Pickups For a 5 String

[JackTripper]

Alright, I know this is a topic that tends to be hotly debated whenever it's brought up around guitar nuts, but the reason I bring it up is different than the usual discussion.

Here goes... Some people swear that aligning the polepieces with the strings is of utmost importance in getting the best tone out of an instrument. Yet almost all will also admit that a slight misalignment, or an intentional string bend that places the string between the poles, results in only a slight (if even perceptible) difference in volume. I've even seen pickups with neck-pickup spacing used at the bridge, meaning that the low and high E strings were actually on the "outside" of the polepiece arrangement. These guitars didn't seem to be lacking much in tone.

As for why I bring this up is that I've been thinking "what if you pop a 6 string pickup under the 5 strings with the poles aligned with the spaces between?" It seems to me that all the strings would still be inside the magnetic field (I'm no physicist, though).

Anyhow, I just thought I'd ask because, if it's at least 90% efficient, it would give a much wider selection of pickups when building an electric.

Any electricians/physicists/luthiers/psychics that would care to pitch in any info would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

P.S.- I know some of those Srinivas mandos have offset guitar pickups in them, but I just don't care for how off-balance it looks.

[Jacob]

Humbucking pickups with twin-blade construction work really well for 5 string electrics. The pole alignment dilemma is eliminated.

[buchrob]

+ Jacob on the twin-blade humbuckers. You can also add a coil tap volume pot to round out your sound choices. Humbuckers are usually voiced a little darker than the "standard" single coil; the coil tap lets you use one or both coils at your pleasure.

[Tom Wright]

Depending on the actual pickup, you might have a weak result. More to the point, why settle for approximate? Blades seem cool but lack the capacity to compensate for individual string behavior---their only advantage is not losing strength if you bend out the sweet spot of the field. And somehow, Jimi Hendrix didn't need that, nor Jimmy Page.

I like Steve Ryder's custom pickups--priced in the ballpark with Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio, and available in a couple of string spacing sizes, or even a custom spacing if you need. Steve can do stacked humbucker single coils as well as standard humbucker and singles

Also, from England there are the Almuse line, available in the US from Moongazer. Pete at Almuse does only singles and humbuckers, but the Almuse design is unique in using different magnets on the underside for the strong low strings and the weak E, with adjusting screws for each string. Steve uses separate Alnico pole pieces and you adjust by pushing up or down.

[thistle3585]

I don't think it matters too much but I agree with Tom. No point buying a guitar pickup when there are so many pickups made that are voiced and spaced for mandolins.

In addition to Tom's list. Allparts and GFS carry mandolin pickups.

[craig.collas]

Some of the emg and select pu's have that sort of construction.

[PJ Doland]

Anybody ever try Lace Sensors?

If I understand correctly, they're not really blades and they don't have polepieces? And they're quiet too?

[JackTripper]

Yeah, I know about the rails and purpose-made pickups for mandolins. I just wanted to float the idea and see what everybody thought. When I get around to it, I think I'll get one of those Moongazer 5-string necks and put together a trial prototype with some old guitar pickups I have in my junk drawer. Just for the sake of my own curiosity.

Thanks anyway, guys.

PJ- Do you mean those Alumitone ones? Those things sure look neat, don't they?

[mandroid]

Anybody ever try Lace Sensors?

Fender-Lace sensor gold.. its in a solid body CGDA 4 string .

later Modded it with 4 RMC Piezos in the bridge .. dual source

8 pin cable to a

RMC Poly Drive 2 black Box splits them out again.

2 TR 1/4" & a 13 pin output..

[Verne Andru]

I put a couple Allparts 6-string blade humbuckers in my Fender 5-string and am totally impressed. I did have a volume drop on the D string, but I switched from a wound to unwound and that solved the problem nicely. Here's the build thread with clips if interested:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...ktop-make-over

As for Lace, I've used their "resonator" humbuckers on 2 of my mandolins. I went with these because they are very thin making them easier to install. I put a small one on my Paris Swing, as seen in my avatar. The larger one is under the cover plate of my Republic resonator mandolin. No complaints with either one.