Results 1 to 19 of 19

Thread: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

  1. #1

    Default Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    I have an El Rey and love it but can't get past the output imbalance of hot A's and weak E's with the Lollar pickup.
    I've changed strings/gauges and pickup height/angle.
    Even sent it in to Lollar for inspection, but they didn't find anything wrong with it.

    Any recommendations for a replacement humbucker with adjustable poles?
    Hopefully one with the same footprint for easy installation.

    Bad timing for sure with Almuse's Soundfarmer Pete retiring, (best wishes to him).
    He would have been my first choice.

    Thanks.

  2. #2
    Tired & Cranky Monte Barnett's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Pacific Northwest
    Posts
    140

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    I don't know if he's still working, but you could contact Steve Ryder: https://www.sjryder.com
    Monte

    Northfield F2S
    Weber Yellowstone Octave F

  3. #3
    Registered User Tom Wright's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Rockville, MD
    Posts
    1,919
    Blog Entries
    7

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Ryder's side-by-sde humbuckers are not adjustable. He uses Alnico pole pieces as the magnets, and the HB has a hack plate preventing height changes.

    He makes a sweet stacked-sngle-coil humbucker that I use on my Almuse axe. The pole pieces can be pushed up and down, although not conveniently. Best done with strings off and pickup sitting outside of the pickguard. I mounted a pair using plastic cover pieces to carry the singles. Ryder can make you a mounting plate to cover the pickup cutout, if you want to try.

    The stacked singles are perfectly humbucking, and they can make better use of the tonal range of mandolin, to my ears. Output is lower than a normal HB, but pedals and amps these days don't care. All my emando sound clips are using those pickups, either my old Ryder or my current Almuse.
    Bandcamp -- https://tomwright1.bandcamp.com/
    Videos--YouTube
    Sound Clips--SoundCloud
    The viola is proof that man is not rational

  4. #4
    Registered User bbcee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Spain
    Posts
    499

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Just corresponded with him a couple of weeks ago for humbucker & single coil replacements. He's still going strong.

    Although his pickups are a bit wider then what I've currently got on my instrument, he stated that his pickup's fields would sense the strings just fine.

    I've decided to go down another avenue, but his pickups look like a good way to go. Worth a chat with him.

  5. #5
    Registered User zoukboy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Lubbock, TX
    Posts
    1,251

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Check with Pete Mallinson of Almuse.

  6. #6
    Registered User Rick Jones's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Rochester Hills, MI
    Posts
    399

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Quote Originally Posted by zoukboy View Post
    Check with Pete Mallinson of Almuse.
    Sadly, Pete has retired. Sad for us anyway - Great for Pete!
    All my life I wanted to be somebody, now I realize I should have been more specific.

  7. #7
    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Outer Spiral Arm, of Galaxy, NW Oregon.
    Posts
    17,103

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    IDK, Widen, reshape the hole, so you have a wider selection of pickups from the Electric Guitar sector?

    asked Seymore Duncan company? https://www.seymourduncan.com/product
    writing about music
    is like dancing,
    about architecture

  8. #8

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Quote Originally Posted by Rick Jones View Post
    Sadly, Pete has retired. Sad for us anyway - Great for Pete!
    There are going to be some new pickup makers in the near future as builders like myself make the transition with Pete's retirement.

  9. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to thistle3585 For This Useful Post:


  10. #9
    Registered User Rick Jones's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Rochester Hills, MI
    Posts
    399

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Quote Originally Posted by thistle3585 View Post
    There are going to be some new pickup makers in the near future as builders like myself make the transition with Pete's retirement.
    I'm counting on it!
    All my life I wanted to be somebody, now I realize I should have been more specific.

  11. #10

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Hey Andrew,

    How about some drop-in replacements for the Eastwood models. I like their emando designs (except for the MRG line) but think their pickups (and the electronic components) are rather suspect. You could probably get a deal with Eastwood as their pickup supplier. They and Vorsen (among others) could benefit from a few quality pickup manufacturers. imho

    Len B.
    Clearwater, FL
    Last edited by lenf12; Dec-18-2021 at 2:45pm.

  12. #11
    Luthier&Pickup maker ret. Soundfarmer Pete's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Grantham U.K.
    Posts
    517

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandodork View Post
    I have an El Rey and love it but can't get past the output imbalance of hot A's and weak E's with the Lollar pickup.
    I've changed strings/gauges and pickup height/angle.
    Even sent it in to Lollar for inspection, but they didn't find anything wrong with it.

    Any recommendations for a replacement humbucker with adjustable poles?
    Hopefully one with the same footprint for easy installation.

    Bad timing for sure with Almuse's Soundfarmer Pete retiring, (best wishes to him).
    He would have been my first choice.

    Thanks.
    Have you had a look under the pickup? ...... If those poles are rod magnets, then you may be able to tweak the balance by adding small Neodymium discs.
    If they have a bar magnet underneath, then even better..... Rip off the bar magnet and use different sized disks (6X2 for G, 6X3 for D, 6X2 for A and 8X3 for E) ......that`s what I used and quite a few people liked them

    If you`re thinking of modifying the magnets, e-mail me and I`ll let you know about getting the polarity right.


    P.S. Same trick can be used on Mandobirds

  13. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Soundfarmer Pete For This Useful Post:


  14. #12

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Quote Originally Posted by lenf12 View Post
    Hey Andrew,

    How about some drop-in replacements for the Eastwood models. I like their emando designs (except for the MRG line) but think their pickups (and the electronic components) are rather suspect. You could probably get a deal with Eastwood as their pickup supplier. They and Vorsen (among others) could benefit from a few quality pickup manufacturers. imho

    Len B.
    Clearwater, FL
    I worked with Eastwood many years ago on a new bridge design, it wasn't a very positive experience although I did get a free instrument out of the deal.

  15. The following members say thank you to thistle3585 for this post:

    lenf12 

  16. #13

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Thanks Pete, I really appreciate the reply, but that sounds more advanced than my limited technical abilities can handle!
    Would adding discs on top of the E poles have any effect?

  17. #14
    Registered User Tom Wright's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Rockville, MD
    Posts
    1,919
    Blog Entries
    7

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandodork View Post
    Would adding discs on top of the E poles have any effect?
    If you have clearance, room under the strings, you can bring the magnetic field closer with simply magnet-friendly metal, sometimes called mild steel. Hardened steel is less useful, and stainless not at all. Something like a bit of window shade mounting bracket might do, sitting on the two E poles.

    I heard someone added a tiny neodynium magnet on top but my experience is that would be too strong and tight a field up close.
    Bandcamp -- https://tomwright1.bandcamp.com/
    Videos--YouTube
    Sound Clips--SoundCloud
    The viola is proof that man is not rational

  18. #15
    Registered User bbcee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Spain
    Posts
    499

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Hi all, a slight thread hijack. I'm thinking about replacing the bridge humbucker on my Flight Pathfinder (though I'll likely now try Pete's tip above first!). I recently saw a YT video of Kym Warner playing a Fanner with what looked like half a P-Bass pickup in the bridge. I happen to have one ... the string spread is just about right ... worth a try? Would the magnet strength be too much? I realize it will be a single coil, which I'm fine with.

    P.S. - can that guy PLAY!!

  19. #16
    Luthier&Pickup maker ret. Soundfarmer Pete's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Grantham U.K.
    Posts
    517

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandodork View Post
    Thanks Pete, I really appreciate the reply, but that sounds more advanced than my limited technical abilities can handle!
    Would adding discs on top of the E poles have any effect?
    Yup! My guess is that something really small could make a big difference........maybe try a 5mmX1mm........ Cheap enough (ebay) so no harm trying.
    Basically, the string is the magnet and compared to the A string, the E is roughly a half of the size so when moving over the conductor, the electrical pulse is much smaller so the idea is to make the E stronger magnetically to even things up.

  20. The following members say thank you to Soundfarmer Pete for this post:

    bbcee 

  21. #17
    Luthier&Pickup maker ret. Soundfarmer Pete's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Grantham U.K.
    Posts
    517

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Half P-Bass pickups are fine (Epi Mandobirds got away with them for years) although without modification, there will still be the string imbalance problem.

    As for magnet strength, shouldn`t make any difference since as my fingertips bear witness, mandolin tensions are much higher than electric guitar!

  22. #18
    Registered User bbcee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Location
    Spain
    Posts
    499

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Thanks for putting me straight, Pete - going to Ebay to get a nice magnet assortment and start a' gluing!!

    What you say about the E string producing (inducing) less current makes total sense, and seems like the disk method is going to be an easy-to-do solution for the Lollar and other 4-string pickups.

  23. #19

    Default Re: Replacement humbucker pickup for Eastman El Rey Lollar

    Thanks everyone. As always I appreciate the sharing of knowledge in the Cafe community.
    A quick follow up on my results.

    Removing and reinstalling the Lollar, (and everything else), was an adventure, but I got it. Patience and a new length of ground wire to the tailpiece were needed.

    Special thanks to Pete for the magnet size recommendations. The size matched the diameter of the poles, so they're barely noticeable. They even stay in place without glue, but they do make a click noise if you hit them with a pick.

    Currently using two of them on each E pole.
    The E's still sound a little thin, but now I am able to move the A poles further away so overall the balance is greatly improved.
    Quite happy overall!

    Best,
    Scott

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •