We can make small batches of custom-built pickups for manufacturers using wooden covers provided by customer or newly built ones from our workshop.
In short, we try to offer a custom shop service, starting from a custom design through to the production, after a prototype phase, according to the kind of instrument.
We also offer to every guitar repairman the opportunity to develop designs on custom, even by extraction of the pickup from the original cover (even if is dipped in epoxy) and making new pickups with improved performance exclusive feel, so as to avoid any structural variation to the instruments and to make assembly easier.
This time the our customer FAX has demanded to us after to have tried the new J59.5A series, he asked us for P5329.5A and J59.5A for its Yamaha BB415.
We have decided to recreate a fully sound P&J, paying attention to increase the bandpass and to avoid the classic clicking of the high frequencies to the transient attack.
Everything respecting typical Magnetics® building process: fully shield and epoxy enclosure to avoid abuse and squeals.
All these new models, will be present in the new 2007/2008 Magnetics® catalog.
Click on the next links to hear the samples:
P Pickup (neck)
P+J Pickup (neck/bridge)
P+J Pickup (neck/bridge with closed tone)
We have decided to recreate a fully sound P&J, paying attention to increase the bandpass and to avoid the classic clicking of the high frequencies to the transient attack.
Everything respecting typical Magnetics® building process: fully shield and epoxy enclosure to avoid abuse and squeals.
All these new models, will be present in the new 2007/2008 Magnetics® catalog.
Click on the next links to hear the samples:
P Pickup (neck)
P+J Pickup (neck/bridge)
P+J Pickup (neck/bridge with closed tone)
Cristiano asked us to give a new life to his Warwick Corvette 5 with MEC pickpus and passive controls.
He noted dramatic volume decreasing switching between his Modulus Graphite 4 with active pickups and electronics and Warwick, and it needed a new tone setup on the amp for each bass.
He also asked us to decide for a cheap solution and to avoid structural modifications on the bass, so we decided for a Magnetics TC05B tone control was right for his bass.
Original pickups have been maintained together the original balance and passive tone;
Volume has been changed with a push pull type for active / passive mode switching and Magnetics TC05B has been added.
This electronics has 4 onboard presets:
Gain, Mid Sweep, bass and treble; in addiction a micro switch SPDT for mid notch filter activation.
The bass have not any deep modification and is really straight to use. Switching on the active preamp instrument will sounds as presetted parameters, more definitions on bass and treble frequencies and thanks to the low impedance, high frequencies loss along the cable lenght have been avoided.
The micro switch acts around 1.000 Hz (peak can be presetted trough trimmered Mid Sweep) and it give to the bass a classical mid notch, and an amazing sound for "slappers" like Cristiano !!
He noted dramatic volume decreasing switching between his Modulus Graphite 4 with active pickups and electronics and Warwick, and it needed a new tone setup on the amp for each bass.
He also asked us to decide for a cheap solution and to avoid structural modifications on the bass, so we decided for a Magnetics TC05B tone control was right for his bass.
Original pickups have been maintained together the original balance and passive tone;
Volume has been changed with a push pull type for active / passive mode switching and Magnetics TC05B has been added.
This electronics has 4 onboard presets:
Gain, Mid Sweep, bass and treble; in addiction a micro switch SPDT for mid notch filter activation.
The bass have not any deep modification and is really straight to use. Switching on the active preamp instrument will sounds as presetted parameters, more definitions on bass and treble frequencies and thanks to the low impedance, high frequencies loss along the cable lenght have been avoided.
The micro switch acts around 1.000 Hz (peak can be presetted trough trimmered Mid Sweep) and it give to the bass a classical mid notch, and an amazing sound for "slappers" like Cristiano !!
The owner of the Ibanez 6 string bass equipped with Bartolini pickups, did not like the sound of his instrument, in his opinion too confused and crumbling.
Moreover, the electronics were unsatisfactory as he felt the sound was unbalanced in general.
Our suggestion was to replace the original electronics and substitute active pickups wich would provide better response in the passing band.
We made pickup covers in mahogany (the same timber as the body’ s) so as to avoid structural variations to the instrument and guarantee the chance to perfect restoration, in which two Magnetics® H633A were built and Magnetics® TC03B electronics substituted.
Moreover, the electronics were unsatisfactory as he felt the sound was unbalanced in general.
Our suggestion was to replace the original electronics and substitute active pickups wich would provide better response in the passing band.
We made pickup covers in mahogany (the same timber as the body’ s) so as to avoid structural variations to the instrument and guarantee the chance to perfect restoration, in which two Magnetics® H633A were built and Magnetics® TC03B electronics substituted.
Martin Miranda (a craftman at DeErro Guitars in Cohoes, NY) asked us for an enhanced P90, preferably with better passing band and more general power.
On the basis of the standard measurements of a well known P90 the original electrical features were kept, but thanks to oversized polar expansions and AlNiCo VI magnet bars, the resulting pickups, when measured, performed a resonance peak with strong enhance on the midrange, more Q factor and output level about 10% higher than the original.
On the basis of the standard measurements of a well known P90 the original electrical features were kept, but thanks to oversized polar expansions and AlNiCo VI magnet bars, the resulting pickups, when measured, performed a resonance peak with strong enhance on the midrange, more Q factor and output level about 10% higher than the original.
We were asked to make a pickup for a 1973 Rickenbacker bass recycling the cover of the original neck pickup, in the customer’ s opinion a little weakened and lacking bite.
We disassembled the pickup, reconstructed the flanges for a new bobbin, and we used 4 x 6 mm. AlNiCo V hot rods, so as to keep the original pickup’s electrical features.
The following steps were the saturation of the bobbin in vacuum and a complete shielding to buck the typical hum as it is a single coil pickup.
The outcome was valuable: the output level is about 10% higher than the original’ s and the timbre is much more smooth and definite.
We disassembled the pickup, reconstructed the flanges for a new bobbin, and we used 4 x 6 mm. AlNiCo V hot rods, so as to keep the original pickup’s electrical features.
The following steps were the saturation of the bobbin in vacuum and a complete shielding to buck the typical hum as it is a single coil pickup.
The outcome was valuable: the output level is about 10% higher than the original’ s and the timbre is much more smooth and definite.
A customer put us an order for a newly built 4 string Music Man pickup for his own Modulus Flea Bass.
As he said, the original Bartolini pickup did not have a typical Music Man “punch”; also , even through an Aguilar OPB-1 preamp, the bass performed poorly in midranges.
We were also requested to make the pickup noiseless and squealness.
The work was very simple:
8 AlNico V pole pieces were used; we made and exact reproduction of an old Pre-Ernie Ball Music Man pickup and added a couple of noteworthy enhancements, using a slightly thinner wire to increase solenoid’ s inductance and make the sound slightly richer in midranges.
In the end, the pickup was shielded with silver base conductive paint and the bobbins were hermetically sealed in epoxy.
As he said, the original Bartolini pickup did not have a typical Music Man “punch”; also , even through an Aguilar OPB-1 preamp, the bass performed poorly in midranges.
We were also requested to make the pickup noiseless and squealness.
The work was very simple:
8 AlNico V pole pieces were used; we made and exact reproduction of an old Pre-Ernie Ball Music Man pickup and added a couple of noteworthy enhancements, using a slightly thinner wire to increase solenoid’ s inductance and make the sound slightly richer in midranges.
In the end, the pickup was shielded with silver base conductive paint and the bobbins were hermetically sealed in epoxy.
In this case, we were asked to customize some Ibanez (actually built by Artec Sound) pickups belonging to BTB405 which the owner found to be powerful but with a crumbling sound and poor in the midranges.
The first delicate operation was emptying the original covers to guarantee the modification to the instrument without any structural variation.
Later Magnetics® J45AR active pickups were built in order to provide the instrument with a more guttural sound and more presence in the general mix;
the Magnetics® TC03B 3 band tone control substituted for the original electronics gave the instrument less noise and battery consumption reduced to 1/3.
The first delicate operation was emptying the original covers to guarantee the modification to the instrument without any structural variation.
Later Magnetics® J45AR active pickups were built in order to provide the instrument with a more guttural sound and more presence in the general mix;
the Magnetics® TC03B 3 band tone control substituted for the original electronics gave the instrument less noise and battery consumption reduced to 1/3.
