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Topic: Alumitone Information |
Jim Priebe
From:
Queensland, Australia - R.I.P.
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Posted 11 Aug 2014 6:28 pm |
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There are ongoing questions about the Alumitone pickups so hopefully this might help those players.
Originally the "Bass Bars" were used for steels 'cos they fitted and they worked. They are a low impedance pickup and have a wide, flat frequency response (great for thumping and twanging on a bass) and so are ideal for pedal steel too.
There have been some changes over time though. The Bass bars still are the same but there are other models that Lace market.
The "Tone Bars" are aimed at steels and seem to be essentially Bass Bars with colour options (Chrome, Black) and are made for 10 and 12 strings sizes. Some of these sold were splitable but were they actually Tone Bars? Read on.
There are however others that can be used:
The "X Bar" comes in a 10 string size - it is also splitable to single coil (or the equivalent of) and has a high output and less highs.
Similarly the "Death Bar" (doncha love those names) also comes in a 10 string size and has even higher output, more mids and strong bottoms. If you want a thicker sound and like distortion this is for you!
If you peruse the Lace site the details are all there including the Nominal resistance (ohms), the Peak frequency response and the Inductance (in henries) of each pickup as well as the wiring diagrams and options. Different models vary in these specifications but the Bass and Tone Bars are the same.
String clearance needs to be minimum 5/32" - further away seems to subdue them slightly (if you prefer that). They have a fairly high output level and if split (on appropriate models) the level does not change so you may need more clearance.
Just by looking at each model it is difficult to see just which one it is - they physically all look almost identical. I use a 10 Bass Bar and a 12 in a couple of my steels and they do differ a bit - the 12 seems to be smoother - could be just the different guitars. One characteristic I have noticed is their response (tone production) on the lower half strings above say the 15th fret may seem slightly different to conventional pickups possibly due to their ability to reproduce all the frequencies (and relative harmonics) all the time.
Whether they are right for your guitar (and ears and eyes) is strictly a matter of personal choice.
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Priebs GFI ('09)Short-Uni10. GFI ('96)Short-Uni SD11. ('86)JEM U12
www.steelguitardownunder.com |
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Jim Priebe
From:
Queensland, Australia - R.I.P.
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Posted 12 Aug 2014 3:28 pm
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Eddie, as in the post I would suggest 5/32" to be the absolute minimum. (I don't have any quarters mate!). Further away subdues the pickup slightly. Closer get too harsh.
Alumes have an alloy frame which has joined legs on each end (there's no bottom plate etc). They are mounted with 4 screws (to the body). I always prefer to mount a pickup on some sort of padding to filter the body vibe from the pickup but that is once again a personal preference.
So on a (Current) GFI the distance between the body and the strings limits the clearance to 5/32". Other brands of guitar will vary. My older GFI which is a 12 seems to have a bit more and that works better.
I have thought of routing a couple of slots for the legs to give me more adjustment but just haven't done that - a project in the future I guess.
So if a quarter is 1/8" I would suggest that's too close for optimum tone. I probably didn't stress in the last post that these pickups are a bit different in behaviour to the pickups we are used to.
I have no bias towards these pups as I have tried Alumes in my Stratocasters but preferred the originals or some others but there are zillions to pick from for those 6 string guitars and once again it's down to personal preference.
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Priebs GFI ('09)Short-Uni10. GFI ('96)Short-Uni SD11. ('86)JEM U12
www.steelguitardownunder.com |
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Jan Viljoen
From:
Pretoria, South Africa
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Posted 12 Aug 2014 11:33 pm
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This is a nice topic, thanks Priebs.
How can one fit the Alumitone in a Sierra?
Does it have to be fixed in the casset?
I am thinking to import one.
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Sierra S10, Stage One, Gibson BR4, Framus, Guya 6&8, Hofner lap, Custom mandolins, Keilwerth sax.
Roland Cube 80XL, Peavey112-Valve King and Special, Marshall 100VS. |
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Jim Priebe
From:
Queensland, Australia - R.I.P.
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Posted 13 Aug 2014 12:14 am
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Re. The Sierra.
From memory they have a set of contacts at the bottom of the pickup encasement and the unit slides into the compartment from the player side.
I have no details of the physical measurements of these units in the Sierras and they would differ in as much as being a 10 or 12 model.
It may be possible to adapt the Alume to fit but obviously it would not be that simple. It would (provided it will actually be of a size that would fit the compartment) require attaching the pup to a base plate with suitable contacts.
Other than that I can't help much. There is a U12 Sierra owner about an hour from me (would you believe he was actually visiting me today) so I could have a look at his but I am sure there are others on the forum that have looked at this and may chime in.
Eddie ?? -- he's gone??
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Priebs GFI ('09)Short-Uni10. GFI ('96)Short-Uni SD11. ('86)JEM U12
www.steelguitardownunder.com |
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