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Post new topic Anyone use a Lollar Chicago Steel 8 string pickup?
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Author Topic:  Anyone use a Lollar Chicago Steel 8 string pickup?
Jim Fogarty


From:
Phila, Pa, USA
Post  Posted 4 Oct 2017 11:06 am    
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Hey,

Does anyone use the Lollar Chicago Steel 8 string pickup? Maybe in a Goldtone 8 string lap?

I just got a Goldtone with one installed, and have a stock model to compare it with. While the Lollar sounds great, it's much thinner (in width) than the stock pickup, so consequently you can't really get it close enough to the strings, IMO. The output suffers because of that.

Anyone else notice this. Any solution that you came up with?

Generally, what do you think of the Chicago Steel?

Thanks!
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Keith Glendinning


From:
United Kingdom
Post  Posted 4 Oct 2017 1:30 pm    
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Hi Jim,
There's a Luthier here in UK who makes hand wound pickups up to 8 string Charlie Christain style for £85 plus p/p. Here's a link to his website.
http://www.johnanthonyguitars.com/baytone-type-pickups.html
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Bill Sinclair


From:
Waynesboro, PA, USA
Post  Posted 4 Oct 2017 2:26 pm    
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Jim,

Are you sure you don't have the Lollar Grand Console pickup? That Chicago pickup looks pretty thick with that magnet on the bottom.

http://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-steel-guitar-pickups/chicago-steel
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Guy Cundell


From:
More idle ramblings from South Australia
Post  Posted 4 Oct 2017 8:22 pm    
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Not a problem for me but, looking closely, the poles don't line up. Not something I had noticed before. With a critical ear, I can hear that the bottom string is a touch quieter but it hasn't seemed a problem. I didn't install it so I can help in that way.

BTW, thanks for the appreciation on another thread.




Last edited by Guy Cundell on 4 Oct 2017 8:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Jim Fogarty


From:
Phila, Pa, USA
Post  Posted 4 Oct 2017 8:23 pm    
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Ok......took it apart (it IS a Chicago Steel, Bill) and it turns out the springs holding the pickup were SUPER heavy, so it wouldn't raise up enough. I swapped in some smaller ones, and got the height up where it should be. Still not as hot as I was expecting, but in line with the stock one and sounds pretty good.

I'll have to mess with it a bit, but I have to say......

It kinda makes me realize how decent the stock pickup is on this Goldtone model. A little brighter and clearer than the Lollar, which can be good or bad, depending on your taste.

All in all, they did a real nice job with these instruments, IMO.
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Jim Fogarty


From:
Phila, Pa, USA
Post  Posted 4 Oct 2017 8:28 pm    
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Guy Cundell wrote:
Not a problem for me but, looking closely, the poles don't line up. Not something I had noticed before. With a critical ear, I can hear that the bottom string is a touch quieter but it hasn't seemed a problem. I didn't install it so I can help in that way.




Just to be clear.....you have the Lollar also, Guy? Looks like it. The polepieces aren't exact on this one, either. With a little bit of tweaking, I got a pretty good balance, though. Very sensitive to polepiece height!

Curious though.......do you find that piece of chewing gum on the treble side on the string retainer helps the tone all that much?!?!? Laughing Laughing Laughing
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Guy Cundell


From:
More idle ramblings from South Australia
Post  Posted 4 Oct 2017 8:35 pm    
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Yes, Jim, it's a Lollar Chicago. That bit of blue tack is to hold the new string in place when restringing because of the crappy tailpiece design. Other than that it's a great axe.
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