Dearmond single coils

[walrus]

Since I have the "mickey mouse" pup, I'm still going to try the GFS, assuming it fits. I was assured via email that it would but I'll let my luthier decide for sure on Tuesday afternoon. I don't want to deface my guitar in any way.

You guys know a lot more about pups than me - I'm just trying to ramp up the sound a little if I can. Thanks for the pickup education!

walrus

 

[Walter Broes]

I sent an Email to GFS and asked about the tone of the GFS NY11. It's the one that Walter posted a picture of. I asked if that pup was more of a P90 and their answer was "well,sort of but more like the Dearmonds I already have in". I think I'll squash the idea and keep playing my Guild X700 with B&G P90 pup's in it.

I'd be very surprised if those GFS's sound much like a DeArmond 200 pickup. The big difference, construction-wise, between a DeArmond pickup and a P90, is that a P90 has steel screw poles and the magnet under the coil, and the DeArmond has alnico magnet poles.

The GFS pickup might look a lot like a DeArmond pickup, but is more like a P90 in concept and construction. For one thing, in a practical sense, it won't have the typical string pull a DeArmond has, because the magnets are a good deal further away from the strings.

 

[walrus]

Hey, Walter - do you think I'll get a different/better sound with the GFS vs. the "old" mickeys?

walrus

 

[Walter Broes]

I really don't know Walrus, but chances are they're a more powerful pickup with a fatter midrange content, from the description on the GFS website. Don (forum admin) has a pair of those pickups in a resurrected old Starfire, and he seems to like them just fine, maybe you should ask him?

 

[walrus]

Thanks, Walter, I just PM'd him!

walrus

 

[dklsplace]

Well......I've played a Guild electric with the Mickey Mouse pickup......but unplugged.

However, my experience with the GFS Retrotron series is that you will likely get a bigger, fatter sound. Darker than a typical single coil & certainly higher output. No adjustments on these other than shims if it's too low. Too far away from the strings will sound somewhat thin, but find the sweet spot & you'll be very happy!

Jay from GFS is also a former Guild worker from the Westerly era, & very helpful.

 

[billydlight]

I've pulled that cap off the back of a Mickey Mouse P'up definitely helps. Does not make it any more mellow or Jazzy tho. makes it a little more zingy which I like.

 

[walrus]

Thanks for the input!

walrus

 

[teleharmonium]

I've pulled that cap off the back of a Mickey Mouse P'up definitely helps. Does not make it any more mellow or Jazzy tho. makes it a little more zingy which I like.

Thanks for the info, I think I'm going to go ahead and do it. I really dig the mellow sound the guitar has now with those caps in place, but I figure it'll always be available by rolling back the tone knob a bit. A little more sparkle with the tone full up, though, could make it better for harder stuff.

 

[walrus]

Well, it's not going to work. When I got the GFS pup in the mail, it looked pretty good, but the 4 holes seemed slightly off. So I took it to my luthier tonight and we talked about it and looked very closely - it is not going to fit. Also, the pup is "higher", that is, it will be very close to the strings - and it is not adjustable like my original one is.

We talked about a custom made pup from Seymour Duncan, but that is more than I want to spend, especially since I am not really unhappy, just looking for a little more volume if possible. Interestingly, we talked about whether more power in the pup would really get more volume, since the guitar may simply feed back at a lower volume with a more powerful pup. i.e., is the guitar or the pup that causes feedback? and so on...

At the least, I learned a lot going throught this "exercise".

So I'm sending the GFS pup back, and keeping the guitar as is. And I will continue to play it often and with enthusiasm!

walrus