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Topic: Thanks to Rick Aiello |
Colin Alder
From:
Santa Cruz, California, USA
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Posted 10 Oct 2007 10:26 am |
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Aiello designed Convertible pickuup
Just in case any of you might forget(not likely), I want to sing the praises of our friend, Rick Aiello. When he an Jason Lollar stopped making the horseshoe pickup I was using in my 8 string guitars, I freaked out. I emailed Rick and started on an odyssey that ended with the superb pickup I am now using in the CruzTone 8. Rick generously shared the expertise he gained from his years of pickup design and experimentation. He took my specific shape and mounting requirements and told me how to fit the vintage tone we were looking for into my aesthetic requirements. For this design expertise he charged me zip, nada, 0.00 I then got a machinist to produce the metal parts and Rick loaded them with his magnetic juju. Voila!!
The result is a beautiful unit that has the signature Aiello/Lollar 3 dimensional vintage tone. Plus you can remove the top magnets and the unit produces a slightly warmer tone--kinda like a hot P90.  |
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Bill Leff
From:
Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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Posted 10 Oct 2007 2:28 pm
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Hey Colin:
Is that a Aiello/Lollar on Patti Maxine's guitar you built her? I played a gig on Saturday with her (her on steel, me on guitar) and the Cruztone sounded incredible, straight into the PA! I've always loved her sound with her D8 Fender, but the Cruztone sounded even better. |
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Todd Weger
From:
Safety Harbor, FLAUSA
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Posted 11 Oct 2007 5:48 am Rick is DA MAN
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Rick Aiello (and his p'up designs) are both just simply amazing. I am still hoping to own one of his 'dustpan' steels one day when I can get the pennies together.
I also have to say Colin, those steels you're building are just gorgeous works of ART, even before you plug them in. I think that p'up complements the looks of that guitar perfectly.
Very nice...
TJW |
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Rick Aiello
From:
Berryville, VA USA
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Posted 14 Oct 2007 2:51 pm
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Thanks for the very kind words ... 
Sorry, just rolled in from Joliet ... and it will be weeks until I mentally & physically recover ... 
But I do recall, Bill, that ... that particular Cruztone ... the one with the very cool Hula Girl ... used the last set of "H-Shoes" (neodymium based horseshoes) that I ever made.
Pound for pound (and that's literal ... they both boast over 400 grams of neodymium-iron-boron) ... Colin's new units are every bit the pickup the old H-Shoes units were ... and more |
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Colin Alder
From:
Santa Cruz, California, USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2007 5:33 pm
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| Todd, Thanks so much for the compliment. I did spend quite a bit of time before I settled on the Ultratone shape for the CruzTone. The Art Deco styling is something that I have always liked. I tried to pay homage to the Ultratone while bringing the construction and the components into the 21st century. The design process was really fun with tips, feedback and support from Rick as well as, Chas Smith, Mike Johnstone, Jason Lollar, Bill Leff, Rick Turner, Dave Borosoff, Gary McDaniel, Patti Maxine. What an awesome community this is. |
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Loni Specter
From:
West Hills, CA, USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2007 6:54 pm
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| Colin Alder wrote: |
| Todd, Thanks so much for the compliment. I did spend quite a bit of time before I settled on the Ultratone shape for the CruzTone. The Art Deco styling is something that I have always liked. I tried to pay homage to the Ultratone while bringing the construction and the components into the 21st century. The design process was really fun with tips, feedback and support from Rick as well as, Chas Smith, Mike Johnstone, Jason Lollar, Bill Leff, Rick Turner, Dave Borosoff, Gary McDaniel, Patti Maxine. What an awesome community this is. |
What am I, Chopped Liver?  |
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Colin Alder
From:
Santa Cruz, California, USA
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Posted 15 Oct 2007 9:30 pm
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Sorry Loni. CRS... I appear to have forgotten to thank my mother, as well  |
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