The rumor is that Les did not like humbucking pickups… nothing could be farther from the truth! What he didn’t like was the production humbuckers that came stock in the guitars with his name on them! Actually, Les was working with humbucking technology since early 50’s. Les didn’t like the muddy low notes, the lack of string separation, the fizzy & flubby mid and highs, and the lack of that 3D musical presence that he knew great humbuckers were capable of. That is, if they were made right… with the right materials, the right formulas, the right wind technique, and the right attention to detail. “It’s in there… I just know it”, he would proclaim. “I’ve heard it before from time to time, but these guitars sound so muddy! I’m going to show those guys at ‘corporate’ how it’s done”. So he and Tom Doyle began testing and trying everything, experimenting and tinkering… bringing his vast 75+ years of knowledge to this last lifelong pursuit. Just imagine for a moment if you had dedicated your life to developing the solid body electric guitar, and you didn’t like the tone and sound of guitar that had your name on the headstock… frustrating to say the least, right?