Ted McCarty/Grant Green Thin Single Coil Pickup Project

[icr]

Some background, this is the pickup/pickguard combination I'm building. Picture shows Grant Green and his 1930s Gibson L7 with the McCarty Pickguard/pickup from the 1940s mounted on the guitar.

[icr]

Thanks to some owners of these pickguard/pickups over at the JazzGuitar.be forum, I was given the dimensions to do this project. My own Gibson L7 does not have a pickup or pickguard.

[icr]

I'm planning on making two bobbins, one with vintage-correct Alnico V magnets and the other with neodymium magnets. This pickup is only 1/4" thick and I'm thinking if the neo magnets were available back then, McCarty would have specified them in the construction.

[icr]

Wood and cardboard model of the pickup to see if the size is correct.

[icr]

Backing plate. I hope to only make one of these and just change the bobbin during testing. Looks like the bobbin and the backing plate are not permanently attached (except the ground wire).

Patent specifies "soft iron." This one is made from low carbon steel.

[icr]

Alnico V magnets cut to size. I got a pretty clean cut with a standard Dremel cutting wheel.

[Lollar Jason]

I like that design alot. At one point I assumed they were all the same and got caught with my pants down finding the pole diameter and spacing varies. Some have a .197 pole diameter and some have the larger .25 so if anyone ever get asked to make just a wound bobbin replacement make sure you are making the right part- the pickguards often shrink too so the pole spacing will vary that way too. Probably been making complete units since 2005- heres a video from 2010 if anyone is interested in an installation video.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFL-IfWzvuQ

I also make the original guard outline on occasion when requested- I think its kind of ugly though
Nice job on the bracket- if you wind up getting stuck on anything let me know but it looks like you got it handled.
Oh original brackets on the examples I have in shop are just plated brass or nickel silver so they changed that from the patent but steel will give it a bit more woof anyway.

[icr]

I like that design alot. At one point I assumed they were all the same and got caught with my pants down finding the pole diameter and spacing varies. Some have a .197 pole diameter and some have the larger .25 so if anyone ever get asked to make just a wound bobbin replacement make sure you are making the right part- the pickguards often shrink too so the pole spacing will vary that way too. Probably been making complete units since 2005- heres a video from 2010 if anyone is interested in an installation video.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFL-IfWzvuQ

I also make the original guard outline on occasion when requested- I think its kind of ugly though
Nice job on the bracket- if you wind up getting stuck on anything let me know but it looks like you got it handled.
Oh original brackets on the examples I have in shop are just plated brass or nickel silver so they changed that from the patent but steel will give it a bit more woof anyway.

Thanks for the info Jason. What is your take on neo magnets for a thin pickup like this. My thought is that if they were available, Ted would have specified them in the design. The popular magnet websites have 0.2" x 3/8" that would be a perfect fit. I'm making a few different bobbins, and one will have the neo magnets. See what sounds best.
I'm using StewMac flatwork 1/16" leaving only 1/8" space for the wire. I was going to use 43 to wind. Do you make your bobbins that thin?

[Lollar Jason]

Well yeah- the alnico is cut so short its at almost the useful limit- cutting them down shorter to 1/4" leaves you with a magnet that wont lift its own weight so neo could be useful although the inductance and tone will be somewhat different. I would guess youll want to couple it to a pole piece.
I started out making a really close copy and over time I tweeked it- for instance there is no real reason to have the pole sticking up out of the guard so I make them flush in order to gain a little bit more height for the bobbin which now uses a 3/32 base instead of 1/16. The coil is only 1/8 tall still but the bobbin is less prone to warping which will ruin the low profile of the assembly. Originals I have are like 6.5K, I use 44 gauge and they come out more like 11K- its not that many turns, maybe 8000 I dont recall off hand. I only make 5 or 8 a year so I have to rely on my notes.

[icr]

I got some of the 0.2" by 3/8" neo magnets. These are n42. Made a quick 3/8" thick prototype. Mostly just to hear the guitar while I'm working on the pickguard. But also to see how the Neos work.

https://youtu.be/FPikJad0x_I

[icr]

...bit more height for the bobbin which now uses a 3/32 base instead of 1/16...

I really appreciate you sharing your expertise on this topic.

[Richard]

Your playing and pickup sound really nice.

[icr]

More experimentation with the neo pickup shows that the large E-string has too much attraction to the 2/10" x 3/8" magnet. It caused odd harmonics. The other strings are ok. These magnets are only sixty cents a piece. I'll get some more that are just a little shorter. Not only will that make them farther from the string, they will also be weaker. The strength is related to the length of the neo magnet.

[icr]

Another hybrid steel/neo magnet I am working with. The little neo magnet is hidden in a larger steel slug. The idea here is to have it look like an Alnico magnet. I first tried it with the neo magnet at the bottom of the slug but it was too weak. Next step is to try them with the neo magnet toward the strings.

So one would make the bobbin with steel pole pieces and then "magnetize" the assembly by inserting the little neo magnets and leaving them in place.

[Jason Rodgers]

Another hybrid steel/neo magnet I am working with. The little neo magnet is hidden in a larger steel slug. The idea here is to have it look like an Alnico magnet. I first tried it with the neo magnet at the bottom of the slug but it was too weak. Next step is to try them with the neo magnet toward the strings.

So one would make the bobbin with steel pole pieces and then "magnetize" the assembly by inserting the little neo magnets and leaving them in place.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]37021[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]37022[/ATTACH]

This is clever, but seems like a lot of work. When you say you tried the magnet on the bottom, was it one of those tiny cylinders, or something else? Over on the MIMF here , Markku was using little disc neos on his Slumbuckers.

On a recent experimental humbucker set, I made one coil with a blade and ceramic magnet, and the other coil with slugs and neo magnets (two 1/8"x1/8"x1"). I used a Dimarzio super switch so I could get 1- bridge humbucking, 2- bridge and neck blades alone, 3- bridge and neck humbucking, 4- bridge and neck slugs alone, and 5- neck humbucking. I like the sound of these pickups in humbucking selections in general, but the interesting result was the isolated coils: the blades with ceramics are brittle and a bit harsh, but the slugs with neos have a lovely chimey clarity and mid-low roundness. I'm going to experiment more with this hybrid combination, trying different turn counts, but I'll only utilize that slug and neo combo in single coil switching selections.