Custom Made pickups

[hotrockr1]

Hey gang. Where can I get pickups made to my exact specs? Not having much luck in a search. Thanks.

 

[CB91710]

@ReWind James

James has a good selection of pickups in various voicings, but he can also adjust them to suit your needs.
Not cheap, but worth it.

 

[ReWind James]

What kind of specs are you talking about?

Physical dimensions to fit your custom build?

Weight limitations for a project?

Electrical measurements?

Specific sound ideas you have?



FWIW, because many seem to have a misunderstanding of this -
If you just have DCR measurements and magnet grades you want, you’ll find dozens (hundreds?) of winders who will do that but every one of them may build something that sounds entirely different, as those specs don’t have a direct correlation to sound.

 

[gibsonguitar1988]

What kind of specs are you talking about?

Physical dimensions to fit your custom build?

Weight limitations for a project?

Electrical measurements?

Specific sound ideas you have?



FWIW, because many seem to have a misunderstanding of this -
If you just have DCR measurements and magnet grades you want, you’ll find dozens (hundreds?) of winders who will do that but every one of them may build something that sounds entirely different, as those specs don’t have a direct correlation to sound.

Doesn't DCR tell you the output or how loud the pickup will get? I realize you won't be able to tell sound from that but I figure it would give an idea of is it low/med/high output. Otherwise I agree.

 

[ReWind James]

Doesn't DCR tell you the output or how loud the pickup will get? I realize you won't be able to tell sound from that but I figure it would give an idea of is it low/med/high output. Otherwise I agree.

Actually, no. DCR does not tell you those things.
That's one of the very misunderstandings about pickup specs I was trying to address.

I wrote up a pretty detailed explanation, with some examples, of that one here: https://www.mylespaul.com/threads/t...-resistance-in-regard-to-pickup-coils.369099/

I'll give a very simple example right here, though this is only one of many ways DCR will mislead you.

Take the example of these two pickups and their "basic specs"...

1970s T-Top, A5 magnet, 7k Ohms
1970s Super Distortion, ceramic magnet, 14k Ohms

Q) Which one is louder, in the same setup / strings / guitar / material played / rig / etc.?
A) The Super Distortion is quite significantly louder.


Ok, now swap the two magnets between the two pickups.

Q) Now which one is louder?
A) The T-Top is quite significantly louder.

Q) Did the DCR change?
A) No, it stayed the same for each pickup, regardless of the magnets, because DCR is just resistance along the length of the coil wire.



Now imagine the same thing with two PAFs, with one reading 7k and another reading 8k. Which one is louder? Which one is brighter? Which one has more mids? Which one has more turns per coil? NONE of those questions can be answered based on DCR. What if we know the magnets are the same in both pickups? No. Same situation. Magnets are only one of many variables. We still cannot answer any of those questions based on DCR, even knowing the magnet type.

 

[gibsonguitar1988]

Actually, no. DCR does not tell you those things.
That's one of the very misunderstandings about pickup specs I was trying to address.

I wrote up a pretty detailed explanation, with some examples, of that one here: https://www.mylespaul.com/threads/t...-resistance-in-regard-to-pickup-coils.369099/

I'll give a very simple example right here, though this is only one of many ways DCR will mislead you.

Take the example of these two pickups and their "basic specs"...

1970s T-Top, A5 magnet, 7k Ohms
1970s Super Distortion, ceramic magnet, 14k Ohms

Q) Which one is louder, in the same setup / strings / guitar / material played / rig / etc.?
A) The Super Distortion is quite significantly louder.


Ok, now swap the two magnets between the two pickups.

Q) Now which one is louder?
A) The T-Top is quite significantly louder.

Q) Did the DCR change?
A) No, it stayed the same for each pickup, regardless of the magnets, because DCR is just resistance along the length of the coil wire.



Now imagine the same thing with two PAFs, with one reading 7k and another reading 8k. Which one is louder? Which one is brighter? Which one has more mids? Which one has more turns per coil? NONE of those questions can be answered based on DCR. What if we know the magnets are the same in both pickups? No. Same situation. Magnets are only one of many variables. We still cannot answer any of those questions based on DCR, even knowing the magnet type.

I see. So what is the metric for measuring output of a pickup? Magnet type or strength? Or how can you tell? Or maybe I should ask what do you do to a pickup to make it louder/quieter?

I've always looked at DCR to give me an idea of output. Good to know.

 

[hotrockr1]

What I am looking for is a humbucker that looks just like a Super Distortion with the hex head pole pieces, in cream, but is 7.6k with an alnico 3 raw magnet, 42awg plain enamel wire, 50mm spacing, vintage 2 conductor wire and short legs. Basically a Gibson Super 74 but with the looks of the SD.

 

[ReWind James]

definitely doable but what sound are you after?

One could make several pickups that check all those boxes and still sound different.

The very specific DCR thing is a little hard to interpret. Would 7.5k be bad for some reason? Even if it did read 7.6k at 70F, if it’s cool in the room it might read 7.4k. If you hold it in your hand and warm it up a little it might read 7.8k. In any case it doesn’t describe the sound you want. Is there a recording or other example you have in mind?

 

[ReWind James]

What I am looking for is a humbucker that looks just like a Super Distortion with the hex head pole pieces, in cream, but is 7.6k with an alnico 3 raw magnet, 42awg plain enamel wire, 50mm spacing, vintage 2 conductor wire and short legs. Basically a Gibson Super 74 but with the looks of the SD.

btw - DiMarzio has a trademark on double cream open humbuckers so that particular look might be the reason you are having trouble getting winders to make for you.

You might have to DIY it, buy a white, black or zebra one, buy two and mix up the bobbins to get the configuration you want, or buy a covered one.

 

[hotrockr1]

I am looking for the sound of the Gibson Super 74 but the looks of the SD. Think Randy Rhoads' Les Paul on the song "I Don't Know".

 

[hotrockr1]

Sin pickups used to make anything but they are not around anymore. There has to be someone around that could do it.

 

[AJK1]

Dimarzio PAF Pro will do the trick

 

[hotrockr1]

Dimarzio PAF Pro will do the trick

Paf pro is to trebly and has an alnico 5 magnet. Super 74 has more mid range.

 

[CB91710]

The color is a problem in the US.
DiMarzio has a trademark claim on the double-creme appearance, so you are not going to find a seller willing to risk shipping an *uncovered* double-cream (particularly not with hex pole pieces) to a customer in the US.
Even the Canadian winders won't ship them to the US.

 

[Mr French]

btw - DiMarzio has a trademark on double cream open humbuckers so that particular look might be the reason you are having trouble getting winders to make for you.

You might have to DIY it, buy a white, black or zebra one, buy two and mix up the bobbins to get the configuration you want, or buy a covered one.

To hell with DMARZIO!!! For that reason I will NEVER support them!!!!! I hope they read this too!!!!!!!

 

[ReWind James]

To hell with DMARZIO!!! For that reason I will NEVER support them!!!!! I hope they read this too!!!!!!!

They also have a trademark on the term "PAF" and recently strong-armed Dave Friedman and Marc Huzansky into changing the title of the Tone-Talk episode I appeared on, which had "PAF" in the title, under threat of copyright infringement (even though it's not a copyright, it was referring to the historical product which was being discussed, not a competing product, and it is a common-use term). Of course, YouTube cares not for the law or what's actually right, and gives no reasonable recourse to creators against claims, just instantly pulling a video if anyone flags it, so "the big D" got their way.

...but that's YouTube. Not the real world. I play by the rules. So, the only way to strike a blow on me was in a place where rules don't apply. That's not due diligence, which I would respect. That says more about him than anything else.

 

[gibsonguitar1988]

DiMarzio trademarking cream humbucker bobbins and PAF make absolutely no legal sense to me. He didn't invent either nor should he able to lay claim to them. Some of his fanboys disagree. They say most double cream humbucker pickups out there are DiMarzios and therefore are a part of his image. Well, most cream pickups are DiMarzios because no one else can legally use them FFS. And they damn sure existed before him. Some have said well Gibson's technically had double whites. But the fact is there was certainly double cream vintage Gibson PAFs. Double whites too, but still.

If he did that to Tone Talk, that just goes to show the pettiness. In what little I've chose to hear of him speak, he's a narcissist all the way. Now, take someone like Seymour Duncan, who actually comes across quite soft spoken and more humble. Larry DiMarzio and Steve Blucher think or at least act like they invented everything. In my mind DiMarzio had one good pickup. The Super Distortion. Maaaybe the X2N. That's about it. A lot of the shred guys love his stuff but I hate 90 percent of his wares.

It's one of the reasons I refuse to use his pickups. I love the tone of those old 70s Super Distortions but I won't even use those out of spite. If I need a mass produced pickup it's Duncan every time. And if I feel like getting spendy, I would love to be able to commission a set of double creams without BS.

 

[Mr French]

They also have a trademark on the term "PAF" and recently strong-armed Dave Friedman and Marc Huzansky into changing the title of the Tone-Talk episode I appeared on, which had "PAF" in the title, under threat of copyright infringement (even though it's not a copyright, it was referring to the historical product which was being discussed, not a competing product, and it is a common-use term). Of course, YouTube cares not for the law or what's actually right, and gives no reasonable recourse to creators against claims, just instantly pulling a video if anyone flags it, so "the big D" got their way.

...but that's YouTube. Not the real world. I play by the rules. So, the only way to strike a blow on me was in a place where rules don't apply. That's not due diligence, which I would respect. That says more about him than anything else.

DiMarzio trademarking cream humbucker bobbins and PAF make absolutely no legal sense to me. He didn't invent either nor should he able to lay claim to them. Some of his fanboys disagree. They say most double cream humbucker pickups out there are DiMarzios and therefore are a part of his image. Well, most cream pickups are DiMarzios because no one else can legally use them FFS. And they damn sure existed before him. Some have said well Gibson's technically had double whites. But the fact is there was certainly double cream vintage Gibson PAFs. Double whites too, but still.

If he did that to Tone Talk, that just goes to show the pettiness. In what little I've chose to hear of him speak, he's a narcissist all the way. Now, take someone like Seymour Duncan, who actually comes across quite soft spoken and more humble. Larry DiMarzio and Steve Blucher think or at least act like they invented everything. In my mind DiMarzio had one good pickup. The Super Distortion. Maaaybe the X2N. That's about it. A lot of the shred guys love his stuff but I hate 90 percent of his wares.

It's one of the reasons I refuse to use his pickups. I love the tone of those old 70s Super Distortions but I won't even use those out of spite. If I need a mass produced pickup it's Duncan every time. And if I feel like getting spendy, I would love to be able to commission a set of double creams without BS.

Damn straight! Too Hell with that SCUMBAG CRAP-MARZIO

 

[Mr French]

They also have a trademark on the term "PAF" and recently strong-armed Dave Friedman and Marc Huzansky into changing the title of the Tone-Talk episode I appeared on, which had "PAF" in the title, under threat of copyright infringement (even though it's not a copyright, it was referring to the historical product which was being discussed, not a competing product, and it is a common-use term). Of course, YouTube cares not for the law or what's actually right, and gives no reasonable recourse to creators against claims, just instantly pulling a video if anyone flags it, so "the big D" got their way.

...but that's YouTube. Not the real world. I play by the rules. So, the only way to strike a blow on me was in a place where rules don't apply. That's not due diligence, which I would respect. That says more about him than anything else.

Thanks for the link and will watch it later tonight. I can't believe CRAP-Marzio would even trademark PAF.

Out of respect to Gibson and the guitar industry, he should of gave those trademarks/patents to Gibson. That's what I would of done and at least Gibson is pretty loose on things like that as it only helps the Gibson brand name.

 

[Mr French]

If DiMarzio has an account on MLP or any sister site I vote to BAN him! I hope you read this too Larry!!!!