G&L MFD Pickups

[Zipslack]

Does anyone here have any experience with these? I love my '87 ASAT and would like to get that sound on other gear, but not at $100+ each. I was wondering if it would be worthwhile to try to duplicate these at home. Any thoughts on this?

Info I have is that the coils were wound to slightly less than 5K with ceramic magnets. Here's a helpful picture from years gone by

[big_teee]

That's a good looking Pickup!
It has some unique ideas.
The only thing looks hard to reproduce is the adjustable slugs, and the Ceramic magnet magnetized axially on the flats.
Good Luck,
Terry

[rdrr]

I've thought about making these before too, but the bass ones instead. The closet thing I could think of to use for the pole pieces was to get some female threaded spacers and drill the top part out a little bit for a socket head screw to fit into it. Or to just use set screws. For the magnets I think the CB29MAG's at Ceramic Block Magnets - Master Magnetics, Inc. look to be a good fit.

Rob

[FunkyKikuchiyo]

With a bit of patience, it seems these would be relatively easy to make at home. Sourcing the pole pieces in an alloy that would be pickup friendly might become tricky (or might make for some interesting experiments) but as far as duplicating old designs, this one seems pretty reasonable. On the threaded inserts, bear in mind that for some really reasonable investments you can get some good tap & die (sp?) sets and open things up a lot.

I haven't done a duplicate of this design, but I have.... ahem.... "borrowed" certain aspects of G&L inventions, and I will say that he was definitely on to something with thinking about magnet/slug placements. It seems it would be a lot of fun to experiment with it.

[copperheadroads]

If you can find the correct size ,the Threaded insert can even be something like a piece of automotive brake line

[big_teee]

If you can find the correct size ,the Threaded insert can even be something like a piece of automotive brake line

So does anyone have an original one of these, and what is the advantages, and what sound improvements are to be expected with this harder to build design?
Is it possible that after Leo sold the company that he just needed something that wasn't what he sold, and there may in fact not be any improvements.
It looks to me that hollow threaded slugs, would have less inductance, less improvement, Than the original wind right over the solid magnets.
So up for debate, is this supposed to be an improvement, or just something else for winders to conquer?
BigT

[Mike Sulzer]

It looks to me that hollow threaded slugs, would have less inductance, less improvement, Than the original wind right over the solid magnets.
BigT

The steel pole pieces have higher permeability than the Alnico magnets. I would expect higher inductance and higher output than a strat pickup. The screw, which is also magnetic fills the hole in any case.

This seems like the simplest way to make a pickup with adjustable pole pieces, taking advantage of relatively new technology at the time, ceramic magnets. A ceramic magnet will stay magnetized along the shortest dimension, and so you could not make one like this when you had just Alnico, which might not. Hence the magnets in a P-90.

These days, one could use 6 small neos. I bet the difference in sound would be very small. Both ceramic and neo are lower in conductivity and permeability than steel, so the magnet just acts pretty much like only a source of permanent field.

[Zipslack]

The older G&L pickups are known for having a slightly higher output with more clarity than typical Fender single-coils along with the benefit of adjustable poles. Newer G&L's have a more overwound pickup with higher impedance. The pickups on my '87 ASAT are actually more like soapbar pickups with output between standard single-coils and a P90 - think a hotter/fatter tele/strat with a nice clear definition. Great clarity - almost an acoustic/piezo/piano kind of sound through something like a Princeton.

[Joe Gwinn]

If you can find the correct size ,the Threaded insert can even be something like a piece of automotive brake line

I would also look for female-female threaded spacers. These come in various materials, including mild steel, and two shapes, hex or round. Stainless steel is also widely used, but this alloy is not magnetic, and so won't do as a polepiece.

[rdrr]

I would also look for female-female threaded spacers. These come in various materials, including mild steel, and two shapes, hex or round. Stainless steel is also widely used, but this alloy is not magnetic, and so won't do as a polepiece.

This is one of the places I was looking at that had the female threaded spacers. http://www.rafhdwe.com/RAF_site/Onli...1.cfm?PART=its They do not give the material composition but do state that the steel is ASTM 108 compliant, which I believe places it in the cold rolled lower carbon categories. Also, it looks like guitar jones has something along those lines as well. Adjustable slugs. It's hard to tell from the picture but it appears to be some sort of female threaded spacer.

Rob

[copperheadroads]

Adjustable slugs - id try some socket set screws ( similar to what a super distortion pickup has) only longer 5m x 14m & use a wood core like the old p-90's has but good luck finding nickel plated

[belwar]

I've actually got a prototype on my desk of something like this. I used 5mm slugs, and drilled and threaded them with a 5-40 tap. A set screw is the perfect thing. The concept I was working on was to make a straty-humbucker. I quickly abandoned it but i've got about 30 slugs made as prototypes

[Peter Naglitsch]

The GJ parts are just plain straight set screws with allen "heads". To be used in a standard HB bobbin instead of standard slugs (x2)

[David Schwab]

So does anyone have an original one of these, and what is the advantages, and what sound improvements are to be expected with this harder to build design?

Sound differences, not improvements. You can't improve something that's subjective. From my experience with the bass pickups, they are very bright sounding. And loud.