7-string P90 style blade pickups coming soon

Jim Soloway · #1 09-11-2005, 01:05 AM

I recently had a pair of custom humbucker sized P90 style 6-string blade pickups built to my specs by Pete Biltoft at Vintage Vibe. We installed them in a new guitar the other day and they're simply sensational. I taked to Pete earlier today and now he's going to build me a custom 7 string set. These are probably 6 to 8 weeks out for the prototype, but if those sound even close to as good as the 6-string set, there should be a production version shortly thereafter. I'll keep you guys posted as things get a little further in devlopment.

Flobanez · #2 09-11-2005, 01:41 AM

Cool. I'd like to hear how they sound. The 7-string guitars you design are very nice by the way.

frankfalbo · #3 09-11-2005, 01:52 AM

Hey is the blade the actual magnet, or is there a base magnet on those? If it's a base magnet, then are you getting a P-90 character sound, or something new?

I might be winding some 7 string pickups soon and I'm looking for some ideas. I have plenty of ideas already. Most of them include blades, (or a hybrid) but those sound really neat. I'm dreading making my own blades. I should be able to get steel ones cut for me, but I don't want to even think about cutting blade magnets or (re)magnetizing them afterwards.

Jim Soloway · #4 09-11-2005, 01:55 AM

The blade replaces the pole pieces with a base magnet. They are probably best described as being "in the p90 ballpark" but certainly not an exact p90 clone. If you want ot hear the 6-string version of the pickups, I've posted a clip on the multimedia forum.

http://www.jemsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39892

And thank you Flobanez for the kind words.

frankfalbo · #5 09-11-2005, 02:03 AM

Hmm, maybe I'll have to contact him. Of course, I'll have to withold all of my super sophisticated patentable designs

HA!

There's probably room in a humbucker chassis to stick one "hot rails" style coil inside there too, jammed up against one side. Not as a dummy coil, but as a "strange bedfellows" series humbucker option within the same pickup. It would probably be far enough away from the P-90 to alter it's magnetic field noticeably. Hmmmmm....Maybe I'd better erase this before someone....oh nevermind.

stretcher7 · #6 09-11-2005, 02:07 AM

I'll be gettin' a couple for sure!!! Finially. Thanks Jim.

The Dark Wolf · #7 09-11-2005, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankfalbo

Hmm, maybe I'll have to contact him. Of course, I'll have to withold all of my super sophisticated patentable designs

HA!

There's probably room in a humbucker chassis to stick one "hot rails" style coil inside there too, jammed up against one side. Not as a dummy coil, but as a "strange bedfellows" series humbucker option within the same pickup. It would probably be far enough away from the P-90 to alter it's magnetic field noticeably. Hmmmmm....Maybe I'd better erase this before someone....oh nevermind.

Your secret's safe with me, Frank... because frankly, I suck! I can't make a pickup!

Of course, the other lurkers around here...

And yes Jim, I agree. Most people do... your guitars are beautiful.

darren wilson · #8 09-11-2005, 10:29 AM

Jim, did you ever get Jason Lollar to make you a set of 7-string P-90s? I remember you were looking into it a while ago after a customer request.

Jim Soloway · #9 09-11-2005, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darren wilson

Jim, did you ever get Jason Lollar to make you a set of 7-string P-90s? I remember you were looking into it a while ago after a customer request.

No. The problem, as Frank already alluded to is cutting the magnet. Virtually all of the pickup builders have their magnets cut by supplier and usually they try to buy stock sizes and Jason was unable to come up with the appropriate magnet. Pete Biltoft is the only small pickup maker I know of who has the capability of cutting magnets himself. That, coupled with the fact that he does all of his building on computer controlled equipment makes it much easier for him to experiment than pretty much any of the other small builders.