D'angelico EXL-1 floating pickup

[RayS]

Hello,

I have a 2015 EXL 1 , The floating pick up is very low under the strings (much lower than any of my other instruments) .
I would like to bring it up a tad, however, it's resting on a felt like pad and the whole thing seems "glued" to the body .I can't budge it , in essence it's not "floating"...D'angelico told me the felt pad under the pick up is to raise it .....
Any ideas?

Thx

Ray

[2bornot2bop]

Uh boy. Someone screwed up. But when you do get it up understand the PU is trash. Replace it for much better results.

[RayS]

I raised the poles , that worked ok

R

[JazzWhiteBelt]

It’s worth noting that in recent years they have used a Duncan Johnny Smith on that guitar.

[RayS]

It’s worth noting that in recent years they have used a Duncan Johnny Smith on that guitar.

It sounds lovely..But my gb 10 's floaters are not really touching the body.....

Ray

[Cunamara]

Looking at photos on the Interwebs, it appears that the pickup is mounted onto the pickguard; to raise the pickup, you would also have to raise the pickguard if that is the case. I don't know that the pickguard is or isn't designed for that to be doable without some fiddling around and maybe modification. My hunch is that the manufacturer was aiming at a more "acoustic" rather than "electric" tone, so the pick up is mounted low.

If yours has the Seymour Duncan Johnny Smith pickup, that's a pretty fine pickup.

[Gabor]

Uh boy. Someone screwed up. But when you do get it up understand the PU is trash. Replace it for much better results.

in my 2016 It is definitely not trash, actually the best sounding PU, compared to my others (similar to Benedetto in my AR 371, and definitely way better than the Kent replica in my 810).

[peejay]

How low is the pickup on your guitar ?
On my 2009 Korean made EXL 1 the floating pickup is attached to the pickguard and definitely not stuck to the top of the guitar, although there is a felt pad stuck to the bass side of the bottom of the pickup to prevent it pushing down onto the top of the guitar. On the 6th string side the top of the pickup case is 2mm from the bottom of the string and on the 1st string side 2.5 mm. The pole pieces are wound all the way down. I can alter to a small extent the pickup height by adjusting the screws attaching the pickguard to the top of the guitar, moving it up and down, however if the pickup is actually stuck down you won't be able to do this .

[Jimmy blue note]

Hmmm, can you post some photos? There might be enough clearance if it's not flush with the level of the fingerboard so you can raise the pickguard, to which that pickup is attached, a little bit (a little goes a long way in the world of pickups). You can remove the neck pickup screw and you'll find that there's a little rubber/plastic spacer bushing between the pickguard and the body of the guitar. You can replace that with another one that's a tad prouder. In the past I've fashioned little wooden blocks or made a new bushing from plastic or rubber tubing. You can get surgical tubing for a more forgiving adjustable height (fender uses this time tested method on their pickups) or a piece of aquarium tubing easily acquired from your hardware store.
Little bit hard to say if it'd work in your case without a photo of the pickguard height in relation to the height of the fret tops at the end of the fingerboard. But you can make an eye assessment and you'll know, and it's reversible so maybe the solution is easy.
Good luck
Hey just to plant an idea in the soil of possibility, you can get a new D'Armond Rhythm Chief 1000 for a little over $100 on Reverb and the sound of it does justice to the efforts of replacement IMHO. Those pickups have a very thin profile depth and will surely fit in there if it's a matter of clearance. The new ones (reissues) are surprisingly good too!

[2bornot2bop]

in my 2016 It is definitely not trash, actually the best sounding PU, compared to my others (similar to Benedetto in my AR 371, and definitely way better than the Kent replica in my 810).

I didn’t mean to say it was trash, though I did. I meant to say that it’s inferior to other pickups. But hey, that’s spending another $200 on the guitar, plus install costs if you’re not doing the work yourself, on an inexpensive guitar. I’ve owned 4 of these, but they were the early versions, which likely isn’t the same PU.

[RayS]

Hmmm, can you post some photos? There might be enough clearance if it's not flush with the level of the fingerboard so you can raise the pickguard, to which that pickup is attached, a little bit (a little goes a long way in the world of pickups). You can remove the neck pickup screw and you'll find that there's a little rubber/plastic spacer bushing between the pickguard and the body of the guitar. You can replace that with another one that's a tad prouder. In the past I've fashioned little wooden blocks or made a new bushing from plastic or rubber tubing. You can get surgical tubing for a more forgiving adjustable height (fender uses this time tested method on their pickups) or a piece of aquarium tubing easily acquired from your hardware store.
Little bit hard to say if it'd work in your case without a photo of the pickguard height in relation to the height of the fret tops at the end of the fingerboard. But you can make an eye assessment and you'll know, and it's reversible so maybe the solution is easy.
Good luck
Hey just to plant an idea in the soil of possibility, you can get a new D'Armond Rhythm Chief 1000 for a little over $100 on Reverb and the sound of it does justice to the efforts of replacement IMHO. Those pickups have a very thin profile depth and will surely fit in there if it's a matter of clearance. The new ones (reissues) are surprisingly good too!

Thx everyone for all the replies, here are pics of the PU... .

Although the action looks high on these pics..I can tell you it is not.....

It's a 2015 MIK....

Ray

[Peter C]

In the pics the pickup is practically flush with the fingerboard and the pole piece on the low E stands above it, so not sure how that works out when you fret the string...?

[RayS]

In the pics the pickup is practically flush with the fingerboard and the pole piece on the low E stands above it, so not sure how that works out when you fret the string...?

I can't reach that far down the neck of that guitar on the low "E"...But it clears cleanly ....

Thanks

Ray

[Cunamara]

Well, that is about as high as you would want the pickup IMHO. There should be about 1/8th inch or 2 mm between the underside of the string and the top of the pick up cover, when the string is pressed down at the last fret.

Looks like you could just back off the pickguard's screw at the front of the pickguard (photo 3) and it should come up a bit more, since there is a piece of rubber tubing acting as a spacer between the pickguard and the top. Some compression is visible in the tubing. That will raise the pickup, but eventually it'll start buzzing against the strings.

If you are comparing pickup output between this and the pickups on an Ibanez GB10, be aware that the latter has exceedingly hot pickups for a floating archtop. I have never found another mini humbucker floating pickup with the output provided by my '81 GB10. Even the Classic 57 that I modified into a floater for my 17" archtop is nowhere near as hot.

[RayS]

Well, that is about as high as you would want the pickup IMHO. There should be about 1/8th inch or 2 mm between the underside of the string and the top of the pick up cover, when the string is pressed down at the last fret.

Looks like you could just back off the pickguard's screw at the front of the pickguard (photo 3) and it should come up a bit more, since there is a piece of rubber tubing acting as a spacer between the pickguard and the top. Some compression is visible in the tubing. That will raise the pickup, but eventually it'll start buzzing against the strings.

If you are comparing pickup output between this and the pickups on an Ibanez GB10, be aware that the latter has exceedingly hot pickups for a floating archtop. I have never found another mini humbucker floating pickup with the output provided by my '81 GB10. Even the Classic 57 that I modified into a floater for my 17" archtop is nowhere near as hot.

AHHH, yes , I was comparing pup output and the mini humb...is wayyyy lower... I'm using it with a fender mustang micro headphone amp + bluetooth (clean amp setting) and I find i'm running out of level.....

Thank you for that info...much appreciated.. I've tried raising the pick guard but no go! the whole thing seems fixed to the body....

Ray

[RayS]

Update on this,

I've gone the other way which was to lower the action..have no idea why I didn't do this before..so I could lower the poles back to normal and now it's has much better clearance and level....see pic compared to previous ...

It seems the foam under the pup just dried out and is now more or less "solid" I will try separating it in 2 with a sharp blade.

Thanks

Ray

[Jimmy blue note]

In my opinion, it looks tight. For me (not even suggesting it no less recommending it), I'd remove that foam beneath the pickup and snug the mounting screw a turn or two. If that bushing is hard, I'd sand it down a smidge and then screw it down till the pickup was just off the top. That'll give you plenty of magnetic signal and may even mellow the sound by putting some distance to the strings.
By the way, the action being lowered will only minimally effect the pickup/string relationship. The leverage at that point is such that to the fretted end of the string to the bridge, the height differential will be minimal. Use the action adjustment for playability, not pickup height.
And do think about a D'Armond Rhythm Chief. I can't recommend them enough.

[RayS]

In my opinion, it looks tight. For me (not even suggesting it no less recommending it), I'd remove that foam beneath the pickup and snug the mounting screw a turn or two. If that bushing is hard, I'd sand it down a smidge and then screw it down till the pickup was just off the top. That'll give you plenty of magnetic signal and may even mellow the sound by putting some distance to the strings.
By the way, the action being lowered will only minimally effect the pickup/string relationship. The leverage at that point is such that to the fretted end of the string to the bridge, the height differential will be minimal. Use the action adjustment for playability, not pickup height.
And do think about a D'Armond Rhythm Chief. I can't recommend them enough.

Well that's the thing the felt foam whatever is now "solid" I can't budge it...I did gain quite a bit of level by lowering the action! I just don't want the body"ish" sound that comes with the pup being tight or on a solid base with the body..

I had "more distance" before and I got more EMI noises than anything..now I have level and tone and noise is way down ..much better ....

To replace the pup I would need to somehow remove this one ..I've not found a way to do this just yet...

Thx

Ray

[Jimmy blue note]

I had "more distance" before and I got more EMI noises than anything..now I have level and tone and noise is way down ..much better ....

Best of luck with your beautiful guitar. May you use it to realize every beautiful sound you can imagine! Share the joy.

[Musgo Real]

Hello everyone, I own the same EXL 1 with the same year of manufacture 2015 from Korea as RayS. After seeing RayS's images, I picked up my guitar only to find that the pickup on my D`Angelico copy was set even lower. With RayS, the top of the pickup and the fretboard are on one level. Not on mine, so I had to screw the pole pieces higher accordingly. The PU is attached to the pickguard with a screw and nut but also strongly glued to the body with a piece of double-sided tape but without a piece of felt. Loosening the screw on the pickguard would not help alone to raise the pickups height. On the 12th fret I got 2,25mm on the low E and 1,75mm on the high E string (Thomastik JS 13). I play the guitar through a Roland Cube 60 and an Artec acoustic preamp EQ. The preamp EQ stops the heavy booming bass and sharp highs that my Kent Armstrong pickup unfortunately has. For my amateur skills I like the sound of the Kent Armstrong through the preamp enough that I still have shied away till today from the 300 euros that a Guild Rhythm Chief 1100 and a luthier will cost me.

[2bornot2bop]

That’s pathetic. It appears that in 2015 the factory cut corners and simply stuck the PU on there. Otherwise I hear these are decent guitars.

[Musgo Real]

That’s pathetic. It appears that in 2015 the factory cut corners and simply stuck the PU on there. Otherwise I hear these are decent guitars.

Sorry 2bornot2bop, my last post was expressed in a misleading way on my part. I have changed that. On the 2015 Korean made EXL 1´s, they did not simply stuck the pickup on the top of the guitar. Mainly the PU is attached to the pickguard with a scew and nut. But also stuck with a piece of double-sided tape to the top of the body. Don´t know why DAngelico or the Korean company (Samick?) did that.

[Jimmy blue note]

Sorry 2bornot2bop, my last post was expressed in a misleading way on my part. I have changed that. On the 2015 Korean made EXL 1´s, they did not simply stuck the pickup on the top of the guitar. Mainly the PU is attached to the pickguard with a scew and nut. But also stuck with a piece of double-sided tape to the top of the body. Don´t know why DAngelico or the Korean company (Samick?) did that.

Very likely, knowing that they designed an instrument with such tight clearances and the pickup they chose to go with it, they knew that on a pickguard attached floater chances were great that a high percentage of owners' PU's would hit the top. The arms on those low end Asian KA's are not thick. Any change in the pick guard could mean some nasty annoying buzzing at the very least. A little sticky tape is a quick fix and the top vibration at the end of the neck is pretty small there anyway. It's easily reversible. It'll come off if you wanted. It's there to dampen an almost inevitable occurance of vibration due to top contact. It works, I guess.

By the way, these babies are not outrageously expensive and they have the same two lead wires the KA runs into the pots. It's a soldering job, yes but a pretty straightforward and simple one.

That's available from Reverb here in the states. I have seen them even cheaper on Ebay when I've watched. Just so you can be aware of options.
A long time ago, I had an early model Korean Exel with an Asian KA in it. I did this switch over and it sounded really warm and classic to my ear. So much that somebody stole that guitar from me. But it worked. Beautifully.