Building the impossible ... from Oil City

OilCityPickups · October 2017

The brief: take two pickups from an Ovation copy ... harsh, thin and weedy ... and re work them into fat, powerful, modern rocking humbuckers.

The challenges ... the pickups are the same as fitted to some far eastern Gretsch models ... and the covers had to be reused. The ceramic bar magnets are a totally odd size ... so a quick swap to a standard alnico is out of the question. Sure you could use a much narrower SC size humbucker magnet with a filler iron shoe ... but the magnet mass would be well down, and so would the power.

After a lot of thinking and a couple of false starts, I decided to go for a 'mini wide range' approach: Both bobbin pairs would be replaced with custom laser cut flatwork

and rod magnets would replace the pole screws. Radical ... and requiring a lot of custom CAD design, but the only way to keep the magnet mass high.

The part completed bridge pickup 52mm bobbins ... the neck is more of a challenge as it is a totally odd 50.25mm spacing, and accuracy is critical.
To be continued .....

OilCityPickups · November 2017

The next stage ... those pesky neck bobbins. And phew ... both sets of new bobbin/magnet assemblies fit perfectly.

At this point I have to give credit to REME enginearing instructor, Staff Sergeant Frederick Lockyer ... my father. My dad is of the rare and vanishing breed who could build you anything ... to the finest tolerances ... with a pillar drill, a lathe, and some hand tools. He taught me the proper way to make things as a kid, and kicked my arse when I didn't do it right. He went on to work on British rocket research after leaving the army, and was part of the team that launched 'Prospero', Britain's only ever self launched satellite. He's 90 now, but still takes a keen interest in Oil City ... and still keeps an eye to see I do things properly!
See dad I got it right!!!

The bottom view ... obviously unwound and minus baseplate.

Getting the baseplates and guts out of the old pickups was a total nightmare by the way ... tons too much solder used, and the pickups potted in some very flammable wax ... that 'lit up' every time I tried to unsolder it! I wound up laboriously cutting through the solder with a Stanley knife as there was even too much volatile 'wax' about to use the Dremel!

Pretty eh? NOT!!!!!!!

More shortly ....

ICBM · November 2017

These are going to be great, I'm sure - and as a side benefit, they now look very much like original Ovation pickups from the outside.

I've always found the big blade on a Swiss Army knife ideal for cutting through pickup cover solder - it's sturdy but fairly thin, and with a nice curved profile so you can easily 'rock' it through the solder.

OilCityPickups · November 2017

ICBM said:

These are going to be great, I'm sure - and as a side benefit, they now look very much like original Ovation pickups from the outside.

I've always found the big blade on a Swiss Army knife ideal for cutting through pickup cover solder - it's sturdy but fairly thin, and with a nice curved profile so you can easily 'rock' it through the solder.

Image: http://www.ovationtribute.com/Electric%20Series/Breadwinner%20&%20Deacon/Breadwinner_Ltd/Breadwinner_Ltd_02.jpg

Yep you are right
:-)

FelineGuitars · November 2017

@grunfeld - looks like your guitar's pickups being transformed

FelineGuitars · November 2017

These look totally awesome Ash - a lovely job once again.

I'm starting to look forward to fitting these and making @Grunfeld s guitar work so much better

Grunfeld · November 2017

Blimey!
Genuinely had no clue about what goes into a pickup.
I knew the originals were harsh -- which is obviously a value judgement -- but that's how those ceramic pickups sounded to me and they reminded me of the only other ceramics I've had (and those got replaced too).
I think my original brief to Ash was "You could probably fill them with spaghetti and I wouldn't notice."
But as it happens I'm pleased that no pasta has been used.
Looking forward to these.

TTony · November 2017

Wow - incredible work (as always) Ash.

rsvmark · November 2017

TheGuitarWeasel said:

The next stage ... those pesky neck bobbins. And phew ... both sets of new bobbin/magnet assemblies fit perfectly.

At this point I have to give credit to REME enginearing instructor, Staff Sergeant Frederick Lockyer ... my father. My dad is of the rare and vanishing breed who could build you anything ... to the finest tolerances ... with a pillar drill, a lathe, and some hand tools. He taught me the proper way to make things as a kid, and kicked my arse when I didn't do it right. He went on to work on British rocket research after leaving the army, and was part of the team that launched 'Prospero', Britain's only ever self launched satellite. He's 90 now, but still takes a keen interest in Oil City ... and still keeps an eye to see I do things properly!
See dad I got it right!!!

Several years ago I had the please of working with REME in designing and constructing a new bandstand in Stratford upon avon. As a training exercise the local REME base at Long Marston agreed to help the council out as its gesture towards 50 year celebrations of VE day. Arriving at early o clock with my structural engineer, we were keen to see what they could do. Well sod all actually until precisely 10am because before that it was tea and toast in the sergeants mess.

Long story short, they were excellent and to this day, and to my knowledge, it is the only steel structure in the UK constructed to Zero tolerance. Not 1 single sliding joint. Very impressive.

FelineGuitars · November 2017

Grunfeld said:

Blimey!

I think my original brief to Ash was "You could probably fill them with spaghetti and I wouldn't notice."
But as it happens I'm pleased that no pasta has been used.
Looking forward to these.

There may however be a lot of subsequent noodling going on