Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

[Masta' C]

You may vote for more than one option!


As most of you know, it has been quite a while since we, as a forum, have approached SD about creating a forum-designed pickup. Historically, these have been unique designs that were not represented elsewhere in the SD catalog. That will continue to be the goal here. Given the fact that many of us are stuck at home, SD is currently closed, and nearly everyone could use a little change of pace, this is the perfect time for us to come up with something new and unique.

I am proposing to present SD with either one or two ideas to commemorate the unique time we find ourselves in, based upon feedback from this and future polls. I previously asked the forum to contribute unique ideas and names/themes for potential models and those concepts are represented in the attached poll. This is the 2nd of 2 polls regarding basic design. Here I ask that you vote on the various non-P90 concepts you find most interesting to you. This poll will be open for approximately 2 weeks.

I will create additional polls in the future to address small tweaks to the "winning" designs that the forum would like to see, as well as measure actual interest in purchasing. So, for now, just vote on your favorite "ideas" here. Also, feel free to leave comments, but please keep them positive. Don't post about past forum design efforts, etc...this is a new and very unique opportunity!


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The Contenders:

QuaranTele (aka: Quarantine Blues): Parallel Axis set for Tele. Think warm, airy blues rock tones with the right touch of grit. Turns the brightest Tele into a juicy tone machine!

CoBucker-19: Never before seen combination of A8 and A4 mags mounted vertically in a dual-rail configuration like the El Diablo and Slug. Sounds great on its own, but splitting gives you two completely unique sounds!

PlagueBuckers: Take the 59/Custom Hybrid and give it a hybrid neck to match. Potential tweaks (to be voted on later) include an A2 magnet and/or coil-tapping (not to be confused with coil splitting) to allow switching between the full 59/Custom experience and a more traditional PAF tone.

Super-Spreader: Slug/El Diablo hybrid. Need I say more? Similar idea to the CoBucker-19, but uses Duncan's highest output twin-blade monsters as the baseline.

Floodgates: Black Winter/Pearly Gates hybrid. We'll let the custom shop sort out the details, but you can bet this one will take SD's "hybrid" concept to a new level!

The Vaccine: JB/Custom hybrid with double-thick A5. The goal will be to combine the best elements of Duncan's original high-output A5 pickups in a single hybrid humbucker.

Invader-19: Custom Invader-inspired trembucker. Shooting for 19K on this one, but don't let the high DCR fool you. It may look like an Invader on the outside, but its unique wire gauge keeps it well mannered and sweet on the inside!

Black Plague: Nazgul/Black Winter hybrid. Because nothing will rip your face off faster than a hybrid made from SD's most modern sounding pickups!

Roaring '20s Set: Bringing back the forum designed "Crazy 8" bridge and giving it a "Crazy '19" neck pickup to match!



NOTE: Exact specs and features are subject to change as future polls and later input from the Custom Shop guide the design


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Proposed Schedule:

1) Collect ideas from forum members -> Done
2) Create "feeler" poll of initial ideas -> In progress (i.e. this poll)
3) Reach out to SD directly to present Top 2 "winning" ideas from each category (P-90 Themes/Everything Else) and assess SD's interest in collaborating
4) Create "tiebreaker" polls, if needed
5) Generate discussion thread to gather feedback regarding tone, output, wiring options, colors/covers, etc. to include in final design poll
6) Create "Tone and Options" poll to finalize design specifics for presentation to SD
7) Create a purchase interest poll to estimate sales potential of approved design(s)

PLEASE REMEMBER: This is all "for fun" at this point and nothing has yet been approved or coordinated with SD. If we can settle on ideas for a forum pickup design, I will do my best to promote them to SD, but they may not be interested in collaborating with the forum for a number of reasons and forum participation is necessary for the project to have a chance.

:beerchug:

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

I would like to vote no confidence, I think for the most part the P90 ideas are better. I don't think too many of these ideas have any grounds other than "they sound nice in my head" or "these two pickpup's names sound cool together". Except for the first and last options, all of these are either not worth it in my opinion, or can be made at home.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

I appreciate your feedback.

These are community ideas and few restrictions were put on their suggestion/creation. Certainly not all will move forward. The best approach is to simply vote on the ones you like (if any).

Keep in mind that 99% of players will never "make" their own hybrids, etc and some options are Custom Shop only to begin with. If you view the hybrids from standard production models as weak, then don't vote on them. However, if there are ideas here that you wouldn't mind seeing become a reality, please indicate that!

This is a "feeler" poll. We'll gauge actual interest in the winning ideas in a future round.

 

[MikeS]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

I would like to vote no confidence, I think for the most part the P90 ideas are better. I don't think too many of these ideas have any grounds other than "they sound nice in my head" or "these two pickpup's names sound cool together". Except for the first and last options, all of these are either not worth it in my opinion, or can be made at home.

+1. The Fuglybucker seemed to be one of those Frankenstein "sounds cool in my head" kind of deals. Hybrid options and magnet swaps are below the Custom Shop, IMO. A PA tele pickup is potentially intriguing, but I'd wonder how much of a tonal impact that the PA poles has is affected by the angled pickup orientation in a tele bridge. Beyond that, I have a hard time thinking that the development of a new telecaster bobbin mold would be worth the trouble for such a limited run.

When I recall the development of the first couple forum pickups there was a focus on tonal qualities and that, with Custom Shop collaboration, informed bobbin type, magnet selection, including whether the magnet should be aged, machine vs scatter wound, wire gauge, balanced vs unbalanced coils, spacer material, whether or not to wax pot, etc.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

I think a hybrid set with an A2 59/C and a corresponding hybrid neck humbucker is a great idea.
Not sure it'd be commercially viable, but I'd buy a set. Or at least a hybrid neck to pair with my UA5 59/C.

 

[Blackie13]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

Don't do this...I just ordered a Thrash Factor...
Would love to try the Vacine...

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

Wow, the "Vaccine" is showing an early lead!

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

I guess I missed the start of this project, so I'm a little lost as to what's going on.

What I'd really like would be a '59/C Hybrid with a coil tap on the Custom coil, to take it down to [approximately] a '59 Bridge. Wire that as a spin-a-tap, and you've got the whole range from '59 Bridge to '59/C Hybrid.

Same thing for neck position would be nice too. Use a '59 Neck coil and a 10 percent underwound Custom coil. Have a tap on the Custom coil to take the neck pickup down to [approximately] a '59 Neck.

It's a set of '59s and a set of '59/Cs in the same set. It would cover a lot of ground for a lot of people, I think.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

A hybrid neck to match the Custom/59 is a very commonly requested pickup.

Mincer's "Plaguebuckers" concept includes a matching hybrid neck pickup, which might be a good way to get one made.

The coil-tapping (as opposed to splitting) idea is very interesting. It probably wouldn't sound exactly like a '59 when tapped due to the higher inductance of the Custom coil and the fact that the Custom coil uses a different gauge wire, but it could actually work out great!

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

I guess I missed the start of this project, so I'm a little lost as to what's going on.

SD is still shut down, a lot of newer members have joined since the last forum pickup build, and most of us are finding ourselves on here a lot more due to various quarantine/work-at-home scenarios. So, this seemed like a good time to conceptualize a possible forum-designed pickup (or two) to present to SD once they reopen. Sure, they are going to be busy for a while playing catch-up on orders and shipping, but we might as well make the downtime here productive. A positive distraction from the craziness of the outside world, if you will.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

Fuglies are not bad. The neck is killer! Great match with my PATB-3 bridge on my walnut hardtail strat.

B

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

A hybrid neck to match the Custom/59 is a very commonly requested pickup.

Mincer's "Plaguebuckers" concept includes a matching hybrid neck pickup, which might be a good way to get one made.

The coil-tapping (as opposed to splitting) idea is very interesting. It probably wouldn't sound exactly like a '59 when tapped due to the higher inductance of the Custom coil and the fact that the Custom coil uses a different gauge wire, but it could actually work out great!

I'm not so much after the straight-up neck match to the '59/C Hybrid. The pickup as is works great in the neck spot IMO.

I know my idea won't be exactly like a '59 when tapped. But it would probably take it down into close enough to "vintage" territory to have the effect I'd like.

Maybe a rather dramatic tap is the ticket, to work against a bit of what you are talking about. Maybe tap it down to using only about 40 percent of the Custom coil, as opposed to 50 or 60 percent, like I originally was thinking.

The hybrid project I am working on at the moment is home made, from a Custom and a PG neck model. Bridge pickup will get Custom slug/PGn screw coils, and Custom magnet. Neck pickup will get Custom screw/PGn slug, and the PG magnet. My theory is that the different magnets will do enough to better balance the outputs of the two pickups, even though they will each have about the same amount of wire in them.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

Yeah... I'll be quite interested in a neck HB with a 6K #42 tap with the regular 7.75K (maybe even with some mismatched coils) full tap. The bridge HB could have a 6.5K tap #42 wire along with a ~9.00K full tap. That'd be hell of a pickup! I dunno if it's doable tho.

B

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

^ Yes, things like that are cool ideas, but for some reason taps are uncommon in humbuckers (pickup makers think that most people would find the 4C + tap wiring too confusing, perhaps).

What I'm talking about is basically the same idea as yours, but with a different set of specs. The '59/C starts off hotter and way more imbalanced than that, and I'm talking about only tapping one coil, not both at once. You start out with a regular '59/C, medium output, heavily imbalanced coils. You tap down to low output with more balanced coils (but still would be a bit imbalanced). Maybe you make the neck model simply by using a significantly weaker magnet with the same coils. Ceramic bridge, A3 neck, maybe.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

Cool.

But why stop at one coil?



I dunno if what I am saying is feasible. I've not seen any such pickup at all. Tapped teles bridges are more common.

But if it could be done, it'll be a great pickup. Sorta adding a 6K mode to a great PAF set.

B

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

+1. The Fuglybucker seemed to be one of those Frankenstein "sounds cool in my head" kind of deals. Hybrid options and magnet swaps are below the Custom Shop, IMO. A PA tele pickup is potentially intriguing, but I'd wonder how much of a tonal impact that the PA poles has is affected by the angled pickup orientation in a tele bridge. Beyond that, I have a hard time thinking that the development of a new telecaster bobbin mold would be worth the trouble for such a limited run. When I recall the development of the first couple forum pickups there was a focus on tonal qualities and that, with Custom Shop collaboration, informed bobbin type, magnet selection, including whether the magnet should be aged, machine vs scatter wound, wire gauge, balanced vs unbalanced coils, spacer material, whether or not to wax pot, etc.

You bring up several great points. To be fair, the Fuglies were actually a design success, despite their odd looks, and people who dropped interest in the project or didn't end up purchasing them simply because they felt under-represented, upset that their idea didn't get picked, or that the design was "too extreme" from a visual standpoint really missed out on a great set of pickups that are unlike anything else made by anyone anywhere, including SD!

On the other hand, the Custom Shop has been a bit distanced from the forum over the past few years and a lot of that is due to personnel changes within the company, rather than the rocky design history of the Fuglies alienating them in some way. It's been long enough that I think it's time for us forum "bros" to try and re-establish a relationship with them

Fuglies are not bad. The neck is killer! Great match with my PATB-3 bridge on my walnut hardtail strat.

Oh, the Fuglies are great! The negativity surrounding those certainly wasn't due to the final product, at least among those who tried them. I currently have a Fugly bridge in one of my top-5 guitars right now. I appreciate its uniqueness and SD would never have tried to make a pickup like that on their own.

I think, all-in-all, it's just hard to create a "forum" designed pickup that satisfies everyone, especially since we're so big now. Nonetheless, the idea here is to stay positive, be open to something unique coming out of this effort, and have fun with the process :beerchug:

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

Cool.

But why stop at one coil?

I'm imagining something fairly straightforward – not an "every option under the sun" sort of thing, e.g. hybrid pickup, imbalanced coils, coil tap on each coil, wiring nightmare, hard to use, nominally useful in the real world, etc. I just want something that moves from the beauty that is the stock series-coil imbalanced '59/C down into mid-wound balanced-coil P.A.F. territory. Do it with a spin-a-tap or do it with a switch would be the only choice to make. I like the idea of the spin-a-tap, but it would accomplish what I personally would want even if it was just on a switch.

I also love your idea. Being able to move from P.A.F. down to heavily underwound P.A.F. I would find that very useful, because I use a lot of low wattage, low headroom amps, and they block up very easily with humbuckers. But this is the wrong group of people to which to propose vintage output and sub-vintage output pickups. Almost everyone here is into more modern music and gainier tones, IME reading the forum over the years. Go look at the "one song to sum you up musically" thread to see what I mean. I didn't read every single post, but from what I saw perusing it, I might actually be the only one who posted anything from the '60s.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

You bring up several great points. To be fair, the Fuglies were actually a design success, despite their odd looks, and people who dropped interest in the project or didn't end up purchasing them simply because they felt under-represented, upset that their idea didn't get picked, or that the design was "too extreme" from a visual standpoint really missed out on a great set of pickups that are unlike anything else made by anyone anywhere, including SD!

On the other hand, the Custom Shop has been a bit distanced from the forum over the past few years and a lot of that is due to personnel changes within the company, rather than the rocky design history of the Fuglies alienating them in some way. It's been long enough that I think it's time for us forum "bros" to try and re-establish a relationship with them




Oh, the Fuglies are great! The negativity surrounding those certainly wasn't due to the final product, at least among those who tried them. I currently have a Fugly bridge in one of my top-5 guitars right now. I appreciate its uniqueness and SD would never have tried to make a pickup like that on their own.

I think, all-in-all, it's just hard to create a "forum" designed pickup that satisfies everyone, especially since we're so big now. Nonetheless, the idea here is to stay positive, be open to something unique coming out of this effort, and have fun with the process :beerchug:

I missed the design of them Fuglies... But knowing that MJ won't be doing a bad pickup, I pulled the trigger and got me a set. Did not have a guitar to install them for quite a while. But when I've used it with my PATB-3 in the neck of my hardtail strat... vow!

I really do not understand what the fuzz is. It is a great pickup, has a weird clarity to it. Still A2 tho. Love it.

B

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

I'm imagining something fairly straightforward – not an "every option under the sun" sort of thing, e.g. hybrid pickup, imbalanced coils, coil tap on each coil, etc. I just want something that moves from the beauty that is the stock series-coil imbalanced '59/C down into mid-wound balanced-coil P.A.F. territory. Do it with a spin-a-tap or do it with a switch would be the only choice to make. I like the idea of the spin-a-tap, but it wold accomplish what I personally would want even if it was just on a switch.

I also love your idea. Being able to move from P.A.F. down to heavily underwound P.A.F. I would find that very useful, because I use a lot of low wattage, low headroom amps, and they block up very easily with humbuckers.

Agreed. It should do what it is supposed to do quite well. Every option under the sun is no option at all!

I will be interested in your suggestion. The heavy mismatch would be great for clarity.

B

 

[Masta' C]

Re: Forum Pickup Poll #2: Everything Else

Well, then throw in a vote for the "Plaguebuckers" for now and we can poll proposed tweaks like this one if that concept wins!