Humbucker recommendation

[Mike McBride]

I am new to the pedal steel and need a recommendation for a 10 string humbucking pickup. My existing pickup is a surface mount and is 3/4" tall.

[Javier Schulenburg]

While I am personally yet to try the knockoff one I bought for my current unfinished build, I believe soap bar pickups made for 6 string basses like the EMG 45J might be worth a shot, in terms of inductance/impedance they should be plenty close enough and in terms of width are entirely sufficient. Due to the magnet bar(s) their design should cause no issues with non-standard string spacing

[Fred]

I like the Lace Alumitone. It has both full humbucker and "split coil" options, though both are actually humbucking.

[Ken Metcalf]

Bill Lawrence XR-16 for me.

[Bob Sigafoos]

I can't recommend a builder or company but before you buy a new or used pickup ask about the height of the pickup. In your photo it appears there is no room for adjusting the height of the pickup. A new one certainly cant go lower (I don't see a cavity) but with a thinner pickup you could add shims to get the optimal distance from the strings.

[Mike McBride]

The 1st string to 10th string measurement is 3". Is this typical?

What height is a George L?

[Dave Meis]

BL 705 is 7/8" tall.. can be coil split with the 4 wire model.

[Dave Mudgett]

If you're worried about pole-to-pole width, a blade pickup like the Lawrence 705 is a good choice. I really like the original chrome-surround 705s from the 80s, but they have been out of production for 40 years and are hard to find and expensive. I have a modern (not Bill and Becky) Lawrence 705 on my Mullen G2, and I like it a lot. I just measured up a spare - the pickup itself was just over 3/4" tall; with the base, it measures about 7/8" tall; but with the wire protruding from the bottom in addition, about 1-1/4" tall. I suppose one could cut a channel for the wire to get it back down to 7/8" or a little more. I don't think taking the base off alone will bring it down to lower than 7/8" because of the wire thickness - it's pretty thick. If I was gonna try to lower that pickup, I think I'd go for making the channel for the wire.

Another possible option would be Scott Swartz' 705 pickup here - viewtopic.php?t=397916 - I haven't tried one, but if it's similar to a 705, that might be the ticket. This pickup is not as thick as a 705 and specifically for applications where there isn't as much clearance.

[Dave Meis]

@Mike: I have several of Scott's Steeltronics pickups, and I really like them!
@Dave: I tried to get 705s in my Emmon's guitars, and they wouldn't fit. The 507 looks like it may be the answer!

[Larry Ball]

I second Scott at “Steeltronic’s “ , he has wound some for me that fit the Steel perfectly and sounded great.. check his website…