Charlie Christian Pickup

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Does anyone know what a CC pickup would fit in space wise, single coil? P90? Mini Humbucker? All it's own?

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=196449&highlight=Charlie+Christian+Pickup

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/custom-shop/specialized-1/charlie_christa/

 

[BRHGM]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

It's different and you have all of those screw holes. Check out a picture of John Lennon with a Charlie Christian in his Les Paul Junior.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

It's sort of close to a P-90 route but it is it's own thing.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

It's different and you have all of those screw holes. Check out a picture of John Lennon with a Charlie Christian in his Les Paul Junior.

You can buy several CC style pickups now that don't have the 3 screw holes below the pickup like an original.

Look at John's LP Jr...no screws.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

Pardon my ignorance, but, what does the Christian pickup compare to, tone-wise? Is it similar to a P-90, a Dynasonic, something else? 2-3K with 38AWG is something I've never heard before. How does the output compare to, say, an alnico V, Tele lead wound to 9K with 42AWG?

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

Pardon my ignorance, but, what does the Christian pickup compare to, tone-wise? Is it similar to a P-90, a Dynasonic, something else? 2-3K with 38AWG is something I've never heard before. How does the output compare to, say, an alnico V, Tele lead wound to 9K with 42AWG?

Have a look here:

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/custom-shop/specialized-1/charlie_christa/

It's one of a kind p'up, that's got a very particular tone due to the fact the magnetic structure sees a big chunk of the string, with many more harmonic nodes than any other more conventional p'up. This p'up should be the smoothest of the smooth. :cool2:

HTH,

 

[TimmyPage]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

Pardon my ignorance, but, what does the Christian pickup compare to, tone-wise? Is it similar to a P-90, a Dynasonic, something else? 2-3K with 38AWG is something I've never heard before. How does the output compare to, say, an alnico V, Tele lead wound to 9K with 42AWG?

I don't know what its close to.. it's got a sound all on its own.. a delightful one for that matter. I really love this clip:



On the guy's channel he also has some other clips with crunch and overdrive.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

There are a lot of winders building CC pickups today but very few of them really sond like CC pickups...most of them look like CC pickups and sound like P-90 or big fat Strat pickups.

Here is a clip of MASTER Barney Kessel with his 1946 ES-350 that has a real CC pickup installed, the pickup was pulled from a 1939 ES-150.

Enjoy

 

[blueman335]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

Have a look here:

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/custom-shop/specialized-1/charlie_christa/

It's one of a kind p'up, that's got a very particular tone due to the fact the magnetic structure sees a big chunk of the string, with many more harmonic nodes than any other more conventional p'up. This p'up should be the smoothest of the smooth. :cool2:

HTH,

So can you mount these in a P-90 slot? The clips of the Tele with the Lollar and Barney Kessel with the ES350 have some really nice tones. I wish Seymour would offer these to forum member for half price like he did with the Alnico Staples last year. I bet he could move a bunch of them.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

So can you mount these in a P-90 slot? The clips of the Tele with the Lollar and Barney Kessel with the ES350 have some really nice tones. I wish Seymour would offer these to forum member for half price like he did with the Alnico Staples last year. I bet he could move a bunch of them.

No, they will not mount in a P-90 routing...it's a different route all together plus if you do it in a solid body the way to get a great tone is to hard mount it to the wood so the route has to be very specific in terms of depth.

Lollar makes a version now that will hang from a guardplate but I think it looses something.

 

[PatrickGinnaty]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

Similar to a P90 size, but the traditional mount requires additional routing.
Back pics of the Lennon guitar show a plate over the hole routed for the long magnets.

CC pickups are great sounding.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

I don't think it will drop in to a standard route. It would make sense to see about getting it routed. Not really sure though!

 

[WhooHoo]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

Barney Kessel and a Charlie Christian pickup is a great combination as is Charlie Christian with a Charlie Christian pickup.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

The cc pickup is unique and the pictue above is not a cc pickup. Its just a cosmetic replica. The best repros are by seymour duncan or from CC pickups in england. A cc pup has 2 large magnets underneath the pickup that act as a brace. The other pickups out there from Jason Lollar etc are im sure wonderful pickups, but not a true cc style.
BTW....im selling a full restored 1950s L50 (which is the es 150 charlie christian model axe without the pickup). Solid top. very sweet acoustic tone. Just for any cc fans out there wanting to get the true sound.....all it needs is a cc pickup....

 

[Artie]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

Wow . . . I never heard of Tim Learch before, but I already love this guy. I love those tones he's getting. Thats how I wish I could play. I'll have to look for more stuff from this guy.

Thanks for posting that video. :bigthumb:

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

I keep waiting for a post in here asking if it can do 'teh brewtals' . . .

 

[post toastie]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

does anyone make an affordable humbucker sized Charlie Christian that actually sounds like a Charlie Christian ?

i've heard clips of the CC Rider it sounds very sterile.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

does anyone make an affordable humbucker sized Charlie Christian that actually sounds like a Charlie Christian ?

i've heard clips of the CC Rider it sounds very sterile.

http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=charlie-christian-pickups

Affordable? That's up to you to decide.

Actually sounds like a Charlie Christian? Dunno, I wasn't born yet when those p'ups were common.

Sounds good/great? I think so. But only YOU can know what "good" sounds like.

Seymour does it too:

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/custom-shop/specialized-1/charlie_christa/

HTH,

 

[post toastie]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=charlie-christian-pickups

Affordable? That's up to you to decide.

Actually sounds like a Charlie Christian? Dunno, I wasn't born yet when those p'ups were common.

Sounds good/great? I think so. But only YOU can know what "good" sounds like.

Seymour does it too:

http://www.seymourduncan.com/products/custom-shop/specialized-1/charlie_christa/

HTH,

thanks. by affordable, i mean $100-$150 for such a special (read: different) pickup. i feel $325 for a guitar pickup is unreasonable. especially when it sounds sterile. sterile to me = Ibanez pickups and Lawrence pickups. also the early Fender noiseless pickups that Eric Clapton used. the basis of a good tone...but somehow lifeless.

the clips of Charlie Christian that i have heard had a tone that was....:1:...hard to describe. a tone that i have only heard in one other place, but i won't say where beacause i don't want the conversation to go off into a totally different direction.

i'm very impressed with the Duckbucker, for example. a humbucker that actually sounds like a single coil. if Duncan's humbucker sized CC sounds like a CC that's fantastic. i can't remember if Duncan makes an actual Humbuck-ING CC in addition to the single coil CC -- that actually sounds like a CC, but if they do, that would be great as well.

$325 ? $250 ? if anyone makes one that actually sounds like a CC....i'll think about it. :cool2:

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Charlie Christian Pickup

I only know of one Humbucker CC and it's the Duncan CS...however it's $300+.

The CC Rider pickups only look like CC, the construction is different.

The Lollar as popular as it is just misses the mark IMHO, as do most Lollar pickups.

If you "feel $325 for a guitar pickup is unreasonable" then don't buy one but if you want a Charlie Christian that sounds as close to a Charlie Christian as you can get that is in fact a Humbucking design it costs $325.

Most often you can not have your cake and eat it too in this game.