Introducing the new Brad Paisley Secret Agent Esquire Neck Pickup!

[Artie]

Several. I will.

 

[Masta' C]

A pickguard shouldn't interfere with a pup signal, right? So, theoretically, one could take a standard Tele, with a Strat neck route, and lower the pup down to where the top was even with where the bottom of the pickguard would be, for testing purposes?

It's not going to end well if you're using a standard single coil with A2 or A5 mags. The stronger magnet used in the Secret Agent is key. If you have a cheaper ceramic-based single coil, you could definitely try it, but it still may not be great.

I won't go into how the gears in my head have been spinning over the past few days, but I'll just throw this out there: neodymium

:naughty:

 

[Mincer]

It's not going to end well if you're using a standard single coil with A2 or A5 mags. The stronger magnet used in the Secret Agent is key. If you have a cheaper ceramic-based single coil, you could definitely try it, but it still may not be great.

I won't go into how the gears in my head have been spinning over the past few days, but I'll just throw this out there: neodymium

:naughty:

Yeah, I can see that a neo magnet might work really well. I don't know how the pickup design would have to change, however, when using a neo magnet.

 

[Lewguitar]

Yeah, I can see that a neo magnet might work really well. I don't know how the pickup design would have to change, however, when using a neo magnet.

Wouldn't you think that Seymour tried that already?

 

[Artie]

Wouldn't you think that Seymour tried that already?

I wonder. :33:

 

[jeremy]

im curious what you think lew. it sounds great when brad plays it

 

[Masta' C]

Wouldn't you think that Seymour tried that already?

Nope, I'm willing to bet they didn't even mess with neodymium. With the Secret Agent, they are using existing bobbin stock and bar magnets they already have on hand. It clearly wasn't a pickup that had to be radically re-engineered to do what it does outside of possibly customizing the wind, which is easy to do.

 

[Lewguitar]

im curious what you think lew. it sounds great when brad plays it

It does. I'm no Brad Paisley but I'm really looking forward to finishing up my Esquire and returning it to a stock look.

I'll put the white '57 Esquire pickguard on it too.

White is what my '54 most likely had originally, and it is an original.

Bought it at a guitar show ages ago.

 

[Mincer]

Wouldn't you think that Seymour tried that already?

I wouldn't think so. I think Seymour's tinkering days (at least when it comes to new products) are behind him. There is a good team in the Custom Shop doing most of that work now.

 

[Lewguitar]

I wouldn't think so. I think Seymour's tinkering days (at least when it comes to new products) are behind him. There is a good team in the Custom Shop doing most of that work now.

At the beginning of the video Seymour says: "You came up with an idea and I was glad to be able to do it."

That's why I assumed that he did it.

So Seymour doesn't design new products anymore? Not even for guys like Brad paisley and for Seymour's favorite guitar?

I didn't know that.

 

[ItsaBass]

Nope, I'm willing to bet they didn't even mess with neodymium. With the Secret Agent, they are using existing bobbin stock and bar magnets they already have on hand. It clearly wasn't a pickup that had to be radically re-engineered to do what it does outside of possibly customizing the wind, which is easy to do.

The thick blade Tele neck bobbins already existed? I was not aware.

 

[Lewguitar]

The thick blade Tele neck bobbins already existed? I was not aware.

That "thick blade" is the ceramic magnet on its edge. At least I think that's what it is.

Looks to me like the coil is wound around a 1/8" thick flat magnet on its edge.

Kind of like the magnet we all play around with when we swap magnets in humbuckers, but set on its edge.

 

[jeremy]

thats what i assumed it was when i saw it. a bucker magnet on its side

 

[Mincer]

At the beginning of the video Seymour says: "You came up with an idea and I was glad to be able to do it."

That's why I assumed that he did it.

So Seymour doesn't design new products anymore? Not even for guys like Brad paisley and for Seymour's favorite guitar?

I didn't know that.

I will assume he does for his friends. But I don't think he is coming up with general release stuff anymore.

 

[Masta' C]

The thick blade Tele neck bobbins already existed? I was not aware.

What makes you so sure it's anything other than the top half of a "hot stack" bobbin with trimmed up fiber flatwork on the bottom?

I'm betting SD stuck to materials on hand for this one. Sort of a pet project to honor Mr. Paisley, not really a big R&D investment type effort that required entirely new bobbinwork.

 

[ItsaBass]

What makes you so sure it's anything other than the top half of a "hot stack" bobbin with trimmed up fiber flatwork on the bottom?

I'm betting SD stuck to materials on hand for this one. Sort of a pet project to honor Mr. Paisley, not really a big R&D investment type effort that required entirely new bobbinwork.

Nothing makes me sure. That's why I was askin'!

I don't know any of the stack pickups, so I was unaware of that bobbin.

That said, that's a bridge pickup you posted. Someone earlier said the new pickup is Tele neck sized.

The new bobbins look molded to size, not shaved down from a Tele bridge size.

Is there a hot stack Tele neck?

 

[jeremy]

they use that bobbin for most things that have a magnet as the poles. totally makes sense from a manufacturing standpoint

 

[ItsaBass]

^ That general style of bobbin, of course.

But in Tele neck size?

Tele neck bobbins are, traditionally, smaller. And didn't some guy in this thread speak to the Custom Shop and confirm that the neck pickup is indeed Tele neck sized?

Them using the normal sized bobbin would make complete sense to me, and may indeed be the case. That's how I would do it. It's hidden anyhow, so why would you need to adhere to "proper" Tele neck pickup size? But if that is the case, it would mean the Custom Shop guy was wrong on the phone.

I have no horse in the race; I just want to know.

 

[jeremy]

id be surprised if it was actually tele neck size, even from looking at the pics, it looks the same size as the hot stack bobbin

 

[ItsaBass]

I was thinking the same thing, about the rough visual comparison.

So, it's leaning toward: Custom Shop guy was wrong.

It seems more posted specs are in order on the product page.