Sunrise SB2

Sunrise Pickups are handbuilt by Jim Kaufman in limited numbers, but this allows the finest attention to detail and craftsmanship. Each pickup has individually adjustable pole pieces to give you maximum control over string balance and tone. They also come with a transferable lifetime guarantee—no doubt because of their remarkably sturdy construction and high-quality internal components. Jim also builds preamp/buffer boxes to accompany the pickups. We strongly recommend using these even if you already have some sort of outboard preamp you're using.

The SB2 is specifically tuned to match the output of Sunrise pickups, so we strongly recommend this if you're thinking about buying an S1 or S2. It's a true black box, with only ins and outs and no controls of any kind, but it gets the job done perfectly. The SB2 is basically a two-channel version of the SB1, ideal if you're planning on dual-sourcing.