Ted McCarty/Grant Green Thin Single Coil Pickup Project

[icr]

IMO Sounds like a Strat on the neck pickup.
Congrats.
T

Yes, realizing, however, that these pickups (this one and the ES-150 Charlie Christian pickup) predated the Stratocaster by quite a few years.

[big_teee]

I figure the Alnico Rod magnets gives it that tone.
I think the original CC used different magnets, other than the Alnico?
Did you cut any holes in the guitar, or is everything surface mounted?

[icr]

I figure the Alnico Rod magnets gives it that tone.
I think the original CC used different magnets, other than the Alnico?
Did you cut any holes in the guitar, or is everything surface mounted?

Exactly, the original CC had huge cobalt magnets. I think the original pickguard/pickups used Alnico V, but Jason may know for certain. They also may have changed during the years ,as the literature indicates Gibson made this pickguard from 1948 to 1971!

Again, I used the Anico V as it turned out to be plenty strong. I did not need to use any of the Neodymium or hybrid magnets with which I was experimenting.

The whole idea with this contraption is to not make any holes in the guitar. In fact in the original patent, there is a clamp that goes around the body to eliminate having to make the hole needed for the pickguard support at the waist.

[MWaldorf]

Wow, that's really cool, and a great sound!

[Jason Rodgers]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]37086[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]37087[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]37088[/ATTACH]

This is excellent, man! I appreciate the education regarding this pickup. Such a cool, non-invasive, and compact solution for a classic tone.

[Lollar Jason]

if the first and second videos are different versions I like the second one- its not so brilliant and sound a little fatter. Just by measuring the gauss on originals it looks like a5 however like i said there are variations in the design over the years- not sure what the years I have are. I have two single pickup and a double pickup version- originals. heres a double i made and a few singles I made installed
Its a pretty good system for what it is- very thin and doesnt require any modifications.

[Jason Rodgers]

if the first and second videos are different versions I like the second one- its not so brilliant and sound a little fatter. Just by measuring the gauss on originals it looks like a5 however like i said there are variations in the design over the years- not sure what the years I have are. I have two single pickup and a double pickup version- originals. heres a double i made and a few singles I made installed[ATTACH=CONFIG]37139[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]37140[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]37141[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]37142[/ATTACH]
Its a pretty good system for what it is- very thin and doesnt require any modifications.

Ooo, a double pickup version! What did you use for pots? Those thin, surface-mount pots with the knob that covers it all are pretty slick. I've not seen that on anything before, guitar or appliance.

[icr]

if the first and second videos are different versions I like the second one- its not so brilliant and sound a little fatter. Just by measuring the gauss on originals it looks like a5 however like i said there are variations in the design over the years- not sure what the years I have are. I have two single pickup and a double pickup version- originals. heres a double i made and a few singles I made installed[ATTACH=CONFIG]37139[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]37140[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]37141[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]37142[/ATTACH]
Its a pretty good system for what it is- very thin and doesnt require any modifications.

So that first video was just a neodymium magnet test. I put the 3/8" long neo magnets in a single humbucker bobbin I had laying around. Without any resistance to ground (no pots) it was pretty bright. The 3/8" long magnets turned out to be way to strong causing oddball harmonics on the bass strings.

The second video was the completed McCarty pickup at 6.6k with Alnico V magnets, 250k pots and 0.047uF capacitor.

Of all the pictures I collected, or that were sent to me on the Jazz Guitar forum, no two are alike.

I had some inquires about these pickguards when I posted my pictures on the JazzGuitar.be forum. I'm not a commercial enterprise, but is it safe to tell them you still make these?

[Lollar Jason]

I see- definately needs a pot connected to it~!
The pots I use Joe Vinikow at Archtop.com turned me onto- not the same as the original but they are a really small body pot- a mini pot made by Alpha. Not the best quality pot but not a POS and really the only thing I have found low profile enough.
I do make these but each one is made specifically one at a time so there is no price savings of building in a batch. It often takes an hour just to go through all the details to determine if it will fit on a guitar- alot of up front work before anything is actually cut. Its on my blog Lollar McCarty Style Pickup for Archtop Guitar | Lollar Pickups Blog so sure please mention it- it is pretty expensive.

[icr]

I am very happy with my fingerrest pickup but want to keep experimenting. Next idea is to make two small coils around these tiny neo magnets. I can then fit two humbucker coils in the space of the single coil pickup.

[Jason Rodgers]

I am very happy with my fingerrest pickup but want to keep experimenting. Next idea is to make two small coils around these tiny neo magnets. I can then fit two humbucker coils in the space of the single coil pickup.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]37185[/ATTACH]

With magnets that itty bitty, you might want to have some sort of reinforcing core, as the wire tension could conceivably snap the outer poles.

[icr]

With magnets that itty bitty, you might want to have some sort of reinforcing core, as the wire tension could conceivably snap the outer poles.

Good idea to consider.

[icr]

Update on this project. The pickup sounds great and I love the guitar.

This picture of an original shows a reinforcing strip and an anti-twist rod.

[icr]

So, I added the reinforcing strip and rod to my pickup. These two items improve the stability greatly. Otherwise the pickup tends to flop around a little.

[icr]

https://youtu.be/tIHGbU2cCyg