Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by JL on March 20, 2018 at 12:39am

Simple answer is maybe, its a personal choice on what "sounds better"

but you will enjoy the attempt....

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on March 21, 2018 at 12:51pm

Hi, yes I gotta agree with JL.

Question is what is "better" referring to?

Better bass response, better Treble, reproduces string vibrations better, better clarity, drives the amp to distortion better, limits feedback better, limits hum/noise better.

I better stop there. If you know what your doing I'm sure one could, like JL said, enjoy.

Cheers Taff

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Robert Bryan on March 21, 2018 at 1:54pm

Thanks , yes i understand , its the same as what mic/ amp makes your harmonica sound best so i think i phrased my question badly.  Lets say i was looking for the classic sound of a vintage gold foil to get a ry cooder sound/ tone and my choices were a genuine vintage , brand new reproductions from lower end to higher cost wise or make my own hoping to get that classic sound but at a lower cost than the real vintage or the high end repro. Is it possible to make one that would match or beat the quality? I am not looking to simply save money and the enjoyment of diy is a large part of why i am interested but i do not know if its possible to ... make my own reproduction that will be as good or better then what i can buy? I know i might find the ones i make i like better as it is just personal taste. But maybe the above example explains my question better? 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on March 21, 2018 at 3:05pm

Hi Robert, ha ha, I think you may have made it harder, now you have a "target tone" to aim for. You probably know more than me about pickups than me but ............

With research into the materials used in the old pickup you are interested in, and using those same, magnets, wire gauge and number of windings Etc, you may be able to get close. 

Remember the pickup is only one link in the chain re the sound we are hearing. Keep us posted.

By the way I used to use a Shure green bullet mike into a pignose amp miked through the pa.

Taff

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by the anonymous pick on March 21, 2018 at 5:39pm

With vintage  pickups like gold foils and those found in Teisco Type guitars of the  60"s,.. the seemingly  unobtainable  ingredient  to reproduce or mimic is .....  AGE.

That is the issue you will find attempting to make them yourself . all the materials are available , or remakeable ,  except ..age . you could  find all the materials and reproduce  them  , but  next would be experimenting on altering them to mimic  that mid microphonic mellow  sound /tone  that comes with its natural aging process.

and  you gotta  get it right . some vintage ones did not age well and got too microphonic  , or lost some spunk. 

It's probably doable , experimenting with leaving em in a hot car for  a day  , then maybe some humidity  ,,  cold air  ,  tobacco smoke stains , spill some beer on em ,  kinda thing  .

might be fun . you may find the magic bullet.   

   

 

• ▶ Reply