The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Are they cool? Like, in a byrdland for example?

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    they have their fans but I'm not among them.
    I told a story here before about a friend bringing over a beautiful blonde '53 L-5 to sell.
    I wanted to like it, but the sound wasn't for me.

  4. #3

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    I like them, but think they usually require a lot of fine tuning to bring them to their potential. On the other hand, I don’t think they offer any significant advantage over a P90.

  5. #4

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    Well, they are probably closer to Dynasonics than P90s. They are actually Gibson's attempt to copy the Dearmond (Dynasonic)... Here's a good read:

    "...the appearance of its square magnets, chosen by (Seth) Lover in a deliberate attempt to visually differentiate the pickup from DeArmond’s Model 200 pickup (later known as the Dynasonic). Cosmetics aside, the two pickups are very similar."

    Cult Coils: Lesser-Known Vintage Pickups - Premier Guitar

  6. #5

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    I know EVERYONE calls them staple P90s, but I die a little when I read that, because sonically, they have little in common with a P90. They are very HiFi, unforgiving, and to my ears, sound shrill and harsh unless you get them dialed in just perfect. They're not for everyone, but for me, when they're set up just right, they're hands down my favorite pickups. They "thwack" when you lay into them, and warm up when you soften your attack. I think they are really close to a Dynastic, but have a little more clarity, and less grind. For what it's worth, I think the Duncan repros are spot on.

    Staple P-90 Pickups-c194fbb7-2cc1-4855-9ffc-9ac957ac0f71_1_201_a-jpg
    Last edited by customxke; 05-05-2021 at 07:10 PM.

  7. #6

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    actually most people I know call them Alnico's

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by wintermoon
    actually most people I know call them Alnico's
    For 30 years of my life, they were "Alnico Vs", but in the last handful of years they've become "staples".

  9. #8
    customxke, I'm pretty curious what's entailed in the right setup. I know people say that you have to have the right pickup height for dynasonics and I'm assuming it's similar here. Do you use custom shims under the pickups to get the sound you want? Or did you just mean adjusting the height of the magnets?

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
    customxke, I'm pretty curious what's entailed in the right setup. I know people say that you have to have the right pickup height for dynasonics and I'm assuming it's similar here. Do you use custom shims under the pickups to get the sound you want? Or did you just mean adjusting the height of the magnets?
    For me, it’s adjusting the magnets. They’re hyper sensitive....a 1/4 turn is the difference between “nope” and the sound of a choir of angels.....hyperbole intended. I set the D and G on the neck pickup, and work from there to find a happy place between tone, volume, and balance. There is often bourbon, cursing, rosemary and thyme involved. YMMV

  11. #10
    Cool last question. Would you rather sell me the L5 CES or the Byrdland?

  12. #11

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    Staple P-90 Pickups-132-jpg
    I installed SD Alnico V staples in the neck position of these Douglas and Yunzhi guitars I no longer own.

    The p90s that came with the Yunzhi went to the bridge position of each guitar. Just to cover the openings. They were connected in the circuit but hardly used.

    Mod included two new harnesses, CTS Pots and Switchcraft toggle switchs and jacks.

    Later on swapped the bridge pickups. The Douglas with the two Wilkinson p90s was traded in 2016 to purchase another instrument.

    I played the Yunzhi with the Alnico Vs for three years. Then I also traded it in towards another instrument.

    I could get nice Wes tones from the Alnico V staple pickups in both guitars, one laminated and the other carved.

    It took only to adjust the height of the magnets with a small screwdriver while using one VU meter from my open reel recorder to get the output of each magnet balanced.

  13. #12

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    I dig 'em. Staples, Dynasonics - pretty much the same thing. My guess is that Ted McCarty's instructions to Seth Lover were to: "completely rip off this pickup but make sure we don't get sued." The operation was a success. TV Jones T-Armonds get pretty close as well, IMO.
    Attached Images Attached Images Staple P-90 Pickups-gib-lp-crbb-ww-lo-jpg Staple P-90 Pickups-gib-lp-r4-cs-lpb2-jpg Staple P-90 Pickups-tele-wengecaster-front_0645-jpg Staple P-90 Pickups-gib-r4gt-les-mary_9237-jpg 
    Last edited by Hammertone; 05-07-2021 at 04:09 AM.

  14. #13

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    I had a Seymour Duncan Custom Shop Staple remake once in a black Les Paul, tried to make a LP Custom of it.

    I know something about the P90s but this Staple Alnico V was nothing like any. It sounded HUGE! Clear highs, loud and deep bottom. A bit hifi compared to a P90. Loud hifi!

    After all I sold the guitar and pickup. But it was interesting experiment.

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by Herbie
    I had a Seymour Duncan Custom Shop Staple remake once in a black Les Paul, tried to make a LP Custom of it.

    I know something about the P90s but this Staple Alnico V was nothing like any. It sounded HUGE! Clear highs, loud and deep bottom. A bit hifi compared to a P90. Loud hifi!

    After all I sold the guitar and pickup. But it was interesting experiment.
    I've only seen one instance of these IRL; a black Les Paul Custom with "Prototype" engraved on the truss rod cover. It was in a glass case in a shop I frequented, mostly for picks and strings and sundry small parts. It's my long-standing policy never to try anything I don't have the cash on me to BIN, so....
    I did see a lot of very nice guitars in that case, over the years. The shop was one of the oldest in the region to have authorized distributorships for Fender, Gibson, and Heritage, not to mention the Brass and Woodwind lines. There was a shop next door owned by the same family that made hot fresh perogies on site. Nourishing the body as well as the soul.

    I do really like the idea of staple pickups. Not to be, I guess.