Out of the box ideas?

[Meowy]

Hi I'm new here (first post) and I recently got interested in pickup building after doing my first magnet swap in my LP Studio.

So after a few days of brainstorming I got a bunch of questions and ideas that kind of depart from what I see in your "typical" single coils and humbuckers. I'm hoping some of them may be interesting enough to warrant some discussion.

1) What is the relationship to pole / slug diameter and magnet strength? In other words varying (for lack of a better term) the density of the magnetic field by using smaller diameter slugs with a stronger magnet vs larger diameter slugs with a weaker magnet.

2) Humbucker with P-90 magnet design. In addition to the standard bar magnet in between the coils, place an additional smaller magnet outside each coil in place of the plastic spacers, with polarity oriented to match the bar

3) Vertical blades. Like a blade or rail pickup but with vertically oriented blades - one for each string. I'm thinking with the correct resistence, magnet characteristics (maybe a relatively weak ceramic) etc, this could be a very tight sounding pickup


4) Humbucking 3-pole coils. In concept - cut a single coil bobbin in half. Wrap 1/2 of the bobbin (3 poles) counter clockwise, and the other half clockwise. orient 2 bar magnets with opposing polarity. This would be a humbucking pickup with mini coils in a single coil form factor.


I don't know if these ideas are crazy or failed long ago, but I thought it might be worth getting some feedback. Thanks!

[Possum]

Those ideas have all been done before. Others will comment I'm sure on each idea. Usually when you think you have a cool new idea someone in the past has already done it, searching patents is a fun way to learn new stuff, there have been alot of amazing ideas done before now, but few of them have survived time and customer acceptance.

[NightWinder]

They may have been done befor, but it is still worth experimenting and making different things. Never know when the cah cow comes around for some hand built stuff- You'll know what to do: )

[Possum]

for sure, I like learning stuff from old weird pickups and making it fit modern housings and trying my own weird ideas. Usually its all just a different take on old ideas, there's really not much that hasn't been done before except stuff like those Alumitone pickups which are just too wierd tones for me....

[EtLa]

4) Humbucking 3-pole coils. In concept - cut a single coil bobbin in half. Wrap 1/2 of the bobbin (3 poles) counter clockwise, and the other half clockwise. orient 2 bar magnets with opposing polarity. This would be a humbucking pickup with mini coils in a single coil form factor.


I don't know if these ideas are crazy or failed long ago, but I thought it might be worth getting some feedback. Thanks!

Already done by Evans pickups http://www.synapticsystems.com/studios/evans/evans.htm
It works only at the bridge position because there is a dead zone when a string is bend between the two coils.