HB Baseplates... brass or steel?

[LtKojak]

What do you think is best, and why?

Inquiring minds would like to know.

[David Schwab]

Nickel silver. If not that brass. Steel would interfere with the magnet.

[belwar]

What do you think is best, and why?

Inquiring minds would like to know.

David is 100% right. Nickel silver is the standard for a high quality humbucker. Allparts sells one of the better baseplates and im pretty darn sure that there are Allparts webstores in Europe. What countries can you order from without VAT and all those wierd Euro taxes? If you can order from the UK, try this one

http://www.allparts.uk.com/index.php...geb55b4&p=shop

Some makers do use brass, but nickel silver just seems to sound better. You could conceivably use Stainless steel. Either 310 or 316 grade only as it is non-magnetic, however I have never seen or heard a baseplate from stainless. Perhaps i'll make one someday.

There are other factors than just the material of the base-plates as well. What Pole screws are you using? Are you using just one row of screws? Do you need long leg or short leg plates? Being in Italy you will probably have an easier time getting metric screws which will make this plate a good choice.

b.

[Bruce Johnson]

Just for technical reference, there are some interesting pickups out there which use steel base plates. So, the answer may be "probably not in most cases" but not "Never!".

One example is the Ampeg AMB-1 Scroll Bass. This is the later '68-'69 version of the Scroll Bass that did not have the infamous "mystery" diaphragm pickup under the bridge. The AMB-1 has a big black block of epoxy out in the middle of the pickguard. Inside are four separate round coils, one for each string, with a 1/4" dia x 1" long Alnico 5 magnet. The base of the pickup is bent out of 1/8" x 1/2" mild steel bar stock, and the bottom ends of the magnets are lightly pressed into holes in the steel. The magnets are all aligned south down, so it ends up making an unusual shape magnetic field. The coils are all wound the same direction, but wired alternately in series.

It's a very thick, warm sounding pickup that works well with the bass. The AMB-1 was prominently used by Rick Danko (The Band) and George Biondo (Steppenwolf).

[Electricdaveyboy]

Have a bunch of Stainless Steel base plates in 53 and 50 mm I got from WD some years ago.They are flat stamped with out legs.Not verry nice.
If you want a good tone you should go for Mojos shortleg baseplates or Stewmacs long legs.Mojos long legs are okay but look yellow.
cheers
db

[David Schwab]

Seth Lover originally wanted the baseplate and cover made from stainless steel, but settled for NS.

A regular steel baseplate will work if you have rod or bar magnets as poles, since the steel will be completing the circuit on that end. But if you sit a regular bar magnet on top of the baseplate as on a regular HB, the poles probably wont get much magnetic flux directed up them.

I hate the legs on humbucker baseplates. It's some archaic throwback to whatever. It's stupid. You end up having to rout more wood out of the body and the pickup wobbles. I'd make a baseplate with flat tabs and three or four mounting screws, as Carvin and Schaller use, which is a better way to go.

[jack briggs]

I hate the legs on humbucker baseplates. It's some archaic throwback to whatever. It's stupid. You end up having to rout more wood out of the body and the pickup wobbles. I'd make a baseplate with flat tabs and three or four mounting screws, as Carvin and Schaller use, which is a better way to go.

Thanks you very much for stating this! I feel exactly the same. Just looking at newer short-legged baseplates makes me wonder WTF they were thinking of back then? The longer legs are less supportive and only require more wood removal. It would have been as stiff by just stamping a completely flat plate, and the tooling would have been much cheaper.



Cheers,

[LtKojak]

If you want a good tone you should go for Mojos shortleg baseplates or Stewmacs long legs

Ok. Thaks for the tip!

I hate the legs on humbucker baseplates. It's some archaic throwback to whatever. It's stupid. You end up having to rout more wood out of the body and the pickup wobbles. I'd make a baseplate with flat tabs and three or four mounting screws, as Carvin and Schaller use, which is a better way to go

As a matter of fact, the first p'up I've ever saw with short legs was a Duncan '59 last month. I've never ever seen another one with those short legs.. and I tell you, I repair guitars as a hobby for some time now, so I've seen my share of p'up brands and types.

Why do they use those long legs? Short legs are so much better and easier to work with. I also love those Schaller mounting rings with three holes on them; they're so good to put the p'up parallel to the strings!

Why the industry doesn't change for the better...? Are they afraid that people would start to argue that long legged humbuckers sound BETTER than short legged ones? Give me a break!

[belwar]

What purpose do the 3 holes serve? How do they work? I assume you are talking about this product.

http://schaller-guitarparts.de/hp122...kup-Frames.htm

Do you use them with a baseplate with 3 holes?

[Electricdaveyboy]

Yes,
I like the shortlegs a lot but most of my customers want vintage style long legs wehn they buy humbuckers wich were made to vintage specs.

I have some old Ibanez Roadstar guitars and they all have the three hole pickup-rings wich are great but that is not what people want today.

[David Schwab]

Well maybe what some people don't want. I meet a lot that would like something like that. Also look at all the EMG pickups sold... they have no legs.

Here's a nicely made humbucker I'm installing on a guitar. It's made or forbon like a Fender pickup.

No legs at all! Also no metal baseplate.

[PoorMan]

Well maybe what some people don't want. I meet a lot that would like something like that. Also look at all the EMG pickups sold... they have no legs.

Here's a nicely made humbucker I'm installing on a guitar. It's made or forbon like a Fender pickup.

No legs at all! Also no metal baseplate.

Yuck! That's junk because it's not PAF correct!

[David Schwab]

Yuck! That's junk because it's not PAF correct!

I'm curious to hear what it sounds like.

I wont know until I finish the guitar it's going in.

[PoorMan]

I'm curious to hear what it sounds like.

I wont know until I finish the guitar it's going in.

I have no experience with them, but they look kinda cool. Report back when you are done.

[David Schwab]

Yeah it does look cool. The customer bought it on eBay I think.

I admire the fact that he reinvented the wheel, as it were. He didn't do anything standard from a PAF style humbucker.