blackburncustomguitars

Hey Derek,

Acouple months ago, I finished a thick, chambered jazz tele for a customer with a quilted cherry body, padouk/ebony neck, and a nice strip of figured maple down the middle of the body. It is close to what you're proposing and looked great.

Peace,

Dave

I have some really nice paduak blanks that i will be gluing up in the next couple of days and I was going to add a flame maple stripe down the middle?  what do you think?  Might look cool?

the maple stripe would be 1/4 thick.

Paduak is a solid red color for those who don't know.

←

Well, it's about time, Stew-Mac. I've been ordering mine from Guitar Jones for some time nowPeace,

Dave

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Hardware,_part...p_Ferrules.html

←

Hi,

I would forget the Golden Age and go with either a Seymour Duncan JB ot a bridge SH-1. If you REALLY want to do it right, go to ron@stars.pickups.com and order a ZBS75 for the neck and a ZBS80 for the bridge.

Peace,

Dave

Ok, so i just put together a maple bodied bolt on neck Flying v. I had not planned on doing it but i was looking around on ebay and i stumbled across a v body that i ended up winning for 28 bucks. Anyway i put it together with parts that i had around here and the pickups that i had were humbuckers from a Saga LP kit. They sound bad, the neck is extremley muddy and the neck is shrill but very powerful. What i am looking for is:

1. A vintage type sound that is perhaps a little hotter.

2. Preferably an Alnico 5 magnet

3. It must have a nickle plated cover(the guitar has a mirrored pickguard and looks quite good with nicle covered pickups)

Please tell me what pickup would do this for me. I dont care what brand either.Also i should mention that the guitar is wired with 250k pots, so please keep that in mind.

What i am thinking of right now is using a SD Seth Lover in the neck and a Golden Age overwound from StewMac in the bridge,what do you guys think?

Thanks!

←

Hi

If you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary, but estraordinary in both clean and driven modes,go to www,starspickups.com and get a set of Bartolinis. Try an 80 for the bridge and a 70 or 60 for the neck. Wonderful tone, period. I'm not putting down the SD stuff; I use a lot of it, but for the price, if you want clean and beefy, I love those Barts. Good luck with your project and come back here often. Great people.

Peace

Dave

Right now I'm about to start my new project.  I'm using a mahogany back and neck, with a curly maple top, I'm ordering all of my supplies very soon.  I'll be using an Indian rosewood fretboard as well.  I was wondering what you'd suggest for my pickup selection.  I want something that goes well with the guitar, and I'm looking for a vintage classic rock/blues kinda sound on distortion but pickups that also play nice cleanly.  I'm not looking to spend a LOT of money, but I'll pay what I need (like I will not pay $120 per pickup for PRS pickups...).  I was looking at Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59 model pickups, but I'm not sure what's out there and the online samples aren't very helpful.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If all goes well I'll be posting pictures soon... 

←

Hi,

I'll help you out. I'm reputable, I know what I'm doing, and this isn't my day job, so I'm very affordable. Check out my feedback on Harmony Central, or I can provide references. I also work with you to use your design ideasPeace,

Dave

hi guys,

pardon me if i post this in the wrong department. i am looking for a luthier/guitar builder who can build a custom guitar at reasonable prices.

thanks as always,

dani

←

Hi everybody,

I've tried everything I can think of (?!!?) and I was wondering if anyone out there knows how to buy the variax electronics. A potential customer wants one of my customs but with the variax stuff in it. Any help will be greatly appreciated. I've already looked on the Line 6 website.

Peace,

Dave

Hi everybody,

Thanks to all of you who replied. You've been very helpful, and I really appreciate it.

Dave

You could try the guts from an electric Variax. Then you'd have the nylon string sound fed through the same simulators that the steel strings would have been fed through. It would truly be like a nylon string electric guitar. I mean it would be fake, and it would attack and sustain like nylon strings, but the algorithms would be the same. So it might produce pretty passable electric sounds.

←

Hi everybody,

A customer has asked me if I could make him a semi-hollowbody or chambered guitar with nylon strings that could be "picked up" and amped through a standard guitar amp. I really don't know what to say. This is not to be an acoustic. He wants an electric with nylon Strings. Any ideas?

Peace,

Dave

Oops, the second Bart should say ZBS 80. Sorry for the poor keyboarding skills.

Peace again,

Dave

Hi,

Actually, at most Guitar Centers here in the States, you can get many types of Sd's for $65 to $80 American.  I like the Bartolini's because if you buy in some quantities for MUCH less than the adveritsed price.  The ZBS 70 and *) are outstanding in tone.

Peace,

Dave

actually swineshead are 39 GB pounds... exchange rates for these are about 2.2 CDN

so 90$ CDN each, while seymours are 104$ each for normal models at my local shop...

( i said little LESS )

←

←

Hi,

Actually, at most Guitar Centers here in the States, you can get many types of Sd's for $65 to $80 American. I like the Bartolini's because if you buy in some quantities for MUCH less than the adveritsed price. The ZBS 70 and *) are outstanding in tone.

Peace,

Dave

actually swineshead are 39 GB pounds... exchange rates for these are about 2.2 CDN

so 90$ CDN each, while seymours are 104$ each for normal models at my local shop...

( i said little LESS )

←

I agree with the Barts. Contact Ron @ stars pickups and he'll set you up. Wonderful sound.

Good luck,

Dave

Bartolini

http://www.starspickups.com

http://store.pickupcentral.com/bartolini.html

←

Hi!

I'll build it for you, and I'll beat most prices because this is not my main source of income. I love to incorporate my customers' designs and ideas. Check my reviews on Harmony Central. Awaiting your call. www.blackburncustomguitars.com

Peace,

Dave

I have a design for a guitar I would like built, where would I go to have this guitar made, with a set neck (I was looking at Warmouth guitars but they said they only make bolt on necks) and custom headstock? What are good online sites or shops in new england to go for this?

←

Hi!

I have gone several different ways with pickups on electric 12s that I've made. I've used Seymour Duncan Jazz humbuckers to good effect. My best success has been to contact Pete Biltoft, who will make any sized pickups for you, voiced to your woods, etc., with a blade pole so there is no fall-off when bending. The P-90 size that fits in a humb rout is fantastic!

Dave

After researching for hours a day, Ive decided to take on a fairly ambitious project. A double neck 12/6 string guitar. Both set in necks. My only concern is Pickups. Am I going to need special pickups for a twelve string, Will I need two outputs, obviously two selectors. Two outputs seems the easyiest way to go seeing as this is my first two necked guitar. I was thinking of just building it as two seperate guitars that share the same body, but then I realised Id have top switch out chords. Any assistence on the subject will be greatly appreciated.

←

Hi!

I've used the 77 in the neck and the bridge. It is NOT a metal-shredding type pup. It DOES have great tone and can be driven. I've found that you can use pedals. etc. to create distortion, but a great clean is another matter. It is good for rock, blues, etc.

My local pawn shop has a Bartolini PBF77-D Bridge pickup.

I'm pretty much wondering if it has any good high gain applications?

←

HI!

You are going to love those pickups. Ron at Stars guitars is very helpful. Just a suggestion, though, and only my humble opinion, the best match I've found for the 80 in the bridge is the slightly more mellow 70 in the neck. This depends on the sounds you are seeking, however. Jus an opinion and worth about as much.

Peace,

I am about to try a Bartolini set comprising of a ZBS-80 in the bridge and a ZBS-75 in the neck...

I found an online retailer that sells them for roughly Seymour Duncan prices, so I can't wait to get my set and try them out.  The pitch I read on Stars Pickups sold me...

Check them out at: http://www.starspickups.com/ZBSelectric.php

and this is the place I am ordering them from: http://store.pickupcentral.com/bartolini.html

- Dan

←

A good match would probably be the ceramic Gibson 496r. Very musical, yet LOUD!

Dave

hey guys,

I new to this board and to guitar building,

so I'd like some help in with pickup selection.

I put a seymour duncan sreamin demon in my bridge position of my washburn, but I was wondering what would match nicely for the neck?

This guitar is mainly used for metal and heavy rock.

any suggestions?

Thanks a lot in advance,

great forum!

see ya,

Mike

←

Hi!

I've used the combo you recently purchased and have been impressed. If you're looking for heavy metal, go elsewhere. If you're looking for rich, full sound, great harmonics and string definition, these are for you. I tend to use the ZBS series more often as they are more plentiful, but you can't go wrong with Barts.

Dave

There is very nearly NO information on these ANYWHERE. There are like two reviews on harmony-central and none anywhere else. Myka has used the ZBS's a lot, but I haven't seen the PBF's anywhere - except on my desk! I just recieved a PBF-49 vintage neck and PBF-57 jazz/rock bridge (bit higher output than the vintage group). The ones I got are nickel covers, and all of the PBF/ZBS series pickups are potted in black epoxy. The wire construction is excellent, with perfect soldering and careful attention to detail. These pickups are rock solid. I think you could run over them in a car without hurting anything but the mounting ears, and there's no way there'll be microphonics problems. I ordered them from www.pickupcentral.com, which I would recommend to ANYONE. Phil's a great guy, best service I've ever seen, great prices, and fast shiping.

Anyway, here're a good picture of 'em, since even decent pictures aren't available anywhere (please note, I took two different pictures of the same pickup and combined them into one file. The two pictures are of the same pickup. The pickups are exactly standard humbucker size):

I'll be finishing up my walnut and maple stratocaster in the next week or two and putting 'em in, and once I get the whole thing going I'll let everyone know how they sound - I have high hopes.

←

Hi!

I like the Vintage Vibe pickups, but contact Pete and ask him to overwind both of them, especially the bridge. You will find him receptive to whatever you want as far as sound goes, and he makes them for your guitar, woods, etc.

Dave

I am building a tele style guitar and cant pick which pickups to get without hearing them its a toss up between the duncan antiquity pups, lindy fralin stock tele set or vintabe vibe tele pups, just curious what everyone else prefers as the best possible pups for a tele also whats the difference between the hybrid and stock staggered poles, just curious which would be better for a allparts 22 fret tele neck.

Thanks any help would be great

←

I'm probably sounding like a broken record, but I have to say that you should check out Pete Biltoft of Vintage Vibe Guitars. www.vintagevibeguitars.com He will voice your pickups exactly to match your woods and playing style. Great guy and a great price. His e-mail is cynpete1@earthlink.net Of course if you have unlimited funds, go for Harmonic designs. They are fantastic!

I am putting a tele style guitar together but cant decide on which pickups i should get if any one knows of any pups that have a vintage sound but can still be used for many types of playing let me know, i was looking at some fender vintage noiseless and emg-t but have never heard them and cant decide

any help would be great

←

I'm probably sounding like a broken record, but I have to say that you should check out Pete Biltoft of Vintage Vibe Guitars. www.vintagevibeguitars.com He will voice your pickups exactly to match your woods and playing style. Great guy and a great price. His e-mail is cynpete1@earthlink.net Of course if you have unlimited funds, go for Harmonic designs. They are fantastic!

I am putting a tele style guitar together but cant decide on which pickups i should get if any one knows of any pups that have a vintage sound but can still be used for many types of playing let me know, i was looking at some fender vintage noiseless and emg-t but have never heard them and cant decide

any help would be great

←

Hi,

For the two singles, I'd contact Pete Biltoft at Vintage Vibe Guitars and describe the wood, etc. of the guitar. He builds a very nice sp-90 that has most of the "guts" of a P90 in a strat sinble coil size. He custom winds tham for you and doesn't charge an arm and a leg. Also, you might want to check out some of the Rio Grande models. They are very good. As for the humbucker, if you're looking for super hot, try a Gibson 500t or an Anderson HN3 or HN3+. The aftermarket Gibsons and all of the Andersons, to my knowledge, have 4-conductor wire. Of course, you could always go the old SD way, but I find that some of these other options have tremendous tone and character.

Best,Dave

ok so i want to change my guitar's pickups...

its setup is: H/S/S

controls are:

-3 on/off switches

-one 3 way switch (not sure what exactly it does)

-2 tones and 1 vol

now, i'd like to know what pickups would be good and pretty cheap to get... i want the very best possible clean sound and maybe a "metal" bridge humbucker.

i'm also interested in a coil tap for the hum... Do i need a lot of complicated wireing and/or a special humbucker?

what are my options?

thank you very much

←

Thanks, Jivin' I wasn't sure if I could post my website or not. Another site, which will remain unnamed, is really **** about not allowing that. This site is MUCH friendlier. Thanks again.

Dave

http://www.blackburncustomguitars.com

←

Lovekraft - nobody said it HAD to be easy, but it sure would be nice if it was.  Fair enough that they don't want to be the next Seymour Duncan, but our very own Jon Bell (of Swineshead Pickups) is a complete independent, and yet he made the effort to create an accessible website that gives exactly the kind of information I'm looking for.

If Jon can do it, why can't Bartolini-- which despite being a small company, is still established enough to have distribution in mainstream channels?  Nobody said it had to be easy, but come on-- it's not only good 'marketing' sense, but good common sense to establish a connection with your customer.  If you only want to sell a few specialized pickups, that's great, but you should STILL want to make a potential customer feel invited to the 'party'.

Even the 'starspickups' link provided by Dan has more information than Bartolini's own website! 

As for trying them out-- I'd be curious to hear about any strategies for tracking down and testing a set of Bartolini-equipped guitars.  If I'm lucky enough to find even ONE (not likely), who's to say it'll have a combination of pickups and electronics that suits what I'm looking for?  I might find a jazz player's setup when I'm more interested in a rock player's rig or a hybrid rig.

And finally-- I'm a pretty big Tuck Andress fan. 

Dan -- cheers for those links, and while the project is still many many months away, whenever I get around to it, I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out!

Not meaning to rant, and I'm certainly not intending any negative energy toward you, personally, Lovekraft.  Au contraire, I 'feel the love' of people trying to help. 

←

Hi!

I use a LOT of Bartolini's in the guitars I build,(see self-explanatory website). I have found that they are especially effective in the neck position full, rich tone, but not muddy. In the bridge, The ZBS 80 is about the best option. Not as powerful as some, but good. I like to combine an Anderson HN2 or HN3 in the bridge for bite and definition with a Bart PBF 49, ZBS 60, or ZBS 70 in the neck. Very good combo.

Dave

Whatever else you do, set your guitar up for, and use, a set of 13's.  That, along with some Texas specials, might get you part way there.  The rest is in your fingers.

Good luck,

Dave

I'm currently working on a scratchplate for my project so the time has come to decide how I want the thing wired, so I can drill apropriate holes.  I like the versitility of standart strat wiring but want something a little hotter (think Stevie Ray Vaughn meets David Gilmour) in my current strat I've got two stock singlecoils with a hotrail style humbucker at the bridge, to try to approach that type of tone, though I find it a little to harsh sounding.  Also, I wouldn't mind a little more versatility so was thinking of doing something like this. 

Anyway, any ideas, recomendations or general pointers you can give me would be apreciated...

←

Hi, Tony,

I've used the 1 meg pots with hums with good success. They tend to give you a bit more volume. I'm not quite sure what they do to the highs, but they sound good to me - both tone and volume.

Dave

I've been interested in trying this out instead of the standard 500k ohm pots.  Anybody got any stories or opinions to share?

Also, if you wire up in standard Les Paul style configuration, do you use 1Meg pots for both the voluume AND the tone control??

←