Post Type Archives: SWD

I have general information about the ES-150 Gibson pickup nick-named “The Charlie Christian” pickup. There are several models with different specifications that I am currently researching. There are bobbins fabricated in different shapes, different blades, various cobalt steel magnets used and several coil specifications to be evaluated. The ES (Electric Spanish) models and EH (Electric…

This can be quite involved if you’re not an experienced collector or have knowledge with regards to the history of various models. There have been many changes throughout the history of Gibson pickups. There are many styles and models of Gibson pickups and I would suggest having an experienced collector look at your instrument. I’ve…

Often guitar companies design pickups in house and use engineers to design and work on projects. At times the owner of the company will use his name as the inventor even though they didn’t design the pickup. Often times a pickup design may be used with no patent on the design and later be patented…

Probably the first commercially that used an electromagnetic pickup was Rickenbacker with the Frying Pan guitar with horseshoe magnet pickup. Dobro and National instruments started becoming electrified even thought the demand was not that great. Around 1935 while working at Gibson, Walt Fuller started making the ES-150 Pickup (Charlie Christian as it is called) and…

There is controversy to this subject which I am currently researching. From around 1920-1924 Lloyd Loar worked for Gibson and some of his early pickups were said to be found by Walter Fuller when he joined Gibson around 1933. Lloyd Loar left Gibson earlier to form the Vivi-Tone company and had taken pickup designs with…

Mighty Mite pickups were made at a Southern California company called Turbo-Jet and the bobbins were wound using a bondable wire. After the bobbins were wound, the coils were heated in ovens and the special insulation would bond to each other making a solid coil. The coils were difficult to remove if the bobbin needed…

Many companies such as Fender, Gibson, Guild and Gretsch have designed and build their own pickups. They can use other outside companies to make pickups for a clients particular need or sound. DeArmond made many pickups for other companies such as Gretsch and Guild Guitars during the 50s and 60s. Since I can recall the…

Leo Fender used an industrial wax that included lamp-black. I believe using lamp black which is a form of carbon is conductive and might add to the sound of the older pickups. It’s just a thought but it was also used to identify pickups that have been completed and to cover the lighter string used…

The basic difference is Duosonic pickups have flush magnets on top and slightly raised on the bottom. The alnico magnets are all .625″ long magnet as compared to the Stratocaster poles that are staggered. The bridge pickup is usually south polarity and wound clockwise (TL-TG) and the neck pickup on a Duosonic is north polarity…

I’ve experienced this first hand when doing the benefit “ARMS” for the late Ronnie Laine during the ’80s. I was on the road with Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. While they were performing at the LA Forum I had a small Fender Princeton Reverb as a practice amp back stage along with a…