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I did a comparison video of a dearmond 1100 reissue and the dearmond 1100 original pickup. First of all this was pain in the ass in youtube and I am a horrible editor so please be patient. The first video is the reissue dearmond that is on my Heritage Ghost built D'angelico New Yorker. This is a brand new pickup available now. The second is a video of my Barker guitar with an original dearmond 1100 and it has been on the guitar since 1979. I just played a basic tune and some single lines at the end to get and idea of difference in sound. Note the guitars do have different strings but essentially that should not matter given the pickup sound is what we are going for and hopefully this helps. To me there is a difference but nothing that I can tell and nothing good or bad about either one.
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04-27-2024 03:30 PM
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Hard to compare being they are 2 different guitars and strings but i would say you can't go wrong with either pickup version.Thanks for the video's.
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In the playback as I listening these pickups work differently the humbuckers. The Heritage D'a is a brighter sounding guitar acoustically and sounds very different than the Barker. The Barker is a bit warmer with more mid-range not the top end of the Heritage and not quite the bite. I think these pickups essentially amplified those characteristics pretty good and reliable. What is tells me more than anything else is that the reissues work fine and look just like the originals but save you plenty of cash. I don't mind paying for something premium if it truly is above and beyond the regular stuff, but I also find there are diminishing returns.
Premium things to spend money on......well for one good beer, never buy the cheap stuff usually not worth it.
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Thanks for posting this. I was wondering about exactly this question lately (which is sort of silly since I don't even own an archtop).
Comparing the two, I like the sound of the original better. It's definitely warmer but they both sound very good and I have no way to know if the added warmth is the pickup, strings, or guitar. There is a definite vibe to both of them that I associate with these pickups and the new one certainly sounds like something I could easily live with given the easy availability and price regardless of the difference or where that difference originates.
A couple of questions if you don't mind. As I understand it both of these are single coil pickups. What is the hum/noise level like?
And what is the height of these pickups? This may seem like a really stupid question but is it thin enough to mount on the end of say a Tele fingerboard or does it need more height than that?
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I was very disappointed when I put the reissue on my D'A and expected to get the same sound that I got from the RC-1000 I used ages ago.
Then I remembered that I was expecting to get the same sound that I got from a PV Vintage amp with two SRO EV speakers which I used with the RC-1000, and it just can't be done with the amps I used to test it.
You've got to factor in the three elements involved in sound production on an amplified guitar- the guitar, which includes factors such as the strings, the pickup, and the amp, which includes the speakers.
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The Barker sounds warmer, but it’s impossible to tell what difference there might be because each guitar is different. The Heritage sounds fantastic in my book!
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Jim these are as thin as they come although the 1000 without the polepieces is ever a bit lower. You can get clearance even when the distance from the top of the guitar to the bottom of strings is 10mm. I can tell you these pickups make no noise at all and I have never had an issue with them making noise. In some cases they are not even grounded to the strings and still make no noise at all. You can run a ground wire to the tailpiece, but it is not necessary most of the time on these pickups.
Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
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Both sound nice. I have an original on an Artist Award that I wouldn't think of replacing.
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I hear more midrange, more "texture" in the vintage one. Granted it's not apples to apples but this is consistent with my experience about what makes vintage dearmond pickups unique in the first place: they all have a natural "growl" built in. Maybe they sound the same through the amp. It's a little tricky to tell how much has to do with the acoustic sound of the guitar masking the guitar amp.
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I think the different guitar makes the difference. There was no rocket science involved with Harry DeArmond's pickups and Fender/Guild had (has?) them reproduced in the Orient pretty damn well.
I have owned quite a few vintage DeArmond pickups (I still have three of them) over the years and I like them a lot for jazz. My only experience with the reissues is that I bought a reissue rod for use with a vintage example and it did not fit perfectly (the reissue rods are ever so thinner). I also had to have one of my vintage DeArmond 1100's rewired and it cost me almost as much to have that done as a new reissue would cost. Old stuff eventually needs renovation. If I was looking for a pickup for a modern guitar and wanted a DeArmond, I would opt for a reissue. If It was for a valuable vintage guitar, I would go for an original, but strictly for valuation purposes (I believe that a vintage example on a valuable vintage guitar enhances the value of both).
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It absolutely depends on the guitar as a dearmond is a microphonic pickup so it responds to the acoustic environment.
I also could do a video comparing a vintage 1000 ( no polepieces ) and a reissue 1000 ( no polepieces.) These are wound different than the 1100 and I actually think the reissue sounds better than the reissue of the 1100. I don't want to post a clip of each if there is no interest but I can.
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I'd love to see that comparison. Originally Posted by deacon Mark
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Tim Lerch has had a DeArmond Rhythm Chief pu in his tele. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
For Those Looking for Different Tele Neck Pickup Tone
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I just bought a reissue 1000, and I'm loving it after less than a day. It's well balanced across monel strings, and sounds slightly smoother overall than the 1100 I had on the guitar, if my memory doesn't fail me. It's thinner, a little cheaper, and maybe better sounding than the 1100, and I wish I had bought these before. It's not a huge difference, though. I really can't imagine that the original could sound better than the reissue, of either model.
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Sgo, you found out exactly what I was hearing. The 1000 is smoother than the 1100 and I really need to post my using it on my 1938 L5. I bought the L5 naturally from the acoustic standpoint it is a punch sound generator for sure. However, I put the reissue on the guitar just to have and I am liking the electric sound so good I keep plugging it in because of the sound. It is big and warm and full of tone. Possibly one of the best electric sounds I hear. To me it is cross between a single coil and P90 sound and makes no noise. I clearly would not be paying premium for vintage originals. Originally Posted by sgosnell
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I'd really love to hear that. Originally Posted by deacon Mark
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After hearing a reissue one under the hands of Ranniolo in last week's FV guitar night episode, and listening to some more examples on YT I must say it's a sound I could live with too. How well does this PU cope with brass or bronze wound strings, or how well can the trebles be turned down via the pole pieces to get a decent balance?
One thing that disappoints me is that it's not really a floating PU from what I can see. It rests on the top. Now the neck extension on my LH650 isn't actually floating itself so a PU leaning on that part of the top can't do much damping, but still I'd be more inclined to go for something where both sides are supported by the neck extension. If not only because that should give the cable a better chance to remain off the top (and it has to because I can hear buzzing if it doesn't; even if it touches the edge of the f-hole it goes down through).
How does the PU get fixed to the "stick" BTW, and how much of a buzz generator is that design?
(In short, if only they did a minimalist, non-vintage-look version that can drop-in replace a KA floater!)
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I've owned and played a Super-400C for a few years and the original DeArmond 1100 was fixed to the top of the guitar with silicone gel. That stuff didn't leave one trace when I took it off and the acoustic tone/volume of the guitar was the exact Originally Posted by RJVB
same with or without the pickup. So my conclusion is that the THICK top plate (even thicker near the end of the fingerboard) is so stiff that the light weight pickup does not affect the top's vibration, at least not in an audible fashion.
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None of my Dearmonds touch the top of the guitar. They are all mounted so that they suspend slightly above the top. This varies given clearance is different on every guitar. I too will say that simply using the putty has zero effect on the sound.
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It's possible to adhere the tab on the treble end of the pickup to the pickguard and keep it off the top. I don't do that, but it's possible. I don't like pickguards, so I need something else to keep the pickup in place. The rod works well on one end of it, and there is no rattle that I've ever heard, it's a friction fit of the rod in a hole through the pickup. I use putty to keep the pickup in place on the other end, and I think it improves the sound. There is no reduction in acoustic volume from that that I can hear, because the top can't vibrate there to any real extent. The DeArmond was designed to be used with non-ferrous wound strings, and it gives a balanced volume with them. The adjustable polepieces on the 1100 work, but with many guitars there isn't enough room under the strings to allow raising them much. It does depend on the guitar and the way the pickup is mounted, though.
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Thanks.
I only have a pickguard on mine because the PU cable has to be guided to the f-hole, and it has a volume thumbwheel. But it's a design of my own that's probably going to clear that tab just too much to be of any use. The putty improves the sound vs. no putty? I suppose because the PU has to be fixed as rigidly as possible? Originally Posted by sgosnell
Re: the pole pieces: I was more thinking of reducing the output of the 2 treble strings, but if the PU itself was designed for "acoustic strings" that may not even be necessary.
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If I recall correctly there's a significant difference in DC resistance between an original 1100 and the reissue, with the originals reading higher. That would almost certainly account for some difference in sound. With that said, I have a 1100 reissue on one of my guitars and it's a great sounding pickup.
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Well going back to this thread I can tell you that I like the sound of the 1000 reissue better than the polepieces adjustable 1100. They are actually wound differently for the E and B strings from what I am reading. This makes sense because to me the sound as long as you are in the middle of the pickup is just warmer and nicer with the 1000. I have gold reissue 1000 on my 37 NY and the 38 L5 has a nickel 1000. Through the amp I like the sound of these a bit better.
Just to throw a real example that pickups can be all over the place: I have custom wound Heritage pickup on my Heritage JS that I believe was rewound according to MartyG, by someone who did work for Heritage. It is a single coil in the same black encasement as a Heritage floater. This pickup is completely dead silent and sounds possibly as good as any floating pickup I have heard. It is a single coil pickup. I could post a video of it on the thread if anyone interested.
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I just run all the polepieces fully down (they don't go nearly as low as a regular humbucker, they stick up above the body) and the balance is okay, but again I don't normally use bronze or brass strings. I have had them on, and IIRC the balance was fine with them. But I can't guarantee that my memory is perfect.
The 1000 may be better suited to your purpose, but it's subjective. The cable already goes toward the f hole, it seems to be designed for that use. I have thumbwheels in the f hole on mine, attached with 3M mounting tape, and that works well for me. YMMV. Having the putty between the pickup and the top seems to impart a very subtle warmth, perhaps from the vibration of the top, perhaps from my imagination. It's certainly not something that jumps out. All I can say for sure is that the DeArmond Rhythm Chief is my favorite pickup, out of many different ones I have. I have more pickups than guitars. 
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I found the optimal balance with my 1100 reissue was achieved by fully removing the 'b' polepiece.
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