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Topic: Q: If Ry Cooder did it, why can't I do it? |
JB Bobbitt
From:
California, USA
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Posted 3 Mar 2020 12:57 pm |
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i.e., build a CooderCaster (lap). Jerry Douglas has one too.
A: Because I'm a rank beginner and don't know squat. But I'm learning.
A Cooder caster has a string-through pup at the bridge, and a gold foil pup at the neck. I've got the string-through (Lollar) in hand, ready to buy the gold foil (Lollar), only to find this out:
"Just know that Ry Cooder used a two way switch because the single conductor String Through pickup will have one side of the pickup be out of phase when combined with a neck pickup. The String Through was never designed to be used with another pickup." (source: tech help at Lollar).
I take it the "two-way switch" means the pups are used only one at a time, not blended. If Ry and Jerry have it that way, I'm good with it.
Anybody have any insight?
_________________
"Time is an enemy"
-Bob Dylan |
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Jeff Highland
From:
New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 3 Mar 2020 1:38 pm
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The Gold foil is a single coil, the string through is two coils (reverse wound reverse polarity) which act as a humbucker.
But each coil is only picking up 3 strings so if you combined it with the gold foil you would have it out of phase with 3 strings and in phase with the other 3 which would most likely sound terrible. |
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Jerry Jones
From:
Franklin, Tenn.
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JB Bobbitt
From:
California, USA
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Posted 3 Mar 2020 7:58 pm
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Thanks, very informative. I've yet to figure out the search function here.
_________________
"Time is an enemy"
-Bob Dylan |
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Stephen Abruzzo
From:
Philly, PA
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Posted 4 Mar 2020 10:26 am
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The late Tom Pettingill built a lap steel for me using the Lollar Coodercaster combo.
Here is what I had to see about combining the 2 pups: "I too like that middle setting. Being that half of the Supro was going to be out of phase, I wasn't too sure what to expect, but it turned out to be quite nice. It tames the Supro a bit, but not in a bad way."
_________________
Four Pettingills and a Clinesmith Aluminum. Fender Blues Junior. Quilter Mini-101. |
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Georg Sørtun
From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
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Posted 4 Mar 2020 10:51 am
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| Note that "being in or out of phase" does not mean much when there is some distance between the PUs - the strings' vibrations are only "in sync" at one point along their lengths anyway. Thus, a bridge and a neck PU will not pick up "perfect in sync" vibrations no matter what way they are constructed and/or "phased". |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 4 Mar 2020 11:26 am
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I agree with Georg. And also note that being out of phase has different implications when the pickups are different from each other.
To me, the issue is whether or not I like the sound of the pickups out-of-phase. I grew up with a '65 Fender Mustang, and I used the true electrically-out-of-phase sound quite a bit. I can't imagine using a 2-way instead of a 3-way switch to purposely avoid having the in-between out-of-phase sound available. But I would not argue with Ry Cooder either - whatever works for whatever ya' want. |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2020 11:51 am
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| couldnt you just add a phase switch to the front pickup and have both in and out of phase possibilities? |
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Steve Lipsey
From:
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Posted 4 Mar 2020 12:45 pm
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The famous Peter Green/Garry Moore 59 Les Paul (according to article I just read) has one pickup out of phase with the other, so the middle position has the tone that made that specific guitar famous....article said that there might be others out there, but this one was checked out to see what it did.
And there is someone out there making in-phase string-through pickups - I know a guy putting together a Coodercaster who found that - if interested, I can ask him where it got it.
_________________
https://www.lostsailorspdx.com
Williams S10s, Milkman Pedal Steel Mini & "The Amp"
Ben Bonham Resos, 1954 Oahu Diana, 1936 Oahu Parlor |
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Jeff Highland
From:
New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 4 Mar 2020 3:53 pm
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The problem with an in phase coils string through pickup would be that you lose the Humbucking effect. The humfree with single coil tone is one of the big appeals of the valco pickup
Its a great sound on my 49 Supro and I also get some of the same advantage on the "twin Single" neck pickup on my Duesenberg Fairytale |
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Lee Holliday
From:
United Kingdom
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Posted 5 Mar 2020 10:38 pm
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The outa phase has never been a problem for me as you can still use the different sounds.
An interesting option when I converted a Godin Radiator into a Coodercaster was instead of having switches there were three pots, a volume for each pickup and a master tone, so you can blend the whole mix, now that worked a treat.
Lee |
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Jeff Highland
From:
New South Wales, Australia
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Posted 5 Mar 2020 11:28 pm
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| As you say, out of phase is just a different sound, if you like it thats fine. The major issue is that 3 strings will be out of phase 3 in phase, if that does not bother you, fine. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 10 Mar 2020 7:18 am
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Lee's got the right idea! I'd use a blend control or individual volume controls for each pickup to get maximum tonal variation.  |
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Georg Sørtun
From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
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Posted 10 Mar 2020 1:20 pm
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| When using individual volume pots for balancing out passive PUs, I always wire those volume pots "backwards" to reduce/eliminate the loading of one PU/pot set with the other. |
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