Pickup for just the bottom three strings...

Lewy

So, I want to be able to send the output from just my bottom three strings on my electric to a separate additional signal chain. I’m aware of the Submarine pickup which does exactly what I want, but unfortunately just for the bottom two strings, and I need the bottom three. Something that could just stick on as opposed to need any chopping would be great. I don’t mind about having a separate cable. 

There’s a Submarine Pro in development which would do the trick but it doesn’t exist yet and is well past it’s last two stated shipping dates.

Do I have any other options? 

Roland

@TheGuitarWeasel  @Alegree ;

ICBM

Is it a Strat-type guitar?

If so you could modify a Duncan Vintage Rails to use only one coil - it's a split rail with each one only picking up from three strings. Not a great loss as for normal purposes it's probably the worst-sounding pickup known to man .

Andyjr1515

ICBM said:

Is it a Strat-type guitar?

If so you could modify a Duncan Vintage Rails to use only one coil - it's a split rail with each one only picking up from three strings. Not a great loss as for normal purposes it's probably the worst-sounding pickup known to man .

You beat me to it!  On both counts.  

But probably great for what the OP is after.  I'm pretty sure I have a hardly used one in my bits box you can have for nowt if it would do.

(the Vintage Rails has two half-rails - one covers the bass three strings and the other one the treble three strings.  Basically you just choose two out of the four conductor wires.  Through a 2 way switch you could even decide between bass only or all 6 strings...    It actually works quite well in certain situations but is a bit quirky/specialist

OilCityPickups

Roland said:

@TheGuitarWeasel  @Alegree ;

PM'd the OP as I'm only really active in 'Made in UK' these days. :-)

Lewy

Thanks for the suggestions, and very kind offer @Andyjr1515 ;;

It’s just occurred to me that I could just get any surface mount pickup (like a Lace Slimline or similar) and just mount it shifted over so it’s just under the strings I want. So working just like the Submarine (but obviously looking a bit less elegant). That could work, couldn’t it? That way it could theoretically go from guitar to guitar too if I used micro suction tape...hmmm

Jimbro66

Lewy said:

So, I want to be able to send the output from just my bottom three strings on my electric to a separate additional signal chain. I’m aware of the Submarine pickup which does exactly what I want, but unfortunately just for the bottom two strings, and I need the bottom three. Something that could just stick on as opposed to need any chopping would be great. I don’t mind about having a separate cable. 

There’s a Submarine Pro in development which would do the trick but it doesn’t exist yet and is well past it’s last two stated shipping dates.

Do I have any other options? 

That’s reminiscent of the Gretsch pickups of the late 50s that split the top three strings from the bottom three. Were they called Projecto-Sonic? Chet used them for a while to good effect.

Edit: it seems a reproduction has been made

https://www.gak.co.uk/en/gretsch-g6120-cgp-chet-atkins-stereo-guitar-limited-production/55454

It says pickups made by TV Jones presumably as a special as not in the standard pickup range.

Jalapeno

@Mojopickups ;

ICBM

Andyjr1515 said:

I'm pretty sure I have a hardly used one in my bits box you can have for nowt if it would do.

Same here . I know of another tech with one too... maybe we should put them all in one guitar and create a sort of tone black hole .

It actually isn’t too bad in combination with a split humbucker, which is presumably why PRS used it in the Swamp Ash Special - but even then, a low-wound alnico II Strat pickup is better.

Lewy

So, by way of an uplate, I found the surface mount National slimline pickup I remembered I had in a drawer somewhere and it works just sticking it under the strings I want it to pick up. I think I saw someone making pickups for cigar box guitars that maybe did a three string version that will look a bit better and perhaps could be a permanent installation. 

Thanks for the input, all

ICBM

You mean you don’t want our wonderful-sounding super rare Vintage Rails pickups? Tyre kicker!

Lewy

ICBM said:

You mean you don’t want our wonderful-sounding super rare Vintage Rails pickups? Tyre kicker!

AND I just found out that my Submarine Pro which will do exactly what I’m looking for will ship early next week.

So essentially I couldn’t have wasted your time more if I’d deliberately set out to do so.

ICBM

Lewy said:

So essentially I couldn’t have wasted your time more if I’d deliberately set out to do so.

You haven't - you've actually given me an idea of something to eventually do with the Vintage Rails. Not any time soon, but it's now filed away at the back of my mind under 'odd tricks which might solve someone's problem/request'.

DavidRees

Am I the only one who is just slightly curious as to why you would want to do this Lewy, what musical context etc?

Lewy

DavidRees said:

Am I the only one who is just slightly curious as to why you would want to do this Lewy, what musical context etc?

@DavidRees ;It's so I can apply effects just to the bottom three strings without affecting the top three. In particular, I can play alternating thumb bass fingerstyle and apply a dotted eighth delay to that to create a nice propulsive rhythmic churn in the bass, but play clear melodic lines above that without them being awash with delay. It will give me some of the larger sounding arrangement potential that people achieve with looping, but the whole thing will be entirely dynamic based on how and what I play, which you can't achieve with looping and which is why I've never got on with it.

I may or may not put the bass strings through an octave pedal so that they really are bass strings too, I'll see how it sounds.

Andyjr1515

Lewy said:

DavidRees said:

Am I the only one who is just slightly curious as to why you would want to do this Lewy, what musical context etc?

@DavidRees ;It's so I can apply effects just to the bottom three strings without affecting the top three. In particular, I can play alternating thumb bass fingerstyle and apply a dotted eighth delay to that to create a nice propulsive rhythmic churn in the bass, but play clear melodic lines above that without them being awash with delay. It will give me some of the larger sounding arrangement potential that people achieve with looping, but the whole thing will be entirely dynamic based on how and what I play, which you can't achieve with looping and which is why I've never got on with it.

I may or may not put the bass strings through an octave pedal so that they really are bass strings too, I'll see how it sounds.

That all sounds a bit clever!

DavidRees

sounds fabulous Lewy - very interested to hear how it all works out. I totally understand about the need to retain control of the dynamics of the performance rather than the 'playing along with' vibe ...

Lewy

Here’s a little “proof of concept” video I made. Only on my phone (which is picking up the acoustic string sounds a fair bit) but you’ll get the idea...delay on the bottom, harmonic trem on the top....

https://youtu.be/CTQLMPBEhBM

ICBM

Definitely needs three Vintage Rails and full stereo wiring .

Roland

Lewy said:
So essentially I couldn’t have wasted your time more if I’d deliberately set out to do so.

You don’t visit Off Topic much then.

Roland

DavidRees said:

Am I the only one who is just slightly curious as to why you would want to do this Lewy, what musical context etc?

In my folk club days I used to do this with a hex pickup, adding synth sounds to selected strings. So you can fade in orchestral strings or choral pad behind a ballad, or a doo wop melody as a solo verse.