Modified Mandobird

[Pete Braccio]

Hi all,

Here are a couple of pictures of my Mandobird with an old Firebird pickup installed. This sure made a difference. I can actually hear (almost too well) the high notes now. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

Pete

[Pete Braccio]

Here is another shot that shows the layout of the poles to the strings. The outside poles on both sides of the pickup were removed and the holes were used for the mounting screws.

Pete

[delsbrother]

Here is another shot that shows the layout of the poles to the strings. The outside poles on both sides of the pickup were removed and the holes were used for the mounting screws.

Pete
Obviously I know nothing about pickup design (or 'lectricity http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif ) , so bear with me here, I'm confused - the windings of the pickup are now going around two screws that mount the pickup to the body? Does this have any effect on the sound vs. just leaving the six poles in there and using a traditional mounting ring, etc.?

I know Gibson did similar things to their tenor/mando P90s, (i.e. leaving out the magnets and covering up the resulting hole in the pickup cover with a fingerboard dot) but I never heard of them actually running another piece of metal through the vacated hole..

[bjc]

It seems to fit nicely. Is that due to it's smaller size? Or is the size the same minus the outside poles?

[Pete Braccio]

The pickup cavity had to be routed out a bit on both sides of the pickup by about 1/4". The top to bottom dimensions were good though.

In order to minimize additional routing for a mounting ring, the tech that put in the pickup suggested using removing the outside pole pieces and then using those holes for the mounting screws. Since the poles wouldn't be picking up any signal anyway, I thought that that made sense since, on this particular pickup, the pole screws went all the way through the pickup.

I've got to admit, I was a bit leery of this when it was suggested to me, but I'm glad I made the jump. The pickup is much more suited to the Mandobird than the stock (or even a Duncan Quarter Pounder) P-Bass pickup. I get really bright high notes and the bass notes come over clear as well. With the first two pickups that I had on there I could never get any volume out of the E string.

Pete

[Yellowmandolin]

How did you get ahold of a Firebird pickup, with out the Firebird? I'm glad that somebody finally came up with a sutable way to replace the stock pickup. Good idea.

[Pete Braccio]

I gotta admit that this wasn't my idea. I took the Mandobird into the local shop to instal a Duncan Quarter Pounder P-Bass pickup. The tech put it in but said that that pickup just wasn't going to cut it. He told me that he'd keep his eyes open for a replacement and, a month later, the Firebird pickup crossed his path. I was in the right place at the right time talking to the right guy to make this happen.

Pete