Next forum pickup design (2014)

Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

The thing about the forum pickup is that they have to do a run of so many to make it doable. If three people want something, it's not going to happen.

I'd say find a hole in the regular pickup line and try to fill it. If it's successful enough, it could be the next standard model.
 
Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

dominus said:
I'd say find a hole in the regular pickup line and try to fill it. If it's successful enough, it could be the next standard model.
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Agreed. That's why a vintage spec firebird pickup in a full-size humbucker cover would make sense. We already have P-90 in humbucker. Why not a firebird?!
 
Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

dominus said:
The thing about the forum pickup is that they have to do a run of so many to make it doable. If three people want something, it's not going to happen.

I'd say find a hole in the regular pickup line and try to fill it. If it's successful enough, it could be the next standard model.
Click to expand...

Well, we didn't get sales numbers for the past pickups (maybe we can, as in relative numbers?).

However, my observations were:
  • A bunch of people order a forum pickup regardless, since it is a custom shop pickup at a great price - unless there is a reason not to.
  • Any derivation from standard format is deadly. Humbucker (without extra depth) or Stratocaster fit. Even P90 and Tele might make a serious dent. Many people with a Tele do not have the Tele bridge for a standard 3-point single coil but almost nobody has a tele bridge in anything else
  • Additional pull (buy incentive) comes from having a frame of reference of what the thing will be like. For example the Phat Staple was based on a staple P90, a pickup around since 1954. The Brobucker - people just had a good idea what they are getting.

As you can see, this would fit a Blackmore style pickup quite well. Maybe it can even be offered in a 3-point Tele bridge version.

The split thing has less of a frame of reference, unless you are bass player and like Precision basses or happen to have one of those G&Ls.
 
Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

frankfalbo said:
I have a Roadstar with those pickups like the Blazer. They sounded very lackluster. They were made with a base ceramic magnet like many lower cost "factory" single coils. I made pickups similar to what you're describing. QP rod magnets (with proper string spacing to fit those covers) and wound them more vintagey but calibrated. Now I quite like them.
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Ok, thanks for clearing that up. Having never owned a Blazer, I had no idea. My #1 had the black covered single coils which had normal sized slugs and two thin ceramic mags on either side; needless to say, they were replaced by SSL2s.
 
Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

This thread reminds me of another problem inherent to building a forum pup.....versatility philosophy. I don't want a Swiss Army knife. That said, lots of guys do. If I want more sounds I try to carry another guitar to a gig because is rather have a few GREAT sounds as tons of mediocre sounds.
 
Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

How about a full size HB with AlNiCo slugs in one coil (possibly 1/4" Dia.) and screws in the other coil, and use a steel bar were the traditional bar mag would go to conduct the magnetic field to the screws. Or you could use a bar mag in place of the steal bar. This would allow the ability to change the bar for different AlNiCo alloys (like what is dun with P-90s) or different steel alloys or Iron or ceramic. What would be the difference between using a steel bar, an Iron bar, an unmagnetized AlNiCo bar or an unmagnetized Ceramic bar? Or magnetized?:scratchch
 
Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

Instead of going crazy on specs, why not just try and find a general tone that most people can agree on and let MJ do her magic? I've never had a forum pickup but it seems like the old way of doing it yielded better results. Do we want another fuglybucker?

That said, I'm so very for a Tele this year. I'd love to have input designing a Tele bridge pickup that's not like anything else out there, in function rather than form.
 
Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

Id like a bridge humbucker sized pickup that can try to get something close to a tele tone from a les paul. Sorta like a twangbanger but for a paul not a strat.

I think that is a clear gap. We have single sized buckers for strats and teles, strat single coils in a full bucker size, p90 like singles and humbuckers, tele like pups for strats, we just need a tele like humbucker. Yes I know the wood, bridge etc play a big part, but Im sure SD and MJ can come up with something.
 
Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

How about something totally crazy, imagine this:

Let's call it the infinity single-coil. You have a really different coil setup. What we do is slalom. We go around the first pole piece, slalom around the second, then to the other side for the third etc. Maybe we'll have to do reverse polarity on every other rod-magnet (i.e. put it upside down), this would create some, in the coil RWRP type thing. Think of it as figure eighting around the rod magnets. I have no clue what it would do to the sound, but it is crazy enought that I would love to find out... This of cource cannot be done any onther way that by hand, so it cannot be done as a forum-pickup or in any practical way that I can imagine right now (imagine doing the slalom thing thousands of times by hand for one pickup... If it would at all fit, which I doubt), but I wonder how that would sound nonetheless...
 
Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

Mark Le Comte said:
Id like a bridge humbucker sized pickup that can try to get something close to a tele tone from a les paul. Sorta like a twangbanger but for a paul not a strat.
Click to expand...

The Phat Staple mostly does that, except for a bit more depth in both sound and mount.
 
Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

To be honest... I don't want crazy designs. We had 3 buckers, Brobucker, Crazy 8, and Fuglies, a strat picup StratBro90... So this time I think a p90 or miniHB is in order. I dunno how much it'd be demanded tho.

B
 
Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

Mark Le Comte said:
Really? I thought it was more p90 based. Might have to give one a try.
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No, the staples (both the Phat and the soapbar looking one) have actively magnetic rod magnets. The P90 has bars at the bottom and passive polepieces. They are nothing alike.
 
Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

make a really awesome telecaster bridge.

everyone owns a tele (or should)

the end
 
Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

I'd like to offer a suggestion that would also be something I've asked the Custom Shop to make but they didn't seem interested.

A narrow ( 50mm ) spaced neck single coil, voiced like an Antiquity but with a magnet stagger more suited to modern necks. ( the raised G and sunken B are stupid )

I find the low E in particular is lost on my Strats and I do not believe a narrow single coil is hard to make. After all, there are a few who make them but I simply love the tone on the Antiquity singles.

If we all buy one, it should be cheap and maybe Duncan will pdecide to offer all neck singles in the narrower spacing.

I know I'm not alone in my thoughts on spacing and stagger.
 
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Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

I nominate my own Custom Shop Creation.

It's a 59B, wound to 9K, with a roughcast Alnico 2 magnet.

I had MJ make me 3 of them. And it kicks all sorts of ass.
 
Re: Next forum pickup design (2014)

Surely Duncan has a comprehensive range of metal oriented pups already, what with the Black Winters, Pegasus, Sentient, Nazgûl, and the Blackout variants. Not trying to sound snide, just observing. Moreover, I'd think much of djentability also comes from the amp.
 
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