Ladies and metalmen ... The new Stone Wolf Ikara ...
I'm proud to say, powered by the most ground breaking pickups I've ever made
:-)Some months ago I put up a post about developing a new neodymium pickup, one that overcame the problems other manufacturers had had with this 'super magnetic' material. Well here's the result.
The advantage with neodymium is super clarity and the ultimate in fast bass end tracking. To put it simplistically: most magnets have a recovery time after the field has been disturbed by string vibration ... ceramic magnets have far less recovery time than alnico, hence they are said to have 'fast bass tracking' by some. Neodymium has virtually no recovery time at all, so gives you the tightest bass response possible.
The disadvantages of neodymium are pretty well known too: huge string pull, and very bright top end response. This usually comes from slapping a neodymium bar magnet the same size as a regular humbucker magnet in a conventional humbucker design ... and expecting it to work. It won't ... at least not very well. The string pull will dampen sustain or even pull the guitar out of tune, and the top end will be as brittle as broken glass.
Enter my Oil City BlackWolf Neo with 'Graduated Field Technology'.
Since humbuckers began they have usually been powered by a big magnet sat between the poles ... with the same magnetic field for all six (or for that matter 7 or 8) strings. The 'Neo GFT' has a 'tuned' magnetic field for each string, maximising output, while minimising string pull. It harnesses the blistering power of neodymium while maintaining clarity and taming a the usual harsh treble.
With the 'wick turned down' this doesn't sound like a high output pickup ... it has an almost acoustic level of clarity ... but turned up it a achieves the tight bass and huge sonic range I was looking for. An added benefit is that there are virtually no air gaps inside this pickup, so it's incredibly resistant to feedback.
Because of it's very unique and unusual design ... at the moment, if you want one, you will have to buy a Stone Wolf. Because of the rampant 'copy cat syndrome' amongst the pickup winding industry, I have had to take the decision not to universally release these at the moment. Patents are ridiculously expensive ... however the technology will surface in other parts of our range if I can find a way to safeguard it.
If you are going to the London Guitar show ... you can try them however. hunt down Mike at the Stone Wolf stand ... who knows, I may be there too
:-)Both Stone Wolf and Oil City will be at the Birmingham show in February with our own stands..
Ash
Comments
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
The best we can do restrict who can buy them ... and I'm happy that Mike at Stone Wolf is getting an exclusive design ... we both think they are rather special.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
With a lace each string till gets the same magnetic field as its neighbour ... much as all other more conventional pickups.
The Neo 'GFT' delivers only what field strength is best/needed for each string ... and that's easily customizable and can be factory changed for a player's individual tastes. Raising a pole screw will change the interaction and volume of a string ... but our Neo GFT starts with a graduated field anyway ... so we can add or subtract power where it's needed.
I can't say too much about the mechanics of how we do this at the moment ...
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
Can you do them in a regular humbucker casing?
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Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
They sound like a great idea, but not worth buying a guitar for in my case.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
I'm sure you'll have plenty of buyers once you do them as standalone pickups.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
The back's cool too
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
You don't have to understand the nerdy stuff lol ... that's for folks like me who don't get out enough (or sometimes at all).
The Neos are designed for a very specific job: to create the power and clarity needed for today's high gain metal sounds.To push the boundaries a bit further with passive pickup technology.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
The pickups sound interesting though. It'd be great to see a video of the guitar with pickups if possible.