MBIT PARTNER

KLOPPMANN PICKUPS

Vintage Inspired, Modernly Crafted

Recreating the Magic of Classic Tone

I've always believed that the pickups are where an electric guitar's character actually lives. Andreas Kloppmann has spent decades chasing the sound of the guitar heroes we grew up on, unwinding vintage pickups coil by coil to understand exactly how they were made. Then he rebuilds them the way they were originally built: by hand for the early Fender designs, on the same historic winders Gibson and Fender used for everything else. The result is a pickup that sounds like the record, not like a description of the record. That's why I bring Kloppmann to the US.

How Custom Ordering Works

Everything on this page is either in stock and ships now, or available to order. In-stock sets go straight through checkout. For everything else, here's how it works.

  • Kloppmann builds to order in Germany. I place consolidated orders with Andreas rather than holding every variant on the shelf, so you can spec exactly what you want.
  • I handle the import. Every order is priced in US dollars, customs and duties are taken care of, and the pickups ship free within the US. No wire transfers, no VAT paperwork, no surprise carrier fee at the door.
  • A small selection is in stock and ships now. Everything else is available to order.
  • To order, email custom-order@mbitguitars.com with the model, cover, magnet and any other options you want. I confirm details and current build timing with Andreas, send you a draft order for a 50% deposit, and place the order once that's in. Balance is due before shipping.
  • Timing depends on Andreas's bench, so I confirm the window per order rather than quoting a fixed lead time. It may take a little longer than ordering direct, but the price is final and the hassle is mine.

The Story Behind The Brand

How It All Began

In the early 1980s, Andreas Kloppmann embarked on his journey in a local music store, servicing and repairing electric guitars. This hands-on experience ignited his fascination with how pickups truly worked. Alongside Manfred Reckmeyer and Heinrich Sander, Andreas began to meticulously uncover the secrets hidden within magnetic coils. By the mid-1980s, his dedication deepened as he started collecting and analyzing data from every pickup he encountered.

It wasn't until the 1990s that Andreas refined his analysis methods, finally unlocking the full intricacies of pickup design. Esteemed recording artists like Thomas Blug, Jürgen Attig, and Peter Weihe played a crucial role in his research, helping him identify the characteristic sound (frequency response) of specific pickup models from different manufacturing periods. This collaboration allowed him to discern the precise sound of a pickup from its raw data—a groundbreaking approach.

The Secrets Hidden Within Pickup Data: Crafting Authentic Tone

Andreas’s deep dive into pickup data involves a remarkably intricate process: he carefully unwinds old, vintage pickups, a meticulous task that can take up to two days. This isn't just about counting windings; it’s about understanding the exact tension, pattern, and unique nuances of how the wire was originally applied to the coil. He has painstakingly analyzed countless classic pickups, from legendary Gibson PAF Humbuckers to revered vintage Strat pickups, discerning their unique characteristics and sonic signatures.

What truly sets Kloppmann pickups apart is the method of winding, precisely tailored to faithfully recreate the nuances of the originals:

  • For Gibson-Style Humbuckers: To precisely replicate the iconic, warm tones of the late 1950s, Andreas utilizes historic Meteor M301 Winders. These exceptional Swiss-made machines are the very same models used by Gibson starting around 1959. This ensures an authentically period-correct winding that is crucial for capturing the soul of those legendary humbuckers.
  • For Most Fender-Style Pickups (e.g., Early Strat & Telecaster): The vast majority of these classic designs are still individually hand-wound. This traditional method, often guided by hand on an old Siemens winding machine from the 1960s, is paramount for achieving that unmistakable, lively vintage Fender feel and incredibly responsive output.
  • For Later Fender-Style Pickups (e.g., Strat '65 & '67): Reflecting the evolution of manufacturing in the mid-1960s, designs like the Kloppmann ST Real 65 and the ST67 sets are wound on a vintage Aumann automatic winder (Made in Germany). This choice perfectly mirrors the automated winding techniques adopted by Fender during that specific era, ensuring absolute sonic accuracy for those distinct designs.

Andreas’s extensive experience allows him to finely alter winding parameters during production, precisely influencing the pickup's final sound. He maintains an invaluable database of frequency response diagrams from various manufacturers’ pickups dating all the way back to the 1950s. This comprehensive resource enables him to compare and match original specifications with incredible accuracy, ensuring every Kloppmann pickup is a faithful recreation.

Every Kloppmann pickup bears a unique character and a dedicated production number, allowing Andreas to re-access its specific frequency response data. This detailed data can even be provided to customers for comparative analysis, offering an unparalleled level of transparency. For those who prefer to rely on their ears as much as data, Andreas is also an accomplished performing artist with 25 years of experience, a renowned vintage guitar specialist, and rigorously benchmarks all his products by critical listening.