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Back in the late 1940s and very early 1950s, Leo Fender created many early versions of what would become today's Telecaster®. While the Telecaster® has evolved in so many ways, especially from that early "snakehead" model, the early pickup that was first used was a mainstay - at least at first. The pickup was wound to about 9.0k in many respects and yielded a much hotter and twangier tone that yielded a mean lead tone when driven with overdrive a sweet hot vintage tube amp. For some, it was too hot. So, Leo compromised sometime in the mid early 1950s and started winding pickups closer to the 5.5-6.0k range. Perhaps, one consistency through it all was the Alnico III magnets...

What an incredible year 2016 was! The company saw marked growth and major acceptance as one of the premier winding companies in the world today. That growth was not without lessons. However, looking back on our year. We realized that we could do many more things better including the marketing of the pickups, our incredible artists and fine dealers worldwide. As a result, Nico’s USA has changed its name to Planet Tone! This bold change is very welcomed. It's a marked step forward to enhance and embolden our share in the pickup marketplace. So look for a bigger presence in 2017!!