And now for something completely different: who makes purple humbuckers?

A

Ace Flibble

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Specifically, that are available in the UK (or mainland western Europe, at a push)? After about a year of back-and-forthing I've finally placed an order for my next build and I'm now looking at what pickups to go for. Sadly, I have a rare condition called Princeitis which makes me insist on pretty much everything being purple.

I know DiMarzio make purple humbuckers but I just can't find a single model of theirs that I like - it seems that every pickup they make is either a ridiculously overpowered, muddy mess or they're painfully brittle and ice-pick-like. Also, very few shops outside of America actually even list the various colour options and when they do it seems to only be for Evos and Breeds, both of which I happen to have tried before and know I don't like. Bare Knuckle make purple humbuckers as well but I object to paying £100-£120 for one pickup. Plus a friend of mine has a set of Bare Knuckles (granted, I don't know which models) and they really don't sound all that great, at least they're certainly not deserving of the £250 he spent on them. I would have used Swineshead before (which I have in my previous Warmoth builds and love), but it seems that they've vanished off the face of the earth.

In an ideal world I would have a Gibson BurstBucker #1 for the neck and an SD Custom in the bridge, but of course neither is available in anything other than the usual black, zebra, white or with covers.

Anyone got any ideas? I realise that some people are going to think I'm being overly picky here but I don't see the point in spending a grand on a custom build if it's not going to look how I want it to look.
 
Well I clicked on this to say DiMarzio but I guess that is out.

What type of sound are you looking for?
 
Ace Flibble said:
Anyone got any ideas? I realise that some people are going to think I'm being overly picky here but I don't see the point in spending a grand on a custom build if it's not going to look how I want it to look.
Click to expand...

...and sound how you want it.  It seems there's no problem getting it to look like you want it to look.

Ask around to several boutique guys that rewind pickups.  You could buy the DiMarzios you like the look off, send them off and have a guy rewind them and put the magnet you want with it.  Send him a purple DiMarzio and have him send you back a purple Burstbucker.

It might end up costing an arm and a leg.  Afterall, you'd be buying 2 sets of pickups, one of which is boutique.  But a grand for a custom build, what's a few extra bucks?
 
Rewinding may be a way to go. Or it may be possible to dye some standard bobbins before winding. I have not done this with bobbins but some may take a dye.. It's easy to do if the bobbin will accept it. It can be tricky due to the temperature needed.

How about laminates on top of the bobbins? I know someone who make them.
 
i know Seymour Duncans can make them with various bobbin covers
bobbin_colors.gif

their number is (805) 964-9610 if you need to get more information.
 
If you can find something you like the sound of in white, this:

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2005522/16596/Violet-11-20-ml.aspx

..thinned down with some lacquer thinner will dye anything, to include your fingers for long periods of time. You'd have to experiment with the thinner to dye ratio to get the right shade.
 
Bare Knuckle Pickups. Hand wound in UK.


You don't like them... You should try other guitar than you friend's one... They're awesome, everybody that play my Tele gets :eek:
 
I've actually tried those stickers before. Suffice to say I'm not going to bother again.

I probably would give Bare Knuckle more of a chance if they gave more information about each pickup's technical specification and how they sound. As it is they all read about the same and it's just... £110 for a magnet and a bit of wire? Really? That's a hell of a lot of money to spend especially when they say so little about how they'll sound and the Bare Knuckles that I have heard haven't sounded at all good. If I knew that [name of pickup model] was going to sound perfect then I'd be all for it, but £200 or so on a set of pickups that may or may not sound how I want is too big of a gamble for me.

I've thought about getting a set of DiMarzios re-wound but again, seems like I'm getting into a world of £100+ per pickup and that's pretty crazy to me.

I'm thinking at this rate I might just be grabbing any old DiMarzios and going back to modelling amps to fix up my tone.
 
Use acrylic paint, then topcoat with poly or lacquer.  Make them any color you want!

btw.. I hope you are using a purpleheart neck on this build =)
 
Eh, painting is becoming a more and more inviting choice.

I'm torn on the neck whether to use a purpleheart neck stock, fretboard, both or I've been tempted for years to get an all-rosewood neck. Think it depends on whether or not any really strongly coloured pieces of purpleheart turn up on Warmoth soon, the two up at the moment are pretty brown.
 
purpleheart always turns brown when it is unsealed and stored in the dark for an extended period of time, exposing it to sunlight will make it turn purple again

if you seal it or keep it oiled it will stay purple
 
I'm linking you this manufacturer even though you mention you want them made in the UK - which they are not.

http://www.riograndepickups.com/fancy.htm


By the time it takes to find someone in the UK to do a rewind job for you and funky it up with purple, you could have saved time and possibly money getting them made and shipped from the USA.
 
Here's a few pics of a purpleheart neck I bought recently, as you can see its quite purple =)

BTW.. it is possible to seal the color into a purpleheart neck while still having a raw look and feel to the neck.  The trick is to use a penetrating sealant such as minwax water-based wood conditioner, after it dries you can use ethanol to remove it from the surface of the neck but some of it will remain in the pores below the surface which will keep the color from shifting.

the green neck plate isn't meant to go on this guitar but it was painted using acrylics then coated with poly.. easy to do pickup covers using the same technique

 
The answer's simple: 

Figure out what pickup specs you want, and have someone/some co. wind you a custom set with purple bobbins.
 
Um, those are actually significantly more expensive than even just getting a totally custom set of pickups from Bare Knuckle  :laughing11: A set of Rio Grandes equates to about £160, plus shipping, plus import tax, VAT and customs handling which would total around +£70. It's really annoying, but that's just how it is - the UK is a right pain when it comes to importing anything. Really the only reason I use Warmoth is just because there is nobody in Europe offering the same services other than a few private luthiers who cost even more than Warmoth parts + import.

Honestly this is half the reason why I want to move to America.

Edit: didn't see the second page, eep. That purpleheart looks fantastic. Might take a chance on that then after all.
 
Ace Flibble said:
Um, those are actually significantly more expensive than even just getting a totally custom set of pickups from Bare Knuckle  :laughing11: A set of Rio Grandes equates to about £160, plus shipping, plus import tax, VAT and customs handling which would total around +£70. It's really annoying, but that's just how it is - the UK is a right pain when it comes to importing anything. Really the only reason I use Warmoth is just because there is nobody in Europe offering the same services other than a few private luthiers who cost even more than Warmoth parts + import.

Honestly this is half the reason why I want to move to America.

Edit: didn't see the second page, eep. That purpleheart looks fantastic. Might take a chance on that then after all.
Click to expand...

Well true, if you deal with a big-name company it's gonna cost ya.

Know of any shops nearby?  You could ask around if they know someone.

Internet boards too (not just here).

Networking (guitar, amp, music fields) does wonders - never know who you might make acquaintances with.
 
Princeitis aside, I thought the purpose of the purple pickups for the custom guitar was so the exorbitant cost of the guitar (minus the pickups) could be justified.  Do purple pickups cost too much or don't they?  You could get un-purple pickups you like the sound of and can afford.  You can get the purple pickups you don't like the sound of and can afford.  Either way, we're back to the 1st post again.
 
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