Mini-humbucker With Rails

[elynnia]

Hiya,

I'm planning on electrifying a cello using a guitar pickup, although so far there's been the problem of the string spacing not matching that of either guitar or bass. Recently I found a mini-humbucker pickup for Strat that fits into a single-coil slot and has two parallel rails on top - is it correct that these pickups pick up sound along the entire length of the rails?

thanks,

elynnia

[Samba Pa Ti]

it should but im not 100% sure.

are cello strings metal ?

[Marzocchi705]

You can get steel cello strings, as well as gut and a few other types. Id just get a good bridge mic for you cello, it will probible be the best option. UNless you really want to go ahear with the rail PU.

[elynnia]

As with the strings - there's a manufacturer that makes flatwound cello strings in the same manner as guitar strings, so it should behave magnetically like any other guitar strings.

As for the pickup, I would much rather prefer a guitar-style pickup, because I can plug it into effects pedals and the such - I'm not a classically-trained cellist, but rather I bought the cello to experiment with even more different sounds and playing techniques (I want to use the cello for alternative/innovative rock - as for playing, I leant classical double-bass for over two years, and the technique is similar to cello.)

thanks,

elynnia

[SwedishLuthier]

To answer your question:

Yes the rail pickup will work. It senses string vibration all along the rails length.

[Samba Pa Ti]

afaik lace sensors work the same as a rail pickup (modern ones) since they dont have pole pieces and use a comb they should work too

[lovekraft]

What's the string radius on a standard cello near the bridge? You're probably going to have problems compensating the D and A strings if you use a standard guitar pickup, since they'll be quite a bit farther from the pickup than the G and E strings.

[Marzocchi705]

another reason why a mic is better that a guitar pickup in this aplication.

[Jalien21]

i wonder if there's some way you can bend the pickup.... radius the whole thing... heh. heat it up and bend it over a radius board or something... do it, you wont

[Marzocchi705]

That wont work, one, if you heat it to that high a temprature to bend the metal the coils will melt, and you try recoiling anything with a radius. Its not hapening.

[SwedishLuthier]

You can always try winding your own. That wouldn't be to hard. I'm planning an electric cello for a friend’s daughter, so I try it myself. I will make a pickup with different coils for each string, and adjustable pole pieces. I might be able to do it for you. PM me