DeArmond 1100 Super Chief Reissue on 1937 Gibson L-7

[KirkP]

I finally had Mike Lull's shop install a reissue DeArmond 1100 pickup on my 1937 L-7 along with a Schatten dual thumbwheel volume & tone control. I'm delighted with the results. It sounds great to me with the volume and tone controls dimed and the amp's controls flat. It sound different than any of my other guitars, so it's nice to have a new voice to experiment with.

When I first played it I was alarmed that the high E string seemed to have a tremolo like effect as it vibrated side to side. Apparently the magnetic field dropped off very quickly at that end of the pickup. After bringing the pickup screw about 1/2 turn closer to the E string the effect went away and all was good. I never realized how touchy those pickup screw settings can be.

I've attached a photo and a rough demo. The demo is through a Jazzkat with the speaker closely miked and very little acoustic bleeding through. It's a bit bright, but 10 feet away it's warmer. My bass player buddy said it's "almost too sweet" while grabbing his heart. I think that was a complement.

https://app.box.com/s/1n13vjjw7nyeoxnsct3zlorri7kmrnz7

I got the courage to do this after hearing Tim Lerch's beautiful blond Epiphone with the same pickup.

[KirkP]

Here's another demo, this time plugged into a Sound Island VSA VS112-JZ20 amp, miked about 6-ft from the speaker. The amp seems made for this guitar/pickup combination. It's similar to a Princeton Reverb with a Deluxe output stage, "jazz-voiced" tone stack, and Jensen Tornado 12" speaker.
https://app.box.com/s/alzaeskzfmnb8lk2zvzx903a2z21zblv

[Herbie]

Perfect!

The looks and The Sound!

Congrats!

[KirkP]

Here's another demo, this time with a roughly 50/50 mix of amplified and unamplified. This is my preferred setting when I don't need to fill a large room.
https://app.box.com/s/revhc1y8ewozy83svvrngn8harid9nr1
(Sorry about the cough!)

[Burrellesque]

Here's another demo, this time plugged into a Sound Island VSA VS112-JZ20 amp, miked about 6-ft from the speaker. The amp seems made for this guitar/pickup combination. It's similar to a Princeton Reverb with a Deluxe output stage, "jazz-voiced" tone stack, and Jensen Tornado 12" speaker.
https://app.box.com/s/alzaeskzfmnb8lk2zvzx903a2z21zblv

Hi KirkP,
Just looking into these myself. What strings are you using in the recordings?
Did you have to notch out your pickguard to get the pickup positioned correctly? Also, where did you locate the input jack?
Thanks

[hotpepper01]

Sounds awesome !! Very nice tone with the acoustics coming through. Would love to see a picture of the eniire guitar. A red L7

[omphalopsychos]

Also curious about your string choice. It sounds beautiful. I have an 1100 being mounted on one of my archtops too. It should be ready soon.

[Hammertone]

...I've attached a photo...

Remind me what's the deal with that fingerboard?

[Flat]

That looks really great, Kirk! Congratulations!

I especially dig the low-key vibe of that nearly-invisible Schatten -- especially over the red finish. Really an elegant look!

Like some other cats, I'm also about to do something similar. A reissue Dearmond 1100 on a 1945 L7.

Sorry to pepper you with another question, but how did you or Mike Lull decide on the north/south placement of the pickup?

I've been trying to decide where to position mine, and placing it as far north as possible seems to make sense. I want a warm, round sound. But sometimes I see these pickups sitting just a little bit south, maybe 1/2 or 3/4 inch off the fretboard. I'm not sure why. Did you happen to talk about that with Mike, or do you have any thoughts on the topic?

You've given new life to a real treasure of a guitar. I hope you enjoy it for many years to come.

[rabbit]

Looks great, sounds great, great playing!

Very pleasing photo, too.

Congratulations!

[KirkP]

Hi KirkP,
Just looking into these myself. What strings are you using in the recordings?
Did you have to notch out your pickguard to get the pickup positioned correctly? Also, where did you locate the input jack?
Thanks

I used D'Addario EJ21 strings, nickel wound, 12-52 with a wound G. String to string balance is good with these strings with the pickup screws all the way down, with the exception of the high E string I mentioned in the original post. I had to bring it about 1/2 turn closer to balance. I might tweak the other screws later to slightly bring up the volume of the bass strings, but I'll play it this way for a while first. It's nice to have that option, which is why I chose the 1100 over the 1000 model.

Since the pickup's sensitivity drops off very quickly at the end, it's critical to have the pickup poles directly under the strings. We had to make a slight notch in the pickguard. Another option would have been to relocate the pickguard, but that might look odd.

I chose a standard 1/4" Schatten TRSS endpin jack. The endpin hole was reamed out slightly to install it. Some people object to doing that to a vintage guitar, but since mine lacks the original finish and fretboard I'm not worried about it.

[KirkP]

Sounds awesome !! Very nice tone with the acoustics coming through. Would love to see a picture of the eniire guitar. A red L7

Here are some shots before adding the pickup. The original finish would have been sunburst top, with a very dark brown back. I wish I knew the story behind the refinish and the L-5 fretboard. It's an odd duck, but is a good conversation starter. It plays and sounds great, and even better with the new pickup.

[KirkP]

I especially dig the low-key vibe of that nearly-invisible Schatten -- especially over the red finish.

The Schattens work great, but I'm a little disappointed in how the knobs feel. They are thin and have serrated edges, resembling Dremel drill saw blades, although fortunately not sharp. My Eastman 810CE has a much nicer feeling thumbwheel. I might consider gluing a better feeling thumbwheel to the underside of the Schatten. Based on a quick look, I think that would work.

Also, my Schattens rotate in the opposite direction to my Eastman controls and I didn't think to locate them in the same area of the pickguard. That forces me to go through a thought process every time I adjust the volume! I wish I'd thought to discuss that with the installer. I'm thinking of upgrading the Eastman to Schatten controls. If I do, I'll try to set it up the same as the L-7. Fortunately, for the style of music I'd play on the L-7 I won't need to ride the volume control. For a set & forget situation none of this is a big deal.

...how did you or Mike Lull decide on the north/south placement of the pickup?

Great question, and something I failed to consider. The installer didn't ask and put it right against the neck. I'm happy with it though. I noticed Tim Lerch left some space between the end of fretboard and the pickup on his Epiphone.

I think the north-south location is more critical with a cutaway than without. My theory is that as you move beyond the 12th fret, you are bringing that end of the vibrating string closer to the pickup, making it brighter. If you frequently play near the top few frets it might be best to move the pickup slightly away from the neck end. Since I have a non-cut guitar those top few frets are mostly decoration so I have no regrets.

[KirkP]

Remind me what's the deal with that fingerboard?

The original fingerboard for the 1937 L-7 would have had surplus fret markers from Gibson's banjo factory, inlaid in picture frames. Someone replaced the fretboard with a later L-5 fretboard [correction: L-5 block inlays]. I wish I knew the story. A previous owner had the neck refretted by Mike Lull. This was before he had a Plek, but it's a very nice job. I love the neck - it's got some mass to it.

[wintermoon]

The original fingerboard for the 1937 L-7 would have had surplus fret markers from Gibson's banjo factory, inlaid in picture frames. Someone replaced the fretboard with a later L-5 fretboard. It's likely this was done at the Gibson repair shop. I wish I knew the story. A previous owner had the neck refretted by Mike Lull. This was before he had a Plek, but it's a very nice job. I love the neck - it's got some mass to it.

it's an L-5 style board w/the blocks, but not a real one.
they're made of ebony, not mahogany.
cool guitar though!

[KirkP]

For geeks like me, here's the closest patent I can find to the 1100. I haven't found a patent that matches all the details.
Patent US2612541 - Individual magnet with adjustable sleeve pickup device - Google Patents

[Hammertone]

The original fingerboard for the 1937 L-7 would have had surplus fret markers from Gibson's banjo factory, inlaid in picture frames. Someone replaced the fretboard with a later L-5 fretboard [correction: L-5 block inlays]. I wish I knew the story. A previous owner had the neck refretted by Mike Lull. This was before he had a Plek, but it's a very nice job. I love the neck - it's got some mass to it.

it's an L-5 style board w/the blocks, but not the real one. they're made of ebony, not mahogany. cool guitar though!

No Cupid's Bow or extra binding. 80-year-old L-7 refinished in trans-red?
I'd guess a nice custom-made replaced board snuck it there right about the same time as the refin, perhaps along with that bridge. Yes, way-cool guitar!

[KirkP]

1937 was one of the very few years that Gibson's 17-inch "Advanced" archtops were X-braced, which gives it a unique tone. I think it might have a bit more sustain than later parallel braced models.