Lipstick PUPs anyone?

[bob_mc]

Jangly, airy, funky (and yes noisy); anyone try out or hear an electric mandolin with lipstick tube pickups? Seems like it might be a good and less-than-guitar-specific choice.

(may have a line on a couple of older Chandlers).

EDIT: Sorry just found out that some flavor of lipstick PUP was standard issue on a few models.

So, can anyone share experience.

[jesserules]

Kentucky KM-300E. Very happy with the sound of the lipstick pickup it came with, no plans to switch out to a "better" pickup. Matter of personal taste though.

[bob_mc]

jesserules,

Cool. That's the one that led to my edit anyway. I am speculating that a DiMarzio etc., may just be overkill.

[bayAreaDude]

I have a lipstick style Kent Armstrong on my Mandoblaster. Really like it, though it's not very jangly, funky, airy, or noisy.

[R.Daniel]

I will try one GFS.

[bob_mc]

Hmm bayAreaDude, interesting. Had two real Dano's and maybe I am describing it wrong, or Masonite has a huge impact.

R.Daniel, they are on my radar as a backup.

[bayAreaDude]

Hmm bayAreaDude, interesting. Had two real Dano's and maybe I am describing it wrong, or Masonite has a huge impact.

R.Daniel, they are on my radar as a backup.

Could be what's inside the case is just very different. I thought that originally, the Dano pu's were really cheap and actually inside old lipstick cases to cut costs, but Kent Armstrong's are pretty high quality and it's just the shape of the case that resembles a tube - probably not much else in common between them.

[bob_mc]

Maybe; the lore is (and I never pried one open) was that unlike Fender etc. there was no bobbin; the copper went directly around the magnet. This obviously causes a flux capacitor made of upsadasium to form (I may have those details wrong, I grew up I the 60s). The Dano U2 and convertible I had this tone something like a low powered Fender strung with glass strings.

I dig Kent's PUPs. He and a departed buddy of mine worked together a bit and we met briefly a few times. Very nice dude with visegrips for hands.

[Verne Andru]

Yeah, Kent's a cool guy. I've had the chance to meet him and Paul Chandler and talked with both about lipsticks.

Paul claims to have been the first to re-issue lipsticks in the 70's or 80's IIRC. His wife/partner Adrian, a very sweet lady, does or did make all their pickups at their California facility. They made them to original spec - or as close as he could get - with Alnico magnets but stopped when the cost of the tubes rose too much.

Kent designed the lipsticks Evets used on the original Danelectro re-issues in the 90's but, IIRC, they were made in Korea. They too were made to vintage specs with Alnico magnets.

Now at some point Evets changed their pickups from Alnico to ceramic magnets, possibly around the time they moved from Korea to China. Ceramic magnets tend to be hotter, more compressed and "harsher" sounding to my ears than Alnico's.

So all lipsticks are not alike and which version you get - Alnico or ceramic - will impact the tone you get. If you want that airy, chimey sweet tone of the originals, find a set with Alnicos. If you want something that's got a more grindy, compressed tone, ceramics will probably be a better choice.

[bob_mc]

Verne

Lipstick search diverted by a deal on an old Bartolini pickup today. I'll be kicking myself to match it but if its like the ones I remember it'll be worth the effort. Maybe a lipstick neck and the Barto in the bridge?

[mandroid]

Blue Star electric mandolins are built using lipstick pickups .. http://www.elderly.com/accessories/items/BSMB.htm

http://www.elderly.com/new_instrumen...-BLUB-RSWD.htm

[bob_mc]

Yeah, it's official; I am at the advanced age when I will forget I have seen something in real time and then convince myself I discovered/thought of it later.

Now, what do you guys think about a tuner that will clip on the headstock!

[zoukboy]

I love the sound of lipstick PUPs but really don't like the use of guitar pickups on electric mandos/bouzoukis. I was knocked out by Pete Mallinson's "Retro" pickups on the Phantom bouzouki he made me. I wonder if anyone is making smaller lipsticks specifically for mandos? I sure haven't seen any...

[jesserules]

Now, what do you guys think about a tuner that will clip on the headstock!

That's just crazy talk!