Custom Made Pickups |
Where available spacings do not suit a certain instrument, custom made pickups can be built to order. The bobbin flatwork is vulcanised fibre board (as used on the classic Fenders) and the standard CNC spacers are used. As well as mandolin family instruments, Almuse can create and repair pickups for many different applications. The pickup below was made to suit a bouzouki originally equipped with only a piezo pickup. The owner then sent the instrument via courier for installation which required some careful routing plus drilling for the wiring through from the endpin socket to the pickup cavity.
"For many years I had toyed with the idea of adding a magnetic pickup to the original piezo pickup in my Russ Haywood hand made solid bouzouki.The two things that stopped me were the the fact that I couldn't find a 4 pole pickup designed for double strings and I didn't want to ruin the clean carved simplicity of the instrument. The idea of taking a router to it was very worrying. But your solution of putting the pickup in a diminutive spalted maple soap bar style case, shaped to echo the body shape works so well it looks as if it was part of the original design. The performance of the pickup is superb. String balance is flawless and It just chimes with glass like clarity. The original piezo pickup is still a very good and powerful sound on its own but flick to the magnetic or a blend of magnetic and piezo and the sound takes on a new dimension and presence.
A collaboration with classical Sarod player Tarun Jasani who is pioneering a solid electric form of the instrument. Incorporated into a plain Jazz Bass cover, the irregular spacing is to capture the four melody strings on the right and the drones on the left and large pole screws have been used to respond to multiple strings.
Octave Mandola soundhole pickup - resin potted in a maple case, this pickup has magnets optimised for bronze wound strings. "I plugged in in last night and the volume shook the roof tiles off. It is well balanced and although the pick-up has adjustable pole pieces (key provided) it didn't need to be tweaked. It was also a third of the price of a Fishman." (Norman Jackson, Grantham, UK)
The original pickup from this c1960 Aristone had long since died. Creating a new magnet/coil arrangement proved a real challenge. As can be seen from the photo, the case is very small with a depth of around 6mm - 44AWG wire and tiny neodymium magnets turned out an effective single coil of around 3.9k. "Thanks again for your help/work - It sounds lovely through my 2X12 so warm and mellow.... Got a set of D'addario XL Chromes on it too which I suppose helps with the tone & minimising finger noise." Oliver Newman (ONtrack Studio), Banbury, UK.
This pair of Fender style pickups was created for a solid Concert Ukulele. Pole spacings are 14mm and 12.7mm and the bobbin is vulcanised fibre board with AlNiCo V rod magnets. As a guide, for one-off mandolin pickups, please add £5.00 to the typical price. For other types of pickup or OEM production runs, please contact us.
Pickups are supplied with mounting screws and springs where applicable.
|
|