Distortion is easy!  Clean is hard!

Whitaker guitar pickups are handmade in the USA by Ray Whitaker, an accomplished luthier with 30+ years of experience.  Glitterbomb pickups are a hum-cancelling single coil design that is only 1/4" thick and 1 7/8" X 2" wide.  Designed specifically for 3 or 4 string cigar box guitars, their resistance and inductance numbers are equal to some full size vintage Stratocaster pickups.  Molded and sealed inside a high quality 8000 PSI epoxy, they are very durable, resistant to pick scratches and non-microphonic.  Incorporating a counter-wound field-activated second coil for hum-cancelling also makes them very quiet.

Mixing the casting epoxy with PET glitter or quality pigments/mica powders gives the pickups a bold look that can visually set your instrument apart.  A Tuxedo Black mica/glitter model is available for those who prefer a more subdued look with just a hint of sparkle.  The Glitterbomb is designed for cigar box guitars, but can also be used for solid body guitar applications -  making it possible to create a guitar with a very thin body.  With their 1/4" overall thickness, an instrument will not require a deep pickup cavity that can weaken the structure of some designs.  The pickup can be glued directly to a top with a few drops of E-6000 glue, or attached with double-stick foam tape.  You can make decorative pickup rings or spacers, or mount the pickup directly to the top.

I am stocking four colors of Glitterbomb pickups in neck position configuration, with 7K resistance and 2.0 Henries inductance.   I also have a bridge position pickup design available on special order with 7.6K and 2.26 Henries inductance.  A standard neck position pickup could be used in the bridge position, but the overwound pickup sounds better.  Likewise, the bridge pickup does not sound good in the neck position.  Bridge pickups are an additional $1.00 because of the larger amount of copper wire.  Pictures of additional colors that are currently available on special order are linked below.  Their price is $1.00 higher because those glitters/mica powders are not available in bulk quantities.

Click Here To See Custom Glitterbomb Colors!

Occasionally I will make small runs of special limited edition colors/finishes.  Some will have a "one of a kind" artistic design, and some will be a creative combination of colored epoxy and mica, pearl or color-shifting pigments.  Their price will vary according to the cost of the materials and the additional labor.  Follow on Instagram and the Facebook group to get notifications when those limited edition pickups become available.  If you want a pickup custom made for you with a color of glitter, mica powder, pearls or a color-shifting pigment that you've seen somewhere else,  I can work with you to create something special for your instrument.  The price will reflect the material cost and any special techniques that may be required when working with some pigments to achieve the desired result.

Please contact me directly by email at krwhitaker@ftc-i.net to place special orders.  Do not use the email address at the bottom of this page unless you have questions about cross stitch patterns or supplies.  I own this business, but keeping emails about custom pickup orders separate will help me provide you with better customer service.  Upon approval of your custom order, a $20 deposit will be required to secure the order.  If you do not complete the purchase once the pickup is made for you and ready to ship, the $20 will not be refunded.

Before ordering, please watch the video linked below to find out if the Glitterbomb will be the right pickup for your instrument.  Also, please consider joining the Whitaker Pickups Facebook group and follow on Instagram for more information and future product updates.

Sound demonstration video for Glitterbomb CBG Pickups

Whitaker Custom Pickups Facebook Group

Instagram - whitakercustompickups