Josefina's Handiwork There's a reason why the name "Josefina" is spoken in hushed tones in the elite circles of the guitar-making world. In an unassuming room in the Fender Custom Shop filled with pink knickknacks, Josefina Campos--the woman, the myth, the legend--hand-winds some of the greatest electric guitar pickups the world has ever seen. She learned her craft from Abigail Ybarra (another wire-winding legend who started making pickups for Fender in 1958), and she has since put her own stamp on the Fender sound. Normally, the only way to get one of Josefina's incredible pickups is to buy a Fender Custom Shop guitar. But, every once in awhile, she winds a limited run of pickups for players who want a little extra Custom Shop magic in their guitars. But, she's pretty busy, so she limits each run to sixty pieces worldwide. Thankfully, Wildwood was lucky enough to secure a handful of her delightful pickups from her latest run. Why Play Handwound Pickups? Before we get into the specific tones Josefina's pickups produce, it's important to talk about why hand-wound pickups are special. Obviously, machine-wound pickups are the product of precise engineering. Every wire is in the exact place it should be, and that's great! It allows Fender to make excellent pickups that sound consistent from guitar to guitar. By contrast, hand-wound pickups have a bit more individual personality. It's impossible for a human being to wrap the wire perfectly each time, and these tiny imperfections give the pickup a unique, organic, charming voice that calls to mind the quirks of classic vintage guitars. After all, many of the Fenders on classic recordings had pickups hand-wound by Josefina's teacher, Abigail Ybarra. Fat '60s Tone This year, Josefina chose to wind some Fat '60s Strat pickups, and they are glorious. Inspired by the pickups from early sixties Strats, these hand-wound beauties sound positively Hendrixian. Their round low-end is warm and chocolate-y--the aural equivalent of hot fudge for your eardrums. The midrange is chewy and vocal, with plenty of sunny overtones. The highs are sweet and mellow, but they still have plenty of presence. Though these pickups are warm and rich, they remain exceptionally articulate, and they have excellent string separation and balance. We're proud to offer these highly-limited pickups, and we know their sweet sixties-inspired sounds will inspire you to no end!