Behind-the-bridge Pickup projects

[rank]

Alright...where did you get those? It looks like you are making a dream guitar of mine. Should make a great sitar too!

[WonderCouncil]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Copper-Single-C ... 1e6d993ccd

If you look up "Acoustic pickup single coil" you'll fine them. Came across them by accident a long while back and couldn't get over how cool the pickup ring was. They come in 3-ply black and white as well.

I'm sure someone this this board could make them as well, possibly cheaper. Not that they are expensive, I suppose you could resell the pickup it comes with and recoup what you paid. Hell it'd be killer to see if Stereordinary could make them into chrome plates. I'd be all over that!

I have a huge love tho for non-cutaways body's like this. No idea why but I just love the way they look. Great, simple straight forward, no frills rhythm machines. Would look equally great low slung Johnny Ramone style in a punk band or with a seated, chickin' pickin' country player. Just my opinion though

[natthu]

...This was my idea for if you were going to use piezos behind the bridge...

Interesting... Surely there would be enough travel if you positioned it intelligently to start with, I mean you'd need less travel to intonate than if that bridge were for the normal section of strings right?

I was more thinking for this particular project if I were to add piezos I'd get something more like:

The K&k Pure mini bridge plate transducers...

So many options!.... and I haven't even got the first BTB pickup in yet

[WonderCouncil]

Interesting... Surely there would be enough travel if you positioned it intelligently to start with, I mean you'd need less travel to intonate than if that bridge were for the normal section of strings right?

Yea that's a fair and good point. I suppose there is only one way to know for sure. I may give it a go in the near future. Like I said I already have the Graph-Tech bridge. It's been collecting dust for a while now and just couldn't find a guitar to use it on.

Not really sure if it would be worth it having it as I described or not. The more I think about it, there's not going to be that much more benefit having it only on the BTB strings as opposed to the normal bridge location.

I'm definitely going to mess with the Tele bridge/tunable BTB strings on my sitar project once I finish it up. And I'm looking forward to see what you come up with for the plate that Stereordinary is making you. It's awesome seeing some of these ideas finally come to fruition.

Like wise I have a few more ideas to make the sitar/guitar a bit more of a "one man band", something along the lines of a an on board theremin, thumb piano and possibly marxophone. But I digress

Honestly I can't tell you how happy I am to be a member here, so much talent, support and great ideas. Very wonderful forum...sorry the holidays get me in a mushy kind of mood

[antisymmetric]

Totally agree about the forum!
The Kay pickup I used happens to be microphonic, which turned out to be a good thing. Even when I mute the behind-the-bridge strings, it picks up some vibration from the main part of the strings.
Pity these DeArmond 210s are so pricy these days, I'd love to try one BTB. Very cool design with built-in volume control and all.

[Filly-Fuzz]

Totally agree about the forum!
The Kay pickup I used happens to be microphonic, which turned out to be a good thing. Even when I mute the behind-the-bridge strings, it picks up some vibration from the main part of the strings.
Pity these DeArmond 210s are so pricy these days, I'd love to try one BTB. Very cool design with built-in volume control and all.

God those things are pure sex

[WonderCouncil]

I forgot about those DeArmond pickups. That's a beautiful picture of one too Really wouldn't be all that hard to make something similar to that out of pickguard material (tort of course ) Or for a really sharp look, Stereordinary could fabricate some heh. Then just use a bracket like on the rhythm circuit and a roller from there as well.

Hell next year we'll see Fender Japan rolling them out...didn't they start making the hard tail Jag/Jazzy plates any how Maybe it'll be a Kim Gordon sig Jazzy with BTB pickup?

[natthu]

...Very cool design with built-in volume control and all.

That's awesome!.... maybe I could work a roller like that into my build

[rank]

Shouldn't be too hard to cut a new body, like a one piece mahogany slab body, finished in Epiphone Silver Fox but I digress...[/quote]

These pics have given me major GAS. Anyone have a template for the body or at least dimensions so I can draw one up myself? The pics make it look a little thin. I would make it a little thicker, I think. LOVE the pickup rings!

[WonderCouncil]

I can see about getting you a tracing of the body if you want. I'd have to mail it to you though. Other wise I'd say try tracking a Les Paul and just transpose the top non-cut away to the lower horn. Should get you pretty close to what this is I'd think.

The Canvas guitar's body which is pictured is about 1.25" in thickness. So the Jazz/Jag trem probably wouldn't work on it stock. It does have a slight arm contour and tummy cut but to be honest it's barley noticeable.

Ideally if I had one made, along with everything I said before I'd love for it have a German carve on both the front and back. Some day I'll see about getting one made, if not making it myself.

You should check out Specimen guitars and their "Luddite" model. I have a few pictures saved I'll have to dig up of a gold top Les Paul non-cutaway. I believe Pat Smear also played a similar model to the gold top. No one seems to know what they are tho...as I don't think Gibson ever did a solid body non-cutaway.

Getting way off track though hah, you should start another thread though if you're interested. Maybe a "non-cutaway porn" thread Got a ton of pictures I could post of various models.

PM me if you want a tracing by the way.

[rank]

you should start another thread though if you're interested. Maybe a "non-cutaway porn" thread Got a ton of pictures I could post of various models.

That sounds like a great idea! When I saw this reply, I got out a template of a Les Paul that I have & made the necessary adjustments. I will have to wait until the beginning of the year to start but I may build one.

[WonderCouncil]

Came across this in another forum...

I always thought it would be cool to move the jag/jazz trem unit back a little bit so that the length behind the bridge is half the guitar's scale length, which would mean that the harmonics would not only be in key, but also louder as they'd benefit from all kinds of sympathetic vibrations, a bit like a sitar

although i've noticed that at least one of the guitars on the SY website is modded like that, so maybe lee's thought about this one already

Does anyone have any idea what guitar he might be referencing? I just looked through all of them on the gear guide and didn't see any that fit the description. I like the idea though, kind of an alternative to using saddles behind it to tune the strings. Granted you would have to have an extra 12"- 12.75" to play with behind the bridge.

[Flurko]

Came across this in another forum...

I always thought it would be cool to move the jag/jazz trem unit back a little bit so that the length behind the bridge is half the guitar's scale length, which would mean that the harmonics would not only be in key, but also louder as they'd benefit from all kinds of sympathetic vibrations, a bit like a sitar

although i've noticed that at least one of the guitars on the SY website is modded like that, so maybe lee's thought about this one already

Does anyone have any idea what guitar he might be referencing? I just looked through all of them on the gear guide and didn't see any that fit the description. I like the idea though, kind of an alternative to using saddles behind it to tune the strings. Granted you would have to have an extra 12"- 12.75" to play with behind the bridge.

I think (hope) he means a quarter of the scale length. That's what I did on my Les Paul copy (need to take a newer pic), and the harmonics seem to ring out really louder.

[WonderCouncil]

Came across this in another forum...

I always thought it would be cool to move the jag/jazz trem unit back a little bit so that the length behind the bridge is half the guitar's scale length, which would mean that the harmonics would not only be in key, but also louder as they'd benefit from all kinds of sympathetic vibrations, a bit like a sitar

although i've noticed that at least one of the guitars on the SY website is modded like that, so maybe lee's thought about this one already

Does anyone have any idea what guitar he might be referencing? I just looked through all of them on the gear guide and didn't see any that fit the description. I like the idea though, kind of an alternative to using saddles behind it to tune the strings. Granted you would have to have an extra 12"- 12.75" to play with behind the bridge.

I think (hope) he means a quarter of the scale length. That's what I did on my Les Paul copy (need to take a newer pic), and the harmonics seem to ring out really louder.

Very cool! I'd love to see some pictures or sound samples of it.

Would the notes still be in key if it was 1/4 the scale? At 1/2 the scale length they would be in key but an octave higher correct? I was trying to measure and figure how how the hell you'd get 12" behind the bridge the other night What is the distance between the bridge and where the ball ends feed thru on the tremolo?

I would think you'd need saddles on the tail piece to compensate for the saddle positions on the guitars regular bridge. If you were looking to get exact tuning or 1/4 the scale.

[SquareWaveFuzz]

Would the notes still be in key if it was 1/4 the scale? At 1/2 the scale length they would be in key but an octave higher correct? I was trying to measure and figure how how the hell you'd get 12" behind the bridge the other night What is the distance between the bridge and where the ball ends feed thru on the tremolo?

I would think you'd need saddles on the tail piece to compensate for the saddle positions on the guitars regular bridge. If you were looking to get exact tuning or 1/4 the scale.

Yes, it will still be in key, the notes behind the bridge will be 2 octaves higher instead of 1 octave higher