pickup construction

[David Schwab]

Leo fender was not a machinist. I sometimes wonder where you get that idea from Dave. Look, he was an amatuer radio guy, tried his hand at law and had a stint in the navy. He certainly was keen to speed up his operations with pin routers and the like and was quite inventive with guitar-related machinery.

I read it in a few articles, one of which was in Guitar Player. I can't find any references to it, but obviously he was an inventor, and he designed many of the machines Fender used. He had a real love for designing big machines, which is mentioned in the book by George Fullerton.

Now he must have had some background in it, right? He had no formal training in electronics either, even though people like to say he was an engineer, which he wasn't. Either way he was a clever guy that was good with machines.

So I think it's safe to say he was a self taught designer, machinist, and at electronics.

He's quoted as saying: "The design of each element should be thought out in order to be easy to make and easy to repair."

He was trained as an accountant, graduating from Fullerton Junior College. After college he worked as a delivery man for the Consolidated Ice and Cold Storage Company in Anaheim, then as their bookkeeper. He taught himself radio repair, and did that on the side from home. The he was an accountant for the State of California Highway Department. After loosing that job he borrowed $600 and set up his radio repair shop.

I'm not sure where you got the law and navy part.

Shaping contours with a rasp is a perfectly acceptable way of working. I can't see any problem with that.

That wasn't my point. It was in response to the notion that the "old way" of shaping necks was with a rasp. It's more common to use a spoke shave, since it leaves a better finish. Rasps are good for roughing out the shape. Belt sanders are good too! The other point was Fender didn't shape necks with a rasp.

Relicing may not be a word in the Oxford English Dictionary but it could easily find it's way in soon.

Let's hope not! It's just a pet peeve of mine. Not only is "relicing" an ugly word, but it implies making something obsolete. Aging is a better term.

Early on Rickenbacker called their pickups true tone.

[Sock Puppet]

Relicing

Ugly word?

Have you seen the clip of those £2k Rory Gallagher strats? Why would you purposely do that to a new guitar?

The bloke who's idea it was... wonder what his batchelor pad is like

Spence, do you shee^H^H^H^H Welsh have a word for relicing?

S.

[Spence]

In reply to David, I'm sorry, I meant to write accountancy, not law. Late nights and early mornings....He was involved in signals in the navy. Not all the stuff you're reading on Wikepedia is comprehensive.

The Welsh word for relic is 'creiriau' pronounced kray-riow. Now that is an ugly word!

[soundmasterg]

As for the lollar book, its out of print and I didnt pay anything for it... I just started winding my own pickups so thats why I asked.

Just because its out of print doesn't mean that Jason doesn't own the rights to the book anymore, or shouldn't be compensated if someone else makes a copy of the book for you, even if they didn't charge you for it. Its out of print because Jason decided he didn't want to continue with it's publication at that time. As the author, he has the right to publish or not publish it. The right thing to do would have been to tell your friend that you don't want a free copy of it, and to look for an original that you could purchase somewhere rather than getting a photocopy.

[Zhangliqun]

Jason will get on your case about it too. I was about to e-mail a PDF of it to somebody when he told me at the LPF "That's copyrighted material, booo-aaah" (boy). I told the guy I couldn't do it and then deleted my PDF.

[jason lollar]

they are correct, it is copyrited and just because no one made money off it doesnt make it legal to make and distribute copies- I would think everyone has seen examples of this and knows the basics of how the law works.
its OK to have bought one from me and give it away or sell it for $200- I got paid my asking price.
My fear is someone will make a PDF file and distribute it for money or for free.
I really get pissed about the guys selling it but giving it away is just as bad in the end result.
When I do find people I usually get my lawyer to shut them down- sometimes its not needed and they volunteer.
So if you know someone giving away copies its just a matter of time before I find them and have to crack down on it.

[DrStrangelove]

Will there be a 4th Edition?

...

My fear is someone will make a PDF file and distribute it for money or for free.
I really get pissed about the guys selling it but giving it away is just as bad in the end result.

It's a nasty little honor when you create something that
is good enough to be stolen.

A galling fact:
The scarcity of your out-of-print book guarantees
an underground trade in its photocopies and
scanned-in PDF versions.

If you don't re-publish, it won't be long before a
Pickup Makers Wiki gets created, one that will supercede
any printed document.

Need an example? There's already a Wikipedia entry
on the Charlie Christian pickup (CuNiFe magnet data omitted).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Christian_pickup

Since the hardcopy publication is so much aggravation,
have you considered turning your book into digital media
that is licensed under a Creative Commons agreement,
a "share and share alike" license with attribution?

If YOU give it away for free under a CC license,
then no one else can unless your attribution is in the copy.

It wouldn't get you any money, but you wouldn't have to bother
with publication, either, and the newbies who truly need your
book could get it without pain.

The CC license:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode

-drh

[DrStrangelove]

So Many TrueTones can't all be true

Early on Rickenbacker called their pickups true tone.

If I ever set up a business involving pickups or stomp boxes,
rest assured that I will never name it TrueTone or any
phonetic variation thereof.

Something like Bogo Tone or Shi-Tone
(with and without the hyphen) is much more likely.

-drh

[David Schwab]

Not all the stuff you're reading on Wikepedia is comprehensive.

Oh, I take everything on Wiki with a grain of salt. I've corrected quite a few articled on there.

The Welsh word for relic is 'creiriau' pronounced kray-riow. Now that is an ugly word!

I've always thought Welsh was an interesting sounding language. And Gaelic. My grandmother on my dad's side was from Eire.

[David Schwab]

If I ever set up a business involving pickups or stomp boxes,
rest assured that I will never name it TrueTone or any
phonetic variation thereof.

Something like Bogo Tone or Shi-Tone
(with and without the hyphen) is much more likely.

I always thought "clobber-tone" would be a funny name for loud humbuckers!

[truetone]

So let me get this straight, He bought the book, I contacted him and he gave my his copy and thats Illegal? At that point its his and he can do what he wants with it.

[truetone]

I think there has been some miscommunication, He gave me HIS copy of it he didnt copy the book and give me one.

[DrStrangelove]

Odd marketing names

I always thought "clobber-tone" would be a funny name for loud humbuckers!

Don't get me started!

What happens if you make a custom humbucker
for an artist named Francis Uhl Taylor
who goes by his initials FUT?

Does that make the pickup a FUTbucker?

Let's not go there.

-drh

[NightWinder]

actually I have it, I contacted a guy from another forum and he gave me a copy of it for free!!! I also bought that new book thats been floating around this forum...the jason lollar book was more informative.

I'll send the link when its up, I'm in the process of making four guitars right now. I'll post pics when I get somthing done

Here is your Quote! Only miscommunication on your part! He clearly MADE A COPY, AND GAVE YOU ONE FOR FREE. Matter of fact, sounds like he is selling them to, because of your exclaimation points, you were clearly excited. Have a look brother.

[NightWinder]

True tones original statement:actually I have it, I contacted a guy from another forum and he gave me a copy of it for free!!! I also bought that new book thats been floating around this forum...the jason lollar book was more informative.

I'll send the link when its up, I'm in the process of making four guitars right now. I'll post pics when I get somthing done