I want to build a "Staple" P-90

[shane1b4u]

I have always wanted one of these but they are far and few in between. I would like to know anything anyone knows about them, like magnet size, (and any possible places to procure them.) I also don't know any of the dimensions on height adjustment screw placement. Any info would really help, I see SD has them, but you know how it is.... I like to wind!

[jonson]

It's once again the old bit of search this forum. There was a thread about this back in 2007 and David posted a pic,, plus look at Curtis Novac site to get some info. Lot of bits to have made Bro as none of it is off the shelf. http://music-electronics-forum.com/t16437/

[shane1b4u]

Thanks, I thought I remembered it being discussed somewhere but I couldn't find it when I ran a search.

[shane1b4u]

Not a lot to go on, wish there was as much here about these pickups as there is about strat and paf pickups.

[David Schwab]

Not sure where you would find magnets that size.

[Sam Lee Guy]

CNC Staple build - Telecaster Guitar Forum


Originals were constructed from celluloid, 1/16" thick tops and bottoms, either solid black or b/w/b bonded to a celluloid core. The covers were vacuformed from vinyl sheet. Alot of work went into these!

[shane1b4u]

Thank you, every little bit helps. I believe these also had 10,000 turns of # 42 PE, and i assume the bobbin height is the same as a regular p-90.

[Peter Naglitsch]

My info says more or less the same bobbin measurements and the same winding as a vintage P90. What was not mentioned in the very interesting thread from TDPRI is that the magnets need to be unidirectional, or you will not be able to magnetize them in the right direction. Also keep in mind that Alnico is very hard to machine

[Possum]

I actually have a NOS staple bobbin. I bought a pickup from some old guy on Ebay and he also threw it in along with a NOS TTop bobin and a P90 brass baseplate and a pair of vintage rough cast bucker magnets! Cool! The staple bobbin is actually injected molded a very precision molded piece. Seems odd if they only made them a short time period.

[Sam Lee Guy]

Trouble is, they all vary so much. Some guitars such as the Gibson L5 CES (or SEC) even had two of them with different pole spacing for neck and bridge positions! Even the height screw locations, wire exit holes locations, etc... etc... vary because they were largely handmade. The tinned brass baseplates were most probably adapted from P-90s and even the method of attaching the brass riser was not always the same. Often both the magnet and the brass were notched to fit together over each other tightly.
I think it's a matter of making your take on them, however you want to do it.

[Possum]

This one has narrow spacing, its shorter than 50mm so doesn't line up with regular P90 spacing, so was a neck bobbin probably.

[Sam Lee Guy]

Hi Possum,
they still make them for the 54 Les Paul Custom reissue as well as a couple of other Custom Shop models, and use the molded bobbin now, as they did in the later production of 1972 54 Custom reissues. The 50's ones were made from celluloid bonded together. AFAIK all the molded bobbins were intended for the neck position as were the vast majority of these staple pickups and have a spacing of about 48mm

[Sam Lee Guy]

That bobbin of yours is a very nice thing to have though and would give a good idea of the measurements Gibson indended these pickups to have.

[Possum]

Yeah I'd guess this was from '72 if thats when they did them again, because of the TTop bobbin and 70's style brass baseplate. Curtis has some good photos of staple pickups:
http://curtisnovak.com/pickups/repai...V-Staple_2.jpg
Look how LONG those alnico magnets are. Duncan is making a humbucker sized version:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/images/...hat_staple.jpg

[PAF-Boy]

Duncan Customshop still makes them p-90 models on request.

...maybe it is what Gibson uses in their reissue Customs,