The quirkiest pickup winder in the UK needs some new designs!

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  • AlegreeAlegree Frets: 665
    edited March 2017 tFB Trader

    Gibson humbucker sized Filtertron supplies arrived today! My supplier sent the wrong covers, but that won't affect the tone for prototyping. The fun begins! image
    Alegree pickups & guitar supplies - www.alegree.co.uk
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  • TeyeplayerTeyeplayer Frets: 3137
    edited March 2017
    What could be partnered with a staple neck (I'm presuming you are going down the 50s Gibson route with these)?

    The P90 bridge is much better since your murky horizon bridge went in, but I am still not quite there... I'm beginning to think hot mini humbucker or hot hot filtertron in the bridge might be essential to adequately work alongside a neck p90 and not get lost?

    For what it's worth, that tele neck pickup (cirrostratus) has made me fall back in love with my tele after four years of rarely picking her up -so thank you for that, she sings!
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  • AlegreeAlegree Frets: 665
    tFB Trader
    What could be partnered with a staple neck (I'm presuming you are going down the 50s Gibson route with these)?

    The P90 bridge is much better since your murky horizon bridge went in, but I am still not quite there... I'm beginning to think hot mini humbucker or hot hot filtertron in the bridge might be essential to adequately work alongside a neck p90 and not get lost?

    For what it's worth, that tele neck pickup (cirrostratus) has made me fall back in love with my tele after four years of rarely picking her up -so thank you for that, she sings!
    No I wasn't intending on going down any beaten path to be honest. I tend to steer away from the truly accurate vintage designs. Your Cirrostratus for instance is a vintage inspired design with a modern wire - as opposed to vintage correct plain enamel which causes a higher treble roll off. Anyway, they're a long way off, filtertrons will be coming first - my first prototype was, let's say, less than perfect.

    If you're just looking for a darker tone from your bridge position have you tried a dummy coil with it yet? You'd lose a bit of the treble bite from that. I think I might be able to make these filtertrons inside a P90 cover without there being any cosmetic difference - a hot version is definitely on the cards! I'll have to have a play around with the specifics, but from a brief look I think it should be possible.
    Alegree pickups & guitar supplies - www.alegree.co.uk
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  • TeyeplayerTeyeplayer Frets: 3137
    I'd forgotten all about our dummy coil conversation, that might have to be the next experiment (can you tell I am a guitar meddler, can't leave anything stock)!  :)
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  • AlegreeAlegree Frets: 665
    tFB Trader
    The first filtertron prototype is built!
    Unconventional cover due to my supplier's mess up, but I actually quite like this look.
    The magnet these things take is so huge it was a nightmare installing and attaching the cover! Guess it's got to be otherwise that really low wind would give next to no output.
    Now I need to give it a go. Frankly the rockability that these things are loved for is an absolutely alien genre to me - any advice on where to start would be appreciated!
    Alegree pickups & guitar supplies - www.alegree.co.uk
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  • TeyeplayerTeyeplayer Frets: 3137
    Sod the rockabilly just hit some early Neil Young freak outs. :)
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  • AlegreeAlegree Frets: 665
    tFB Trader
    Sod the rockabilly just hit some early Neil Young freak outs. :)
    That's closer to my style! That'll be the stepping stone to rockability!
    Alegree pickups & guitar supplies - www.alegree.co.uk
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  • olafgartenolafgarten Frets: 1648
    Alegree said:
    Sod the rockabilly just hit some early Neil Young freak outs. :)
    That's closer to my style! That'll be the stepping stone to rockability!

    Also, anything from the Raconteurs, start with any thing from Consolers Of The Lonely or Steady As She Goes (the rest of their first album isn't as good).
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  • Paul_LPaul_L Frets: 52
    @Alegree , I don't know if the "picture" below makes sense?

    [            ][ o o o ]
    [  o o o ][           ]

    It's supposed to be a humbucker but instead of 2 single coils with 6 poles each it has 4 single coils with 3 poles each. The idea being that you could have the "signal producing" poles for the thicker (E,A,D) strings closer to the bridge, to brighten them up a bit and maybe give a bit of twang.

    Just an idea for something a bit quirky, just wondered if it could work.


    Maintained it for 20 years. This old guitar's had 17 new necks and 14 new bodies in its time.
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27590
    Liprails!

    One lipstick, one rail, in a humbucker shaped package.

    Take that, P-rails.
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • OilCityPickupsOilCityPickups Frets: 9987
    tFB Trader
    Paul_L said:
    @Alegree , I don't know if the "picture" below makes sense?

    [            ][ o o o ]
    [  o o o ][           ]

    It's supposed to be a humbucker but instead of 2 single coils with 6 poles each it has 4 single coils with 3 poles each. The idea being that you could have the "signal producing" poles for the thicker (E,A,D) strings closer to the bridge, to brighten them up a bit and maybe give a bit of twang.

    Just an idea for something a bit quirky, just wondered if it could work.


    Worked for Fender in the Precision bass (other way around), The electric twelve string, then with various other Leo Fender designs for other companies. Its technically known as a split humbucker ... as it's split, and er ... a humbucker :-)
    Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
    Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups  ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message  

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  • fftcfftc Frets: 559
    Alegree said:
    Here's what I have planned:

    vintage P90 toned Strat set

    Don't have anything quirky to suggest but any idea when these will be available?
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  • Paul_LPaul_L Frets: 52
    Paul_L said:
    @Alegree , I don't know if the "picture" below makes sense?

    [            ][ o o o ]
    [  o o o ][           ]

    It's supposed to be a humbucker but instead of 2 single coils with 6 poles each it has 4 single coils with 3 poles each. The idea being that you could have the "signal producing" poles for the thicker (E,A,D) strings closer to the bridge, to brighten them up a bit and maybe give a bit of twang.

    Just an idea for something a bit quirky, just wondered if it could work.


    Worked for Fender in the Precision bass (other way around), The electric twelve string, then with various other Leo Fender designs for other companies. Its technically known as a split humbucker ... as it's split, and er ... a humbucker :-)
    Ah poo - I was about to get my tash done like Trevor Baylis.
    Maintained it for 20 years. This old guitar's had 17 new necks and 14 new bodies in its time.
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  • AlegreeAlegree Frets: 665
    tFB Trader
    fftc said:
    Alegree said:
    Here's what I have planned:

    vintage P90 toned Strat set

    Don't have anything quirky to suggest but any idea when these will be available?
    Very soon. I've just finished the bridge prototyping. I have a design I'm happy with - had to utilise a high pass filter to achieve it which I wanted to avoid, but I couldn't get the brightness, the P90 compression and the lack of twang from the treble without it. Plus the fact I'm loading them with standard Strat control values because I reckon the bridge would be popular with a standard Strat neck/middle.

    I've been playing around with the neck for a while and I'm inching closer. I'm about to prototype an alnico 4 and 5 rod hybrid. I'm about 80% of the way there I think. I just whacked in an approximate prototype for the bridge and got really close first time by sheer fluke - I think the angle actually makes it easier to achieve in the bridge position.

    Maybe another week depending on how busy the rest of my shop turns out to be.
    Alegree pickups & guitar supplies - www.alegree.co.uk
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  • AlegreeAlegree Frets: 665
    tFB Trader
    Paul_L said:
    @Alegree , I don't know if the "picture" below makes sense?

    [            ][ o o o ]
    [  o o o ][           ]

    It's supposed to be a humbucker but instead of 2 single coils with 6 poles each it has 4 single coils with 3 poles each. The idea being that you could have the "signal producing" poles for the thicker (E,A,D) strings closer to the bridge, to brighten them up a bit and maybe give a bit of twang.

    Just an idea for something a bit quirky, just wondered if it could work.


    Why wouldn't you use standard humbucker bobbins with alnico rods in only the circle spots? Wouldn't that achieve what you're after here? That's certainly something I can make. I've had a customer wanting an alnico 4 rods in one bobbin and alnico 2 bar magnet & steel screws in the other. So I have used alnico rods in humbucker bobbins with success before. Not only conceptual success, but tonally it was marvellous, and something I'll be working to add to my catalogue in the near future.

    Sounds more or less what a Wide Range humbucker was designed to achieve.
    Alegree pickups & guitar supplies - www.alegree.co.uk
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  • AlegreeAlegree Frets: 665
    tFB Trader
    Sporky said:
    Liprails!

    One lipstick, one rail, in a humbucker shaped package.

    Take that, P-rails.
    Are we talking Tele neck lipstick here (I know a lot of people call it a lipstick, but it's not technically)

    If you're referring to a Tele neck / rail hybrid I reckon that'd be easy enough to make.
    If you're referring to a Danelectro lipstick, I haven't touched any of those yet. So I've no idea.
    Alegree pickups & guitar supplies - www.alegree.co.uk
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27590
    Actual proper lipstick pickup.

    And a rail.
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • ChrisMusicChrisMusic Frets: 1133
    Paul_L said:
    @Alegree , I don't know if the "picture" below makes sense?

    [            ][ o o o ]
    [  o o o ][           ]

    Like this ?

    Lindy Fralin Domino pickups in a PRS EG



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  • AlegreeAlegree Frets: 665
    tFB Trader
    I'm delighted to announce that my P90 toned Strat pickups are sounding exactly the way I want them to now. 
    Now I need to see if they match together.

    I'm unsure if I want to do RWRP middle or do RWRP neck/bridge so people can get the humless P90 neck + bridge (with applicable switch added). Then there's the consideration of if I do go that route, whether it should be neck+ middle thats hum cancelling or bridge + middle. I'm toying with the idea to leave that up to the customer, but I've found technical questions like this often scare people away.

    If anyone's interested in these then I'd love to know what options you'd lke from above, to decide before I launch these.
    Alegree pickups & guitar supplies - www.alegree.co.uk
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  • fftcfftc Frets: 559
    What does RWRP do to the pick-up on it's own? I understand what it does in combination with a NWNP pick-up but not the effect on a single pick-up. Is there any reason to do just the middle rather than neck and bridge. If I bought a set I doubt I would wire up neck and bridge. Likely just keep the standard 5 way options, or maybe even drop to a three way.
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