Tesla Shark

Soundclips

Four soundclips by Ainsley Stones — clean and dirty, bridge and neck.

What customers are saying

Sixteen unedited reviews from real Tesla Shark owners. 16 reviews

1. Recently bought a set of Tesla Sharks (with Reverse Zebra bridge) and to complement that, also bought the Mr Page wiring kit. Delivery was very quick. Took roughly 4 hours to strip down my Epiphone Les Paul Standard Pro Plus Top, add the pickups and re-string. The wiring instructions were clear and concise — guitar worked perfectly first test! The stock tone was a bit mushy for my taste, but all I can say now is WOW — it sounds like a completely different guitar. These Tesla Sharks are absolutely amazing! I was originally looking at a Custom Custom and a Pearly Gates, but boy am I glad I went with these. I can wholeheartedly recommend these pups.

   — Steve Dunn, Swanley

2. Being Scottish, people thought I was just being tight when I told them I put IronGears and not the Seymours in my home-built Mack Custom Zed Paul... until they hear it. My Jackson Pro, Charvel 375 Deluxe and vintage Kramer Pacer USA Custom are all loaded with Seymours. The Teslas just blow them away, all of them, and more importantly in every way. Not for one moment did I think they would even touch the Seymours for tone. How wrong am I — they are awesome. It is possible to buy quality components and not need to pay through the nose. I don't see how anyone could ever be disappointed with the Tesla Sharks, and for the price how can you ever go wrong — seriously!

   — William Mackinnon, Shawlands, Glasgow

3. In 2006 I got a Gibson Les Paul Standard in Light Sunburst as a present. My dream guitar — brilliant to play and gorgeous to look at. Problem was, it sounded dreadful. Muddy, with a blaring middle and no decent top end. I assumed it was the amp and changed it. It wasn't. So I changed the amp again, to a Blackstar. All my other guitars sounded amazing through it; the LP was still awful. Bare Knuckles were out of the question. When the Tesla Sharks came out I decided to go for it. They deliver, in spades. Forget the budget price and the lack of fancy marketing — these pickups really do the job. The neck is warm and bassy but no muddiness. The bridge is perfect, snarling leads, Green Day raunch, Stones sleazy blues and anything else you can think of. For the first time I'm deliriously happy with my Les Paul, because it sounds like it should. I can't recommend them highly enough.

   — Steve Turpin, Belper, Derbyshire

4. The Tesla Sharks went into a tobacco sunburst 1980s Gibson Les Paul yesterday evening — scaring the SD AlNiCo Pro and Pearly Gates that had previously been resident into a dark corner of the studio. I've been searching for an authentic Guns N' Roses tone for years — including trying Slash's Marshall amp and every sort of pedal and pickup I could find. All of my wishes were answered last night. These pickups are absolutely bang on — and I love them. They look just right and my God, do they rock! They clean up beautifully to get close to Kossoff territory, and have all the cojones needed for Gary Moore soloing. For the GnR sound the Tesla Sharks were a mile ahead of anything. Anyone who thinks that they need to spend £100-plus on a pickup needs to do themselves a favour and try IronGear.

   — Michael, Preston

5. Just put a pair of your Tesla Sharks in my Les Paul. The sound they make is nothing short of amazing. More Slashy than I could have ever hoped for. Thanks!

   — Matt, Liverpool

6. Phoned Keith and explained what I needed sound-wise — he recommended a set of Tesla Shark pups. Put them in my PRS Bernie Marsden Signature to replace the stock pickups. I wanted 4-core wiring so I could coil-tap and switch out of phase using 2 push-pull pots. I am very impressed with the Tesla Sharks — great vintage tone without a harsh top end, with nice harmonic output. So impressed that I'm going to order another two with 4 push-pulls so I can replace the '57s on my Traditional LP and do the Jimmy Page wiring.

   — Bob, Inverness

7. Thanks for your advice on suitable pickups for an all-maple guitar (Framus AK1974). The original Seymour Duncan SH-1s sounded dull with covers fitted and too bright and hard without. The Tesla Sharks you suggested have transformed the guitar into a ‘keeper’ — plenty of low end and fat mids, but with much more controlled top end, and no lack of harmonics. They really suit the guitar and work very well with the 6-way switching in all positions. A well-balanced set. Great product, good price, fast delivery and good customer service.

   — Jeremy, Polegate

8. Recently bought a Fender Supersonic but wasn't happy with the stock pickups: too harsh, too powerful, lots of gain but not so much grain. Spent a whole evening searching for second-hand Duncans but couldn't find a pair of zebra with vintage output. Then I came across a review of IronGear pickups. I wasn't expecting much from such affordable things, but I ordered them. The sound is really good — definitely on the PAF side (I own a Les Paul with boutique PAF repros and 50s wiring; the only real difference is the wood and neck setting). The output is like I like, not too much, not too weak. Grain is creamy (thank you, A2) with nice harmonics. Those Tesla Sharks are really good for their price — I'd recommend them to anyone wanting to change their sound without spending a fortune.

   — Rod, France

9. Bought a set of Tesla Sharks for my project guitar, an LP-style custom-made guitar. The Sharks were a gamble — I've used Hot Slags and Hammer Heads in other guitars, and I also have other guitars with a Gibson 500T and an SD JB4, both formidable pickups. I have to say the Sharks have astounded me. At such a terrific price they really sing when soloing, and allow for crushing rhythms. You have really hit the jackpot. The cost of the set is similar to what you'll pay for a new 500T or JB4, but they will blow you away. I've got the reverse-zebra, 4-wire pups and I am truly astounded. My custom guitar is complete.

   — Paul, Northampton

10. Customer service was fantastic. Ordered first thing yesterday and they were installed before lunch today (Saturday). I've been swapping pickups between my Edwards Les Paul and Epiphone Prophecy SG. Both came fitted with very high-output units. In my older age I'm now more into the classic-rock sound. I got an SH-5 and a Pearly Gates (used) for the LP, but struggled to find anything for the SG that suited my budget — until IronGear. With these pickups, everything you read about them is true. They are as good as you would hope and a whole lot more. I'm blown away at how good they sound, how responsive they are, and how well made they are, at a price that almost feels like you're robbing the manufacturer. Beautiful cleans through to high-gain rock. I would simply say, just buy them. NO BRAINER.

    — Gibby, Crawley, Sussex

11. Received the Tesla Sharks — build quality is excellent. Put them in my LP wired up the same as the '50s LPs. Through my trusty old Marshall JTM60 the difference was noticeable straight away — that creamy, sharp, heavy, middy tone with a bit of top, which I haven't been able to achieve with Seymour Duncans or some other well-known makes. The neck and bridge match each other very well. Stomp a boost pedal and you're off into another dimension. The build quality is on par if not better than any of the big brands, and at half the price. I would recommend these without hesitation.

    — Philip Odd, Beznar, Spain

12. Just fitted a set of Tesla Sharks in my Gibson Slash (Appetite) Les Paul using Mr Page wiring. It's simply amazing — the clarity and depth of the tone is out of this world. Changed it from an average guitar to my favourite within the hour it took to fit and rewire. If you could see sound it would be like going from normal TV to Super HD. It's really that good. The Mr Page wiring is also recommended — these being 4-wire, you get an amazing array of tones that beats any Strat. I never bother sending feedback but I just can't help it.

    — Matthew, Salford

13. Bought a custom guitar from China that had so-so pickups. Thought about putting a Seymour Duncan JB4 or Pearly Gates in the bridge, then found the Tesla Shark. A mate had said they got good reviews. I chanced it and I'm glad I did. They are unbelievable for 36 quid! It just transformed the sound. I was swayed by the bridge sample on your site, as it reminded me of the Jake E Lee Badlands tone, and even through my little Marshall it sounds titanic. I have several other guitars I'm going to upgrade — you can count on my custom for a while.

    — Derrick Dixon, Stockton-on-Tees

14. Just installed the Tesla Shark (bridge) and Blues Engine (neck) in my Les Paul Custom. Sounds killer! The Blues Engine has that classic PAF chunky mids and clear snappy high end. The Tesla Shark — tight bass, cutting but smooth mids, and just the right amount of bite. This setup blows away the original Classic 57s!

    — Dave R, Iowa, USA

15. I've noticed IronGear pickups on YouTube and have been impressed. A few weeks ago I installed a set of SD Slash pickups in a friend's LP — they sounded good so far but a bit muddy at higher gain. So I thought I'd try a Tesla Shark set for one of my two LP Customs (a black and a white one). The TS arrived in an unbelievably fast time. I installed them and what can I say: the same power and warmth as the SDs but in NO WAY muddy! The Black Beauty now sounds really amazing, and I've directly ordered a set of Dirty Torque and Blues Engine for my white Custom with gold covers. People out there I say: GO IRONGEAR PICKUPS!

    — Mo Berndt, Donnersdorf, Germany

16. Bought a pair of Zebra Tesla Sharks for my Tokai Les Paul and just got the guitar back from having it set up and the pickups fitted. I was blown away by the sound they produce. I have some guitars fitted with high-end pickups — EMGs, DiMarzio and Seymour Duncan — and the Tesla Sharks stand up to them without any trouble. From high-gain metal, low-gain blues or clean sound, they just work brilliantly. They have a lovely warm classic tone, easily get AC/DC or GnR sound, also any kind of bluesy metal, but with a bit of tweaking on my amp I can get a killer '70s punk tone. On a clean channel you can get a very classic British sound or a real country sound. I can't recommend these enough. They're a very versatile pickup and a fraction of the cost of other manufacturers.

    — Steve Wade, Durham