Author Topic: Wooden Pick-Up Cover Plates? (Read 258 times)

scott · « **on:** October 08, 2004, 11:42:22 AM »

While I am at it how do Alembic or some high end companies create the wooden coverplates for their pick-ups. You obviously can't just carve a little box that fits up the PU and cover it without effecting the PU response?

palembic · « **Reply #1 on:** October 08, 2004, 12:16:59 PM »

Well Scott ...you say it a little ...well ...oh ...uhuh ...how shoudl I say this ...uh ...rude maybe but basically that is the way they do it!!!!

Paul the bad one

son_of_magni · « **Reply #2 on:** October 08, 2004, 12:24:22 PM »

The wood doesn't effect the pickup response unless it's so thick that the pickup can't be close enough. It would be interesting to see one from the back and know the dimensions/thicknesses though.

lbpesq · « **Reply #3 on:** October 08, 2004, 12:52:51 PM »

Scott:

I suspect that covering pickups with wood is, electronically, no different that covering them with plastic or metal as most manufactureres do. It just takes more time and effort, hand construction individual to each instrument as opposed to some machine in Taiwan stamping out thousands of identical pieces. Just the type of thing that is one of Alembic's strong suits. Check out last month's custom The Lion's Roar in the custom archive section. It has burl pick up covers. Why don't we see this more often in guitars? Cost and workmanship I submit. Exactly why Alembic is Alembic.

Don't mind Paul. After all, he is the bad one.

Bill, the guitar one.

haddimudd · « **Reply #4 on:** October 10, 2004, 07:49:29 AM »

What Bill said:

http://www.alembic.com/info/doubleneck_details.html

karl · « **Reply #5 on:** October 11, 2004, 03:06:32 AM »

Jaydee (John Diggins) over here in the UK does some very nice 'mint humbug' style wooden pickup covers on most of his models. You can see some pics on his site: http://www.jaydeeguitars.com
Check out the Classic and GA24 models, for example. For any of you guys who haven't seen a Jaydee yet, be prepared to spot a resemblance to the classic Alembic body shape. They sound absolutely nothing like an Alembic (well, what does?), but they are very nice basses, all the same.

scott · « **Reply #6 on:** October 11, 2004, 05:52:47 AM »

I seriously apologize to everyone if the thread I created came out rude, I honestly just had no clue how the covers were made, and not being very knowledgable about PU's and there ability to pick up a strings signal I made some wrong assumptions, but again I did not in any way mean to come out as rude when trying to figure out how they are made, because I personally find them amazing when I see them on some of the Alembic guitars and basses.

haddimudd · « **Reply #7 on:** October 11, 2004, 08:26:33 AM »

Karl, IMO John Diggins is THE godfather of wooden pickup covers, at least his basses were the inspiration for the ones in the above link.

I don't know if Alembic ever did wooden PU covers before the doubleneck.

(Message edited by haddimudd on October 13, 2004)

bob · « **Reply #8 on:** October 11, 2004, 09:28:23 PM »

Scott - relax. I don't think anyone thought you were rude, nor that an apology is even worth thinking about.

TBO is not a native English speaker, and my best guess is that when he said 'rude', he really meant something more like a 'crude' (rough, approximate, not very specific or detailed) description.

No offense taken here. I think they're pretty amazing myself, and it's a fascinating process.
-Bob
(PS welcome, if we haven't been through that yet)

palembic · « **Reply #9 on:** October 11, 2004, 11:11:38 PM »

Oooops ...indeed Scott. I didn't mean no harm and I don't have alwyas the good words in my vocabulary ready to write.
What I meant was that INDEED you carve a little box .... Of course the little box is very carefully made, with different pieces of wood and great feeling for style and design (if you didn't know it yet: Alembic is now making a whole business out making boxes ....hehehe).

In fact this bring me to a point close to this one (only a teeny-weeny-bit off topic).
On a Series bass one can put the Dummy humcanceller anyware. With the first Series it was located under the bridge (I think Brother Funky Keavin's famous #12 is of that type).
So I can imagine that the DHC can be placed under a (thin) top wood too?

Now: wouldn't it be cool to have also the pick-ups hidden under the topwood? So we got 1 toplayer? No ...Not the pick-ups covered with continuous woodplates ? la Rami and the sea-going featured custom of the month september but simply under the topwood.
Consequences are maybe to huge: the body thicker and coming higher to the strings, other bridge and string locks, how can PU be made reachable??
We could have the complete tone control on the side on the top of the body??

It would look like a Piezo-bass ? la Rob Allen or Rick Turner but it WOULD be a full pick-up bass.

Just another wild idea from

Paul the bad one

Bob I really have to do something about my english before I can even think of coming to Alembicland.

(Message edited by palembic on October 12, 2004)

bracheen · « **Reply #10 on:** October 12, 2004, 03:00:13 AM »

Brother Paul
Your English is just fine. You're more articulate than a lot of the people I spend all day with.

Sam

mica · « **Reply #11 on:** October 12, 2004, 01:24:08 PM »

Ferrous magnetic materials have the most affect on response. These would not make good pickup covers. That's why we also don' t use magnetic steel screws to anchor the pickup, we use stainless.

The pickup isn't picky about what it's encased in if it's non magnetic. Magni is correct: you do need to keep the pickup shell thin enough to not place the pickup coil too far from the strings.