Rather than derailing the other thread any further, I thought I might be more "polite" to start a dedicated topic for the discussion.
How to fix pickups directly to the guitar body.
Why?
1. Pickup rings are ugly.
2. There might (?) be some sonic benefits from directly connecting the pickup to the body. Maybe.
(Don't think my ears would notice the sonic benefits, but my eyes would definitely notice the aesthetics!).
Quick mockup, using bits I had to hand ..
step1 Some alu bar, cut to the length = width of pickup cavity
step2 Drill some holes and fix it to the bottom of the pickup cavity (just imagine that the bit of old chipboard is actually the bottom of the pickup cavity!)
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Step3, fix pickup to alu bar ...
First option uses a bit of foam under the pickup, to add a little height adjustment
That didn't really give a lot of height adjustment though, so, second option ...
This uses a spring between the bottom of the pickup leg and the top of the bar. Much more effective at adjusting the height.
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So, conclusions ..
1. It'd work.
2. I just used standard pickup mounting ring screws (because that's what I had). Really, they'd need to be about half the length of standard ones so that the head of the screw sits tight against the top of the leg, to enable the height adjustment.
3. Springs needs to be longer than the ones I used, but again not as long as standard HB mounting springs.
4. The mounting bar should really have triangular/pointed ends, otherwise you'd be cutting a larger cavity than really needed.
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@darrenking - this is what I had in mind!
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Just a suggestion, and you can tell me to begger off i wont mind,
Why not make the pick up cavity in the back of the guitar same as a pot cavity but the same shape as a regular pick up cavity, and just a hole in the face of the guitar the same shape and size as the pick up, drill though the top deck for the adjusting screws
All you would then see is the pick up itself and the two adjusting screws, the screws could be disguised or set into a relief with wood caps on them.
Hope this makes sense,
Phil,
sometimes i amaze myself lol
@deej i am in the middle of designing my next build and have designed it around this idea, i have even toyed with the idea of veneering the pick up with matched wood so that the pick ups themselves are also invisible. (at a distance)
I have already modded some pick ups by making a thin ply wraparound with a wooden top just to see how it effects the pick up, does not appear to make the slightest difference in its performance,
I will try a mock up of this idea and post on here, i work stupid aclock shifts 4 on 4 off, but i will get round it.
Why not make the pick up cavity in the back of the guitar same as a pot cavity
@mezy - not a daft idea at all.
I think that's how dummy coils are often mounted (and hidden completely).
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