-
Just purchased this as a guitar to leave at my Dad's house. Was looking for something inexpensive and for $375 this seemed like a good option. As a surprise the previous owner included an additional homemade pick guard with a floater (don't know what type, waiting for reply). My initial plan was to install this old Dearmond pickup that I had on the Kay pictured below which was used for slide due to neck issues. With the raised neck, I would have install something under the pickup to raise the height. I really thought this could be a cool little guitar.
Any thoughts on install, etc?
Also, the tone and volume controls look to be a bit of a mess there was no back plate cover. See pics. The volume has very little range.....almost all on or off. I know nothing about pots, electronics, etc.
Any thoughts or help would be appreciated!!Last edited by DMgolf66; 04-29-2019 at 11:47 PM.
-
04-29-2019 11:01 PM
-
Sticky felt to raise it up high enough.
-
Interesting, sticky felt? Interesting. Would you have any issue screwing holes into the guitar for the controls as well?
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
I might have to bring the pickup unit to have someone take a look at It.
Thanks for the response!
-
I originally had the same goal when I bought my 5th Avenue acoustic. I ended up going with a Vintage Vibes Charlie Christian pickup but search through my threads and you'll see photos. I'm very happy with how it turned out. However, of I already had a DeArmond on hand I would've gone that route. I hope you get great results!
Zac
-
That DeArmond looks cool. I'd probably make a spacer out of wood or pickguard material to raise the height. And possibly surround it with a cream-colored pickup ring, if one could find one that would fit (mini-humbucker?).
As for the electronics, personally I'd be inclined to just can the old controls and go with Schatten thumbwheels mounted under the pickguard. That's what I did with my DeArmond RC1000 RI. Others may have their own ideas about rehabbing old controls.
I have a 5th Avenue as well and mounted a GFS floater on it. Great guitar. Good luck!
-
Thank you for the response. I certainly have no experience crafting something like this. I would love to try and find some pictures of examples of this kind of fabricating. I'm excited to to work on this, just not sure where to start. If anyone has done something similar, I'd love to see some pics. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
-
I was going to use the thumbwheels but couldn’t find them in 250k ohms for under $25 and didn’t want to spend that much. I ended up mounting regular pots from the bottom of the pick guard at first but they got in the way. I then used a set of mini pots in the top (I couldn’t get the full sized pots in through the F-hole). Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
Have you looked into the neck mounting pole for that DeArmond? It will keep it floating and is made for your pickup, but it might take a creative bend or two because the neck gap above the soundboard is beveled in at an angle. It looks feasible though.
-
There’s no floating pickup better than a vintage dearmond. Do it!
-
What to do with that damn cord when not plugged in!!!. Makes for a messy couch playing experience. That's my only gripe. I wish it had a Jack.
-
Stuff most of the cord into your soundhole, pull out just enough to make it to your tailpiece, and zip tie it to the metal bar.
-
You can mount thumbwheels to the pickguard, or inside the f hole, either works. The pickguard is more convenient, but if you ever want to remove it, having them in the f hole is easier. It's personal preference. The 500K Schatten thumbwheels work fine with a DeArmond single-coil, but if you really want 250K you can get some here: Mini for $4.50 each. They're more trouble to wire than the Schatten model, but they work fine. I would probably replace the pickup wire with small modern coax and use thumbwheels for volume and tone, but if you want to keep the pickup original you can. Unsoldering the old control box shouldn't be hard, and shouldn't affect value, if you keep it safe somewhere. I don't think I would screw the pickup into the top of the Godin. Blu-tack or similar will keep it in place and won't harm the finish. You can make it as thick as you like, or put something between the top and the pickup, with Blu-tack on both sides, or whatever other adhesive you prefer. Pickup rings are possible, mounted various ways. It's a matter of taste, but I don't think I would want them.
-
You can mount the control box to your pick guard and replace the jack with a cable leading into the f hole to a traditional jack.
Also 250k pots kill the magic of the DeArmond’s. The pickups are warm naturally but high value pots give it the snap and snarl that are essential to the sound. The originals came with 1000k pots.
-
I like the 500K pots with my Rhythm Chief. I had some Schattens on hand and used them on my Wu, which is relatively dark acoustically. The only thing I'm not crazy about is that they're linear taper, and a tiny adjustment makes a big difference, more than I like, but I live with it.
-
That's a great point. I would've used the ready to mount dual 500K thumbwheels if I had gotten a DeArmond. But my single coil called for 250K and the only ones I found were expensive and had to be manually screwed into the pickguard and I didn't trust the idea of threaded plastic for security. Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
-
The 250K thumbwheels I linked above are cheap, and I mounted them with double-sided tape.
-
Quick update:
* bought some BlueStik to temporarily attach pickup and controls along with painters tape.
* Pickguard is partially in the way it seems.
* every string sounds same volume wise with exception B string. Any thoughts?
* attached audio clip of a couple strummed chords and slowly played scale. Can hear that B string difference.2019_05_05_13_30_33_1.mp3
-
What kind of strings are on it? If those are phosphor bronze wound strings (the typical acoustic string), that's why the B is louder. Originally Posted by DMgolf66
Quick update:
* bought some BlueStik to temporarily attach pickup and controls along with painters tape.
* Pickguard is partially in the way it seems.
* every string sounds same volume wise with exception B string. Any thoughts?
* attached audio clip of a couple strummed chords and slowly played scale. Can hear that B string difference.2019_05_05_13_30_33_1.mp3
Monel/solid-nickel wound strings fix that problem. Try Martin Monel (aka "Retro"), D'Addario Pure Nickel, or Thomastik Infeld Jazz bebop. The nickel alloy they're wound with is magnetic, which makes for more balanced levels with a magnetic pick-up
John
-
John A. Wouldn't High E be louder as well???
-
I think those were designed for 80/20 bronze-wound strings. So that would be an obvious choice:
What strings are you using with your FHC or Rhythm Chief DeArmond pickup?
I think I have DA chromes on my DA RC1000 RI. There’s a little bit of string difference with the B and E, but with a good acoustic amp like the Fishman Artist and a little fettling I can make it work. You could also try Pure Nickels as a compromise.
-
Typically not. The loudness of the string is a function of the gauge of the part of the string the pickup senses. With strings wound with a non-ferrous metal, that's (only) the inner cores, which are all around the same gauge, typically around the same as the E. The B is a heavier gauge than all the others, so it's the loudest. With ferrous-wound strings, the winding is also detected by the pickup, resulting in a more balanced sound. This is a much discussed topic hearabouts. Originally Posted by DMgolf66
John
-
The B string is always louder than the other strings, with a wound G. That's just the way it is. That's the reason for the notch under the B in later CC pickups. It's the thickest string, so it's louder. The wound strings are thicker in total diameter, of course, but only the core is affected by the magnetic field, and the core is still smaller than the B. Adjustable polepieces take care of the problem, but without them you have to learn to cope with the volume differences.
Most pickups necessitate modification of the pickguard. You won't find many that are as narrow as the end of the fretboard, and most pickguards are mounted tightly against the fretboard. Yet another thing one has to learn to live with.
-
I just restrung with these thinking the guitar might be a bit louder. But now I know what everyone means by a compromise with strings........acoustic sound and electric.
-
The best compromise I've found is with nickel/monel strings. I like both Martin Retro Monel and D'Addario Pure Nickel strings. There really doesn't seem to be a huge difference between them. Both are nickel alloys. I think the Martins have more copper in the alloy, but they look the same, and sound the same. They work well for me for both acoustic and electric playing. I don't like bronze strings very much, because they're so bright. These are mellower and sound better to me.
-
GHS vintage bronze.
-
+1 Originally Posted by sgosnell
I've tried Martin Monels and TI Bebops (may try the D'A Pure Nickels next). I think that the nickel/monel family is the sweet spot for this guitar. Unplugged, they sound acoustic (much more so than something like D'A nickel plated XL strings). Plugged they sound electric, and the B doesn't overpower the other strings.
Unplugged:
Plugged:
John
Reply With Quote
Julian Lage Trio - Sat 27th April - Marciac,...
Today, 03:57 PM in The Players