Mutt*Pups. FAQ

[muttley]

Is there a way you can "stamp" (or whatever) your pickups with a little mutt so they're recognisable as yours?

Little dog head shaped magnets? Let me know if you need more help with the marketing... I'm full of good ideas.

No 1 is get the product right. Thats my first priority. I'm going to look into embossing options late but with such a wide variety of covers it would prolly best apply to designs I would be doing quite a few of. I'm looking into packaging and branding at the moment and also some hand outs like key chains, picks and crown cap openers.. I dont want to get too distracted though. I have work that pays bills to do...

[JD01]

No 1 is get the product right. Thats my first priority.

Right - you don't want to end up like those guys that spend more time deciding on a cool name/font for their band and conceptualising album art that they do writing songs or practising.

[muttley]

No 1 is get the product right. Thats my first priority.

Right - you don't want to end up like those guys that spend more time deciding on a cool name/font for their band and conceptualising album art that they do writing songs or practising.

Exactly, but what colour picks do you think I should get stamped up? and what gauge should they be?...

[Bubba]

what gauge should they be?...

0.81mm. Thanks.

[Greg_L]

No 1 is get the product right. Thats my first priority. I'm going to look into embossing options late but with such a wide variety of covers it would prolly best apply to designs I would be doing quite a few of. I'm looking into packaging and branding at the moment and also some hand outs like key chains, picks and crown cap openers.. I dont want to get too distracted though. I have work that pays bills to do...

Some pickup winders go full retard with the packaging presentation IMO. Some of the boutique winders use stuff like reclaimed teak boxes, wax seals, the pickups are nestled in a bed of hormone free Colombian hay, etc. It's too much. It seems like you should be wearing a turtleneck, sipping wine by a fire while unpacking those things.

I thought the little box you put Bubba's pickup in was perfect. Not as boring and sterile as a clear plastic SD box, but not overboard pretentious hipster boutique either.

[muttley]

It's prolly easier and cheaper for me to knock up some wooden boxs and stick labels on them than source perspex boxes. I want to keep it "rustic" though. You know, like the chess piece boxes. I have tons of off cuts and it would be better than burning them...

I know what you mean about the boutique guys, they all want to sell above their product. I was gonna ship yours in perspex as it would be cheapoer and easier to pack and post. Not a problem in the UK cos if it gets bashed up I'm local but shipping to tthe US would be a pain for you if it got trashed.

Ultimately I want to focus on the pickups though and maybe throw in some handouts so you guys can spread the word.

[Greg_L]

It's prolly easier and cheaper for me to knock up some wooden boxs and stick labels on them than source perspex boxes. I want to keep it "rustic" though. You know, like the chess piece boxes. I have tons of off cuts and it would be better than burning them...

I know what you mean about the boutique guys, they all want to sell above their product. I was gonna ship yours in perspex as it would be cheapoer and easier to pack and post. Not a problem in the UK cos if it gets bashed up I'm local but shipping to tthe US would be a pain for you if it got trashed.

Ultimately I want to focus on the pickups though and maybe throw in some handouts so you guys can spread the word.

Yeah keep mine safe!

[Lt. Bob]

Exactly, but what colour picks do you think I should get stamped up? and what gauge should they be?...

I use a Fender shape and heavy thank you very much.

[Minerman]

Just saw this thread & I have a couple of questions...Before that I wanna say I think this is a great idea...

So, can you put the little quick connectors Gibson uses on some of their guitars???

Do you have a ballpark guess-ti-mate on how much would it cost to ship a p'up or two???

While I can solder enough to get by, this could be a good alternative for me to swap p'ups around instead of buying another guitar...

[muttley]

Just saw this thread & I have a couple of questions...Before that I wanna say I think this is a great idea...

So, can you put the little quick connectors Gibson uses on some of their guitars???

Do you have a ballpark guess-ti-mate on how much would it cost to ship a p'up or two???

While I can solder enough to get by, this could be a good alternative for me to swap p'ups around instead of buying another guitar...

It will depend on what shipping you want and how quick you want it. I still use our royal Mail and their rates are good and their tracking is also good and reliable. I will have to check weight considerations but ball park figures are here..

Standard shipping Rates USA

I will know better next week as I will be about ready to ship some stuff to gerg.

Connectors? Yes if I can get them. I always solder up so never had the need.

[Minerman]

Thanks Mutt,
The link you posted gave me an idea of what I wanted to know...

Both of my Gibson guitars have the pcb/quick connectors, so it'd be pretty nice to be able to plug-n-play...I can solder decently, but I really have no desire to jerk the guts out of either of those guitars...

[muttley]

Thanks Mutt,
The link you posted gave me an idea of what I wanted to know...

Both of my Gibson guitars have the pcb/quick connectors, so it'd be pretty nice to be able to plug-n-play...I can solder decently, but I really have no desire to jerk the guts out of either of those guitars...

I'll look into it.

UI have a bunch of stuff that needs replying to from today, Starting with JD before breakfast and right up to you now...

I'll grab a beer and spend some time answering as much as I can tonight.

[muttley]

Just saw this thread & I have a couple of questions...Before that I wanna say I think this is a great idea...

So, can you put the little quick connectors Gibson uses on some of their guitars???

Do you have a ballpark guess-ti-mate on how much would it cost to ship a p'up or two???

While I can solder enough to get by, this could be a good alternative for me to swap p'ups around instead of buying another guitar...

A quick investigation tells me that the connectors gibson use are just Molex connectors. If they are it shouldnt be hard to replicate. I'll have to do a real life investigation to confirm though. I dont have a suitably equiped guitar in the workshop right now.... Leave it with me.

[Minerman]

A quick investigation tells me that the connectors gibson use are just Molex connectors. If they are it shouldnt be hard to replicate. I'll have to do a real life investigation to confirm though. I dont have a suitably equiped guitar in the workshop right now.... Leave it with me.

Yeah dude, they're molex connectors, I just couldn't remember what they're called...

[rayc]

COOL. This is the type of thread and edumakashun we've been missing. Well done Shannon & Muttley for sussing out something that advances knowledge and brings a focus back to the artisan.
I have a perfect project pu for an ancient guitar BUT I'm such a klutz & so unhandy I'd have to ship you the guitar to do the installation.
Coupled with the fact that I wouldn't know a good pick up from a bad pick up line.
Thanks you Muttley for the three months of special deal and for the tithe to assist with the board's board.

[SweetDan]

So, I was just reading about JD's new p'up, and I was curious about what effect you get from the different resistances on the two coils. What's the theory (or actual data) about that?

[muttley]

So, I was just reading about JD's new p'up, and I was curious about what effect you get from the different resistances on the two coils. What's the theory (or actual data) about that?

Thats a hard one...

Lets break it down a bit..

There is data, lots of it but in terms of tone all things are subjective and there is little or no correlation between that and hard data. Every guy I know who winds pickups or makes guitars keeps minute records of everything he does and how it affects the outcome. I'm no differant so without digging too deep into the physics of it here is what I have found and why I do things as I do.

A bobbin traditionally on a PAF style would have around 5000 turns of copper wire. That was what Gibson were aiming at as they wanted to match the 10000 turns they used as a guide for the P90 bobbins. Now back in the day the counters werent all that good and they would wind up bobbins and chuck all in a box and just grab two when they assembled the pup and off it went. The result of that is that there are not really two identical pups in terms of wind count or matching bobbins. The upshot of this is that as people have tried to examine why PAFs of old have that unique tone they have attributed some of that charm to wind count as well as aged pickups, wire coating, all sorts really. One thing for sure the most popular sounding pups had a slight mismatch on the turn count per bobbin. Not much but enough to make a difference.

Now what I have found is that by pushing that mismatch or bias as I prefer to call it you can get some really clear articulate pups going. Its one of the main things I play around with to get clarity and articulation. To my ears they seem to be less muddy and a have nice bright punchy highs. If you go too far you start to get that single coil quack without much of the p90 grunt so its a balance for me.

Typically I aim for a 5% mismatch. I would push that if I was asked to give over a decent coil split tone or wanted to add a bit of bite without going too hot. Conversely if I was aiming to get that screaming shrill metal tone then I would get the two bobbins as close in all manner as possible. Thats kind of why the 490, 498'S etc seem to be popular with the metal and thrash guys and not many others.. They are machine wound and identical bobbins...

You could write a whole book on this crap so I'll stop now. At least you know why I do like I do..

The theory is about inductance and how the field generated and eddies all interact. Its a mine field much as the acoustic I used to teach. Every thing you change affects everything else. In the real world its about what you know works and pushing that. The feel for it comes with doing it not just a bunch of data. The data helps me do it again more quickly with more consistent results. Thats all..

[SweetDan]

...in terms of tone all things are subjective and there is little or no correlation between that and hard data...

...what I have found is that by pushing that mismatch or bias as I prefer to call it you can get some really clear articulate pups going. Its one of the main things I play around with to get clarity and articulation. To my ears they seem to be less muddy and a have nice bright punchy highs. If you go too far you start to get that single coil quack without much of the p90 grunt so its a balance for me...

...The theory is about inductance and how the field generated and eddies all interact...

Cool; thanks for the answer.