@Alegree kept this quiet!

paulnb57

Unless I've missed a previous post........

axisus

They seem like a great idea to me. Hey, I even have a pair! 

I haven't put them in anything yet, I'm still undecided as to what kind of guitar to build for them.

A bit unnecessary criticising the video, some people just like to moan about everything ...

johnl

Not that quiet....

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/134366/pickup-newbies-what-questions-do-you-have#latest

Personally I'm a bit of a fan of Dave's videos - he's just a guy in a shed who likes guitars. 

Danielsguitars

As a builder i think it could be a good idea just for a bit of variety,  to me they don't have to be tonally spot on to vintage voicings, i use mojo pickups for all my stuff normally 

meltedbuzzbox

I can't knock the guys enthusiasm but I would have liked the sounds demo'd early on in the video and ideally clean. 

DiscoStu

Seymour Duncan P-Rails?

vale

re presenter, i get the feeling that it's more a case of 'sound desk ear' that him meaning to be 'shouty'. we probs all know someone who spends (has spent) their working lives in noisy club, gig, studio environments, & are therefore just habituated to speaking at a louder volume than average because trying to be heard over loud background noise is their normal
it was a thing but didn't make me switch off.

i thought the demo of the pickup combo was pretty effective (sound maybe thinnish, but it was live not desk mix). & the fact that Dave actually made the effort to get off his butt & go to visit Alex (hey Alex) & ask important/relevant questions about their paritcualr unusual functionality (& even film Alex installing them, usually a whole other video) made it an unusually thorough & informative demo compared to most.

the usual is 5-10 minutes of noodling with subjective opinions of varying quality (be that random invididual vids or shop-sponsored vids), no Q & A with maker in situ, no demo 'how to installation guide' from maker.
i've not come across Dave before or checked out Alex's pickups, but i thought both came out of this pretty well.

TheMarlin

Haven’t Trevor Wilkinson and Reverend done simpler versions of this already?

but with better videos....

Alegree

I had great fun making this video with Dave.

When he got his hands on it he seemed genuinely excited and enthusiastic. I don't think knocking someone for showing a little bit of emotion is fair.

The video has been exceptionally well received overall, and I'm going to be reaching out to other Youtubers for a wider variety of demos soon if this style didn't take your fancy - the versatility that they offer is probably best shown with several entirely different players, Dave is an exceptional classic rock/classic metal player, and he's made a fantastic start point.

sixstringsupplies

i subscribe to Alex's emails and when I received the email regarding this video a couple of nights ago i watched with interest.

Didn't watch all 25 minutes as my attention span is poor anyway, (World Cup, priorities!) but I thought the pickups sounded very very good. Clear difference between the different switch positions.

well done @Alegree ;

my only concern is unless they are sold as prewired pickguards I can imagine they’d be frustrating for your average joe to solder them in correctly and get working as intended.

Alegree

sixstringsupplies said:

i subscribe to Alex's emails and when I received the email regarding this video a couple of nights ago i watched with interest.

Didn't watch all 25 minutes as my attention span is poor anyway, (World Cup, priorities!) but I thought the pickups sounded very very good. Clear difference between the different switch positions.

well done @Alegree ;;

my only concern is unless they are sold as prewired pickguards I can imagine they’d be frustrating for your average joe to solder them in correctly and get working as intended.

Thank you Ed, they are indeed. The pickguard & all the wiring I hold up at 5 minutes is exactly how the loaded HSH pickguard comes .

paganskins

There are sound samples on @Alegree's website if the video isn't to your tastes

impmann

Some constructive input, leaving bottom lips and balls firmly by the door...

For me, the whole point of a pickup that does this revolves around how it fits in with gain structure and how that affects tone. Therefore, I have a suggestion:

Set an amp to a good fat clean sound - the sort of sound that would start clipping/breaking up with a smidge more gain. Then start with the lowest output sounds, then switch it up a cog and continue to switch it up giving examples *WITHOUT* adjusting the amp. This gives the listener the idea of what range of sounds can be achieved.

Once that is done, then you can change the settings etc to do examples of what the guitar can mimic - so perhaps for the vintage single coil sounds do a pastiche of some Shadows-y or Dire Straits type stuff, for the P90s you could pastiche some Mountain or Townsend, for the humbuckers perhaps some rockier stuff (but avoid anything that includes modulation or big delay, as thats an instant turn off). You get the drift - it needs to showcase how the pickups sound in a situation and that might not be necessarily in isolation.

The amp sounds need to be recorded seperately to any voice - a big problem with 99% of YT reviews, as the echo-ey sound of the room mic on the camera is NOT a good indicator of the recorded or isolated guitar sound. The vast majority of stuff on YT isn't recorded well or EQ'd well - there's a reason why certain guys do well (such as TPS, Andertons, Pat and the other fella etc) and its because they *SOUND* good, clear and work within the limits of YT's infamous compression.

I'd also edit it properly, making sure any rambly drivel (we all do it) is removed - give exact details of the equipment used in the blurb underneath (use an amp that most people know/understand/gig with  - something like a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and don't use any pedals that are too 'booteeek' or off the wall).

I think your "do anything" solution may suit a certain type of player, Alex - and you need to make sure that the message you use reaches out to them. From some of the negativity above, I'd say that whilst elements of this video are good, that message is getting sidetracked.

Hope that helps :-)

rlw

interesting product and an eccentric presenter
a bit like andertons then

DiscoStu

@Alegree I am genuinely interested in your Chameleon pickup, my earlier post was based on the title and claim at the start of the video. Single Coil, P90 & Humbucker in one pickup has been done already so yes I have come across a pickup like this before. I bought one.

It would be valuable to know what makes the Chameleon different and arguably better than the P-Rails which has been on the market for years. How easy is yours to wire in comparison? I had the Triple Shot mounting ring with mine so no extra switches needed added to the body, does the Chameleon have to have a dedicated control on the body?

Alegree

DiscoStu said:

@Alegree I am genuinely interested in your Chameleon pickup, my earlier post was based on the title and claim at the start of the video. Single Coil, P90 & Humbucker in one pickup has been done already so yes I have come across a pickup like this before. I bought one.

It would be valuable to know what makes the Chameleon different and arguably better than the P-Rails which has been on the market for years. How easy is yours to wire in comparison? I had the Triple Shot mounting ring with mine so no extra switches needed added to the body, does the Chameleon have to have a dedicated control on the body?

It's not easier to wire, but it can be wired in significantly more ways to suit (so many so that I've made a long page solely on how they can be wired up with a few examples) https://www.alegree.co.uk/pages/chameleon-wiring . I still have much to add to it yet, too.

I'm currently not at liberty to disclose any details that make it superior, as that would weaken my present and future intellectual property rights to the design, other than the obvious. It has a Strat, Tele, split PAF, P90, PAF, and high output humbucker mode. The P rails has a Strat, P90 and high output humbucker mode. 

sixstringsupplies

^^^ i can’t wait for my @lonestar SC Relics Strat neck and body just ordered. I feel for Scott - I message him on instagram every other day at the moment with a photo of his own work and say “I want it like that”. Must be annoying AF. Finally, I’ve just decided to leave it to his skills and to work his magic. It will be great!

i have immense respect for anybody who runs their own business. SC Relics, Alegree, Oil City everyone.  Especially in this day and age when all it takes is one negative online review or a social media comment to neg you out for the rest of the day. I’m sure the above mentioned companies will agree with me - it’s hard! You livelihood depends on it.

Gotta be thick skinned though. Some 60 year old bloke commented on one of my soldering videos a while ago and had a pop. It really pissed me off. “I’ve been soldering for over 50 years - I rate you a 6/10. 2 days later another 60 year old who had been “soldering all his life” said it was the best video he had seen on the topic. Some people are bitter, others not, and most people, won’t actually bother or care to offer an opinion (they’re the best)

Ive actually been a member of this forum for 18 months, but lurked for 14 months of that and it wasn’t until I met digitalscream at the Guitar Show in Feb that I decided to dive in. Even then, I’m pretty half arsed with it. Forums are forums, businesses are businesses. Everyone has their opinion. 

I personally have no complaints about how the forum is tbh. Can be petty, but it is the internet and people are entitled to their opinions. You can’t change that. It’s really not an easy place for a business to establish itself, but I wouldn’t expect it to be. 

If you start killing off opinions and banning any negativity and criticisms of businesses...then I believe the forum would die quicker. I welcome criticism, helps you improve. 

There are far worse forums (just try “laguitariste.com”) but you gotta speak French. LOL!  

Sporky

Alegree said

The P rails has a Strat, P90 and high output humbucker mode. 

And mid-output bucker mode, and the out-of-phase sounds are usable due to the different output levels of the coils. 

[edit] That said, it does look like your creation offers even more "modes" - and is something I'll certainly consider for a future build.

OilCityPickups

meltedbuzzbox said:

lonestar said:

Really don’t know what to say. Actually, I do. But given that this is viewed by anyone who cares to read the threads here, I will simply say this - non descript negativity hurts small retailers far more than the big boys.

Exercise some restraint before you take aim and fire. 

It's a shame with what is going on here. The place has taken a real turn and all the UK based builders of wonderful guitar stuff seem to be departing or reducing their time on the forum. 

It really is a loss

As many of you will know, I was one of the foundation members of this here forum, and in fact I believe wrote the first technical piece (about pickups) on here ...up from day one, and I agree with @meltedbuzzbox that at the moment there is a fair amount of negativity floating about. But It comes in cycles, I remember my first video effort being ripped to shreds back in the old Music Radar days. Rightly so actually, it was crap, but I lived and learned ... and grew a thick skin. People have opinions ... and yes ... they are entitled to them so long as they are expressed politely. That last bit is important ... grow up and keep your comments 'nice' even if critical.

Oh and I applaud @alegree for his efforts with the Chameleon pickup ... whatever else, it's not butt fugly like the P Rails ... a pickup that, while excellent at what it does, is a damn good excuse for gigging with a paper bag over your guitar  :-)

DiscoStu

Must say,  I think the P-Rails may at this stage be easier to implement but the Chameleon does look better with its Humbucker hat on. 

hotpickups

I would've been more interested to see a demo with the pickups in a les Paul and hearing what the single coil sounds like on that . Only because I haven't heard a humbucker yet on a les Paul that sounds like a strat when coil split etc