Low profile pick up for a banjo

[gtrdoc59]

I'm thinking low cardboard bobbin, wrapped directly onto magnet. Pick up will be used to plug into guitar pedals , rather unbanjo like I know. Any ideas or suggestions?

[David King]

Tiny Ndym or Ceramic 8 magnet magnetized top to bottom, "fish paper" bobbin sides all glued together with CA or whatever sticks. 43 or 44 AWG with as many turns as you can fit.

[rhgwynn]

Fishman Bluegrass Series Rare Earth Banjo Pickup | Musician's Friend

EMG releases the ACB banjo pickup | Electric Guitar Pickups & Accessories - EMG Pickups

Practically a no-profile pickup...

-Rob

[gtrdoc59]

If "fish paper" is a deal breaker is there a common local supply of it? ie "pet stores use it for this -insert never before thought of common use for fish paper"

[rjb]

If "fish paper" is a deal breaker is there a common local supply of it? ie "pet stores use it for this -insert never before thought of common use for fish paper"

You are not likely to find "fish paper" in a pet store.
Fishpaper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Questions:
What is your budget?
How low do you need "low profile" to be?
How will you mount the pickup?

As noted, off-the-shelf banjo pickups are available.
You may be able to find an alternative for considerably less $$.

Would this fit your needs? Guitar Parts Resource has them for $19.99.
Guitar Parts Resource: Pickups Other

[gtrdoc59]

This is what I meant to ask, Is there another use for fish paper? If there is then maybe I could find it locally, if not I'll have to order online. I can wind a pickup, I'm looking for opinions on how it should be done.

[SonnyW]

This is what I meant to ask, Is there another use for fish paper? If there is then maybe I could find it locally, if not I'll have to order online. I can wind a pickup, I'm looking for opinions on how it should be done.

Fish paper is used as insulation in some applications, not as much as previously, but it is still available online, Newark stocks it:
560 - GC ELECTRONICS - FIBROID FISH PAPER ELECTRICAL | Newark


McMaster Carr has a selection of it here:
McMaster-Carr

Mouser also has it but it is a non-stocked item 2-3 weeks lead time and minimum order of 3 sleeves.
00-0560-0000 Unspecified | Mouser


You might also just try a mini-humbucker or a Johnny Smith type pickup for this. I once worked with a luthier that was a maker of electric banjos. I made a custom banjo pickup set for him that I optimized for what I thought would be the correct frequency responses for a banjo sound, by taking a few clips of banjo playing into Audacity and using that to get a frequency spectrum from the clips. Most of the spectrum was on the higher harmonics. Then I optimized my windings to have maximum response at the higher harmonics of a banjo spectrum which are pretty bright. At least half of the spectrum I measured was above the fourth or fifth harmonic. I used a Firebird kind of design with a A8 magnet for a blade, and wound it low to get it as bright as I could. That made a similar looking spectrum on my analyzer. But that design also made the output on the low side. Way low like 60% of a normal Firebird. No problem I thought, they are using pedals anyway. I put them in my test guitar and got some nice banjo sounds out of them. Then I sent the pickups to the luthier. He had a fairly high profile electric banjo player test my pickups against what he had been using. What I didn't realize was that the sound that the player was looking for wasn't the Flatt and Scruggs kind of sound but a humbucker sound. All my spectrum analysis work was in vain and a regular (and not expensive) generic mini-humbucker wound on the hot side of vintage was chosen instead. I didn't know much about the player ahead of time, but after the shootout, when I googled his you tubes it wasn't the Grand Ole Opry at all it was more like a Greenwich Village Coffee house Jazzy style. The banjo player said he needed lots more output and less brightness. I am still working with the luthier off and on but on the banjos there is really not a lot to improve on against the mini-humbucker for what his electric banjo player wanted.

[Steve A.]

This is what I meant to ask, Is there another use for fish paper? If there is then maybe I could find it locally, if not I'll have to order online.

Stew-Mac sells fishpaper for bobbins in two different thicknesses. I would post a link but it seems like the site it down right now- perhaps for maintenance. Just google stewmac bobbin flatwork material and it should take you to the right page.

BTW It is also used as a gasket material- you can buy huge sheets of it from a supply house.

Steve Ahola

P.S. Here is a zip file I put together about fishpaper many moons ago...

http://www.blueguitar.org/new/misc/fishpapr.zip

[rhgwynn]

Stew-Mac sells fishpaper for bobbins in two different thicknesses. I would post a link but it seems like the site it down right now- perhaps for maintenance. Just google stewmac bobbin flatwork material and it should take you to the right page.

BTW It is also used as a gasket material- you can buy huge sheets of it from a supply house.

Steve Ahola

P.S. Here is a zip file I put together about fishpaper many moons ago...

http://www.blueguitar.org/new/misc/fishpapr.zip

Fishpaper.... LOL You guys are funny. In my house we call that stuff Vulcanized Fiberboard. We were all just taking about sources in another thread....

-Rob

[David Schwab]

I'm thinking low cardboard bobbin, wrapped directly onto magnet. Pick up will be used to plug into guitar pedals , rather unbanjo like I know. Any ideas or suggestions?

I remember seeing a punk band back in the 80s where they used an electric banjo instead of a guitar. That was kind of cool.

[David Schwab]

Fishpaper.... LOL You guys are funny. In my house we call that stuff Vulcanized Fiberboard. We were all just taking about sources in another thread....

-Rob

Fishpaper is thinner. That's the proper name for it. If you had been here longer you would have read some threads on it. Vulcanized fiberboard is what you make Fedner bobbins from. Fishpaper is what you find on old gold foils and the like. But yes, it's vulcanized thick paper basically.

[rjb]

This is what I meant to ask, Is there another use for fish paper? If there is then maybe I could find it locally, if not I'll have to order online.

You don't have to use fishpaper. You could use... maybe an old credit card.

I can wind a pickup,

Of course you can wind a pickup, but do you have to?
Do you want to wind a pickup for the fun of it, or would you buy on OTS product if it meets your needs and budget?
Do you intend to DIY even if the parts and shipping cost more than an assembled pickup?

I'm looking for opinions on how it should be done.

But you haven't given many details of your design requirements.
How short must it be? How are you going to mount it?
The answers to these questions would help determine how it should be done.

I've read previous threads about low-profile pickup designs, although not for banjo per se.
Try searching "archtop", "resonator", "Dobro", "handsaw", "DeArmond", and maybe "low-profile" for some ideas that have already been discussed.

[rjb]

Pick up will be used to plug into guitar pedals , rather unbanjo like I know.

It's been done before....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLuRFL1GCTA

[gtrdoc59]

I'm trying to decide how a punk banjo player would dress.

[rjb]

I'm trying to decide how a punk banjo player would dress.

Start with the Mohawk and work your way down.