best pickups for a solid body electric

[John Bertotti]

Are there any small pickups that could be used for a solid body electric ? Looking for something proportional to the size of the instrument but still of quality. I am also wondering how different strings affect the way the pickups work, any answers? thanks John

[thistle3585]

This has been discussed a lot in the four and five string electric thread and the equipment thread. You would probably find plenty of reading by using the search feature. If you have trouble then come back and we'll try to get you pointed in the right direction.

[Jim Hilburn]

The one time I made an electric, I got a Seymour Duncan Stacked humbucker Strat pickup. Some of them have a bar instead of individual polepieces, so it picks up any string configuration. Since I made a 5 string, there wasn't too much extra sticking out the sides.
These pick-ups are 4-wire units, so you can set them up with a series-parallel switch for dual tones, and the ones with the bar polepieces are generally very high output, intended for distortion, but what that really means is they have a lot of winds and will not be particularly bright, which is good for mandolin, and if you don't drive them into distortion, you can get a very warm sound from them.

[John Bertotti]

Thanks all. This helps. I am actually thinking of wrapping my own now just for the experience. Of course I don't have any idea how to do that either but being an electronics person I should be able to figure it out. John http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Dave Wendler]

Here's a couple of my mandolins. #These pickups are both strat sized dual blade humbuckers, laid in at an angle to the strings. If you look closely you can tell the angle of the fiver is less severe than the angle of the 8. To lay out at an angle like this, it's important that the bass edge of the neck instersects the neck side of the pickup at the same place an extended imaginary line along the treble side of the neck intersects on the bridge side of the pickup. Takes some playing with to figure out. Luckily, I have a simple computerized drafting program that will do it in about 30 seconds.

This first manolin I did used a humbucker built into a P bass cover....I like these better.

http://www.electrocoustic.com/newimage/mandos34smallloz.jpg

[mandroid]

on my 2 ;Strat EMG select and lace sensor gold work fine, I like a bit of a gap between fretboard end and the skew placed pickup, rather than picking into the top of the pickup, like the extra fretboard extensions on F5s.

[Lee]

Bill Lawrence makes pick-ups in his own name and will be happy to chat with you. Steve Ryder also makes mandolin pickups.