When Tabby Kills was selecting the pickups for their signature bass guitar, they wanted something that was unique and original. Tabby’s first professional guitar was the BSNW Gibson Lipstick Stain, and they asked if Bad Stain was capable of designing a lipstick tube pickup for the bridge position of their guitar that could compliment their Lipstick Stain guitar.

Of course, Bad Stain took on the challenge, designing a special long lipstick tube for the coil. The challenge was creating a lipstick tube pickup with a high enough output, due to the limited space inside of the lipstick tube. We used 43 gauge polyurethane insulated wire, instead of 42 gauge, in order to have more winds in the coil and generate more output. Tabby wanted the pickups to have a similar jangly tone as the pickups on their Lipstick Stain Guitar, so we used an AlNiCo 5 magnet, just like regular Lipstick Stain pickups.

The output was still only producing around 5,000 ohms, so we installed a neodymium rare earth magnet just below the AlNiCo 5 magnet, helping to produce a stronger output, without significantly reducing the jangly tone. The end result was a J-Bass style bass pickup that has a unique look and sound, that produces an output of 6,600 ohms.

The Tabby Kills Signature Poison Lipstick J-Bass Style Single Coil Pickup comes equipped in the Tabby Kills Signature Cochise Bass Guitar, and are not available to purchase separately.

MSRP: Only Available in Tabby Kills Signature Cochise Bass