Jazz archtop suspended pickup

[Steve Blackdog]

Hi all

I am about to take delivery of a 1950s f-hole archtop acoustic jazz guitar. It is a big restoration job.

does anyone have a design for a neck attached suspended pickup?

https://www.stewmac.com/electronics/...RoCduAQAvD_BwE

I am assuming that there is something more than a simple humbucker. They seems to be so close to the strings, I would have expected the magnets to interfere with the strings’ vibration.

also anyone know where you might get parts to make one (uk would be ideal?

All ideas welcome

cheers

steve

[TomCarlos]

Steve.... check out this video, just the first 30 seconds. How to replace a floating pickup for a Gibson Classic 57 humbucker on a hollow body jazz guitar

As you can see, you bolt the pickup onto the neck. So there really isn't any other type of adjustment.

Do an internet search on "floating humbucker pickup" for threads and videos.

[Steve Blackdog]

Thanks Carlos

I am quickly coming to the view that it will not be easy to wind such a shallow humbucker and buying one off the shelf is probably the better plan.

[the great waldo]

Something like this might do ya
https://www.sixtus-pickups.com/shop/

They are very thin.
Cheers
Andrew

[Steve Blackdog]

Something like this might do ya
https://www.sixtus-pickups.com/shop/

They are very thin.
Cheers
Andrew

Thanks Andrew

I wasn't familiar with Sixtus - boy they are slim!

[the great waldo]

Thanks Andrew

I wasn't familiar with Sixtus - boy they are slim!

Yes Steve. They were originally designed by a guy here in Vienna who was winding the coils on a flat piece of card so imagine 90 degrees orientation for the coils as opposed to a normal pickup and the 2 coils were magnetized by flat neo magnets in the middle between the coils (think sidewinder design) they worked very well. Hats off to Elmar the guy who designed them. He even had the great idea of using 2 extra magnets with reverse polarity that could be slid along the e an b strings magnets to reduce the loudness in the case of using bronze acoustic strings.
Cheers
Andrew

[Steve Blackdog]

What a brilliant idea. I will have a go at making one with an old credit can and a couple of flat neo magnets l have lying around.

[the great waldo]

What a brilliant idea. I will have a go at making one with an old credit can and a couple of flat neo magnets l have lying around.

By the way the coils were quite wide maybe an inch each side. I'll have a look in the shop to see if there's one in that I can take a photo of.
Cheers
Andrew

[Steve Blackdog]

By the way the coils were quite wide maybe an inch each side. I'll have a look in the shop to see if there's one in that I can take a photo of.
Cheers
Andrew

Thank you!

[the great waldo]

Thank you!

Hi Steve
Here is a photo not of Elmars pup but something similar. Elmar just had neo magnets in the middle. Cheers Andrew

[Steve Blackdog]

Hi Steve
Here is a photo not of Elmars pup but something similar. Elmar just had neo magnets in the middle. Cheers Andrew

that’s certainly unusual. I like that the windings are on display.

[StarryNight]

I’ve made thin pickups using small round neo magnets in order to make height compensation for the unwound strings. Overall height came to about 7mm by the time it was installed. Neodymium has a certain sound. I’m still trying to find the right recipe.

[Steve Blackdog]

I’ve made thin pickups using small round neo magnets in order to make height compensation for the unwound strings. Overall height came to about 7mm by the time it was installed. Neodymium has a certain sound. I’m still trying to find the right recipe.

interesting. So how would you categorise the neodymium sound?

[StarryNight]

interesting. So how would you categorise the neodymium sound?

at the risk of failing to describe how a magnet sounds, I’ll say that generally with the gauge of wire and the shape of the coil I’ve been using I find the pickups with neos kind of scooped sounding. Lots of highs and lows but not much mids. Other factors come into play as well. Type of guitar, string type, amp etc. Ideally I would like to find a way to do some filtering and balance the sound depending on the case use. Still early days.