NGD (Searcy Buys a Tasteful Burst!!)

[Rabs]

That TOM and tailpiece look great

[Tman]

Congrats! Beautiful

[Searcy]

So here's just a quick look at one idea. The a pick guard from an old 90s SGX or something

 

[btoth76]

Hello Searcy!

 

The shape is nice! Black would be nicer, though. In my opinion.

 

What are You going to do with the extra holes? How about the Volume-Bass-Treble-Decade configuration as on the LP Recording?

 

Cheers... Bence

[Searcy]

Yea, I think black would look better toom. I'm thinking of ordering a nice 5 ply B/W/B/W/B one.

 

 

With the extra holes I plan to have it look normal. The switch will be single/ humbucker/ kill. I may use the extra two pots for an EQ like you said.

[Searcy]

 

Mock up of the first idea. Not real crazy about all the different directions it's going. Either the guard needs to be black or everything else needs to be chrome.

[stein]

Often for a 3 color burst, the tortoise guard is the way to go.

 

It can take a little effort finding the right "shade", as some are reddish and some brownish. But when it's right, boy does it look good.

[Rabs]

 

Mock up of the first idea. Not real crazy about all the different directions it's going. Either the guard needs to be black or everything else needs to be chrome.

Black pickguard I reckon too :)

[Searcy]

 

 

I've been so excited about the new Ripper bass that I haven't done a lot with the SG. I have been trying out pickups in it and I have settled on the one I like. This is a prototype I made 5 or 6 years ago called the Double Trouble. It's essentially two Strat pickups side by side acting as a humbucker. The switch is killing one of the coils to leave it a true single coil. Still have to plan out the rest of the wiring.

 

 

 

Click on the picture to watch the video.

[4Hayden]

That sounded great but what's your plan with hole in the guitar beside the pickup ?

 

4H

[Searcy]

That sounded great but what's your plan with hole in the guitar beside the pickup ?

 

4H

 

Those are hidden by the dog eat cover. I plan to swap the TOM and stop bar out with some chromed ones I have here too. Maybe some Amber knobs.

[4Hayden]

 

Those are hidden by the dog eat cover. I plan to swap the TOM and stop bar out with some chromed ones I have here too. Maybe some Amber knobs.

 

I see said the blind man , now that looks cool buddy.

 

4H

[Searcy]

I'm still thinking of swapping the guard to black.

[4Hayden]

I'm still thinking of swapping the guard to black.

That might tie in with the neck color and look more rad.

 

4H

[Rabs]

Sounds really really good man

 

So are those white things in the slug holes just like plastic holes fillers? Looks real unique...... For some reason though I actually think it will look cooler if they were flat rather than dome shape... even flush to the top.. but that's just me being picky :)

[Searcy]

Sounds really really good man

 

So are those white things in the slug holes just like plastic holes fillers? Looks real unique...... For some reason though I actually think it will look cooler if they were flat rather than dome shape... even flush to the top.. but that's just me being picky :)

 

Those are just plastic stick ons. I agree. They look dorky but that was just something I had laying around. The final version will look better.

[Rabs]

Those are just plastic stick ons. I agree. They look dorky but that was just something I had laying around. The final version will look better.

I actually think the white is quite interesting.. if they were flat.. and if you go with a black scratchplate then make them black.

[4Hayden]

I vote black pick guard searcy

 

4H

[stein]

Those are just plastic stick ons. I agree. They look dorky but that was just something I had laying around. The final version will look better.

My vote would be the obvious of using a pup ring, in whatever color, of corse.

 

Including the pup, naturally.

 

You said it was a "prototype" pup laying around. For the final incarnation, you, being "the man", can make any pup you want, including this one.

 

The public is interested in your pups. Naturally, what we see in your guitars is a representation of what can be done with our guitars.

[stein]

I still vote for tortoise shell, if the right color is found.

 

I, often when putting together parts guitars, would look to what colors are already there. So...if there was binding, match the guard and plastics to the binding.

 

Black guard is a good match, because there is black on the body.

 

The white pearly does look good, but it also makes the guitar look like it is missing something. I feel like white guard and white knobs on this would make it look like a parts guitar.

[Searcy]

My vote would be the obvious of using a pup ring, in whatever color, of corse.

 

Including the pup, naturally.

 

You said it was a "prototype" pup laying around. For the final incarnation, you, being "the man", can make any pup you want, including this one.

 

The public is interested in your pups. Naturally, what we see in your guitars is a representation of what can be done with our guitars.

 

 

My take on making pickups was always a bit different. I wanted to design my own line and not copy PAFs and P-90s and Teles and Strats. I was never selling much to the public. I was selling to luthiers like W.Jeffry Jones, Benford, Beneventi and the like, mostly so that they could have something other than SD or DiMarzio copies of Gibson and Fender pickups in their products. This was before the massive boutique boom that we have now.

 

In 2010 I was well established and working on a whole new line of pickups for my two biggest buyers that included some crazy bass pickups, a humfree Strat pickup and 3 new humbucker size designs. They were all niodymium powered but this one. It uses 12 Alnico sluges like two Strat bobbins would and the bobbin are wound with the same amount of wire as a Strat bobbin would. It's a very bright and snappy sounding pickup. Shorting one of the coils drops the volume a bit and gives some very Fender like clarity.

 

But then May 2010 hit and I ended up sending all my clients to other pickup makers. But there are a few odds and ends in the shop from that time and TONS of parts in boxes everywhere. Maybe one day I'll try building up a batch and see if there's any interest but for the most part guitar players just want ripoffs of PAFs and P90 and Strat and Tele pickups. Any ideas that is newer than 1960 will be called "steril" and "lifeless" or my favorite "digital". But I gotta be me. I'd rather cut a plug out of my skull and draw doodles on my brain with a ball point pen than try to put out another Gibson and Fender ripoff.

 

:blink:

[4Hayden]

My take on making pickups was always a bit different. I wanted design my own line and not copy PAFs and P-90s and Teles and Strats. I was never selling much to the public. I was selling to luthiers like W.Jeffry Jones, Benford, Beneventi and the like mostly so that they could have something other than SD's or DiMarzios copies of Gibson and Fender pickups in their products. This was before the massive boutique boom that we have now.

 

In 2010 I was working on a whole new line of pickups for my two biggest buyers that included some crazy bass pickups, a humfree Strat pickup and 3 new humbucker size designs. They were all niodymium powered but this one. It uses 12 Alnico sluges like two Strat bobbins would and they bobbin are wound with the same about of wire as a Strat bobbin would. It's a very bright and snappy sounding pickup. Shorting one of the coils drops the volume a bit and give some very Fender like clarity.

 

But then May 2010 hit and I ended up sending all my clients to other pickup makers. But there are a few odds and ends in the shop from that time and TONS of parts in boxes everywhere. Maybe one day I'll try building up a batch and see if there's any interest but for the most part guitar players just want ripoffs of PAFs and P90 and Strat and Tele pickups. Any idea that is newer than 1960 will be called "steril" and "lifeless" or my favorite "digital". But I gotta be me. I'd rather cut a plug out of my skull and draw doodles on my brain with a ball point pen than try to put out another Gibson and Fender ripoff.

 

:blink:

This is what makes you a special person on the forum and in life

 

4H

[stein]

Interesting idea for a pup. Truly.

 

Some of us, but not all, know there is a BIG difference in a Strat pup and "half" of a typical humbucker.

 

But anyway, I can't help but wonder, what about pot values/resistance? Since all the Strat pups I have ever tried sound like crap with 500k volume pots. And having said that, I would kinda expect you to use 250k.

 

But also, what IS the best way to wire Strat pups together? I mean, to make a humbucker? So, for example, if you wire them series (like a humbucker pickup), as opposed to parallel (like in, a Strat in "humbucker" mode), does that change the ideal resistance? Does it then work better with a 500k ohm volume?

 

With the extra holes you have, can't help but wonder the possibilities.

 

In my mind, the "typical" starting point would be one 250k volume for one coil, and a 250k volume and 250k tone for the other. (It matters..that is in the sense, a bridge Strat pup has no tone, which makes a different sound and gives a little extra volume/output).

 

From there, I wonder about the 500k vs 250k thingy, and also the ideal "tone" control arrangement (The above doesn't COMPLETELY apply, as with two coils next to each other...

 

For sure, there is at least ONE mode that could have some serious quack to it.

[Searcy]

Interesting idea for a pup. Truly.

 

Some of us, but not all, know there is a BIG difference in a Strat pup and "half" of a typical humbucker.

 

But anyway, I can't help but wonder, what about pot values/resistance? Since all the Strat pups I have ever tried sound like crap with 500k volume pots. And having said that, I would kinda expect you to use 250k.

 

But also, what IS the best way to wire Strat pups together? I mean, to make a humbucker? So, for example, if you wire them series (like a humbucker pickup), as opposed to parallel (like in, a Strat in "humbucker" mode), does that change the ideal resistance? Does it then work better with a 500k ohm volume?

 

With the extra holes you have, can't help but wonder the possibilities.

 

In my mind, the "typical" starting point would be one 250k volume for one coil, and a 250k volume and 250k tone for the other. (It matters..that is in the sense, a bridge Strat pup has no tone, which makes a different sound and gives a little extra volume/output).

 

From there, I wonder about the 500k vs 250k thingy, and also the ideal "tone" control arrangement (The above doesn't COMPLETELY apply, as with two coils next to each other...

 

For sure, there is at least ONE mode that could have some serious quack to it.

 

In the video there are no pots being used yet. I may very well use 250K pots not I'm not sure. I may end up using a 3 Band EQ. We'll have to see. I have never really worked by any rules for what's "better" and whats "best". I want to retain the clarity of the sound of this pickup with all it's fantastic top end. Whatever gets me there will work. Typically a Gibson style humbucker is wires in series. Also typically positions 2 and 4 on a Strat are linking the coils in parallel. For the video I have this one wire up in series because I like that little extra volume punch that you get with series over parallel. The subtleties of such things get lost as your gain goes up though. The difference that the switch makes is much more noticeable with a slightly distorted blues tone and nearly lost with hi gain metal style tone.

 

Right now I'm waiting on some new knobs and a black guard.

[Searcy]

 

Just a test fit of the guard and knobs to see how I like them. This is looking much better to me. Now the finish gets to be the pretty girl instead of competing with the MOT guard for your eye.