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has anyone ever seen/tried a 530 with a floating pup?


bolero

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Posted

?

 

like those bigbodied jazz guitars....I bet it would sound good, be interesting to have a freely vibrating top without pickups etc mounted in there

 

 

*edit* a 530 is a 535 without the center block, right?

Posted

Sounds like a recipe for uncontolled feedback...

 

True. But the tones from such a 530 at lower volumes would be truly sweet.

 

The closest example of a small bodied, full hollow instrument with floating pickups is the Ibanez GB10. Benson designed it to be a downsized Johnny Smith. In order to minimize feedback at higher volumes, Ibanez gave it a thicker top made of triple-layered laminates (Spruce-Mahogany-Spruce) that does not vibrate much.

 

While this is certainly not a 530, it uses a similar concept of full hollow body with floating pickups. If Heritage would build a custom one-off 530 (or 550) with floating p'ups, the order should include an extra thick top to ward off feedback.

 

Here's an Ibanez GB10 photo for reference:

 

264.JPG

Posted

A player in a band I was in for many years played a GB10 and feedback was never an issue. He was also the loudest player I've ever worked with. It is a really nice guitar.

Posted

Here are some fundamentals to consider.

 

1. The string movement through the magnetic field of the pickup accounts for the sound produced.

 

2. Vibration of the pickup might be a factor, but I haven't seen that discussed. Primarily it seems that the sound comes from the complex string oscillations.

 

3. The soundboard affects string vibration through the bridge primarily and perhaps indirectly through the neck.

 

4. Guitar features that reduce feedback also inhibit soundboard vibration.

 

5. The purpose of a floating pickup is to not restrain top vibration with the mounting of a pickup. There is no other advantage of a floater and there are a couple disadvantages.

 

 

With these ideas in mind, I don't think there would be much benefit of a floater on a laminate top that has a block under the bridge.

 

Having said that, the cool factor would be strong!

Posted

maybe a millie would be a better prospect ( no pun intended )

 

why would a smaller hollowbody cause any more of a feedback issue than the larger sized guitars....which are common

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