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Topic: adding a 2nd pick up |
Nick Waugh
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 22 Feb 2018 6:48 am |
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Hi All
In my search for greater tone I am thinking of getting a 2nd pick up installed in my Carter SD10. I can't afford to buy a new steel so this is a would be a way to achieve this.
I can't do it myself so I would have to find someone who could do it for me. The neck is hollow steel so it is possible to cut a section away to create a gap for another pick up.
Has anyone had this done? |
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Asa Brosius
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Posted 22 Feb 2018 9:20 am
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| I just did this with a wood neck guitar- I'm sure you could have your aluminum neck cut by a shop, but I'd recommend having a wooden neck made with the proper two cavities- you could always replace the original neck if you decide to sell the guitar. I used a blend pot instead of a three way switch between the pickups- so far so good- and I'd recommend a tone pot onboard. The neck pickup I'm using is around 9k- plays much better with effects pedals than a normal steel pickup-right at the 24th fret. There is some apparent high-end loss due to more pots and wiring- for me, this turned out to be a positive for an instrument that is naturally extremely bright. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2018 9:47 am
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There are other ways to improve your tone besides going through all the trouble of installing another pickup. What kind of pickup is on the guitar, at present. That's the first place I'd start.
I certainly am not in favor of your adding another pickup.
Erv |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 22 Feb 2018 12:31 pm
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I added a 2nd pickup and an out of phase switch to one of my former classics, and regretted it. The 2nd pickup got in the way when I was playing up the neck. And I ruined the neck by having the pickup well carved out.
Fortunately, Tom Bradshaw has a spare neck lying around which he sold me. And, instead of a second pickup, I had the Sierra modular pickup system installed.
I did like the sound of the 2nd pickup, and used both, with the out of phase switch, for the tune "A Boy Like That"* on my West Side Story CD, but I felt that the problems superseded the tonal advantages.
* If anybody wants to hear the tune with the 2 pickups out of phase, send me an E-mail (not a PM) and I'll attach an MP3 to the reply.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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Paul Sutherland
From:
Placerville, California
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Posted 22 Feb 2018 2:50 pm
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Kind of like having open heart surgery to cure a cold. Risky, expensive, and probably won't accomplish what you want.
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It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Ken Metcalf
From:
San Antonio Texas USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2018 3:40 pm
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Tone knob with bypass switch.
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2018 6:18 pm
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Very simple.. Buy a Lawrence 705 pickup with 4 conductor wiring, and have a 3 position switch installed.. 3 very distinct sounds at the flip of a switch... Also you can buy a GeorgeL 10-5 pickup with rotary switch which has FIVE very distinct sounds.. I have owned and used both for years and they are great pickups that will give you the variety of tones you seek..
The GeorgeL 10-5 is no longer made[ i think], but are available used or new old stock.. I think Jim at steel Guitars North County has one... Don't hack up your only pedal steel when all you need is a humbucker with 4 conductor wiring and a 3 way switch... bob
_________________
I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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Michael Maddex
From:
Northern New Mexico, USA
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Posted 22 Feb 2018 7:06 pm
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Two thoughts: First get a pickup that you think might do the job that you want and make a bracket or stand to support it above the strings in the right place and hook it up with some temporary wiring. I think that this should give you an idea if you want to proceed or not.
Second, a couple of years ago, Forumite Jon Light came up with a Kit to add a second pickup to a Steel Guitar without doing any hatchet work. I would suggest you check out that thread and/or talk with Jon before you go any further.
HTH. Good Luck with The Project! 
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"For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert." -- Arthur C. Clarke |
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K Maul
From:
Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
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Posted 23 Feb 2018 9:06 am
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Bob's idea is a very good one. A 5 position switch will give you a world of sounds. You could also look into getting one of Jerry Sentell's surface mount pickups. You can put that on and not have to carve out your neck.
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Kevin Maul: Airline, Beard, Clinesmith, Decophonic, Evans, Excel, Fender, Fluger, Gibson, Hilton, Ibanez, Justice, K+K, Live Strings, MOYO, National, Oahu, Peterson, Quilter, Rickenbacher, Sho~Bud, Supro, TC, Ultimate, VHT, Williams, X-otic, Yamaha, ZKing. |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 23 Feb 2018 10:20 am
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I've been through several "splittable" humbucker types and none sound like two pickups. The difference is in the position of the polepieces in relation to the string harmonics - i.e. the specific shape of the string vibrations directly above the pickups' poles.
This is why there are such noticeable differences between different pickup combinations on 3-poickups 6-string guitars, and why changing the position of just one of those pickups by even 1/2" will change the tone - both individual and combined.
All my Fenders have been modified for multiple pickups. I've finally settled on two. Two pickups provide a wider range of tones and the addition of a "neck" pickup adds depth and richness that IMO is very lacking in one-pickup guitars.
I don't use a pickup switch either. I use a "blend" pot, which allows me to subtly shift the balance between the two pickups. I also have a master volume and master tone control. The simple, passive "guitar control circuit" - with or without a blend control and/or 2nd pickup - provide control over the tone that amp controls can't. It might be better to install dedicated volume and tone controls for each but then things would get a little too crowded.
I don't understand the lack of controls on modern steels. Playing with one tone (other than changes made by adjusting hand position) it too limiting for me - and most modern one-tone steels are indistinguishable from each other.
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Mike Perlowin
From:
Los Angeles CA
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Posted 23 Feb 2018 12:35 pm
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| K Maul wrote: |
| A 5 position switch will give you a world of sounds. |
That was not my experience. The green guitar shown in my avatar had a George L 5 position pickup. Positions 1 and 2 sounded identical, except position 1 was louder. Positions 3 and 4 sounded just like 1 and 2, with a 60 cycle hum added.
The only noticeably different tone was position 5, in which the 2 coils were out of phase with each other. I liked that sound a lot. IMO it was worth having the pickup for that tone.
The pickup had 5 positions, but only produced 2 different tones.
_________________
Please visit my web site and Soundcloud page and listen to the music posted there.
http://www.mikeperlowin.com http://soundcloud.com/mike-perlowin |
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