telecaster bridge pickup baseplates

Alegree · August 2018

TheGuitarWeasel said:

Alegree said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

Alegree said:

Brass ones fatten the tone due to the capacitance. They do half the job of a steel one, but they do do something.

Increasing the capacitance without increasing the inductance seems a tad half arsed when steel is available cheaply enough.

Some people don't want the increased inductance. It all comes down to taste (as does everything).

Interesting that Fender have never fitted brass baseplates, nor Lollar, nor Bare Knuckle, nor Seymour Duncan, nor Kent Armstrong ... all lacking in taste clearly :-)

So, hypothetically, I've found the perfect bridge wind to match a neck, but if I add in a steel baseplate it overpowers it. In this scenario there's no question a brass baseplate is the way to go (if I want to add one at all).

Only one of those winders have made active pickups, are you suggesting active pickups have no place because they've not been explored by many mainstream pickup builders that you deem to have taste? That's an exceptionally cynical and anti innovative viewpoint.

OilCityPickups · August 2018

Alegree said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

Alegree said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

Alegree said:

Brass ones fatten the tone due to the capacitance. They do half the job of a steel one, but they do do something.

Increasing the capacitance without increasing the inductance seems a tad half arsed when steel is available cheaply enough.

Some people don't want the increased inductance. It all comes down to taste (as does everything).

Interesting that Fender have never fitted brass baseplates, nor Lollar, nor Bare Knuckle, nor Seymour Duncan, nor Kent Armstrong ... all lacking in taste clearly :-)

So, hypothetically, I've found the perfect bridge wind to match a neck, but if I add in a steel baseplate it overpowers it. In this scenario there's no question a brass baseplate is the way to go (if I want to add one at all).

Only one of those winders have made active pickups, are you suggesting active pickups have no place because they've not been explored by many mainstream pickup builders that you deem to have taste? That's an exceptionally cynical and anti innovative viewpoint.

Essentially a brass baseplate 'muddies up' or filters a pickup through capacitance ... like sticking a small permanent tone cap on. I prefer (as most manufacturers seem to) to wind for clarity with a Tele pickup, then let a customer choose if they want to change that clarity via their own tone settings. Personally In your hypothetical scenario of winding the 'perfect neck pickup and then having the bridge pickup with baseplate 'overpower' it ... I'd go back and rewind the bridge till it matched ... adjusting other factors like winding pattern, wire gauge, tension, or even bobbin height till things harmonised ... not just slap on a brass baseplate!

It would seem that it's the buying public that deem those mainstream winders to have taste, not me ... as they sell one hell of a lot of pickups compared you or I, and to a large extent what they are doing must be what the mass of the buying public like to listen to.
Active replacement pickups account for a small and specialised part of the market ... that niche has been exploited very well by EMG, who have years of experience in that field ... very few mainstream makers would want to put in the R&D to try and compete with the main player in a small market... that's a pure business decision.

'Cynical and anti innovative viewpoint' Really? Do you not feel that's a tad excitable and histrionic over a brass baseplate?

Alegree · August 2018

TheGuitarWeasel said:

Alegree said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

Alegree said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

Alegree said:

Brass ones fatten the tone due to the capacitance. They do half the job of a steel one, but they do do something.

Increasing the capacitance without increasing the inductance seems a tad half arsed when steel is available cheaply enough.

Some people don't want the increased inductance. It all comes down to taste (as does everything).

Interesting that Fender have never fitted brass baseplates, nor Lollar, nor Bare Knuckle, nor Seymour Duncan, nor Kent Armstrong ... all lacking in taste clearly :-)

So, hypothetically, I've found the perfect bridge wind to match a neck, but if I add in a steel baseplate it overpowers it. In this scenario there's no question a brass baseplate is the way to go (if I want to add one at all).

Only one of those winders have made active pickups, are you suggesting active pickups have no place because they've not been explored by many mainstream pickup builders that you deem to have taste? That's an exceptionally cynical and anti innovative viewpoint.

Essentially a brass baseplate 'muddies up' or filters a pickup through capacitance ... like sticking a small permanent tone cap on. I prefer (as most manufacturers seem to) to wind for clarity with a Tele pickup, then let a customer choose if they want to change that clarity via their own tone settings. Personally In your hypothetical scenario of winding the 'perfect neck pickup and then having the bridge pickup with baseplate 'overpower' it ... I'd go back and rewind the bridge till it matched ... adjusting other factors like winding pattern, wire gauge, tension, or even bobbin height till things harmonised ... not just slap on a brass baseplate!

It would seem that it's the buying public that deem those mainstream winders to have taste, not me ... as they sell one hell of a lot of pickups compared you or I, and to a large extent what they are doing must be what the mass of the buying public like to listen to.
Active replacement pickups account for a small and specialised part of the market ... that niche has been exploited very well by EMG, who have years of experience in that field ... very few mainstream makers would want to put in the R&D to try and compete with the main player in a small market... that's a pure business decision.

'Cynical and anti innovative viewpoint' Really? Do you not feel that's a tad excitable and histrionic over a brass baseplate?

I'm never going to agree with your approach to winding a Tele pickup, as mine is quite the opposite. That being said, your comment read as disregarding a tool in the tone shaping arsenal of a pickup builder solely on the fact that no one else utilises it. I don't think calling you a cynic as a result of that is in any way superfluous.

Whether it'll ever find a way into one of my designs? I've no idea, but I'm never going to disregard the possibility of anything based on anyone else's actions. If I did my best selling pickups wouldn't exist. Hell, most of my catalogue wouldn't.

I also disagree that active pickups are a niche market. The 81 is one of the highest selling pickups ever. You'd be hard pressed to find a metal playing gear head who hasn't used one for a decent length of time. And let's not forget that active pickups was not a 'niche', or whatever you categorise it as, prior to EMG's existence. Markets don't necessarily know that they want such a thing if they're not aware of the existence of it.

The bottom line is that brass baseplates do half the function of a steel baseplate. If you're thinking about adding one you need to think which of the qualities you want. If the quality of treble attenuation is desirable, but no output gain is desirable, then a brass baseplate is better suited. If you desire both, then you want steel. There is no hard and fast rule with anything pickups. Choose your benchmark and use your ears. Asking someone else for what your taste best aligns with will result in an answer as useful as someone describing colours. Asking for the qualities and using your judgement, as this thread is about, is spot on.

Adam_MD · August 2018

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/HeartyEnragedKitty-size_restricted.gif

OilCityPickups · August 2018

Alegree said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

Alegree said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

Alegree said:

TheGuitarWeasel said:

Alegree said:

Brass ones fatten the tone due to the capacitance. They do half the job of a steel one, but they do do something.

Increasing the capacitance without increasing the inductance seems a tad half arsed when steel is available cheaply enough.

Some people don't want the increased inductance. It all comes down to taste (as does everything).

Interesting that Fender have never fitted brass baseplates, nor Lollar, nor Bare Knuckle, nor Seymour Duncan, nor Kent Armstrong ... all lacking in taste clearly :-)

So, hypothetically, I've found the perfect bridge wind to match a neck, but if I add in a steel baseplate it overpowers it. In this scenario there's no question a brass baseplate is the way to go (if I want to add one at all).

Only one of those winders have made active pickups, are you suggesting active pickups have no place because they've not been explored by many mainstream pickup builders that you deem to have taste? That's an exceptionally cynical and anti innovative viewpoint.

Essentially a brass baseplate 'muddies up' or filters a pickup through capacitance ... like sticking a small permanent tone cap on. I prefer (as most manufacturers seem to) to wind for clarity with a Tele pickup, then let a customer choose if they want to change that clarity via their own tone settings. Personally In your hypothetical scenario of winding the 'perfect neck pickup and then having the bridge pickup with baseplate 'overpower' it ... I'd go back and rewind the bridge till it matched ... adjusting other factors like winding pattern, wire gauge, tension, or even bobbin height till things harmonised ... not just slap on a brass baseplate!

It would seem that it's the buying public that deem those mainstream winders to have taste, not me ... as they sell one hell of a lot of pickups compared you or I, and to a large extent what they are doing must be what the mass of the buying public like to listen to.
Active replacement pickups account for a small and specialised part of the market ... that niche has been exploited very well by EMG, who have years of experience in that field ... very few mainstream makers would want to put in the R&D to try and compete with the main player in a small market... that's a pure business decision.

'Cynical and anti innovative viewpoint' Really? Do you not feel that's a tad excitable and histrionic over a brass baseplate?

I'm never going to agree with your approach to winding a Tele pickup, as mine is quite the opposite. That being said, your comment read as disregarding a tool in the tone shaping arsenal of a pickup builder solely on the fact that no one else utilises it. I don't think calling you a cynic as a result of that is in any way superfluous.

Whether it'll ever find a way into one of my designs? I've no idea, but I'm never going to disregard the possibility of anything based on anyone else's actions. If I did my best selling pickups wouldn't exist. Hell, most of my catalogue wouldn't.

I also disagree that active pickups are a niche market. The 81 is one of the highest selling pickups ever. You'd be hard pressed to find a metal playing gear head who hasn't used one for a decent length of time. And let's not forget that active pickups was not a 'niche', or whatever you categorise it as, prior to EMG's existence. Markets don't necessarily know that they want such a thing if they're not aware of the existence of it.

The bottom line is that brass baseplates do half the function of a steel baseplate. If you're thinking about adding one you need to think which of the qualities you want. If the quality of treble attenuation is desirable, but no output gain is desirable, then a brass baseplate is better suited. If you desire both, then you want steel. There is no hard and fast rule with anything pickups. Choose your benchmark and use your ears. Asking someone else for what your taste best aligns with will result in an answer as useful as someone describing colours. Asking for the qualities and using your judgement, as this thread is about, is spot on.

We will have to agree to differ: we have different approaches, which means we make different sounding pickups ... that's good for choice in the market.
However calling another industry professional 'Cynical and anti innovative' ... I will let others who read this thread judge the for themselves the fairness of that comment. :-)

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telecaster bridge pickup baseplates

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