Dweezil Zappa, his insane guitar collection (and some awesome McNelly name drops!)

Dweezil Zappa, his insane guitar collection (and some awesome McNelly name drops!)

There's no doubting Dweezil Zappa's passion for guitar. From incredibly playing and instrument knowledge to being an absolute gear head, I have a great deal of respect for him and of course his family name too. Here's a great video presented by Gibson where they chat with Dweezil in great detail about his rig and guitar collection, but a number of instruments featured you'll notice also sport McNelly Pickups! We've known Dweezil has supporting Tim McNelly for a while now, but to hear the name mentioned in this video felt great, well deserved recognition from a fantastic musician and featured on such a big platform. Congrats to McNelly on this one! An honour to stock and represent the McNelly name here.
McNelly Pickups at the Home of Tone going into 2019

McNelly Pickups at the Home of Tone going into 2019

I'll be honest, with so many aspects of starting and trying to grow your own business, It's difficult to pinpoint my proudest moment since doing this, but I feel I can very much put representing McNelly Pickups right up there at the top of the list. I've worked with Tim at McNelly Pickups since 2015, and he has been one of the most reliable, consistent, innovative and inspiring suppliers to work with and it's an honour to represent such a quality brand here in the UK. 
Pickup spotlight - McNelly Jazzmaster range

Pickup spotlight - McNelly Jazzmaster range

For me, the Jazzmaster totally reset the bar of what I wanted from a guitar. The Chime, overall feel, scale, string tension and versatility spoke to me instantly. This is the same for so many of my customers, so I wanted to highlight the range of Jazzmaster pickup options available through us, how you can capture the classic JM tones and how you can mix it up a little without the need for re-routing or a new pickguard. So let's dive right in.
An insight into the McNelly Custom Pickups process

An insight into the McNelly Custom Pickups process

Tim McNelly recently shared a series of posts over on his social media pages featuring a brilliant insight into his methods behind a custom pickup idea/build. A huge percentage of the work McNelly carries out is custom based, be it for guitar makers or players alike who are looking for something unique for their instrument. Tim has a natural eye for making a design work, but luckily for us, an incredible attention to detail and knowledge of his craft. So these few posts I found incredibly interesting, and felt the need to share it on here! I'll quote the captions to each image exactly as he posted them, as no one can say it better than Tim when it comes to his work!
McNelly Charlie Christian Soapbar Pickup demo!

McNelly Charlie Christian Soapbar Pickup demo!

Using traditional components, true to the original CC Pickup design but of course in typical McNelly fashion, trying to further improve on it too. This pickup is beautifully clear and very transparent, whilst also being incredibly responsive to touch and tone/volume settings. I recorded this clean demo (which also shows it mixed with a T-Bar bridge pickup for example purposes) to hopefully show what a beautiful sounding and versatile pickup this is. Charlie Christian by name and design, but a whole lot more than just a swing/jazz sound!
Thinking of swapping your pickups? - A handy guide for new tone hunters!

Thinking of swapping your pickups? - A handy guide for new tone hunters!

Changing your guitar's pickups can prove to be a brilliantly cost effective way of transforming the sound of your guitar, and also a way of bringing out the best in your instrument. For so many it has been the first port of call in modifying their guitar and changing their sound. Perhaps you're planning on tweaking a more entry level Squier for example, chances are that you love how the guitar feels and plays but it's low quality pickups just don't quite do the job. This can sometimes even be the case with higher value instruments and it's existing pickups just simply don't fit the bill for you, be it personal tastes etc.
Unplated perfection - McNelly Cornucopia Humbuckers

Unplated perfection - McNelly Cornucopia Humbuckers

We have some really cool pickups pass through our hands, this set is certainly one of those.
I spotted McNelly making some 'Unplated' finishes for custom orders, so upon placing a stock order I put in the request to have some for here in the UK! So this set is technically a custom order, but is in stock & ready to ship.
Ltd edition 'Unplated Nickel' Covers on a neck & bridge set of McNelly Cornucopia Humbuckers!

Get in touch as these won't stick around for long!