Dearmond Rhythm Chief 1100

[belwar]

Well I finally took delivery of a model 1100 rhythm chief and im in the process of sarting to replicate it. this is going to take forever, but I think its a worthwhile project. haven't started taking it apart yet as I need a good guitar to hear it on first and take a whole shitload of sound samples. however, is there anything that anyone here would like to know about it?I've got good calipers, gauss meter, dmm, and an LCR meter.

b.

[David Schwab]

Oh that's cool!

I'd like to know everything about it! I had one of those once, but I broke it taking a look inside back when I wasn't able to repair it.

Those even sound nice on a solid body bass! I had it on my Ric at the bridge position.

Take lots of pictures too!

[JGundry]

Well the first thing you will need to do is hand wind your copy. Right?

[madialex]

Jason Lollar knows loads about them, in case you need to know anything you cant figure out on your own. I'm sure he would be glad to help you out. His website says he isn't rewinding or repairing them any longer though, i'm guessing they must be a pain in the ass.

Sorry, I mis-read the post- I was thinking monkey on a stick Pickup--DUH....

[David Schwab]

His website says he isn't rewinding or repairing them any longer though, i'm guessing they must be a pain in the ass.

If I'm not mistaken, either the magnets are different sizes, and or the wire is partly wound around like 4 of them, and then the other 2 are added and the coil is continued.

I think it's this model that does that, but I might be wrong.

[belwar]

Well the first thing you will need to do is hand wind your copy. Right?

Yeeeahh.. Thats right.

Hand wound!

I wonder if it was wound by #1760 or#1860 .. #1860 was one of the last two ever made.

[Possum]

....

Actually they may have been hand wound. When I was in contact with that guy who was writing a book on Harry DeArmond he sent me pictures of his shop tools his wife still had, the winder was dead simple, not autowinder. It would be kinda hard to tell if they were machine wound or not since the coil heights are real thin, wouldn't be much noticeable difference between a hand wind and an old mechanical autowinder.....

[JGundry]

Actually they may have been hand wound. When I was in contact with that guy who was writing a book on Harry DeArmond he sent me pictures of his shop tools his wife still had, the winder was dead simple, not autowinder. It would be kinda hard to tell if they were machine wound or not since the coil heights are real thin, wouldn't be much noticeable difference between a hand wind and an old mechanical autowinder.....

I heard Harry DeArmond had several sons that did the pickup winding for him. But it was confusing because he named a son or I mean each son Lee. Harry DeArmond had to find a solution. So being such a gear head Harry decided to classify each son. The first son became Lee, son, a. But this was just awkward so Harry gave them each a serial number to make it simple, starting with 102. This worked and made Harry happy. But after Harry listened to the pickups his Lee sons made Harry wondered if he would have been better off having no sons at all? Harry wondered if he should have continued to use his hands for the rest of his life and just skipped having sons? But in the end Harry put his hand to better use and decided that his Lee sons 102 .... were in fact making wonderful sounding pickups. Harry and his very grateful and relieved wife lived happily ever after. At least that's the way I heard it.

[belwar]

Actually they may have been hand wound. When I was in contact with that guy who was writing a book on Harry DeArmond he sent me pictures of his shop tools his wife still had, the winder was dead simple, not autowinder. It would be kinda hard to tell if they were machine wound or not since the coil heights are real thin, wouldn't be much noticeable difference between a hand wind and an old mechanical autowinder.....

That would be for prototypes and one offs. Remember that most of the pickups made by DeArmond were actually produced by Rowe Industries. The Key then is to know the winders that Rowe Industries used .. Even Rowe Industries doesnt know anymore. They sold (or scrapped) their 50's winders when they moved out of Toledo.

B.

[David Schwab]

I heard Harry DeArmond had several sons...

Ooh that was a reach and a half!

[MS64RED]

DeArmond 1000 Rythm Chief

Well I finally took delivery of a model 1100 rhythm chief and im in the process of sarting to replicate it. this is going to take forever, but I think its a worthwhile project. haven't started taking it apart yet as I need a good guitar to hear it on first and take a whole shitload of sound samples. however, is there anything that anyone here would like to know about it?I've got good calipers, gauss meter, dmm, and an LCR meter.

b.

Belwar. I have a 1000 Rhythm Chief that had no rhythm switch, I should have taken note of the capacitor that makes it non rhythm in my latest eBay sale. I need to know what I am missing to make the rhythm switch work. I am MS64RED on eBay and sell tons of the screw-on cables with many varieties of combination's of lengths and different connectors. Please let me know what the schematics are for the 1000.......Mitch

[belwar]

confused

Are you looking for just the cap value, or more info on the control box? There are two caps inside the control box 0.047 +/- 20% 200v 900 (Not sure what the 900 means). The second cap is marked RMC .0015 20% Z5U

Here is a picture for you...

[MS64RED]

Are you looking for just the cap value, or more info on the control box? There are two caps inside the control box 0.047 +/- 20% 200v 900 (Not sure what the 900 means). The second cap is marked RMC .0015 20% Z5U

Here is a picture for you...

I appreciate the photo, but, I need to follow the continuity path as per what is connected to what. I know the volume and tone connections, basic, I don't have a schematic to follow. The picture would work if I could see every connection. What does the switch connect to? and Where do the caps connect?....Like I said, if I could see the complete inner works I would be done with mu little project.....Mitch

[David Schwab]

I appreciate the photo, but, I need to follow the continuity path as per what is connected to what. I know the volume and tone connections, basic, I don't have a schematic to follow.

The switch puts the .0015 cap in series with the pickup for reduced low end.

[StarryNight]

I'm dreaming one day of making an archtop (I even have the wood ready to go) and would love to know the specs for the Rhythm Chief. Would it be too much to ask for some photos and/or readings, wire guage etc.?