Archtop pickups

[nbevan3]

I am looking to change my pickup on a hand carved Archtop guitar. It needs to float as I want to keep the acoustic sound as it is.
Where should I be looking apart from:

Pickup Advice for a Gibson ES-175
Johnny Smith Style Humbucker | Lollar Pickups
Seymour Duncan Benedetto S6 Pickup | Seymour Duncan
Kent Armstrong Handmade UK
Kent Armstrong Pickups

I am UK based.

Thank you.

[ThatRhythmMan]

Pete Biltoft can make you a custom wound floating pickup in pretty much any format you like.

Vintage Vibe Guitar Pickups: Assorted Pickups


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[dconeill]

I think the "Kent Armstrong Pickups" link that the OP included was to the Asian-made Kent Armstrong pickups, not his handmade ones. I seem to recall that the ellipsoidal blue-and-white logo is for the Asian-made versions. Kent Armstrong's handmade pickups aren't easy to find, but I think they're available through Archtop.com and through DjangoBooks.com.

More to the point, the OP wants to "change the pickup" on their acoustic archtop, and wants a floater. In order to help answer the question, it would be useful if the OP would explain why a change is wanted, and what sort of result is being sought.

Is the pickup to be mounted to the end of the fingerboard or supported from the pickguard, or is a temporary mount (like the DeArmond "Monkey On A Stick" pickup) preferred? Is there a thickness restriction for the pickup? Where will the controls be mounted? Where is the output jack to be placed?

There used to be a guitar shop in London that featured jazz guitars. Ivor Mairants? I was' there 15 years ago or more and don't know if it's still a going concern.

What's the budget?

[Herbie]

You have plenty to choose from. I don’t know about the guitar or music You are playing but if it was me searching a pickup I would choose a classic one: De Armond Rhythm Chief 1100. Available as a newly made model too for a reasonable price.

I have never played one – I haven’t had a carved top instrument to put it on – but many players have achieved exceptionally fine sounds with it.

[gitman]

You have plenty to choose from. I don’t know about the guitar or music You are playing but if it was me searching a pickup I would choose a classic one: De Armond Rhythm Chief 1100. Available as a newly made model too for a reasonable price.

I have never played one – I haven’t had a carved top instrument to put it on – but many players have achieved exceptionally fine sounds with it.

It's a mystery to me that no one has actually documented an A/B comparison between the original DeArmond 1100 and the re-issue model. The originals go for inflated prices whereas the re-issue is cheap with a $180,- pricetag.
Do they really compare or is the new one only a design copy ? The sound of the original is well documented and I can attest to the very high quality : it's fat, warm, very dynamic and punchy without being dull or lifeless and the single-coil design helps in retaining the "air" in the sound. The somewhat crude and old-school housing (and the lack of potting it in wax) lets the unit be a little more microphonic which also adds to the specific sound it creates...
My Trenier "Jazz Special" guitar has a floating Kent Armstrong single coil pickup (housed in resin) installed and I really like the sound of it with that guitar. It's also got a second/tapped output lug so you can switch between the full output and a reduced output with a little more highs in the tone. Also not expensive and small enough to fit on most guitars.

[TAA]

I too wrestled with this decision. Retaining an unaltered top on my L-5 was important to me.

A Pete Biltoft single Charlie Christian replica pickup is what I had installed in Dec. 2022. So far I like how it sounds through my old 1953 Gibson GA-20.

I have a 1967 Johnny Smith single pickup in my parts bin, but there is not room under the end of the fingerboard to attach it. The guitar is a 1952 L-5C. When that guitar was made, the JS pickups had not yet “arrived”. I would have liked to use it but no go.

Is the Biltoft good for everyone? No one can say. What steered me towards the Biltoft was a video clip I saw and heard here last fall. It had the Biltoft unit on an older L-5. In my case, the Biltoft mounting bracket is glued to the underside of the pickguard. The pickup is offered in varying thicknesses, so you need to work with Pete to determine which unit to order. Despite being called a CC pickup, it does not mount like the original CC pickup. The last photo shows the mounting device that is located UNDER the guitar top, for an original CC unit. There (3) holes are cut into the guitar top for this, along with other openings for the pickup body, to accommodate this original unit.

Tom

[lesyeuxnoirs]

Hi - I’m also UK based

Contact Aaron Armstrong (details are in the Armstrong co.uk link you posted). He is Kent’s son. He will hand wind a top notch floater for you (it’ll be the same as buying from Kent in the US) and will be able to advise on what you want

I’ve had a couple from him. The prices are fair and the tone/quality is second to none. Great service and generally very quick.

Frans Elferink uses them in his builds. Enough said

[sgosnell]

I really like the DeArmond 1100 Rhythm Chief. I've tried multiple floating pickups on acoustic archtops, and it's what I've settled on. I like the sound more than any other I've tried. If you don't want to put holes in the side of the neck to attach the rod, you can use putty like Blu-Tack to hold it in place. Works fine, secure enough.

[nbevan3]

Hi - I’m also UK based

Contact Aaron Armstrong (details are in the Armstrong co.uk link you posted). He is Kent’s son. He will hand wind a top notch floater for you (it’ll be the same as buying from Kent in the US) and will be able to advise on what you want

I’ve had a couple from him. The prices are fair and the tone/quality is second to none. Great service and generally very quick.

Frans Elferink uses them in his builds. Enough said

I did wonder what the relationship was between the two Armstrong websites, thank you.

[lesyeuxnoirs]

I did wonder what the relationship was between the two Armstrong websites, thank you.

I would disregard the Kent Armstrong site given that you’re in the UK and in light of some of the comments above

The Armstrong co.uk. site is a retail outlet, run by Aaron in the UK. Used to be called WD music, as it happens. Sells all sorts, including the ‘far east’ branded Armstrong pups. I would ignore that for your current purposes

this is what you want

Armstrong Pickups

Aaron’s handwound pickups. This would be equivalent to our North American brethren going straight to Kent (Armstrong, that is)

His stuff is top notch. I would go for the 12 pole humbucker or the high output/adjustable output single coil. The ‘jazzy Joe’ is meant to be good and will give more of a Martin Taylor tone. Aaron will work with you if you have something specific in mind

I think most European builders (Elferink, Vanden) go to Aaron for their Armstrongs.

I can’t recommend him highly enough (no affiliation)

[jorgemg1984]

If you're in the UK, I've had experience with Bare Knuckles and Creamery Pickups.

I had the BK Stormy Monday on a 60s Guild X-500 for a long time and it's a very good pickup - ultimately it had too much bass for me, but it was the perfect pickup for a Jim Hall acoustic sound.

I had The Creamery mini humbucker in a P90 format and it was an excellent pickup. Jaime was great to deal with and was open to custom options. He also has a hollow-body specific humbucker, but that I never tried.

Custom Handwound Replacement Vintage and Modern Humbucker Pickups: Hollowbody Humbucker Pickup - Alnico 5

Good luck with the quest!

[Flat]

I also went for a DeArmond Rhythm Chief 1100 (reissue) for my 1945 L7, but every option in this thread is excellent, imho.

Guild DeArmond Rhythm Chief 1100 Pickup - Gold | Guild Guitars

[stevus]

I would disregard the Kent Armstrong site given that you’re in the UK and in light of some of the comments above

The Armstrong co.uk. site is a retail outlet, run by Aaron in the UK. Used to be called WD music, as it happens. Sells all sorts, including the ‘far east’ branded Armstrong pups. I would ignore that for your current purposes

this is what you want

Armstrong Pickups

Aaron’s handwound pickups. This would be equivalent to our North American brethren going straight to Kent (Armstrong, that is)

His stuff is top notch. I would go for the 12 pole humbucker or the high output/adjustable output single coil. The ‘jazzy Joe’ is meant to be good and will give more of a Martin Taylor tone. Aaron will work with you if you have something specific in mind

I think most European builders (Elferink, Vanden) go to Aaron for their Armstrongs.

I can’t recommend him highly enough (no affiliation)

I fully support this. Two of my KA pickups were made by Aaron, the last one less than a year ago build according to Benedetto specifications, the way KA made them in the past. Excellent pickups, unbeatable for the price, and definitely when you live in the UK. If you want something different, then also consider the beautiful Haussel Flat Jazz.

[oldane]

I can second the recommendation of Vintage Vibe PUs (Pete Biltoft). I have a HCC (single coil blade PU in humbucker mount) in two of my guitars (a laminate archtop and a partscaster) and a CC rider (actually the same as the HCC, just in another mount) in a Tele. Sounds great - haven't felt any lust for swapping since getting them more than 10 years ago. Pete delivers the PUs with extra user swapable magnets of varying strengh allowing for different PU "hotness" and tone characteristics. For jazz I have chosen Alnico II magnets, but he also offers Alnico V and ceramic (which are hotter). He makes floating custom PUs taking in account the room between the strings and the top on your guitar so the PU will fit there (some stock floating PUs are too thick for that, espicially on older guitars with the neck set closer to the top).

A mentioned above, handmade Kent Armstrong, Aaron Armstrong and D'Armond floaters are also highly regarded, but I have not tried them myself.

[Mark M.]

My Campellone was originally equipped with a Biltoft floating CC, which I like a lot. Recently, I asked Mark to make a second pickguard/pickup, this time with a Lollar floating gold foil. I can’t decide which one I like better. They are very similar. The CC has a bit more power and a bluesier sound. The gold foil is more acoustic sounding. Both are very articulate and responsive to variations in attack and volume/tone settings. Be sure to install 250k pots if you go with a single coil pickup. They make a big difference.

[nbevan3]

I contacted Aaron at

Armstrong Pickups and he recommended the Kent Armstrong Handwound Pickup.

I think I will go for that.

Thank you for your help.

[leroyspuds]

You have plenty to choose from. I don’t know about the guitar or music You are playing but if it was me searching a pickup I would choose a classic one: De Armond Rhythm Chief 1100. Available as a newly made model too for a reasonable price.

I have never played one – I haven’t had a carved top instrument to put it on – but many players have achieved exceptionally fine sounds with it.

I play rhythm guitar on old school numbers from the 20’s thru the 40’s and find the Guild Newark Street A150 with the Rhythm Chief 1000 to really fit the bill. It’s got a woody sound to me. I also have a Godin Jazz (they don’t make them any more) with a floating neck mini humbucker that I wish I could put a Rhythm Chief on. I need to find out if would fit.