New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

[Masta' C]

I know ever seeing another forum pickup is a bit of a long shot, but how cool would it be to come up with something fun and original to suggest to SD while we're all stuck at home trying to avoid COVID-19?

My contribution: the "QuaranTele" set for Telecaster.

Think: A matched pair of Parallel Axis single coils in traditional Tele format! :lmao:

Anyone else have a crazy, COVID-themed pickup idea in mind?


The List So Far:

• QuaranTele: Parallel Axis set for Tele
• CoBucker-19: Combination of A8 & A4 mags (dual-rail like El Diablo/Slug or triple coil design)
• PlagueBuckers: Overwound double-screw 59/Custom Hybrid bridge with A2 and flat black bobbins + matching neck hybrid
• Super-Spreader: Slug/El Diablo hybrid
• Black Gates: Black Winter/Pearly Gates hybrid
• The Vaccine: JB/Custom hybrid with double-thick A5
• Invader-19: Custom Invader-inspired Trembucker (~19K)
• P-andemic-90: Hotter Phat-Cat humbucker-sized P-90 with commemorative virus-engraved cover
• The Fauci: Overwound P-90 tone in single-coil format
• Black Plague: Metal-oriented P-90 voiced along the lines of Black Winter or Pegasus
• P-lague Rails: Modified P-Rails using A2 in the P90 side and a ceramic mag for the rail
• Ventilator Set: P-90's for Tele
• Quarantine Blues: H-S-S set???
• Black Plague: Nazgul/BW hybrid
• Roaring 20s Set: Original "Crazy 8" bridge with a matching "Crazy-19" neck pickup

Pedal ideas...'cause, why not?:

• The N95: Noise gate
• Curve Flattener: Compressor
• Second Wave: Delay

 

[zizyphus]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

How about the morbidly appropriate “Black Gates” Bridge humbucker:

Slug coil from a Pearly Gates (4k)
Screw coil from a Black Winter bridge (8k)
Keep the two smaller side ceramics from the Black Winter, but replace the large central ceramic magnet with an Alnico 2 like the Pearly Gates

You’d have mismatched coils and an overall wind of about 12k. The screw coils would account for more of the output than the slug coils, and combine with the small ceramic magnets, this pickup could keep a tight low end.

On the other hand, using an A2 for the primary magnet would introduce just a touch of creamy sag to the attack on the bass end, and would sweeten the treble response, preventing harshness despite the brightness

Between the ceramic magnets, the A2, and the DCR of ~12k, you’d have a FAT midrange

When you coil split, the mids would keep the split sound from becoming too thin, plus using only the screw coil from the black winter would mean you still have a DCR of 8k, with two small ceramic magnets and an A2. In other words, the split single coil sound would still be pretty hot and fat, rather than tinny and harsh the way most split humbuckers sound. Moreover, you wouldn’t even have much of a volume drop!

The whole time, the coil mismatch would open up some additional frequencies that would otherwise have canceled out, giving you richer harmonics and a little extra high end shimmer. Plus, it’s an excuse to have a pickup named The Black Gates, which fits with the apocalyptic times we’ve found ourselves in.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

Might want to start with what sound is missing from the arsenal. Or at least prototype the idea with your own hybrid before pushing it to production. When we start specifying coils and magnets without a sound in mind, you don’t realize that it’s not going to sound anything like you think. For example, a BW coil with a Pearly coil (half the wind) is not going to sound like a blend of those two pickups. I have a Pearly/A2P hybrid, which has much less difference between the coils and there are no real A2P qualities in the resulting sound. It just sounds like a slightly brighter Pearly Gates, which is unexpected given the recipe.

 

[zizyphus]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

Might want to start with what sound is missing from the arsenal. Or at least prototype the idea with your own hybrid before pushing it to production. When we start specifying coils and magnets without a sound in mind, you don’t realize that it’s not going to sound anything like you think. For example, a BW coil with a Pearly coil (half the wind) is not going to sound like a blend of those two pickups. I have a Pearly/A2P hybrid, which has much less difference between the coils and there are no real A2P qualities in the resulting sound. It just sounds like a slightly brighter Pearly Gates, which is unexpected given the recipe.

But dude.

Black Gates.

C’mon!!!

 

[Chistopher]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

I think the guitar world is ready for a big name pickup with A8 flanking magnets.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

But dude.

Black Gates.

C’mon!!!

Yeah the name is cool and I would try it to see what it sounded like. Just need to set expectations that we won’t know exactly what it’s going to sound like at all until someone builds one and installs it. The recipe isn’t a prediction of sound. There are many pickups with the same recipe that don’t sound anything alike.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

Some of Clint55s hybrid experiments and mag experiments might be an interesting starting point. There’s already a prototype and evidence of what they would sound like, at least in one instrument.

 

[AlexR]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

Maybe a pickup that has no wire - in a homage to being unable to buy essentials due to panic buying.
And a lot of iron filing fluff stuck to the poles/slugs to mimic the less groomed state we all seem to be living in.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

HAHAHAHAHA! :lmao:

Clint #2's hybrid/mag experiments are certainly interesting.

Orpheo also has a good grasp on the hybrid stuff and recently posted about some of his faves...the way he described the JB/Full Shred got me a bit excited, and he is really digging his recent Pegasus/Custom hybrid. Anyone else liking the idea of those?

---

How 'bout a set called the "Quarantine Blues"? :scratchch

What would that look like? Humbuckers? Strat? Hybrid set?

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

What were the sweet spots these hybrids (Orpheo, C55) were solving that the normal production range couldn’t cover?

Do any of these pickups solve the problem of “works in Fender and gibson equally well, works with 500k and 250k equally well”? Do any of the production pickups solve the problem of plays nicely with single coils both hum and split without modification/flipping magnets?

The parallel axis Tele bridge is interesting because the slugs will have to be angled, which might prove useful in other guitars and other orientations. Maybe have it on a removable Tele baseplate so it could be dropped into a Strat also.

What about a pickup that could get a little twang out of a gibson? (I have a T-Deco that kind of gets there.)

What about a JB/Stag Mag hybrid? Or Custom/Stag Mag? Parallel Axis/Stag Mag? (Would it work?). Looking for a “true” Fender single coil split, but Humbucker normal.

What about a pickup that instead of coil wires has resistor/cap wires to switch the EQ of the pickup? Or wired for half/whole split? Or a Humbucker with true coil taps on each coil instead of split wires? So you can tap it and keep it humbucking.

 

[Demanic]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

What were the sweet spots these hybrids (Orpheo, C55) were solving that the normal production range couldn’t cover?

Do any of these pickups solve the problem of “works in Fender and gibson equally well, works with 500k and 250k equally well”? Do any of the production pickups solve the problem of plays nicely with single coils both hum and split without modification/flipping magnets?

The parallel axis Tele bridge is interesting because the slugs will have to be angled, which might prove useful in other guitars and other orientations. Maybe have it on a removable Tele baseplate so it could be dropped into a Strat also.

What about a pickup that could get a little twang out of a gibson? (I have a T-Deco that kind of gets there.)

What about a JB/Stag Mag hybrid? Or Custom/Stag Mag? Parallel Axis/Stag Mag? (Would it work?). Looking for a “true” Fender single coil split, but Humbucker normal.

What about a pickup that instead of coil wires has resistor/cap wires to switch the EQ of the pickup? Or wired for half/whole split? Or a Humbucker with true coil taps on each coil instead of split wires? So you can tap it and keep it humbucking.

Anything. For a price.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

Anything. For a price.

Sent from my Alcatel_5044C using Tapatalk

The hope is the price might come down if there were a committed set of orders from forum members. But maybe not.

 

[dave74]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

tb8invader19 (bridge model only,,,,trembucker spacing only!,,,,,,,punks)

19dcr w/gold hex-bolts (LARGE gold hex-bolts only!,,,,,punks)

 

[Metalman_666]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

I'm picturing a modified Phat Cat-style P90 in a humbucker housing, with a custom engraved cover where the pole pieces are linked by little virus cells displaying the familiar corona shape

The wind would be about 10.04k, the same as a high fever in Fahrenheit (I'm Canadian so feel I have to specify the scale)

It would be powerful and get a little nasty with an amp running mild overdrive, snarky attack and a proper high mid punch, sparkly harmonics you hear and feel like the little droplets in the air when someone sneezes and you feel it from a distance

Of course, it would be a noiseless P90 because you can't hear the virus coming...

It could be called "The Curve" or
"High Fever" or
"ISO 90"

Sent from my SM-N975W using Tapatalk

 

[Metalman_666]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

How 'bout a set called the "Quarantine Blues"? :scratchch

What would that look like? Humbuckers? Strat? Hybrid set?

That sounds like a HSS set to me, get some nice greasy neck and middle tones and a medium-powered humbucker. Dig it!

Sent from my SM-N975W using Tapatalk

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

What we really need is a more unique pup to correspond with the more unique qualities of the covid-19 virus, which has the symptoms of the common flu but can be much more brutal.

My suggestion:

It would be called the "Co-Bucker-19",
It would have a total possible resistance of 19k ohms
It would have three coils (middle coil 7k, each side coil 6k) with the middle coil reverse wound,
It would have two magnets (A4 and A8) on either side of the middle coil's pole pieces,
Each coil would have two wires so it could be wired/switched any way possible.

The center coil alone would be P-90ish at 7k and with A4 and A8 magnets north poles facing in,
The center coil + the A4 coil in parallel would be about 3.3k and have a very PAFish sound,
The center coil + the A8 coil in series would be 13k and would sound in the neighborhood of the Custom 8,
All three coils together in series would be 19k and would be a brutal-fire-breathing monster to cover death genres (like the Covid-19).

Obviously there could be other combinations depending on what you want (about a dozen different sounds possible).

 

[Mincer]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

I can't imagine a few dozen pickups being sold would really make the price come down that much. If you had a committed order of 1000s, maybe.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

That's how it worked in the past...a few dozen orders and SD still offered a special discount to forumites. This isn't an everyday request, after all, and it's done in good fun. Besides, how often does this kind of situation arise?

What's YOUR quarantine-themed pickup idea, Mincer?

 

[Mincer]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

Hmm, I would be bad at this, as I don't really like tinkering (I'd rather get on to playing) and I'm not currently looking for a sound I can't get another way.

But I could imagine a double screw 59/Custom Hybrid with an A2 magnet. In flat black with gloss black spots. Call it the Plaguebucker.

 

[Masta' C]

Re: New Forum Pickups: Quarantine Theme?

My suggestion: It would be called the "Co-Bucker-19",
It would have a total possible resistance of 19k ohms
It would have three coils (middle coil 7k, each side coil 6k) with the middle coil reverse wound,
It would have two magnets (A4 and A8) on either side of the middle coil's pole pieces...

That is one complex pickup, sir! I think the triple-coil design might be even more outrageous and niche than the Fuglybucker! I like the out-of-the-box thinking, though...

One thing that was cool about the Fugly that few people probably know is that it used 2 magnets in an "L" formation, which is entirely unique among pickups. So, you see one exposed magnet as the "rail" in the blade coil, similar to the Diablo/Slug, but another exists in the standard position below the coils. I wonder if we could do something similar with A8 and A4?

Option 1: Rail/coil hybrid (think: CrunchLab style). Have an A4 mag exposed on a rail coil with an A8 mated below it powering a more traditional screw coil? SD could probably borrow a proven coil from the Alternative-8 to start the hybrid.

Option 2: Perhaps a more standard looking dual-rail Diablo/Slug-a-like using A4 and A8 mags as the rails? Provides 3 distinct tones when in series or split to either the A4 or A8 coil?

Also, love the "CoBucker-19" moniker!

Thoughts? Anyone else?