AxLabs Hardware is celebrating their official launch with the release of the Habanero by Grover Jackson prewired pickguard.
Handwired in small batches, the AxLabs Habanero-loaded pickguard system features all top-shelf components including USA-made Habanero Serrano Pickups from the legendary Grover Jackson, a Pure Tone multi-contact output Jack, custom AxLabs switches and potentiometers, Orange Drop capacitor, and Gavitt cloth jacketed wire. Standard 8 (vintage) and 11 (modern) mounting hole patterns will allow for drop-in fitting on most S-type guitars. Installation can be completed in mere minutes!
Habanero Serrano Pickups by Grover Jackson
The Habanero Serrano Single Coils are Grover Jackson’s own Texas-style, high output take on the classic designs from the 50’s and 60’s. Utilizing his decades of experience and passionate knowledge of the instrument, the Serrano pickups are designed and handmade in California with all top-shelf alnico magnets, bobbins, and wire.
Using Alnico III magnets, the fuller and warmer tones offer the right amount of fatness for the modern player while still retaining the chimey high end of the classics. The neck has warmer bubbliness, the middle pup harnesses a fatter midrange, and the bridge cuts through the tastebuds with stinging clarity. And when combined in a set, positions 2 and 4 give off those prototypical “out-of-phase” chucks of yesterday with a distinctively modern flavor. Grover also modified the staggering of the pole pieces to better suit modern neck shapes and string gauges than its vintage predecessors.
Custom AxLabs Potentiometers
Unlike any other potentiometers on the market, AxLabs pots were specifically designed for electric guitars with painstaking attention to detail.
Featuring the first completely linear taper available, the AxLabs volume control offers the smoothest (and most musical) feel without any of the lag normally associated with turning the knobs. Volume swells are now 100% linear whereas tone controls retain the classic audio taper.
AxLabs potentiometers also feature machined brass shaft sleeves and are lubricated with 3 different types of grease used in specific areas of the moving parts for ultra-smooth rotation. Shafts are then reinforced with a retainer ring positioned for strength and to reduce friction. Lastly, a nickel-plated steel housing was used for the ease of gripping solder as well as the classic, high-end look of vintage pots.
Pure Tone PTT1 Output Jack
A modern-day classic, the patented Pure Tone full-contact jack contains dual tension grounds and dual positive tips for optimal signal flow and lowest possible noise. 100% greater surface area at all contact points creates a more stable connection while eliminating frequency spikes. No more noise crackle caused by pressure grounds!
About AxLabs Hardware
AxLabs Hardware is an extensive line of quality guitar components ranging from standard replacements, exact vintage-spec reproductions, and new innovations featuring collaborations from many notable industry insiders. Highlights include superior AxLabs custom potentiometers, Habanero by Grover Jackson prewired pickguards, upcoming String Surfer brass roller saddles, and the already-beloved Tone Claw locking spring claw. Alongside these innovations, the AxLabs line offers hundreds of everyday items such as switches, knobs, blank pickguards, guitar and bass bridges, machine heads, and other various parts.
Parent company AP International Music Supply has over four decades of experience in the music industry, manufacturing and distributing Floyd Rose Tremolo Systems, Pure Tone Output Jacks, KTS Titanium, and more while also supplying OEM products to a multitude of popular brands.
AxLabs Hardware will continue to roll out new innovative products for the guitar market in the future.
Looking Back on 2025: A Year of Controlled Chaos (Emphasis on “Controlled”)