Elysian Tuned Aperture Pickups - Patent Pending

[Overtone]

For the skeptics out there... why IS it better to have one of your configurations than to just have a regular pickup and adjust the height and polepieces accordingly? As far as height/slant I could see it being good for someone who has an extended range tuning and is ordering a custom instrument set up to those specs and wants their pickups to be direct mounted. As far as adjustable polepieces, I'm not sure... but my guess would be that tonally there are different effects from the amount of copper vs. the elevation of of the polepiece. But what would that tonal quality be?

 

[ElysianGuitars]

For the skeptics out there... why IS it better to have one of your configurations than to just have a regular pickup and adjust the height and polepieces accordingly? As far as height/slant I could see it being good for someone who has an extended range tuning and is ordering a custom instrument set up to those specs and wants their pickups to be direct mounted. As far as adjustable polepieces, I'm not sure... but my guess would be that tonally there are different effects from the amount of copper vs. the elevation of of the polepiece. But what would that tonal quality be?

Clips will explain it much better than I can. It's pretty substantial, where a pole piece adjustment is incredibly subtle. Alex will hopefully be able to get the pickups installed tonight, then the clips will come when he has the time.

 

[Jay Jillard]

adjusting the height does make the magnetic field closer to the strings, and therefore stronger, and therefore louder, but the width of the field is relatively the same. all you're changing is volume.

these bobbins actually increase the area of coverage on half the strings, which means its picking up a longer section of the vibrating string, which kinda adds a bit of darkness, its one of the reasons p90s sound so different from a strat single, more string coverage.


this is my understanding of it, i'm fairly new to how pickups work, i just let my pickup guy wind cool things.

we tossed around an idea similar to this for j bass style pickups a while back, where the pairs of 3/16 magnets started out parallel, and gradually angled as they moved towards the high strings, essentially making the coil wider under the high strings. never built them though.

 

[ElysianGuitars]

adjusting the height does make the magnetic field closer to the strings, and therefore stronger, and therefore louder, but the width of the field is relatively the same. all you're changing is volume.

these bobbins actually increase the area of coverage on half the strings, which means its picking up a longer section of the vibrating string, which kinda adds a bit of darkness, its one of the reasons p90s sound so different from a strat single, more string coverage.


this is my understanding of it, i'm fairly new to how pickups work, i just let my pickup guy wind cool things.

we tossed around an idea similar to this for j bass style pickups a while back, where the pairs of 3/16 magnets started out parallel, and gradually angled as they moved towards the high strings, essentially making the coil wider under the high strings. never built them though.

Yes, this is my understanding as well. And as I've also explained earlier in the thread, there is physically more wire around the larger diameter, therefore there is more wire picking up the disturbance of the magnetic field.

 

[Necris]

I think this is a really cool idea, so I'm looking forward to hearing those clips, and as usual I need to ask, have you considered applying this to bass pickups as well?

 

[ElysianGuitars]

I think this is a really cool idea, so I'm looking forward to hearing those clips, and as usual I need to ask, have you considered applying this to bass pickups as well?

I thought about it just yesterday, as I was quoting someone for a bass build

 

[Jay Jillard]

Yes, this is my understanding as well. And as I've also explained earlier in the thread, there is physically more wire around the larger diameter, therefore there is more wire picking up the disturbance of the magnetic field.

not just more wire though, but a wider magnetic... footprint? underneath the strings. =]


edit:

found the cad file for the one i was working on, here's a ss. not sure if the wording of your patent covers this thing too, but.. if not, oh well. public domain now. =P

 

[ElysianGuitars]

not just more wire though, but a wider magnetic... footprint? underneath the strings. =]

Well, I don't think the magnetic footprint would be changed versus a standard bobbin. I think you'd have to change the size of the pole piece for that to happen, but they magnetic field envelopes the whole pickup, not just where the poles are, so the wire would be able to pick up a wider range of the field, I'd think.

 

[Jay Jillard]

something science-y, probably.

 

[ElysianGuitars]

something science-y, probably.

And no, my patent wouldn't cover your render there Cool idea, would be interested in hearing how it sounds.

 

[cardinal]

Neat idea. I also could see having different bobbin heights on each end to change the shape/thickness of the wind on each end.

 

[Jay Jillard]

Neat idea. I also could see having different bobbin heights on each end to change the shape/thickness of the wind on each end.

ive tried to figure a good way to do this, as well as a radiused bobbin with a matching radiused wind, but. it just doesn't make sense. I don't think theres any possible way to wind it properly like that.

 

[MF_Kitten]

If you were to make the height slanted as well, and make the pole pieces gradually larger, and then make them for a fanned-fret guitar with angled pickups, I think this would be the most BANANAS example of compensated and intelligently thought-out instrument design ever. Also, it would have to be like a headless Evertune True Temperament instrument with either 100% sustainable woods, or synthetic materials, with carbon fiber, and...

Sorry, I think I'll have to lie down. The future of guitar making is too bright for me.

 

[asher]

^

I don't know what I would do with any of these for myself, but they sound really cool, and I love seeing innovation in design.

 

[Konfyouzd]

So, uh, can you use these pickups to play something other than metal?

Nope... Didn't you watch that Does It Djent video? You can attach certain pickups to a microphone and when you sing ONLY Jens Kidman's voice comes out. Choose wisely.

 

[Konfyouzd]

^

I don't know what I would do with any of these for myself, but they sound really cool, and I love seeing innovation in design.

Shit... I'd buy it just to see what it's like

 

[ElysianGuitars]

Cut a whole bunch of bobbins today. Not that I have this many orders, but I figured I might as well so batches, save some time. Also shot some video of the process, might wind up in the Kickstarter video.

 

[InfinityCollision]

Short version of the resulting changes from this design for the unfamiliar:

-Wider aperture means the coil senses signal from a wider portion of the string. This results in some filtering of upper harmonic content (alluded to in previous single coil/P90 comparison).

-The properties of the pickup itself change. If you use the same amount of wire, you have fewer turns. If you keep the number of turns constant, you have more wire. The physical shape of the coil is also altered, as well as its distance from the core metal.

 

[Hollowway]

Adam, are you going to make these in 8 string configuration, or am I going to have to fly over that are smack you upside the head?

And would this, oriented with the fat end at the high strings, sound good for straight scale extended range instruments? I.e. Would it mellow out the ice pick tone of the high strings?

 

[Devyn Eclipse Nav]

It seems that's the general idea of them, yeah. The fat end basically mellows out the strings it's under, the skinny end adds top end and clarity, from what I've gathered, to make it simple.