Comment

Comment by Ralph Love on November 4, 2012 at 9:42pm

Hi there Skeesix

Thought I'd better join along here cause I was going to use one of your pickups in my new build. I know nothing about pickups but yours seemed to sound like what I want.

Maybe by hanging around this group I might learn a bit more & maybe even get more confused.

Oh well gotta start somewhere.

Comment by Leo Cayuela on April 2, 2012 at 7:48pm

Hey Skeesix!

I´ve just uploaded some new tracks, including acapella blues check them out.

All the best

Comment by Skeesix on November 26, 2011 at 6:28am

It looks like Billy Penn has the rear pickup selected to me. So if that's the case, that would be the one to concentrate on.

 

http://www.skguitar.com/SKGS/sk/pickup_specs.htm

Strat/ Tele polepieces .187 dia x .656 long

Telecaster Bridge
50-51 43 PE 8000 CCW 8.0 A5 North
51-64 42 PE 9200 CCW 7.5 A5 South
60's/70's 42 PE/Poly 7800 CCW 6.4 A5 South
Zinc plated steel baseplate until early'51Then copper
plated steel (.05" thick)

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/electric/telecaster/vintage-o...

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/dimensionpages/stl-1.shtml

 

I think you can use any sort of steel for a baseplate. I used a piece cut out from a cookie tin lid for an experimental pickup and it really seemed to help the sound. What it does is spread out the magnetic field.

The other part of the equation will be a maple neck. If you're going solid body, pine will make it warmer than ash. I think a cigar box will be approximately the same as pine.

I wouldn't worry about using plain enamel wire. If you get the bobbin size, magnets and windings right, with that steel base, you should be in the ballpark.

 

Comment by Mark Bliss on November 26, 2011 at 4:28am

Thanks to everyone for the input again!

Clearing a few things up, I am aware that you cant just select a pickup and get that sound, and that it is a whole bunch of things combined.

I also know its partly player technique, plucking and muting, right hand position and so forth. I think it is also a bit of reduced volume setting at the guitar, increased at the amplifier.

Honestly, I know a lot about many things, but pickups and the related details just arent on that list. I start to read up on them and my eyes just glaze over. Guess I need to pick up a few good books and focus.

As originally stated I am looking to reproduce that "Tele-Twang" as much as possible. Part of the equation seems to have to do with that single coild bridge pickup surrounded by a steel bridge plate. But what I was really hoping to learn about is the relationship between winding density and magnetic strength too.

I've been studying up on "Pinecasters" and learning a bit from a few sources including this dedicated Tele forumand Wilde pickups, among others. I will have to continue to digest, but will come back to my thoughts of building a "Telequad" home made solid body four stringer.......

And Joker, thanks for the link, you get some great sounds there, but thats not what I am looking to "dial in" in this case. More like this.

Comment by Joker on November 22, 2011 at 2:32pm

Skeesix pickup in action.  Several of the songs on this album were recorded on my 3 string "Time Bomb" electric cbg with Skeesix 3 pole pickup.

 

7 Hills Stomp "A Different Engine"

http://soundcloud.com/joker-cbg-podcast/sets/a-different-engine/

features 3 string electric cbg's and a diddley bow on some tracks, vintage Teisco electric, Silvertone and Alverez acoustics, and a vintage Kay Banjo on others. 

 

Comment by Skeesix on November 22, 2011 at 8:18am

I haven't done an in depth study on tele pickups, but a quick study reveals something like this:

http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php/6053-Tele-Strat-neck-pickup-d...

There are several differences...

The original, "vintage" Tele neck pickup that most people think of, has a shiny, nickel/silver cover, Alnico III magnets, and is wound with 43 ga Formvar wire to a resistance of about 7k (I've seen 6.8k-7.6k).

Most Strat neck pickups as we know, have exposed (and usually staggered) magnet rods, Alnico V magnets, and are wound with 42 ga. wire to a resistance of 5.6k-6.2k on average (some are higher).

And of course as mentioned, the Tele neck pickups of the type I described are smaller in dimension. All of these things along with the size and weight of a typical Tele body, all combine to give a Tele a distictive sound, that differs from a typical Strat sound.

 

=-==-=-=-==-

That's just the neck pickup. The bridge pickup has a steel baseplate.

=-=-=-=

Actual number of winds appears to be the same. http://home.provide.net/~cfh/pickups.html

=-=-=-==-

So I would start with tele pickup dimensions, A3 magnets and 43 gauge wire, 8000 winds and see if that gets you there. The cover could be a problem if making a 3-4 pole pickup.

Comment by Mike McDonnell on November 22, 2011 at 7:17am

Here's my 2 cents worth.  The vintage electric guitars of the 50's used lower ohmage, say 4.5 Ohms or so.  I've bought some for guitar builds from www.guitarfetish.com and they not only have great products sold cheaply, they have lots of info.  If you want numbers and such, read up there or at stewmac.com or any of the other electric guitar sites.

However, if you want pups for a cigarbox build, you are already at the right place.  Skeesix builds pups that fit CBG's, and they sound great.  Like I did, go to Ebay and get one, or have one built.  http://skeesixcbgs.com/store/ It's all good!

Comment by Mark Bliss on November 22, 2011 at 6:52am

Thanks for the thoughts Skeesix.

Maybe i should have worded my question differently..... Do you think that a lower winding count and lower strength magnet is what I am after?

Problem I am having with comparisons for the most part is everyone wants to push the "hot rodded" stuff for replacement pickups, and in addition I dont know how to compare the specs to a smaller CBG pickup. But then I guess 4000 winds around a smaller pickup is going to be some what proportionally smaller than 4000 winds around a bigger pickup......

Right now I am just gathering information, but I will at some point be considering a couple, possibly for purchase for upcoming projects.

Edumicate me!

Comment by Skeesix on November 22, 2011 at 6:16am

I would find the specs for the type of pickup you're looking for and copy that. You could use A3 instead of A5 (A stands for alnico, 3 and 5 and are the strength). Using A3 and either winding to spec or somewhat underwinding should make for a clearer/cleaner sound.

Scatterwinding gives the pickup a richer, more complex, more responsive sound, instead of sterile. If you handwind (even with a winder), it will be scatter wound because there is no way you can lay perfectly even rows like a machine.

Comment by Mark Bliss on November 22, 2011 at 1:26am

Hello folks1

Hey, I have a general pickup question.

Everyone is familiar with the trendy stuff. Hot wound, multiple tapped, humbucking stuff the manufacturers are pushing. I dont want that.....

What if I want that 50's tele single coil chickin' pickin' plucky sound? Tell me what you think, underwound, (relatively) weaker magnets, whats the relationship? How do I get there, preferably with minimal background noise? What makes for a relatively percussive attack, without all the overwound drive?

And whats the deal on scatterwinding? What effect does it have?

Thanks in advance,

Mark

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• …
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• Next ›
• Page