How do you come up with names for new pickups?

[ken]

I'm curious... how do you come up with new names for your new pickup models?

I've tried stumbling through auto wrecking yards, antique malls, museums, and various websites myself.

Pickup design is easy, coming up with cool names is the hard part

ken

[salvarsan]

In writing Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy for BBC radio, Douglas Adams sometimes chose names to get a rise out of the censors.

Predictably, "Fartiphucborltz" got the Censors' immediate attention. When Adams immediately presented "Slartibartfast" as an alternative, they knew he was playing them. They caved in, and even let the two philosophers, Majikthise and Vroomfondel, pass without comment.

My point is that naming things needs an element of play, juvenile or not, and your initial choice is only a starting place. Get a rise out of your internal censor, then dial it back for your intended market.

Just because you think one of your popular PAF's sounds like ass, don't market it as the FutBucker®.
Try something innocuous like Heavy Blues Bucker.

[David Schwab]

I don't use names for my pickups. Not yet anyway. I think it starts to get silly after a while. The other silly thing is where the name is implying it sounds like a certain band, guitarist, or song. Yeah, right! There's no truth in advertising there since it leaves out the rest of the signal path, and the player.

But if I were going to name them, they might be Ursula, or Daphne , or Rachel...

[ken]

In writing Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy for BBC radio, Douglas Adams sometimes chose names to get a rise out of the censors.

Predictably, "Fartiphucborltz" got the Censors' immediate attention. When Adams immediately presented "Slartibartfast" as an alternative, they knew he was playing them. They caved in, and even let the two philosophers, Majikthise and Vroomfondel, pass without comment.

My point is that naming things needs an element of play, juvenile or not, and your initial choice is only a starting place. Get a rise out of your internal censor, then dial it back for your intended market.

Just because you think one of your popular PAF's sounds like ass, don't market it as the FutBucker®.
Try something innocuous like Heavy Blues Bucker.

I forgot about Douglas Adams... I guess I gotta study Disaster Area songs again

I don't use names for my pickups. Not yet anyway. I think it starts to get silly after a while. The other silly thing is where the name is implying it sounds like a certain band, guitarist, or song. Yeah, right! There's no truth in advertising there since it leaves out the rest of the signal path, and the player.

But if I were going to name them, they might be Ursula, or Daphne , or Rachel...

Say Hi to Ken Fischer for me The problem is it's easy to come out with new pickups, but naming them can really get to be a pain. I remember I was at a friend's house once when he got a call from someone taking a survey. The caller asked him what he thought of the model name Prius for a car. My friend was bombed and half deaf anyway, and all he got out was a loud 'You gonna call a car WHAT???' before his wife took the phone away from him fast and hung it up. I thought it was one of the funniest things I ever saw.

ken

[jason lollar]

Pickup design is only easy if its not complicated or hard to manufacture or assemble!
Coming up with ways to designate or name models though- I hate that part. I have had asked other people for suggestions- sometimes that works, on rare occasion its pretty obvious, the trick is not to pick something that can be twisted around to be made fun of easily - i wont bring up any examples

[David Schwab]

I forgot about Douglas Adams... I guess I gotta study Disaster Area songs again

How can you forget about Doulas Adams?!* And remember that we commonly use 42 gauge magnet wire. See? He was on to something there.

Words of wisdom from good old Doug:

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."

"I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be."

"The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss."

"I don't believe it. Prove it to me and I still won't believe it."

"The impossible often has a kind of integrity which the merely improbable lacks."

And...

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."

Say Hi to Ken Fischer for me

Wish I could!

Those were actually former girl friend's names. lol I do give my basses and guitars women's names, also former girlfriends, for the most part.

I did once think up a funny name for a loud humbucker... "clobber-tone pickups" lol

(* note the interrobang!)

[ken]

Pickup design is only easy if its not complicated or hard to manufacture or assemble!

I know what you mean. I have new models here that exist only as prototypes, either because I need to buy new machines, or find easier ways to make them with the equipment I already have.

How can you forget about Douglas Adams?!* And remember that we commonly use 42 gauge magnet wire. See? He was on to something there.

Words of wisdom from good old Doug:

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."

"I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be."

"The knack of flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss."

"I don't believe it. Prove it to me and I still won't believe it."

"The impossible often has a kind of integrity which the merely improbable lacks."

And...

"A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."

I used to have all Douglas Adams' books as first editions here somewhere. I think I will have to sit down and read them this weekend... along with a nice tall glass of perspective and soda. And a towel.

Those were actually former girl friend's names. lol I do give my basses and guitars women's names, also former girlfriends, for the most part.

This hit a nerve...

Many years ago I had a friend who was heavily into angels, crystals, and things like that, a real new age'y kind of girl. Think Stevie Nicks with long, curly dark brunette hair and you get the idea.

We used to sit and talk about what we would do if our lives were different, and I told her my dream ever since I was little was to make and play a guitar I made by myself.

She told me if I believed in it long enough the angels would make it come true. We were at a flea market once and a vendor was selling old radio tubes. She told me that if I put a halo over the tube it might make a cool logo. It did.

Now I make Angeltone pickups and Angeltone guitars too, but I haven't seen her in over twentyfive years.

Gina, whereever you are, thank you. You do realize that this is all your fault...

ken

[WolfeMacleod]

A lot of people figure out who the hot player of the month is, then just name a pickup after one of their songs or albums. Or worse.

[David Schwab]

A lot of people figure out who the hot player of the month is, then just name a pickup after one of their songs or albums. Or worse.

I was amused to see Duncan has a pickup called "Whole Lotta Humbucker"... we know who that's referring too. But... that song was played on a Tele!

[ken]

I was amused to see Duncan has a pickup called "Whole Lotta Humbucker"... we know who that's referring too. But... that song was played on a Tele!

Shhh... don't tell SD. Now this is HILARIOUS!

ken

[David Schwab]

Shhh... don't tell SD. Now this is HILARIOUS!

ken

I'm sure he knows. Most people who think of Page, think of him with a Les Paul, since that's what he used live a lot of the time later on.

Same thing with Pete Townshend. He used Les Pauls live, but on the later Who albums recorded with one of Entwistle's Gretsch guitars.

Just goes to show that you can never really tell what you are listening to on a recording!

[ReWind]

I used to name mine after types of beers, because I draw many similarities in pickup flavor and the flavor of beers. Double Porter, Black & Tan, Cream Stout, Creme Brûlée, Amber Ale, Sour Hop, etc.

Shortly after opening the floodgates, I realized that some of my customers are minors, and I decided that I didn't want to associate my products with alcohol when selling to minors. The only name that stayed was the Creme Brûlée, more commonly known as a quite tasty and rich desert.

I like simple. High, Medium, Low, Very Low, etc. I don't name my guitars either.

[David Schwab]

I give my guitars and basses model names.

[big_teee]

I give my guitars and basses model names.

Do you have a Late Night, or Midnight 4000, or 5000 for a 4 or 5 string?

[David Schwab]

Do you have a Late Night, or Midnight 4000, or 5000 for a 4 or 5 string?

No, but I have Scorpio and Manta Ray basses and an Alchemy guitar model.