# Octaves, Zouks, Citterns, Tenors and Electrics > Four, Five and Eight-String Electrics >  Charlie Christian pickup?

## Pete Martin

Has anyone built an electric mando and used a Charlie Christian pickup?  If yes, do you have any thoughts, videos, sound files, etc?

I am very seriously considering having this done but would like to talk to anyone who has done this first.  Thanks!  :Popcorn:

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DavidKOS

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## DavidKOS

It's been done already!



http://www.vintageinstruments.com/mu...5efulpage.html

"1938 Gibson F-5 "E" Electric Mandolin 
With Original bound "Charlie Christian" pickup "

The whole CC family

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chuck3, 

Dave Greenspoon, 

doc holiday, 

Pete Martin, 

Verne Andru

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## Pete Martin

Have you ever played one David?

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## DavidKOS

Not the mandolin. I've played CC guitars ( ES150?) and for certain things love that sound from those big bar magnet pickups.

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## mrmando

I had one of the old EM150s with the CC pickup but I sold it to Zeke!

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DavidKOS

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## Pete Martin

One thing I've heard is these pickups are noisier than other pickup types.  Did you guys find that true?

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## DavidKOS

> One thing I've heard is these pickups are noisier than other pickup types.  Did you guys find that true?


No more than any other large single-coil to my recollection. See this:

https://www.lollarguitars.com/blog/2...-hum-or-noise/

So about like a P90.

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Pete Martin

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## Jim Garber

I have three of the originals, all from circa 1937: ES-150, ETG-150 (also called EST-150) and an EM-150. The first time I heard one was Nick Forster played and ES-150 with Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers. It is a nice dirty soulful sound. The pickup has a giant magnet (in the guitar esp) and weighs a bunch.

Here are my three, tho I think the tenor might be sold (fingers crossed).

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chuck3, 

DavidKOS, 

Verne Andru

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## DavidKOS

> The pickup has a giant magnet (in the guitar esp) and weighs a bunch.


Lovely!

I'd love to have one of those guitars.......

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## Rick Jones

Beautiful trio! I have an L-50 guitar, from 1936. It is the same body size/shape as your ES-150, but purely acoustic (or it was until I made a new pickguard and hung a custom-wound Kent Armstrong from it). It is a gem - I think it was under somebody's bed for 70+ years.

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## bbcee

Pete, you are in pickup maker heaven where you are. You could discuss it either with Jason Lollar of Lollar Pickups or Pete Biltoff of Vintage Vibe Pickups. Both are nice, approachable guys who make well-respected CC pickups, and I imagine they would love the challenge of making one for a mando.

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DavidKOS

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## DavidKOS

> Pete, you are in pickup maker heaven where you are. You could discuss it either with Jason Lollar of Lollar Pickups .


Lollar was wonderful to work with the couple times I bought pickups and had rewinding done.

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## Pete Martin

Jason is going to install the pickup in my Mann EM5 in two weeks.  When it is done, I'll post a video.   :Mandosmiley:

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DavidKOS

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## Pete Martin

Here is the CC installed.

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DavidKOS, 

doc holiday, 

Verne Andru

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## Spruce

> Here is the CC installed.


...and??    :Wink:

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## Travis Wilson

> Here is the CC installed.


I would never presume to speak (write) for others, but I think there are a good number of us eager to hear a sound file!  :Popcorn:

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## Pete Martin

I'm currently doing a lot of mixing of 2 band demos so haven't had much time to play with it and no time to record anything.  i'll get to it as soon as I'm able to free up a few hours.  

What I can say is I really like to tone, especially through my Vintage 47 EH185 clone amp.  It is way noisier than any other pickup I've had, so I REALLY have to watch and listen where I am standing relative to the amp.  But that Charlie Christian tone I've always yearned for is THERE.  

Soon, folks, soon.   :Crying:

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## John Soper

Pete:

I hope that mandolin inspires you to transcribe more Charlie Cristian tunes!

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## chuck3

> I have three of the originals, all from circa 1937: ES-150, ETG-150 (also called EST-150) and an EM-150. The first time I heard one was Nick Forster played and ES-150 with Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers. It is a nice dirty soulful sound. The pickup has a giant magnet (in the guitar esp) and weighs a bunch.
> 
> Here are my three, tho I think the tenor might be sold (fingers crossed).


wow!  That is a sight to see ...

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## Pete Martin

Got to play my first gig with this Saturday night.  As I needed a lot of amp power, I didn't take the Vintage 47 amp, I took my Quilter MicroPro.  100 watt solid state amp and while not quite the sound of the V47, still very good.  The CC pickup performed great plus both myself  and my band mates loved the sound.

Still workin to free enough time to make a video to post here, soon! :Popcorn:

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StuartE

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## AndyV

> I have three of the originals, all from circa 1937: ES-150, ETG-150 (also called EST-150) and an EM-150. The first time I heard one was Nick Forster played and ES-150 with Red Knuckles and the Trailblazers. It is a nice dirty soulful sound. The pickup has a giant magnet (in the guitar esp) and weighs a bunch.
> 
> Here are my three, tho I think the tenor might be sold (fingers crossed).


Hi Jim,

After this long the tenor must have sold, right?

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## Jim Garber

Yes, the tenor sold first and the six-string a few months later. They are great instruments but I wasn't giving them enough attention.

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## Tavy

Can't believe this thread has just surfaced - I had no idea it was even here - and today I happened to be boxing up a new electric 8 string with.... a Charlie Christian pickup.  Oh and a second humbucker pickup as well for good measure  :Smile: 

On grounds of size and weight I used a modern-inspired version by John Anthony Guitars that fitted in a standard single coil mounting ring, none the less that big central steel bar is ideal for mandolins or indeed anything that's not a guitar.  Sounds nice too, albeit with a little hum (unlike the humbucker - I'm used to pickups with zero noise!).  Can't imagine using a true CC copy on something as small as a mandolin.

I'll post more details when the instrument is safely in the hands of it's owner...

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## Pete Martin

I get a hum from the CC pickup when I play in my office (3 computers) but have found the Electro-Harmonix HumDebugger to work great.  Use it on gigs as well sometimes when the location has dirty power.

Unlike what I've heard about 6 string guitar, the HumDebugger doesn't subtract anything but the hum from the 5 string mandolin.

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Tavy

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## Mark Seale

To the original post, Michael Stevens created this little wonder a couple of years ago.  It is not mine, though I wish.

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lenf12, 

Pete Martin

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## lenf12

> To the original post, Michael Stevens created this little wonder a couple of years ago.  It is not mine, though I wish.


Sweet!!!!!

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

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## Tavy

Here's how mine turned out with a John Anthony Guitars CC style pickup:

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Jim Garber

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## derbex

Another nice job, I do like the look of this one.

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Pete Martin, 

Tavy

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