Dearmond FHC or Rhythm Chief 1000 (balanced with bronze strings)

[Soulero]

Hi everyone

I'd like to get an vintage FHC or RC1000 (or even a reasonable priced 1100) that balances with 80/20 bronze strings for my Gibson L-7C. From reading this forum, it seems some are balanced and some are not with bronze strings. Thanks!

[deacon Mark]

Buy one of the reissue they work just as well. I have done extensive research and have a few threads on the sound.
The DeArmond 1000 original vs the 1000 Reissue judge? (jazzguitar.be)

[sgosnell]

They're all pretty much the same. The difference is mostly the opinion of the player. I agree that a reissue is the way to go. Vintage is just another word for old and used. The new reissues are quality products.

[ThatRhythmMan]

The reissues are nice pickups, but they are definitely not wound to the same specs and will behave somewhat differently.


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[Soulero]

So to clarify, I'm actually looking for a "monkey on the stick" version for easy removal and no drilling in the guitar. I have a reissue 1100 on another guitar and it sounds nice, but I had to drill two holes in the guitar to attach it with the mounting rod (which by the way is cheap and broke in the process and I had to order another), which I don't want to do on my 55' L7C which is in great condition and has no holes in it. Thanks everyone!

[cmajor9]

[QUOTE=ThatRhythmMan;1352601]The reissues are nice pickups, but they are definitely not wound to the same specs and will behave somewhat differently.

I have and use both, and this matches my experience. The reissues sound good, but the originals do sound a bit different and seem better balanced with acoustic (bronze) strings.

[deacon Mark]

This what you want the mount no holes. Then buy the reissue they actually sound better in some cases.

Monkey on a Stick – Reproduction DeArmond pickup mounting rod – Panique Jazz

[sgosnell]

Or you can mount the pickup using putty, such as BluTack. It holds securely enough, and won't harm the guitar at all. I've had it on a couple of guitars with nitro finish for years, and if I remove the putty I can see no difference at all between the area that had it and the rest of the finish. Whit Smith uses about a pound of it on his vintage Gibsons, but IMO that's severe overkill, and only a small amount is needed.

[arnie65]

Here's a suggestion, you can contact pickup maker Pete Biltoft at Vintage vibe guitars and have him make you a RC-1000 in an enclosure that's easy to install, in whatever specs you desire. He designed for me a RC-1000 made in the specs of the old RC with high resistance, in a mini humbucker enclosure. I installed it on a Tele I have, and the tone is thick, defined, clear, and very, very close to the old RC pickups. The price was as good as the pickup too!


PS. Pete builds pickups for some of the best boutique Luthiers in the U.S. and abroad.

Cheers,
Arnold

[omphalopsychos]

I for one, disagree with everyone trying to talk you out of getting the thing you want.

My recommendation is to get a monkey on a stick FHC. I have owned probably 10 or so of these over the years from different eras. I don't know why but the best sounding ones have been consistently from the early 50s. The year is indicated with a two digit numeral on the tab on the side of the pickup. You have to remove the plastic slip in order to see the tab. When you shop around, it's good to ask the seller to check the year. My favorite FHC of all time (possibly my favorite pickup of all time), is a '53. That one lives on my D'Angelico Excel.

Between the FHC and RC1000, the former is more low mid heavy and the latter is more high mid heavy. However, the good FHCs have a very crisp high frequency response in addition to the low mid girth. In addition, the FHCs have an inherent "growl" that's hard to describe. Amazing pickups.

The putty and other options don't solve for the need to mount a control box and jack. OP seems to want something absolutely turnkey and nothing beats the monkey stick for that application.

I do recommend to OP eventually to permanently mount the pickup with a neck rod and 1/4" end pin jack. That's the best mounting approach, but I also understand the desire to have something turn key while testing out pickups.

[Stringswinger]

My experience is that the vintage Dearmond pickups are all well suited for Brass/Bronze acoustic strings while the reissues are voiced for electric strings. The 1100 with the adjustable pole pieces is the best for getting perfect string to string balance, but the 1000 will do fine with standard string sets.

I think the Guitar Mikes sound great as well, but I prefer the more mid heavy sound of the higher end pickups and also like having a tone control.

Be advised that the reissue neck rods are a different diameter than the originals and are not perfectly interchangable.

[omphalopsychos]

Yes the new neck rods are a narrow diameter than the originals but the amount of tension on the pickups can be adjusted. They’ll mount just fine on the new rods by tightening the “gripping” mechanism in the pickups (adjusted from the back).

[deacon Mark]

[QUOTE=omphalopsychos;1352768]I for one, disagree with everyone trying to talk you out of getting the thing you want.

I have one FHC that came with my Dangelico NY I bought 41 years ago. I took it off and just played it acoustically for most of past 40 years. However, I did end up putting a 1000 reissue on the guitar about 5 months ago. It required no modifications I would not do that, and it sounds better at least electronically with nickel strings. However, it is minor difference the FHC pickup sounds superb for sure. I just don't like the control box and all the hardware on the tailpiece. Unlike, Marc I really don't want a tone control only a volume control using the amp for tone. In the end I think of saving the OP money but nothing wrong if someone wants the whole vintage package. The differences are not all that much but maybe the cool factor.

[Soulero]

Thanks everyone for the replies and helpful info! I found a good price on a FHC on reverb.