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How Gibson can perfect pickup rings for GOOD, (and how to perfect your pickup rings)

Zesty F

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Jun 26, 2019
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2
The pickup rings we commonly see are generic one size fits all units that are sanded down often not only to fit the carved top itself but also to tilt the angle of the ring itself, this very practice then offsets the x axis of the ring slanting the side walls of the ring for the sake of the pickup angle which for simplicity sake should simply be the neck angle, therefore what Gibson should do instead is simply mould the pickup rings to the most commonly used neck angles so that the top and sides of the pickup ring are already in line on the x axis and the neck angle therefore leaving only the bottom of the ring to be cut and sanded to the top carve.

In summary think of a Fender guitar neck and pickups, now think straight down on the x axis falling into the top carve, that's how it should be done, but to achieve that Gibson needs to mould the top of their pickup rings angled according to the neck angle, not just a one size fits all generic slant.

Of course they probably don't care about us aficionado's and just want to make a quick buck.



*Further reading for those interested - the pots and toggle switch can also be fixed to the x axis rather than being subject to the random and multiple angles of the top carve, since the potentiometer holes are already routed on the x axis one simply uses some thin metal piping and glues it into the holes then screw your potentiometers through and set to height, viola! x-axis knobs! the 3 outer knobs near the binding I set to a singular height than place the inner most knob a bit higher according to top carve.


There you go people, perfected hardware for us OCD's! if enough of you people agree with this then let's start a petition or something and present it to Gibson of what we want in workmanship. This is my first post on this forum, who am I? - It doesn't matter, all that matters is that we all love guitars and can perhaps improve the world.


Until then guys interested I recommend checking out 3D printing for your pickup rings, it ain't mould but it can get the look of a moulded ring, I may even go into business myself if I can get a small 3D printer and there was interest.

Peace.
 

Zesty F

New member
Joined
Jun 26, 2019
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2
They don't cut or sand the bottom of the rings.

That is indeed right mate, not from the factory or stock parts they indeed do not cut nor sand, they are mass producing our guitar parts to incorrect moulds and hopefully this can some day change.

Cheers
 

Big Al

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Apr 24, 2002
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14,537
Generic is what you get. The tops are all slack belt sanded and the geometry can vary quite a lot. They all have the same neck angle but the shifting top angles effect bridge height etc.. When all is cnc and robots it may change.

Till then I use a dense foam, wedge cut, underneath in the cavity to hold the pickup level to the strings and more stable in the ring as a bonus.
 

Jeffery2k

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Jun 3, 2021
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Until then guys interested I recommend checking out 3D printing for your pickup rings, it ain't mould but it can get the look of a moulded ring, I may even go into business myself if I can get a small 3D printer and there was interest.
They have 3-D guitars, Heck, so parts are easy, just the dimensions you need. Heck! In other words, without a 3D sticker printer you should be able to find what you need. Check some other sites for eBay, amazon, GC. I bet they're out. I bet they're out there.

3-D printed guitars: (If the "toan wood" kooks are not shut up, nothing will be done. If they don't also believe in plastic toan.)
 
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El Gringo

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Apr 8, 2015
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5,657
Right up front I will admit I am naive about this ok . What is the deal with more accurate pickup rings ? With what Big Al said makes me wonder why the need for more accurate pickup rings ? Please enlighten me .
 

Big Al

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Apr 24, 2002
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El Effie, it is just nit picky, anal retentive, micro fixating bullshit from another punter who thinks he has solved a non problem and wants to lead the mob with a dumb ass petition for a dumb ass reason to make a dumb ass feel important on his y and x axis.
 

Wilko

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Mar 11, 2002
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20,853
It's a non-issue for sure. The pickups rings as designed and made for well over 60 years on the most valuable electric guitar in the world. There's something wrong with them?!

And the knobs? if you're OCD, that's no excuse. Wouldn't you want them all at the same height relative to the mounting surface, which is curved?

"x-axis"? wtf does that even mean? ( don't answer, I know what x, y, and z are in the 3D space).

I call bullshit.
 

renderit

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Joined
Jan 19, 2009
Messages
10,951
I am most concerned aboot the "time" axis.

Sure, you can plow through all the webs diatribes describing "y intersect with X on a z plane" all day.

But I can't roll back my "time" axis.
 

El Gringo

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Apr 8, 2015
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5,657
El Effie, it is just nit picky, anal retentive, micro fixating bullshit from another punter who thinks he has solved a non problem and wants to lead the mob with a dumb ass petition for a dumb ass reason to make a dumb ass feel important on his y and x axis.
Yup, and it would only increase the cost of the model anyway and not improve tone as it would be a bs cosmetic thing .
 

Myth!32

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Mar 27, 2022
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They have 3-D guitars, Heck, so parts are easy, just the dimensions you need. Heck! In other words, without a 3D all in one printer you should be able to find what you need. Check some other sites for eBay, amazon, GC. I bet they're out. I bet they're out there.

3-D printed guitars: (If the "toan wood" kooks are not shut up, nothing will be done. If they don't also believe in plastic toan.)
Electric guitars, by its very nature, do not rely on body resonance (which is why there are so many bizarre electric guitar variations), but rather on the quality of the pickups. Acoustic guitars rely on resonance to produce sound. Nonetheless, it's a cool design.
 
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