Picking Up Once More

Over the past year, acclaimed pickup designer, Bob G. Harrison has been hard at work developing a new pickup platform that maximises the number of design options and tonal variations while minimising components and build costs. Put simply, Bob is creating a modular pickup that is multi-functional, will sound great and look fantastic on any guitar, including Mainstream. When fully developed, it can also accommodate any number of cover designs too. I shall post further details regarding “The 51 Pickup”, as we have named it, in my next post.

The last conceptual pickup that Bob and I worked on was the “Breuer” humbucker and single coil. We wanted to create a pickup that would make a cool alternative or replacement for Mainstream guitars. We also wanted to create something that would look great on our designs too. Inspiration came from having seen a photograph on Gavin Wilson’s Guitarz website of an acoustic guitar fitted with a German made, 1930s Hopf Spezial, single coil. It was the shape and colour combination of the pickup that grabbed our attention and kick-started the creative process. Happy with our contemporary reflections, Bob suggested it would be novel to machine the covers out of aluminium billet using old school engineering techniques and craftsmanship.

The “Breuer” prototype pickups, as we have named them, were made using Alnico magnets, Bakelite bobbins and scatter-wound to Bob’s specifications. They have clarity, warmth and articulation by the truckload! They have been designed to fit into a humbucker cavity rout or through conventional pickguard mounting. We are really pleased how these prototypes turned out and; for us, illustrates that pickup design can be non-conformist and inventive! As always, thank you for your time and support. SR