By Kevin Chisholm
Posted 08/25/2024
In this review, we’re going to take a look at the House of Tone WideOnes, which are wide-range humbucking pickups built in the United Kingdom. I tested these pickups using a home-built Telecaster with a Warmoth alder body with F-holes & a maple Pau Ferro neck. I played the same exact 30-second riff in a number of contexts: straight into a clean amp, through a Vemuram Jan Ray with very light gain, and with a Wampler Moxie in high-gain mode. The amplifier I played through is a MusicMan RD-50 through a Universal Audio OX.
Unboxing
I purchased these directly from House of Tone. Matt Bascetta was super helpful with setting up my order, and shipping to the United States was a breeze. The pickups arrived in perfect condition and came in the gorgeous wood box you see pictured above. First class all the way.
Construction
I found the construction of these pickups to be flawless. The word “sturdy” would be an understatement. The adjustable pole pieces were easy to raise and lower, yet not flimsy or likely to go down on their own. I requested a raw nickel finish on these and was very pleased with that choice. Extra mounting screws were included with my order, which I thought was a nice touch, considering that wide-range pickups require twice as many screws as typical humbuckers.
How Do the WideOnes Sound?
The bridge pickup had an undeniable twang to it, but I would not go so far as to say that it steps over the line into “Tele” territory. But there is no doubt that it leans away from your typical “macho” bridge humbucker and lands nicely in the “solid yet snappy” range of tone. For surf-rock style playing, this one is a no-brainer. There’s more than meets the eye, though – when I cranked up my overdrive pedal, I was pleasantly surprised at how well this pickup held its own. Anything in the range of blues, classic rock, funk, or pop would be an absolute breeze.
The neck pickup was so bouncy and playful that I almost couldn’t put my guitar down. Like the bridge pickup, there is plenty of single-coil, bell-like charm. But the Wide One neck position has a “bigness” to it that really stood out. Clean tones were full and alive, but overdrive was like a welcome friend with gobs of tone oozing out of the speakers. From warm & fat to juicy & Stratty, it was all there. When I finally stopped playing, I felt like I had ice cream all over my shirt.
The one word that kept popping up in my mind with the House of Tone WideOnes was “clarity”. Whether I was going straight into the amp, using light breakup or tons of drive, the clarity of these pickups was impressive.
Volume Knob Rollback
I tested this set while using the Lindy Fralin Volume Kit. With the volume knob rolled down the bridge pickup was pretty bright, which is to be expected. This is a sound that would be perfect for a James Brown type of funk, surf or a range of pop styles. With the neck pickup, there was a plethora of usable sounds. Nearly the entire travel of the volume knob yielded a beautifully crisp and sparkly tone.
Summary
They say you only get one chance to make a first impression. Well, this was an outstanding first impression. I could not have made a better choice with my first set of pickups from House of Tone. Now I am of course wracked with curiosity and want to try more of their products. Considering the outstanding tone of the WideOnes, and all the positive feedback I’ve come across about House of Tone, I have no doubt that my second impression will be as good as my first.
How to Contact House Of Tone Pickups
houseoftonepickups@gmail.com Tel: +44 (0)779 169 1251 Mail: House Of Tone Pickups 96 Northgate St. Chester CH1 2HT United Kingdom