Ash at Oil City answers pickup questions:

OilCityPickups

Hi guy. The clear bobbin 7 string slanted pickups are custom order and fully hand made ... bobbins as well. We do them but they are not cheap. PM me to chat 

jaymenon

This:

It would be completely awesome if the slant of the pole pieces was accurately matched to the slant of the pickups, such that the two pole pieces for each string were aligned perfectly...

Sonically - no difference

But in terms of precision & attention to detail - awesome

OilCityPickups

jaymenon said:

This:

It would be completely awesome if the slant of the pole pieces was accurately matched to the slant of the pickups, such that the two pole pieces for each string were aligned perfectly...

Sonically - no difference

But in terms of precision & attention to detail - awesome

With our pickups they always are 'bang in line' as our slant angles and pole spacing are custom for each clear bobbin 7 pickup we build. So provided we are given the correct slant angle all will line up perfectly. The pickup in the picture is not one of ours.

roberty

@OilCityPickups said:

many PRS guitars require short legs in the neck position and in at least one model, short pole screws.

My S2 Standard 22 needs short legs in both positions and short screws in the bridge position

GuyBoden

OilCityPickups said:

jaymenon said:

This:

It would be completely awesome if the slant of the pole pieces was accurately matched to the slant of the pickups, such that the two pole pieces for each string were aligned perfectly...

Sonically - no difference

But in terms of precision & attention to detail - awesome

With our pickups they always are 'bang in line' as our slant angles and pole spacing are custom for each clear bobbin 7 pickup we build. So provided we are given the correct slant angle all will line up perfectly. The pickup in the picture is not one of ours.

The picture is of my guitar build that needs a good quality pickup. I've emailed your OilCity email at gazette@oilcitypickups.co.uk for suggestions, many thanks.

OilCityPickups

roberty said:

@OilCityPickups said:

many PRS guitars require short legs in the neck position and in at least one model, short pole screws.

My S2 Standard 22 needs short legs in both positions and short screws in the bridge position

Exactly ... if I remember correctly it's because there's more meat in the neck joint than say a  Gibson LP 

roberty

OilCityPickups said:

roberty said:

@OilCityPickups said:

many PRS guitars require short legs in the neck position and in at least one model, short pole screws.

My S2 Standard 22 needs short legs in both positions and short screws in the bridge position

Exactly ... if I remember correctly it's because there's more meat in the neck joint than say a  Gibson LP 

They do something, it is freakishly resonant

jaymenon

Oil City telecaster neck pickup covers - are they nickel plated or chrome plated please?

OilCityPickups

The earliest Tele neck pickups are brass and appear at lest to be chrome plated rather than nickel plated - although many early ones have corroded and been scratched to the point it's practically impossible to tell. Since the early days Fender appear to have used both nickel plated and chrome plated through the years. Today all the neck covers are nickel (it's more transparent to the signal than brass) and are chrome plated I believe. I will check next time I have a modern one in for rewind :-) 
Oh and our neck covers are nickel and nickel plated - and chrome is a custom option you just have to ask for.

stickyfiddle

If I wanted an alternative set of pickups for a strat and had various hankerings for Tele or PAFs bridge pickups but also Firebirds, what would you go for? I'm a clean-crunch guy playing a mix of indie/alt, soul, americana so let's assume no need for anything louder than ACDC...  

HSS? Tele-S-FB? FB-FB-FB? Just a simple H-FB?

Can you get workable strat position 2/4 sounds from FB-based pairings? 

OilCityPickups

The spacings of the bobbins in a Firebird pickup means the harmonic 'effect' of 2/4 is not very pronounced, though it is there.
I probably might go myself for an HSH with a PAF bridge, a proper strat middle for quackery, and a Winterizer 2 Firebird in a HB case in the neck position -  you'd end up with a Swiss Army Knife guitar! .

stickyfiddle

OilCityPickups said:

The spacings of the bobbins in a Firebird pickup means the harmonic 'effect' of 2/4 is not very pronounced, though it is there.
I probably might go myself for an HSH with a PAF bridge, a proper strat middle for quackery, and a Winterizer 2 Firebird in a HB case in the neck position -  you'd end up with a Swiss Army Knife guitar! .

Ta - that’s the sort of thing I’m thinking, at least to try out. I’ve never had anything HSS or any sort of FB pickups so it feels like a fun thing to try with my “spare” Strat. 

Though also tempted by a simple PAF+FB without a middle pickup, but I guess j could also tweak to that later if the middle & mixed positions aren’t satisfying. 

OilCityPickups

Absolutely :-)
Firebird pickups are a revelation if you've never tried them before.  

Funkfingers

stickyfiddle said:

tempted by a simple PAF+FB without a middle pickup, but I guess I could also tweak to that later if the middle & mixed positions aren’t satisfying. 

Apologies for butting in but …

Signal blending in the *both pickups on* selection benefits greatly from individual volume pots for each pickup.

stickyfiddle said:

hankerings for Tele or PAFs bridge pickups but also Firebirds, what would you go for?

The Tele bridge, Firebird neck combination works wonders in the Fender Hot Rod '52 Telecaster. In OCP terms, you would be looking at the Big Block and Winterizer II models.

stickyfiddle

Funkfingers said:

stickyfiddle said:

tempted by a simple PAF+FB without a middle pickup, but I guess I could also tweak to that later if the middle & mixed positions aren’t satisfying. 

Apologies for butting in but …

Signal blending in the *both pickups on* selection benefits greatly from individual volume pots for each pickup.

stickyfiddle said:

hankerings for Tele or PAFs bridge pickups but also Firebirds, what would you go for?

The Tele bridge, Firebird neck combination works wonders in the Fender Hot Rod '52 Telecaster. In OCP terms, you would be looking at the Big Block and Winterizer II models.

Ta - that all sounds aligned with my thinking. If I go 2 pickups I'll stick with 2x vols and master tone for sure. 

I'm well convinced by an FB in the neck, I just need to decide on the others

Barney

Hello Ash ....I have a question regarding the strat neck pickup ...it always seems muddy to me ..I know I can set the amp different but don't want to do that and mess with the other pickups sounds which I like ...is there a correct height or something that would change the tone ?

OilCityPickups

Barney said:

Hello Ash ....I have a question regarding the strat neck pickup ...it always seems muddy to me ..I know I can set the amp different but don't want to do that and mess with the other pickups sounds which I like ...is there a correct height or something that would change the tone ?

Hummmm what Strat neck pickup have you got? Generally the last thing you could level at a Strat neck pickup is muddy. Getting the pickup a bit further from the strings will lower the output and clean up the tone - but if your pickup is for example way overwound that may be the issue. 

timmypix

@OilCityPickups Hi Ash,

What are the chief differences between the Scrapyard Dogs and the PAT-63s?

I've got an SG with T-type pickups that are *almost* there, but missing a bit of character. I've got access to a set of SYDs and a PAT-63 bridge, and on paper I think they'll both do what I want. I'll inevitably try both, and from memory I've liked them both in Les Pauls, but it's been a while and I'm curious about the construction/inspiration differences.

OilCityPickups

timmypix said:

@OilCityPickups Hi Ash,

What are the chief differences between the Scrapyard Dogs and the PAT-63s?

I've got an SG with T-type pickups that are *almost* there, but missing a bit of character. I've got access to a set of SYDs and a PAT-63 bridge, and on paper I think they'll both do what I want. I'll inevitably try both, and from memory I've liked them both in Les Pauls, but it's been a while and I'm curious about the construction/inspiration differences.

The Scrapyard Dog is similar in many ways to a later T Top, complete with modern winding wire and a 60s/70s style alnico 5.
The Pat 63 was copied from a pickup that came into my workshop that wasn't even supposed to exist, or that was at the very least a rare transition form.: A Gibson patent number pickup from 1963 (it was in a late 63 guitar with undisturbed wiring), with 60s style short alnico 5 magnet - but clearly PAF bobbins and PVA plain enamel wire like a 59 PAF. 
The tone was hard hitting and incisive like a T Top, but had smoother overtones like an earlier PAF. 

timmypix

Thanks Ash! So when you say 60s/70s style A5 compared to a 60s short style, is that to say a "full size" A5 as opposed to short?

Looking forward to seeing how they both get on with this SG at any rate.