New Oil City Wapping Wharf Tele pickup

OilCityPickups

The new Oil City Wapping Wharf .52 is quite a special pickup, It combines two success stories in one. My HonkyTonk Angel bridge pickup has sold like hotcakes since its introduction: its vintage, ‘Broadcaster like’ recipe of alnico 2 magnets for sweetness and sustain, and ‘period correct’ 43awg wire for middle ‘bark’ and top cut, has proved a popular one.

Likewise my Diesel Tap Tele bridge pickup with its twin ‘tapped’ output … cutting sixties and beefed up modern rock Tele has been enthusiastically taken up by many players. It's caracter embodying grunt and authority combined with stinging highs …here coming from chunky alnico 5 magnets and 42awg wire.

Now comes the Wapping Wharf …

At its heart is a conventional HonkyTonk Angel 10k ‘Broadcaster pickup … but while the top three strings have the Angel’s alnico 2 magnets for sweetness and sustain … the bottom three have alnico 5 for bottom end punch and twang. Not only this, but when the bobbin reaches the number of turns for an Angel, an output wire is taken to an eyelet … then the wind carries on … up to 16k!

What all this gives is a Tele pickup with superb levels of punch and note separation … maximised top end sustain and a beefed up, super-punchy bottom end …. And that’s before you hit the switch for full power!

Being hand built it is scatter wound for best clarity, and finished in the traditional Broadcaster ‘black string’ wrapping …. With traditional cloth covered hookup wires. It has my own, unique 2mm gun blued steel base plate for added grunt.

I guess it's obvious from the number of Tele pickups I produce ... but I do love the old Devils Canoe Paddle

imalone

TheGuitarWeasel said:

then the wind carries on … up to 16k!

I think you mean "a whopping 16k!"

Out of curiosity, would a tapped pickup with different before and after gauges be possible/worthwhile/at all useful? (I mean different gauges in the two sections of winding.)

OilCityPickups

imalone said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

then the wind carries on … up to 16k!

I think you mean "a whopping 16k!"

Out of curiosity, would a tapped pickup with different before and after gauges be possible/worthwhile/at all useful? (I mean different gauges in the two sections of winding.)

I've done that in the past ... but if you swap thicker to thin ... then it needs an awful lot of turns to make a sound difference with the finer wire. It's a useful technique on some pickups like P90 derivatives. A more interesting technique is using two different wire gauges in humbuckers ... some really interesting sounds to be had there.

rpr

Tis an interesting idea-high powered alnico 5's single coils can be a bit ice picky to my ears. a friend has S D Alnico 2's in his tele and i always found them a bit underpowered.

As a matter of interest, what are your views/characteristics on Alnico 3 tele bridge pick-ups?

jpfamps

imalone said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

then the wind carries on … up to 16k!

I think you mean "a whopping 16k!"

Out of curiosity, would a tapped pickup with different before and after gauges be possible/worthwhile/at all useful? (I mean different gauges in the two sections of winding.)

Or even "Wapping" 16k.......

Fusionista

Looking forward to trying out my new Wapping Wharf.  Long way from the Sarfend Snarl though ? Next it'll be Barking Dogs, Romford Roarer...?

impmann

Canvey girl.

Now *THAT* is a scary thing for a pickup. 

dean2371

impmann, been there done that in my youth (a long time ago) and yes it was scary!

monquixote

That sounds cool!

I'll be investing next time I get a Tele

ThePrettyDamned

Lovely.  Sounds BEEFY.

The Oil City Beefcake.

OilCityPickups

Fusionista said:

Looking forward to trying out my new Wapping Wharf.  Long way from the Sarfend Snarl though ? Next it'll be Barking Dogs, Romford Roarer...?

Now Romford Roarer is good ... though sounds more like a fart after 11 pints of Wife Beater than a pickup

OilCityPickups

Fusionista said:

Looking forward to trying out my new Wapping Wharf.

Oh that'll be in the post to you tomorrow morning

ddlooping

Very cool, Ash.
Any advance on our prototype?

OilCityPickups

ddlooping said:

Very cool, Ash.
Any advance on our prototype?

I've been working 14 hour days seven days a week to get the Christmas rush sorted  ... the other day the Mrs pointed out that I haven't had a day off in three months ... our prototype has had to become a 'finish January' issue

ddlooping

No worries

koneguitarist

Like the idea of this, sounds a neat idea,when are these ready for sale and cost ?

OilCityPickups

koneguitarist said:

Like the idea of this, sounds a neat idea,when are these ready for sale and cost ?

As with all my pickups, I seldom carry many ... and with the 'Wharf' I will build as people want them initially.
£48.00 plus £6.99 P&P (pork-pies and pickles)
So ready when people want them

koneguitarist

Cheers, one for the new year for me. Speak soon.