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Topic: Suggest a pickup replacement |
Nic Neufeld
From:
Kansas City, Missouri
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Posted 17 Apr 2018 8:53 am |
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Hi all,
I picked up a (cheap!) SX 8-string to replace my earlier cheap guitar. I like a lot about it...the price, the finish, some very nice features (the case is quite nice, overall design is mostly right) and the scale I was after. Two things I'm not as impressed about...the acoustic volume (at least compared to some other lap steels I've played...but this isn't a terribly critical thing for an electric) and the pickup.
The pickup is an 8 string P90 and it has two major flaws in this guitar. It hums...surprise, surprise. Not a critical failing for single coils, but if I replace the pickup I'd love something humbucking and quiet.
The second flaw is the string spacing. It just doesn't line up with the polepieces and string balance is off. Polepiece adjustment may mitigate this to some extent but it is annoying enough that I imagine I'm going to replace the pickup at some point.
The cavity is sized for an extended P90, naturally, which I think I measured at around 4 1/8" x 1 3/16".
My ideal, which may not exist, would be a bar/blade style humfree pickup that requires no routing on the guitar, but that may not exist. I'm going for vintage Hawaiian tones but with more warmth, less bite (one reason I'm OK with humbuckers).
Things I've considered so far...the Lace Alumitone "Tone Bars", the active EMG pickups Asher uses in their Alan Akaka model, a Lace "single coil" SC8 that might not require routing... It looks like it might fit the Bartolini BC size soapbars actually, although I have no idea what a Bartolini bass pickup would end up sounding like. Anyway, if anyone has any recommendations, let me know! Thanks!
_________________
Waikīkī, at night when the shadows are falling
I hear the rolling surf calling
Calling and calling to me |
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Bill Groner
From:
QUAKERTOWN, PA
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Posted 17 Apr 2018 12:07 pm
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Have you heard Kevin Glandon play Hawaiian songs on his ALuma lace equipped Lap Steel? Tone does not get any better than that!
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Currently own, 6 Groner-tone lap steels, one 1953 Alamo Lap steel, Roland Cube, Fender Champion 40 |
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Joe Elk
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 17 Apr 2018 12:13 pm
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I would vote with Bill on the Lace.
Joe Elk Central Ohio |
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David Venzke
From:
SE Michigan, USA
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Nic Neufeld
From:
Kansas City, Missouri
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Posted 17 Apr 2018 5:10 pm
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Well, the Laces certainly were one of my first thoughts, glad to have that confirmed. The straight P90 doesn't look long enough, so I might have to choose between skinny SC8 single coil, which would leave a big gap in the rout, or rout out for the steel tonebar ones which require 1.5" width. Don't have a proper router, so might have to do that the hard way (rototool? I've done it with chisels before...yes, seriously, and I'm not proud of it).
SC8 certainly seems easiest, anyway. But I like the idea of a wider spaced pickup as I'm definitely going for that warmer humbucking tone...ie. Stringmaster pickups in series or a PAF. And, unless I rig something with the SC8 to cover the soapbar cavity, it won't look great. Which is a very modest complaint overall, I admit...
_________________
Waikīkī, at night when the shadows are falling
I hear the rolling surf calling
Calling and calling to me |
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K Maul
From:
Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
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Posted 17 Apr 2018 6:03 pm
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I know that an Alumitone P90 fits the string width of a Fender 400 pedal steel,the one with Jazzmaster style 8 string pickups. That may be something to go by. The strings can be right on the edges of those pickups and still sound good.
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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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