Hi. Mind If I Ask A Question?

[Danelectron]

I DO think it would be a good idea to have a "supersecret" forum so that any Joe-Blow can't just come in, soak up our research and knowledge, and claim it as his own findings. As we all know, there is a glut of pickup makers these days, but of it I believe stems from just this... and I'm sure that MANY people only lurk here, soak it up, and use it without contributing squat. Random Ebay sellers and fly-by-nights, anyone?

Wolfe, 10/4 on that. One point though, I liked your video on the Humbucking P90 but was amazed at the following speculation on the methods. I think that's great from the standpoint of curiosity, but don't you take the risk someone on your level in the industry (or opportunists) having the lightbulb come on and reingeneering that design from process of elimination of current designs? I don't know crap, but the posts had me thinking about possibilities. I guess if it's such a far out new concept you'll be safe til the foreign markets reverse engineer it. For me, any more I will just read a lot. The answers are all here for the most part in several forms in several threads as someone above stated in a manner of writing. The basic forum would possibly satisfy the impatient curious or illiterate. K I S S . Cool pickup by the way. I liked the A/B between standard. Really quiet.

I would say StewMac is responsible for at least 95% of Our new competitors.

Could be true for someone who is happy with what they end up with from the kit. For me, the kit I did came out well and was fun and sparked the interest to do an even better one, but for a guitar player who wants a better sounding pickup I think the choice will be to buy a better pickup. I have had a curiousity of electronics my whole life and only recently have begun delving into hands on experimentation with amps and pickups so making a pickup was for the fun and satisfaction of my curiousity. Back in the eighties I had a guitar that I wanted a different tone from ( more like their number 1 competitor) so I bought some after market pickups that I still have and like. That sparked my interest in other after market pickups. If I had the money I would buy more just to A/B different tones without regard to the designs going into them. I just wonder how that would sound in MY guitar.

I think, all in all, the genie is out of the bottle and the rest will be about making a better mouse trap and those already established should be pretty safe from a competetion standpoint. IE: How many names are sold that continue to thrive while making a completely different product that is nowhere nea the quality of the founders original product.

Sorry for the rant. I just thought a basic category could remain basic and we could all sleep at night.

jonson, Great photo. And to all, be careful about Montana. I turned an Iowa joke (on that topic) directed at me in Oregon around to Montana and the Bartender happened to be from there. The rest of the night I had to wait for the other bartender to walk all the way down to my area. It was a damn funny joke, just didn't seem to fit Iowa, though there ARE some really good Iowa jokes. Kinda like West Virginia, sheep don't come to mind as much as sis.

[copperheadroads]

As far as I know, no it didn't. The original Pickup Maker's Forum was founded at a place called BeSeen. It was there for a year or two then it was moved over here when this place was still the Ampage... I think because the Beeseen forums were closing down or something, I forget.
I DO think it would be a good idea to have a "supersecret" forum so that any Joe-Blow can't just come in, soak up our research and knowledge, and claim it as his own findings. As we all know, there is a glut of pickup makers these days, but of it I believe stems from just this... and I'm sure that MANY people only lurk here, soak it up, and use it without contributing squat. Random Ebay sellers and fly-by-nights, anyone?

People do lurk here ,Just look anytime & you will see 20 or more users online but usually only 2 to 3 members online

[David King]

Elias,
A humbucker is just that, two single coils side by side. You can connect them in phase -in series or in parallel. You can connect them out of phase -in series or in parallel.

Oh and apparently no one here has been invited to the secret pickup makers forum. It's only function is to waste your time so you can't compete as effectively. Do you still want in?

[ken]

Got to thinking about a Lace Dually I used to have and a split humbucker.
Now, when you split a humbucker, one coil is shut off. I got to wondering that, instead of shutting that coil off, it becomes a seperate single, like the Dually. Has that been done?
You can either have a humbucker or two singles side by side?

There wouldn't be much point to it I'm afraid. One of the main reasons for more than one pickups in a guitar is that each one senses a different area of the string.
If the two pickups in mind are too close together, then there isn't enough tonal variation between the two to be useful.

ken

[soundmasterg]

I completely agree. I think the forum is just fine as one big forum and the newbies can learn like the rest of us....by delving into the subjects they don't understand and trying to learn. Eventually it happens to all of us.

Greg

[LtKojak]

apparently no one here has been invited to the secret pickup makers forum.

Well... if it's SECRET, thay can't know about it.

What was the first and second rule of the Fight Club...?

[shane1b4u]

haha

the 30+ years I've been messing with gear and winding my own pickups have only taught me 2 things... 1) Never think you know everything about anything... 2) Its all a system and there is no "magic part". Just have fun with the experimenting.

[big_teee]

the 30+ years I've been messing with gear and winding my own pickups have only taught me 2 things... 1) Never think you know everything about anything... 2) Its all a system and there is no "magic part". Just have fun with the experimenting.

I know that All Parts, Parts aren't just Parts.
However to the most part Pretty good parts are Parts, and It's what you do with the parts that count!
Part types, and design are important IMO.
I don't like Brass Baseplates(Some Do), I don't like vintage Long leg Baseplates, but I'm not into vintage per Say!
For the most part humbucker bobbins, they all work and you can get pretty good tone with all that I've tried.
The more expensive Vintage type Hum. Bobbins are made better, and hold up better, and handle heat better.
Now IMO All wires are not the same. I'm not speaking to insulation types but the amount of copper vs. Alloy of wire.
If you can get pure copper wire without a lot of alloy, IMO your better off.
I bought some cheap import wire that was mostly alloy. It was like trying to wind with a coiled spring.
when you let off winding tension it would start jumping off the bobbin.
So If your going to cut corners, don't do it on wire grade, or on baseplates.
Pole Screws and Slugs are another area to experiment with.
There are different grades of screw and slug alloy.
I tried on an earlier thread to get nailed down what alloy worked best, for what.
Never did get much info on that, so that is an area you can experiment with.
Senior Members, this would be good info to share, if you want to.
Later,
T

[Danelectron]

I think, all in all, the genie is out of the bottle and the rest will be about making a better mouse trap and those already established should be pretty safe from a competetion standpoint. IE: How many names are sold that continue to thrive while making a completely different product that is nowhere nea the quality of the founders original product.

I have to apologize for my bad example in this statement. When I wrote it, I was thinking of marketing. In the world of pickups the manufacturing is unique in that the founders are generally the ones producing the product when it comes to aftermarket replacement and custom units. That itself says alot for the integrity of what you get when you lay your money down. I was in no way questioning the quality of what's out there. Sorry if I offended anyone.

[Elias Graves]

Thanks for all the input, guys.

EG