Floating Pickup

[tgee]

I just can’t seem to get a sound I like from the floating pickup on my 2001 H575. I’ve never had a floater before, so I have a basic question. The pickup seems really hot. If I tap it with a pick, it comes through the amp like as if you were to tap a microphone. Is that normal?

 

I don’t know what kind of pickup it is specifically. Perhaps you can tell me based on the pics.

 

Has anyone successfully replaced the pickup on a similar Heritage with one of the Armstrong floaters offered by archtop.com? I’m tempted to try the single coil, but I think the guitar comes up a little short on the 5/8” clearance requirement.

 

For amps I have a 1965 Fender Princeton (non-reverb) with a 12” speaker and a Deluxe Reverb reissue with a Weber 12F150. I have an older Gibson archtop with a P90 that sounds great through these amps. I know the Heritage won’t sound like that, but I’m hoping to get a little closer.

 

Thanks,

Tom

 

 

[DC Ron]

The "red dot" floaters are supposed to be hotter than the earlier(?) pickups. Don't know who makes them but the design is somewhat unusual. The two brass rods you can see on the left run between the coils and the cover, and are inserted into two holes in the wooden block labeled "ALM SB" in your pic. The pickup is basically cantilevered from the guard by the two rods. Several folks on this forum have replace them with a KA floater, including GitFiddler. Think the wooden block has to go but not sure. Have also heard that KA will replace the guts of one of these. Imagine you'd have to call direct to get details. Personally I like these pickups but pleny of folks don't. BTW, that's a killer looking guitar!

[tgee]

Thanks, DC Ron. Yeah, the guitar looks even better in person and it plays like a dream. Now I just need to figure out a plan of attack on the pu.

[RhoadsScholar]

I recently had Kent Armstrong replace the guts of this same floating pickup with one of his on my Golden Eagle and couldn't be happier. He also sent back the old pickup in case one of these days you might want to make it all original again. Cost was about 120 dollars and turn around time was about 2 weeks... Good guy to talk to. He is very familiar with these pickups and you can describe the sound you are after as he does these one at a time.

 

Best 120 dollar upgrade for my Golden Eagle (and I can always go back if I want/had to) but don't think I will...

[RhoadsScholar]

BTW: I sent him the pickup AND the pickguard so it came back all assembled. Just had to resolder.

[tgee]

Wow. $120 sounds perfectly reasonable! Maybe I'll give him a call. Thanks for the tip!

 

Speaking of Golden Eagles, there's one on ebay right now that I can't stop looking at. Looks like a blonde beauty.

[morg21279]

+1 on Kent. Compared to his adjustable pole pu on archtop, where you may have to re-cut the pickguard, and re-mount the pu, this just replaces the guts and keeps every thing else the same. I'll bet that if you told him what you're looking for, he could wind something special.

 

call him in Vermont.

[skbaily]

+2 on KA pickups. I ordered one of his handwound Johnny Smith models a year or so ago and like the sound very much. Once I get the stock PU re-installed on my GE (which I recently acquired, delivered with the pickguard assembly off), I am tempted to add a tone pot to that. Will wait to see how it sounds first tho...

[Gitfiddler]

+3 for Kent Armstrong pafs. He is highly recommended by the good folks over at www.archtop.com.

 

I see yours does not have a tone pot. Another consideration is to have a tone pot installed. You can get a 'stealth' tone wheel installed under the guard which would give additonal tonal options.