The pickups sound really great- The humbucker is full, fat and cleans up remarkably well- The single coils have vintage staggered polepieces- and sound real syrupy and fat. Last time I checked the big catalogs get $79 for a similar rig. This is a great opportunity to grab one of these for what the big guitar makers pay- A similar Pickguard/Pickup/Pot/Switch/Knob setup is supplied to a "Very Famous" manufacturer, and I buy mine from the same source in stupid quantities.