The pickup story Pt2 DeArmond guitar microphones

[David King]

I just noticed this piece in the on-line Premier Guitar issue this month.
Premier Guitar - December 2009

I suppose I should track down part 1 now...

[TD_Madden]

I have one of those DeArmond soundhole pickups somewhere (got it used around 1967/68).....as I recall, it doesn't have a pole under the second or third string. I need to find it and double-check.

[jonson]

Premier Guitar - October 2009

[dodona]

Interesting. Basically the same 6 Alnico bar design as Leo Fenders. However in 1939 and from that source Leo copied his design.

[David Schwab]

Interesting. Basically the same 6 Alnico bar design as Leo Fenders. However in 1939 and from that source Leo copied his design.

Leo didn't invent the guitar pickup. George Beauchamp (Electro Straing/Rickenbacker) applied for the patent on the horseshoe pickup in 1934, and that was a continuation of a patent he filed in 1932.

There were other early ones as well... C.W. Russel in 1939, Lloyd Loar 1933, Guy Hart 1936 ("Charlie Christian" pickup), George Miller 1938 (Gibson), Ted McCarty 1948.. etc.

Leo did file a patent (2455575) for a steel guitar pickup in 1944, but that was much different from his later pickups. He filed for the Tele bridge/pickup in 1950.

So pickups had been around almost 20 years at that point.