups. Hear dueling Heritage H-150 Custom Core guitars and pick your favorite magnet tone! Then Jon & Matthew debate: Do guitarists judge tone with their eyes rather than their ears? The hotly debated Guitargument also reveals the 7 Rules of the Luthier’s Code. Did Fender break an ancient, unspoken pact with its March 2026 cease & desist letters? Watch and find out!  🎸 Gear Featured in This Episode Heritage H-150 Custom Core Guitars ThroBak Lucky 7's P.A.F. Style Repro Reference Pickups Vintage 1979 Fender Silverface Deluxe Reverb Live Gig Gear: Vintage 1979 Fender Vibrolux Reverb 2004 Gibson Les Paul Historic Reissue with ThroBak '57 SteelHead A4 pickups Fender American Vintage II 1951 Telecaster Reissue with ThroBak T-'52 Fullerton 457 Telecaster pickups Nobels ODR-1 effect pedal Show Rundown: 📬 THROBAK NEWS, VIEWER COMMENTS AND DIVE BAR GIG CLIPS Does the ThroBak crew practice the great tone they preach? The answer is YES and the guys prove it with clips form their recent Dive Bar Gig! Jon & Matthew also dig into viewer questions and comments from Episode #071. 🧲 PICKUPS OF THE WEEK — LONG A4 vs. UNORIENTED LONG A5 The ThroBak Reference Sets return! We compare USA-made Long Alnico 4 magnets against Long Unoriented Alnico 5 magnets in matching Heritage H-150 Custom Core guitars through a '79 Fender Deluxe Reverb. Hear the difference the magnets alone make. 👀👂 THE GUITARGUMENT — DO GUITARISTS JUDGE TONE WITH THEIR EYES OR THEIR EARS? Vintage logos. Famous names. High prices. Beautiful finishes. Legendary provenance. How much does knowing what we’re looking at influence what we think we’re hearing? Jon & Matthew debate whether guitarists can really separate tone from expectation. 🧊 THE COOL DOWN The debate may be over, but the argument isn’t! Jon & Matthew cool things down and revisit the question. 📜 THE LUTHIER’S CODE! Jon reveals his 7 Rules of the Luthier’s Code—the unwritten rules that guitar builders have traditionally lived by. Did Fender break an ancient, unspoken pact when it sent cease & desist letters to guitar builders and retailers in March 2026? 🎵 MATTHEW’S RORSCHACH RIFFS — BASS EDITION Forget six strings! Matthew puts Jon to the test with another Bass Edition of Rorschach Riffs. How many can you identify before Jon? 🔵 MATTHEW’S MUSICAL MUSINGS — BLUE DOT FEVER OUTBREAK! Matthew has diagnosed another dangerous out break in Grand Rapids, Michigan commonly known as Blue Dot Fever! Could it be coming to your town next? 👋 OUTRO Jon & Matthew wrap up Episode #072 and another week in the ThroBak Guitar Lounge. 👉 Explore ThroBak Pickups: https://www.throbak.com ThroBak Electronics is a world leader in classic reproduction guitar pickups. To learn more visit.: https://www.throbak.com/p90-pickup.html https://www.throbak.com/paf-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/stratocaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/telecaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/alnico-magnets.html https://www.throbak.com/pedals.html https://www.throbak.com/strings.html

    Long A4 vs. Unoriented A5 | Biggest Difference Yet? The Great P.A.F. Magnet Duel Rides On!

  4. Sep 26

    Long Unoriented Alnico 5 vs. Long Alnico 2: More Vintage P.A.F. Magnet Madness!

    Long Unoriented Alnico 5 vs. Long Alnico 2: More Vintage P.A.F. Magnet Madness! Lounge #71 Upgrade your guitar with ThroBak Pickups 👉 https://www.throbak.com/ Episode #071 of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast puts another classic P.A.F. magnet combination to the test! In Pickups of the Week, we compare Long Alnico 2 vs. Unoriented Alnico 5 magnets in matched ThroBak Reference Pickup Sets. How much does the magnet change the tone, attack and feel? Then Jon & Matthew tackle this week’s Guitargument: Is Johnny Marr Really a Great Guitarist worthy of a Christie's Auction? Is greatness about technique, originality and versatility—or creating unforgettable guitar parts that players are still talking about 40 years later? 🎸 Gear Featured in This Episode Heritage H-150 Custom Core Guitars ThroBak Lucky 7's P.A.F. Style Repro Reference Pickups Vintage 1979 Fender Silverface Deluxe Reverb Nobels ODR-1 effect pedal Show rundown: 🎸 INTRO Welcome to Episode 071 of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast! Jon and Matthew are back in the Guitar Lounge for another episode packed with pickup tone, guitar debate, riffs, music history and plenty of guitar talk. 📰 THROBAK NEWS + VIEWER COMMENTS We kick things off with the latest news from ThroBak and dig into viewer comments, questions and reactions from Episode 070. 🎛️ PICKUPS OF THE WEEK – LONG ALNICO 2 vs. UNORIENTED LONG ALNICO 5 Our ThroBak Reference Pickup magnet comparisons continue! This week we put two very different P.A.F.-style magnet recipes head-to-head: Long Alnico 2 vs. Long Unoriented Alnico 5. The pickups are tested through a 1979 Fender Silver Panel Deluxe Reverb, allowing us to concentrate on what happens when the magnet changes. Does the Unoriented A5 combine some of the characteristics we associate with A2 and A5, or does it have a personality all its own? Here both magnets clean and dirty and decide for yourself which alnico rules the roost! 🥊 THE GUITARGUMENT – IS JOHNNY MARR A GUITAR HERO? Johnny Marr created some of the most recognizable guitar parts of the 1980s with The Smiths and went on to an extraordinary career working with The The, Electronic, Talking Heads, Modest Mouse, Hans Zimmer and many others. But is Johnny Marr really a "Guitar Hero"? Jon and Matthew debate what actually makes a guitarist great. Is it technical ability and jaw-dropping solos, or can songwriting, rhythm playing, arrangement, originality and creating unforgettable guitar parts be equally important? Johnny Marr provides the perfect test case. 🧊 THE COOL DOWN After the Guitargument heats up, Jon and Matthew head into The Cool Down to continue the conversation and see whether either side has reconsidered their position. 🎸 MATTHEW'S RORSCHACH RIFFS Matthew steps up for another round of Rorschach Riffs. How quickly can Jon identify this week's mystery guitar riffs? 📼 MATTHEW'S MUSICAL MUSINGS – MASTER TAPE RESCUE Matthew explores Brian Kehew's fascinating Master Tape Rescue project, an effort to identify and reconnect forgotten, misplaced and stranded master recordings with the artists and rights holders they belong to. What historically important recordings could still be sitting unidentified on a shelf somewhere? 👋 OUTRO Jon and Matthew wrap up Episode #071 and look ahead to what's coming next from ThroBak and the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast. 👉 Explore ThroBak Pickups: https://www.throbak.com ThroBak Electronics is a world leader in classic reproduction guitar pickups. To learn more visit.: https://www.throbak.com/p90-pickup.html https://www.throbak.com/paf-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/stratocaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/telecaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/alnico-magnets.html https://www.throbak.com/pedals.html https://www.throbak.com/strings.html

    Long Unoriented Alnico 5 vs. Long Alnico 2: More Vintage P.A.F. Magnet Madness!

  5. Sep 23

    Long Alnico 3 vs. Short Alnico 2: Which Magnet Wins?

    Long Alnico 3 vs. Short Alnico 2: Which Magnet Wins? Upgrade your guitar with ThroBak Pickups 👉 https://www.throbak.com/ Welcome to Episode #070 of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast! This week Alnico 3 vs Short Alnico 2 magnets in a P.A.F. style pickup! For the Guitargument Jon and Matthew invite special guest Todd Dhyne to tackle a question that almost every working musician can relate to: Why are bar bands still getting paid $100 per person when that was the going rate 30 years ago? 🎸 Gear Featured in This Episode Heritage H-150 Custom Core Guitars ThroBak Lucky 7's P.A.F. Style Repro Reference Pickups Vintage 1979 Fender Silverface Deluxe Reverb Nobels ODR-1 effect pedal 🎸 THROBAK NEWS & VIEWER COMMENTS We kick off Episode #070 with viewer comments and some big ThroBak News for our customers in Japan. ThroBak is now accepting direct orders from Japan! Under our previous agreement with our Japanese distributor, Zenbu Japan, inquiries from Japan were referred to Zenbu. Under our new agreement, Japanese customers can now order directly from ThroBak. 🧲 PICKUPS OF THE WEEK — LONG ALNICO 3 vs. SHORT ALNICO 2 The Great P.A.F. Magnet Duel continues! This week we put two of the weakest magnets in the Alnico family head-to-head: Long Alnico 3 vs. Short Alnico 2. Using our ThroBak Reference Pickup sets, we play both clean and overdriven tones to find out just how much these two different magnet recipes affect the sound. Which one would you choose? ⚔️ THE GUITARGUMENT — WHY ARE BAR BANDS STILL GETTING PAID $100 A PERSON? 30 YEARS. NO RAISE! Why haven't bar-band wages kept up with inflation? Should musicians simply refuse to play for $100? Can bar owners realistically afford to pay bands more? Are musicians partly responsible for keeping rates low by continuing to accept these gigs? Or has the entire traditional bar-band business model become obsolete? Find out in the Guitargument! 🎶 RORSCHACH RIFFS — ACOUSTIC EDITION Matthew puts away the electric guitar for a special Acoustic Edition of Rorschach Riffs featuring four classic riffs from the 1970s. How many can Jon and Todd identify? 📚 MATTHEW’S MUSICAL MUSINGS — A TEENAGE ALEX LIFESON Matthew takes us back to the fascinating 1973 Canadian documentary Come On Children, directed by filmmaker Allan King. The film features 17-year-old Alex Zivojinovich—better known as Alex Lifeson of RUSH—and even captures the future guitar legend playing his tobacco sunburst Gibson ES-335! And there’s a perfect connection to this week’s Guitargument. Alex mentions being paid $80 a night for a gig in the early 1970s. Adjusted to 2026 dollars, that's roughly $626 Canadian—or about $451 U.S.! More than half a century later, are some working musicians actually earning LESS per gig? 🎬 OUTRO P.A.F. pickups, Alnico magnets, Jimmy Page, Alex Lifeson, RUSH, vintage guitars, acoustic riffs and the economics of playing live—it’s all packed into Episode #070 of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast. Subscribe, join the Guitargument and answer this week’s big question: WOULD YOU TAKE THE $100 BAR GIG? 👉 Explore ThroBak Pickups: https://www.throbak.com ThroBak Electronics is a world leader in classic reproduction guitar pickups. To learn more visit.: https://www.throbak.com/p90-pickup.html https://www.throbak.com/paf-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/stratocaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/telecaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/alnico-magnets.html https://www.throbak.com/pedals.html https://www.throbak.com/strings.html

    Long Alnico 3 vs. Short Alnico 2: Which Magnet Wins?

  6. Sep 12

    Short Alnico 5 vs. Short Alnico 2: Which P.A.F. Magnet Reigns Supreme?

    Short Alnico 5 vs. Short Alnico 2: Which P.A.F. Magnet Reigns Supreme? Upgrade your guitar with ThroBak Pickups 👉 https://www.throbak.com/ Episode #069 | Short Alnico 2 vs. Short Alnico 5 — Can You Hear the Difference? Welcome back to the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast! Episode #069 comes on the heels of a breakout Episode #068. But what brought everyone to the show? Was it the story of Steve Clark’s 1979 Gibson T-Top bridge pickup—or our discussion about whether the once-overlooked T-Top humbucker is becoming the new P.A.F.? We delve into these questions and also dig deeper into the tonal differences between Short Alnico 2 and Short Alnico 5 magnets in another P.A.F. Magnet Face Off! 🎸 Gear Featured in This Episode Heritage H-150 Custom Core Guitars ThroBak Lucky 7's P.A.F. Style Repro Reference Pickups Vintage 1979 Fender Silverface Deluxe Reverb Nobels ODR-1 effect pedal This week we keep the pickup conversation rolling with another head-to-head magnet showdown! 🎸 PICKUPS OF THE WEEK — SHORT ALNICO 2 vs. SHORT ALNICO 5 How much difference can the magnet make when everything else is kept as consistent as possible? Jon puts two sets of ThroBak Reference P.A.F.-style pickups to the test. The pickup sets are wound to the same specifications, but one set is loaded with Short Alnico 2 magnets while the other uses Short Alnico 5 magnets. To make the comparison even more revealing, the pickups are installed in a pair of Heritage H-150 Custom Core guitars with very similar weights. This gives us a great opportunity to hear what Short Alnico 2 and Short Alnico 5 bring to the equation. Which has the sweeter highs? Which has more punch and authority? Which has the better low end? And most importantly—which one would you choose? ⚔️ THE GUITARGUMENT — IS THE GUITAR BUSINESS BECOMING TOO CORPORATE? Craftsmen vs. the C-Suite! The guitar business has always been built around musicians, inventors, craftsmen, small shops and larger manufacturers. But as private equity and corporate ownership become increasingly involved in the musical instrument industry, is something changing? Jon and Matthew debate whether P.E. ownership provides the capital, professional management and resources companies need to grow—or whether an intense focus on profits, losses and financial performance ultimately puts restrictions on the very people who make the products special. 🎸 RORSCHACH RIFFS — BASS EDITION! Put down the six-string! This week Rorschach Riffs goes LOW. We have a special Bass Edition featuring four classic bass riffs spanning nearly four decades: one from 1966, a couple from the 1980s and one from 2004. How quickly can you identify them? 🎶 MATTHEW'S MUSICAL MUSINGS — RUSH RETURNS TO DETROIT! Matthew reports back from the August 28, 2026 RUSH concert at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. The last time RUSH played Detroit was during the R40 Tour in June 2015. Eleven years later, RUSH returned with Anika Nilles behind the drums and Loren Gold on keyboards. The concert was fantastic and the musicianship was everything you would expect, but Matthew came away particularly impressed by Geddy Lee’s voice. Compared with the R40 Tour 11 years ago, Geddy sounded remarkably strong. He has reportedly been working with a vocal coach, and from Matthew’s seat, the work has definitely paid off! Join Jon and Matthew for another episode filled with vintage-inspired pickup tone, guitar-industry debate, mystery bass riffs and a first-hand report from the return of RUSH to Detroit. Let us know in the comments: Short Alnico 2 or Short Alnico 5—which magnet wins? Is the guitar business becoming too corporate? And if you saw RUSH on this tour, what did you think? Thanks for watching Episode #069 of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast! 👉 Explore ThroBak Pickups: https://www.throbak.com ThroBak Electronics is a world leader in classic reproduction guitar pickups. To learn more visit.: https://www.throbak.com/p90-pickup.html https://www.throbak.com/paf-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/stratocaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/telecaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/alnico-magnets.html https://www.throbak.com/pedals.html https://www.throbak.com/strings.html

    Short Alnico 5 vs. Short Alnico 2: Which P.A.F. Magnet Reigns Supreme?

  7. Sep 5

    Are T-Tops the New P.A.F.? The Next Vintage Pickup Boom?

    Are T-Tops the New P.A.F.? The Next Vintage Pickup Boom? Upgrade your guitar with ThroBak Pickups 👉 https://www.throbak.com/ Welcome to Episode #068 of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast! This week Jon Gundry and Matthew dive into the world of vintage Gibson T-Top humbuckers with Steve Clark's repaired T-Top. We ask whether these once-overlooked pickups are finally stepping out of the shadow of the legendary P.A.F. As original P.A.F. pickups become increasingly rare, expensive, and out of reach for many players, could the T-Top be the next great vintage Gibson humbucker? 🎸 Gear Featured in This Episode: 2026 Gibson 1958 Historic Reissue Les Paul 1979 T-Top Bridge pickup from Steve Clark's Les Paul used heavily on stage and in studio. Vintage 1979 Fender Silverface Deluxe Reverb Nobels ODR-1 effect pedal 🎸 PICKUPS OF THE WEEK — VINTAGE GIBSON T-TOPS For Pickups of the Week, we go straight to the source with a vintage set of Gibson T-Top humbuckers installed in a 1968 Gibson ES-335. Jon puts the guitar through its paces using a 1979 Silver Panel Fender Deluxe Reverb for the clean tones and kicks on a Nobels ODR-1 for some added grit. This is your chance to hear what vintage T-Tops actually sound like in a period Gibson guitar and decide for yourself whether these pickups deserve more respect from players and collectors. 🔥 A T-TOP WITH ROCK & ROLL HISTORY Jon shows off a guitar he picked up during last week's visit to Chicago Music Exchange: a Gibson '58 Historic Les Paul finished in a VOS Tobacco sunburst. But there's something inside this Les Paul that makes it unlike just about any other Historic Reissue. In the bridge position is a 1979 Gibson T-Top pickup that came out of Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark's 1978 Tobacco Sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard. The pickup arrived at ThroBak in non-working condition and presented Jon with an unusual restoration challenge: how do you repair a vintage pickup with real rock & roll history while preserving as much of its originality as possible? Jon repaired the pickup using ThroBak's historic pickup winding equipment, and in this episode we get to hear this piece of Def Leppard guitar history come back to life. Jon plugs in the '58 Historic and lets the restored Steve Clark T-Top do the talking! ⚔️ THE GUITARGUMENT — ARE T-TOPS THE NEW P.A.F.? Matthew and Jon take sides in the Guitargument: Are vintage Gibson T-Tops becoming the new P.A.F. for the discerning guitarist and collector? Are players beginning to recognize something that has been hiding in plain sight for decades? And as P.A.F. prices continue to put originals beyond the reach of most guitarists, will T-Tops become the next highly sought-after vintage Gibson humbucker? 🎵 RORSCHACH RIFFS — MATTHEW GETS SLIPPERY! Matthew returns with four brand-new Rorschach Riffs designed to test Jon's musical memory. But this week Matthew introduces something we've never seen before on Rorschach Riffs — a glass slide! Finally, Matthew's Musical Musings pays tribute to the incredible Dolly Parton. The discussion begins with a striking 1972 portrait of Dolly taken by photographer Henry Horenstein and featured in his book Honky Tonk: Portraits of Country Music 1972–1981. If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Subscribe, and Ring the Notification Bell so you never miss a new episode of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast! 👉 Explore ThroBak Pickups: https://www.throbak.com ThroBak Electronics is a world leader in classic reproduction guitar pickups. To learn more visit.: https://www.throbak.com/p90-pickup.html https://www.throbak.com/paf-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/stratocaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/telecaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/alnico-magnets.html https://www.throbak.com/pedals.html https://www.throbak.com/strings.html

    Are T-Tops the New P.A.F.? The Next Vintage Pickup Boom?

  8. Aug 29

    We Went To The Fretboard Summit: Does NAMM Still Matter?

    We Went To The Fretboard Summit: Does NAMM Still Matter? Upgrade your guitar with ThroBak Pickups 👉 https://www.throbak.com/ Welcome to Episode #067 of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast! This week, Jon Gundry and Matthew are back from Chicago after attending the 2026 Fretboard Summit, an event that brought together guitar builders, gear makers, musicians, collectors and serious guitar enthusiasts under one roof. After experiencing the Summit firsthand, we came home with a big question for this week's Guitargument: Does the Guitar World Still Need NAMM? 🎸 Gear Featured in This Episode 1967 ES-335 with ThroBak ER-Custom P.A.F. style pickups. Vintage 1979 Fender Silverface Deluxe Reverb Nobels ODR-1 effect pedal 🎬 Intro Welcome to Episode #067! Jon and Matthew are back from Chicago with plenty to talk about, including their visit to the 2026 Fretboard Summit and the big question it inspired: Does the Guitar World Still Need NAMM? 📰 ThroBak News: ThroBak Chicago Road Trip Jon and Matthew hit the road for Chicago! We kick off the travelogue with highlights from the ThroBak road trip and their adventures around the Windy City. ⚾ Cubs Game You can't visit Chicago without taking in a little local culture. Jon and Matthew make a stop at historic Wrigley Field for a Chicago Cubs game. 🎸 Chicago Music Exchange Visit The road trip continues with a visit to Chicago Music Exchange, where Jon and Matthew check out the guitars, amps and gear at one of America's best-known guitar shops. 📬 Viewer Comments We check in with the ThroBak Guitar Lounge community and respond to viewer comments and reactions from last week's episode. 🎟️ Fretboard Summit 2026 Jon and Matthew head to the Fretboard Summit and report back on what they saw, who they met and their impressions of this guitar-focused gathering of builders, manufacturers, players and enthusiasts. Does an event like this offer a glimpse into the future of guitar shows? 🎸 Pickups of the Week: '67 Gibson ES-335 + ThroBak ER-Custom MXV P.A.F. Style Pickups This week's guitar is a vintage 1967 Gibson ES-335 loaded with ThroBak ER-Custom MXV P.A.F. style pickups. Jon puts this classic semi-hollow through its paces and explores what the ER-Custom MXV set can do. 🥊 The Guitargument: Does the Guitar World Still Need NAMM? After experiencing the Fretboard Summit firsthand, Jon and Matthew tackle the big question: Does the guitar world still need NAMM? Are smaller, guitar-focused events offering manufacturers and players something the massive traditional trade-show format can't? Or does NAMM remain an irreplaceable part of the guitar industry? 🧊 The Cool Down The debate may be over, but the discussion isn't! Jon and Matthew cool things down and continue unpacking the changing role of NAMM, guitar shows and industry events. 🎵 Matthew's Rorschach Riffs: Chi-Town Theme! Matthew takes over the guitar for a Chicago-themed edition of Rorschach Riffs. Can Jon identify Matthew's Windy City-inspired musical clues? 🚌 Jon's Musical Musings: Frankfort Bass Safari Jon heads out on a Bass Safari to Frankfort, Michigan! 👋 Outro Jon and Matthew wrap up Episode #067 and another week in the ThroBak Guitar Lounge. Thanks for watching, commenting and joining the conversation! If you enjoyed this episode, please Like, Subscribe, and Ring the Notification Bell so you never miss a new episode of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast! 👉 Explore ThroBak Pickups: https://www.throbak.com ThroBak Electronics is a world leader in classic reproduction guitar pickups. To learn more visit.: https://www.throbak.com/p90-pickup.html https://www.throbak.com/paf-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/stratocaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/telecaster-pickups.html https://www.throbak.com/alnico-magnets.html https://www.throbak.com/pedals.html https://www.throbak.com/strings.html

    We Went To The Fretboard Summit: Does NAMM Still Matter?
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Guitar players, sit back in the ThroBak Guitar Lounge and be part of the internet's most informative guitar hang! Fun takes on tone, guitar collecting, repair and installation tips, guitar news of the day and much more. ThroBak Electronics owner Jon Gundry and co-host Matthew Quail draw upon decades of guitar expertise and insights from their work at ThroBak Electronics making the finest reproductions guitar pickups available today.  Join us each week by subscribing to the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast!

Information

  • Creator
    ThroBak Electronics
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    73
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 ThroBak Guitar Lounge
  • Show Website
    ThroBak Guitar Lounge

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