Can someone clue me in on this "production floor custom" line of SD pickups?

[Peaj]

Can someone clue me in on this "production floor custom" line of SD pickups?

I bought this SH-4 JB on ebay many years ago as a youngin for a steal, and had it put in my MIM Strat, and it stays in there to this day. You will see the pickup in the guitar and the side of the box that the pickup came in attached. It is in a neon-blue color and branded as a "Production Floor Custom" pickup.

Does anyone know anything about this line of pickups? I see very little online about these, and rarely see this color of SD pickup.

 

[Artie]

I don't think it's a "line" per se. It's just when you order a mod that's a small enough change that it doesn't warrant a full-on Custom Shop upcharge. Like, getting a 59 with short legs and 4c cable.

 

[PFDarkside]

Basically you can get small tweaks to production pickups as Shop Floor Customs. Like a 4 Conductor Seth Lover, a covered Distortion, a short leg 59 or a JB with no logo. Colors like those are shop floor customs as well. Items that aren’t change to the process, that will flow through the typical production line. Once you want aging, custom winds, etc. it’s a different deal and you need to go to the Custom Shop.

 

[beaubrummels]

Because someone ordered blue bobbins, which is not standard, it was done as a "shop floor custom", as in customized on the shop floor by the regular employees.

 

[Mincer]

These are special versions of a pickup ordered from an authorized dealer. Read about them here.

 

[JamesPaul]

Yes, I have several. All good info above and the link Mincer posted covers what they can do as Shop Floor Customs today. They've picked up a few more options over the years. Typically a good deal if you want something they can do. Most recently I got Gold screw P-Rails for my Black Les Paul Custom with Gold hardware.

 

[Artie]

These are special versions of a pickup ordered from an authorized dealer. Read about them here.

Nice link. Thanks man.

 

[superpete]

have they ever said why magnet swaps stopped being SFC? seems like grabbing an A8 when making a JB is just as easy as grabbing blue bobbins.

 

[beaubrummels]

I would hazard a guess that it's because swapping magnets, in certain cases, equates to buying a different pickup model, which might be priced different.

 

[superpete]

yeah you're probably right. all the SFC options seem to be purely cosmetic or fit/function based (leg length, RWRP, etc) and don't affect the tone. it's too bad, i have a SFC C8 that i like but would never pay custom shop pricing for.

 

[beaubrummels]

I think they could offer mag swaps at the price point of the most expensive production pickup and call it a day. That would at least be less than full CS price for a simple mod that they already do on the production floor for various pickup models.

 

[superpete]

yeah or even just a $10-$15 upcharge for certain models, and even say "mag swap not available" on certain things if they don't feel it's right for whatever reason. I know it's a simple inexpensive thing to do on your own, but i needed one with a gold cover so the SFC was way easier than taking the cover off a wax potted humbucker for me.

 

[Teleplayer]

If the magnet was swapped, it would become a different product with different output and tone. Most buyers aren't familiar with magnet swaps, so they would be disappointed if the product does not perform according to the available info.

 

[Mincer]

I think they could offer mag swaps at the price point of the most expensive production pickup and call it a day. That would at least be less than full CS price for a simple mod that they already do on the production floor for various pickup models.

The page I referenced was a few years old. I am not sure if magnet swaps are included in this program (the website says no), but if anyone orders one, ask and see what they say so we can give accurate info.

 

[beaubrummels]

The page I referenced was a few years old. I am not sure if magnet swaps are included in this program (the website says no), but if anyone orders one, ask and see what they say so we can give accurate info.

Mag swaps are not shop floor custom. Someone on here tried to order that a while back and was told no way. I was just hypothesizing why they don't and positing how they could.

 

[superpete]

yeah about a year ago i think was the first time i saw they weren't. but they definitely used to be. i have one that i called and got direct from duncan

 

[Leon Of Late]

In the old, old, old days, we could get “double white” bobbins as a shop floor custom. If I had known that would ever end, I would have stocked up on all of my favorites and now have a shelf full of NOS cream, for my own personal enjoyment.

 

[nexion218]

It's definitely worth asking. The site says that only standard size hbs are available for bobbin color swap, but they did my f-spaced BW in whitebwithout a problem. I guess it doesn't hurt if the dealer is in a good relatoonship with SD.

 

[Mincer]

Like I said, the page I referenced above is a few years old. I would ask the dealer to contact SD and find out if whatever you want is covered by this particular program. In fact, I might order something soon, too.

 

[Artie]

In the old, old, old days, we could get “double white” bobbins as a shop floor custom. If I had known that would ever end, I would have stocked up on all of my favorites and now have a shelf full of NOS cream, for my own personal enjoyment.

I may be misunderstanding what you're saying here, but almost ALL Duncan humbuckers can still be ordered with double-white bobbins. It's not even SFC. It's just a standard production color. Did you mean double-cream? That's the "sticky" point.