Luthiers: top-mounting Single coils without the bobbins showing?

[dotlikeimpact]

Ok, luthiers. How does one top-mount tele-style single coils without the pickup bobbin showing below the pickup? I've seen it before, but I don't know how it's done.

An example of the bobbin showing (tele in the second post down) on the neck pickup:

http://thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=263744&page=4

Any way of getting around that without a hugely invasive back rout?

[MyVette67]

Perhaps it's simply a matter of using a pickup of this style

http://www.agi-lace.com/electric_pickups/images/holy_grail/holy_grail.jpg

Rather than this style ?

http://www.stevesmusiccenter.com/FenderTexasSpecialStratPUBig.jpg

[dotlikeimpact]

Perhaps it's simply a matter of using a pickup of this style

http://www.agi-lace.com/electric_pickups/images/holy_grail/holy_grail.jpg



Wow, I wonder if that's a standard bobbin? I'm not into lace pickups, but possibly other builders could do that... Even so, I've seen some instruments where even the side mounts were underneath the top of the guitar. I suppose they must be rear-mounted.

[BettyFjord]

Have you considered pickup rings?

Here's a particularly nice example from David Myka (http://www.mykaguitars.com) in ebony:

http://www.mykaguitars.com/instruments/045/48.jpg

[908SSP]

I like the way these are mounted. They use the pole screws to thread into brass bushings pressed into the body under the pickup.

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r245/908ssp/Parkers/S2Fly58Deluxe500.jpg

[Trebor Renkluaf]

On many teles you don't see the bobin because it's under the pickguard.
http://www.patguitar.com/images/Fender_Telecaster_643019/Fender_Telecaster_643019_01.jpg

[dotlikeimpact]

I like the way these are mounted. They use the pole screws to thread into brass bushings pressed into the body under the pickup.

http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r245/908ssp/Parkers/S2Fly58Deluxe500.jpg

Interesting... Are those custom pickups for the Fly? Is there a back rout/cover?

[908SSP]

Yes made by Dimarzio but they will sell them to anybody and they will wind them to any of their normal winds. No back route no back cover. just the hole from the pickup cavity to the control cavity. All the pole pieces are socket setscrews and the two outside ones screw into brass inserts in the body.

They only made this S2 guitar for about 2 years and sounds terrific.

[6L6Blues]

Yes made by Dimarzio but they will sell them to anybody and they will wind them to any of their normal winds. No back route no back cover. just the hole from the pickup cavity to the control cavity. All the pole pieces are socket setscrews and the two outside ones screw into brass inserts in the body.

They only made this S2 guitar for about 2 years and sounds terrific.

Do you know where I can find a pickup like this? It might solve the problem I am having with an odd Gibson make that has NSX single coils. The mounting screws are on near the outer edge of the pickups but no on a bracket like a normal strat style single coil. Sorry, I don't know how to explain pickups very well. Not familiar with the terminology. Anyway, I'm guessing the NSX pickups screw right into the body. It's at the local shop right now and they told me I'd have to rout it to put any new pickups in. If I can get around the expense of routing that would be cool.

Here is a pic I found on the web of the guitar I have. http://www.rare-guitars.co.uk/guitars/MelodyMaker11/guitar.jpg

You can't see the pickup well, but the second "dot" from each side is a mounting screw.

PS - Sorry to the OP for the semi hi-jack.

[908SSP]

Call Dimarzio direct they have a custom shop tell them you want a couple Parker Fly single coils from an S2 made in 2001. They should be able to get you some. Or have your local dealer order them as they can give you a discount and Dimarzios custom shop won't.

[atquinn]

Do you know where I can find a pickup like this? It might solve the problem I am having with an odd Gibson make that has NSX single coils. The mounting screws are on near the outer edge of the pickups but no on a bracket like a normal strat style single coil. Sorry, I don't know how to explain pickups very well. Not familiar with the terminology. Anyway, I'm guessing the NSX pickups screw right into the body. It's at the local shop right now and they told me I'd have to rout it to put any new pickups in. If I can get around the expense of routing that would be cool.

Here is a pic I found on the web of the guitar I have. http://www.rare-guitars.co.uk/guitars/MelodyMaker11/guitar.jpg

You can't see the pickup well, but the second "dot" from each side is a mounting screw.

PS - Sorry to the OP for the semi hi-jack.

People trying to replace EMG single-coils have the same problem. As far as I know, the only non-custom pickups that will fit such routes are Seymour Duncan's hum-canceling single-coil line. They redesigned them a couple years back to they don't have any front tab. This is actually a fair number of pickups (all their "Rails" and "Lil" models). I'm not sure if Dimarzio can make their single-coils without the front tabs on a special-order basis, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

-Austin