I have had this pickup lying around for over a year. it's a Jason Lollar Chicago Steel pickup. single coil.
my plan was to build a lap steel guitar around it.
now, my plan is to replace the old and worn out pickup in an old lap steel.
I hadn't noticed before (because I was putting the project off when I bought the pickup) that there is only one wire coming out of it. all the other single coils I have dealt with had two wires.
I am sure I could could write Lollar and ask. I thought it may be interesting to ask here.
once I get this lap steel project going I planned to photo document the procedure.
then post here.
here are pics of the pickup.
any ideas?
Take your multimeter before you install it or put any power to the pickup, and try the leads on the center wire which I believe is positive; and if there is a braided shield, I can't quite see or make it out, but that could be the negative or ground wire alternative. So look for a resistance reading across the core wire and the shield and see if it's there. 8)
Many vintage Gibson pickups were made like that. I've used them but consider it a PITA to keep the braid away from all possible live sources in either a control cavity or especially anywhere within a hollow body guitar. :|
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
I'll try a close up pic.
yes. the single wire is encased by the braided shield. the braided shield is the entire length.
I assumed the single wire inside is Hot. am I supposed to solder a ground wire?
does the braided shield act as ground?
I'll try a close up pic.
yes. the single wire is encased by the braided shield. the braided shield is the entire length.
I assumed the single wire inside is Hot. am I supposed to solder a ground wire?
does the braided shield act as ground?
the braided shield will be the ground return, as well as shield. that was the old standard way of doing unbalanced wiring before grounding, shielding, bonding, balancing etc became more sophisticated (pretty recent in the guitaring world). I have an Ibanez "Flying Finger" humbucker from the '70 that has only a hot + shield.
-=tension & release=-
excellent replies.
so when soldering, do I run a wire off the braided shield to a gorund (earth)?
I like the idea of old school pup wiring. but will I have a noise/interferance issue?
thanks for the replies.
you can do that. if length and soldering confidence allow, some solder the braid directly the common ground point -- usually the back of a pot (but be careful not to melt the pup wire insulator)
as for noise/interference: try it and see. lots of perfectly serviceable guitars wired in this fashion. and not much you are going to do about it without rewiring the pups leads.
-=tension & release=-
thnx
No problem. :D
For old school wiring, we take the braided shield and split it for a short distance, exposing the center covered lead wire. You have to take enough of the lead wire out, or free it up, then strip the little bit that you solder. Meanwhile the braided metal shield is bent off to the side and you may solder it directly to a ground, which of course is the back of a pot as said, in most cases, like you do with your two-lead pickups. Silver braiding is good, it takes pre-tinning very well.
There should be no hum/buzz issues. I remember that you like to make pot to pot ground connections as well, like me. The only thing that bugs me is that if the braid touches a live spot anywhere inside the guitar, the pickup just cancels itself or turns off, but with extra and sometimes tedious precautions, that has never happened yet. :wink:
Yep, good luck, I know that you do these things well, so I think that this is the way to do it in "original fashion". 8)
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Bluejay. great info. thnx.
the last lap steel I built I DID run a ground from pot to pot.
it sure removes ALL hum and interference. that lap steel is quiet.
I will be starting this new project probably this weekend.
pics for sure.
I'd previously posted a reply, which seems to have somehow disappeared, so I'll try again:
How'd the old pickup get "worn out?"
There's not a lot that can go wrong with a pickup. The wire can break, or insulation can break down and short the coil. If that's the case, rewinding is called for. Magnets don't lose their magnetism spontaneously. They may slightly demagnetize over many decades, pickup winders argue about that, but they also argue about whether that's a Good Thing. If they're too weak, something's demagnetized them and they can be remagnetized. Some of those vintage lap steel pickups are collectors' items now, and I think they all will be. You might want to check out some of the folks who refurbish them. Rick Aiello is one I'd recommend, but I'm not sure he's doing that anymore. He could surely point you in the right direction, though. Here's his site: http://www.horseshoemagnets.com/
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Rico. yeah, I know about old pickups. my other Epiphone, a 1940 model, had a broken wind. I had Lindy Fralin rebuild it. great sounding now.
this pickup on the 1939 Epiphone Electar Century is very very weak. it was never a great pickup. so I am going to replace it, but save it in the case.
there uisn't much value in this model lap. just tons of mojo that I am gouing to reawaken.
thanks for your thoughts. I am sure the readers of this thread will get an eyeful from Rick's site.
Didn't mean to insult your intelligence. Just thought I'd put it out there. :D
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Didn't mean to insult your intelligence. Just thought I'd put it out there. :D
no insult taken by any means. I understood your positive contribution from the outset.
thnx
Dude you can try Lace Sensor pickups. It is really a great pick up.
Dude you can try Lace Sensor pickups. It is really a great pick up.
Lace are cool sounding pups. my strat plus has three Gold Lace. I love the vintage tone they give.
