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Post by snakehips on May 13, 2024 20:53:14 GMT
Hi Michael,
The Highlander Magnaphonic pickup itself attached (on NRP Tricones) to the pan by removing the middle screw that secures the centre of the pan to the neck stick. The screw is replaced with a longer screw that sticks up a bit. The Magnaphonic pickup is hollow in the centre of the underside - and it fits over this protruding screw. A grubscrew, at 90 degrees to the main screw is screwed inwards, to grip & hold the pickup onto the main screw (the one imbedded into the neck stick).
No adhesive strip or glue is needed. It’s easy to remove & replace the pickup from the mount (had you not fed the cable through a small drilled hole and soldered the Magnaphonic’s terrible-to-solder RCA phone plug on (I’m v happy with the mini connector junction thing instead, for the Sixtus/MM pickup - that's a good move !!).
NB. My NRP Tricone already has a Magnaphonic pickup installed in it. I am loath to de-solder the dreaded RCA Phono plug from the pickup cable, to remove the pickup from my guitar, to try this new Sixtus/MM pickup.
Thus, I am looking at installing it into my 1931 roundneck Style 1 Tricone - but have a few issues with doing that :
1. I shall have to pluck up the courage to drill a tiny hole in the 93yr old pan to feed the pickup cable through. This is the only National I’ve so far, never drilled a hole into the neck heel, for a strap button ! The hole in the pan will be small though and shouldn’t be visible.
2. The original National pan screw head, in the centre of the pan, is quite tall - and so I can’t see the Sixtus/MM pickup sitting flat over this screw head. Is the pickup flat & solid, under the wee square of adhesive tape, or is there any hole/hollow in the centre/underside of this pickup, like the Magnaphonic pickup ?? If not, I can’t see how the pickup will fit onto my vintage National Tricone. I don’t want to remove & leave out the centre pan screw, in case I get vibration issues, or worse. What can we do ??
PS. I'd be VERY interested to try a single-cone pickup, if a similar concept (mounted inside the guitar). Happy to pay for it though, just like the Tricone pickup.
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Post by Michael Messer on May 14, 2024 7:28:01 GMT
Hi Michael, The Highlander Magnaphonic pickup itself attached (on NRP Tricones) to the pan by removing the middle screw that secures the centre of the pan to the neck stick. The screw is replaced with a longer screw that sticks up a bit. The Magnaphonic pickup is hollow in the centre of the underside - and it fits over this protruding screw. A grubscrew, at 90 degrees to the main screw is screwed inwards, to grip & hold the pickup onto the main screw (the one imbedded into the neck stick). No adhesive strip or glue is needed. It’s easy to remove & replace the pickup from the mount (had you not fed the cable through a small drilled hole and soldered the Magnaphonic’s terrible-to-solder RCA phone plug on (I’m v happy with the mini connector junction thing instead, for the Sixtus/MM pickup - that's a good move !!). NB. My NRP Tricone already has a Magnaphonic pickup installed in it. I am loath to de-solder the dreaded RCA Phono plug from the pickup cable, to remove the pickup from my guitar, to try this new Sixtus/MM pickup. Thus, I am looking at installing it into my 1931 roundneck Style 1 Tricone - but have a few issues with doing that : 1. I shall have to pluck up the courage to drill a tiny hole in the 93yr old pan to feed the pickup cable through. This is the only National I’ve so far, never drilled a hole into the neck heel, for a strap button ! The hole in the pan will be small though and shouldn’t be visible. 2. The original National pan screw head, in the centre of the pan, is quite tall - and so I can’t see the Sixtus/MM pickup sitting flat over this screw head. Is the pickup flat & solid, under the wee square of adhesive tape, or is there any hole/hollow in the centre/underside of this pickup, like the Magnaphonic pickup ?? If not, I can’t see how the pickup will fit onto my vintage National Tricone. I don’t want to remove & leave out the centre pan screw, in case I get vibration issues, or worse. What can we do ?? PS. I'd be VERY interested to try a single-cone pickup, if a similar concept (mounted inside the guitar). Happy to pay for it though, just like the Tricone pickup. Hi Richard I am well aware of the Highlander Magnophonic and how it is fitted into tricones. I have three Magnophonic pickups. As far as we know so far; and this is due to my tests on an FI tricone built by Alan Timmins and Kate Phillips' work fitting the prototype into Chris's Beltona, that the No More Nails sticky pad does seem to hold it in position. I am still not convinced, but as it can do no harm to the guitar I do believe it is worth testing. These pickups are handmade and therefore have their limitations regarding the way they are fitted into the guitar. If we move up a gear and go into production with a factory, these things will have to be adjusted and will probably end up like the Magnophonic. The whole idea is to make them universal, which with tricones that vary from manufacturer to manufacturer is very difficult. National, NRP, Mule and Shanghai-built tricones are all different which makes our task very hard. These are the reasons we have given away these pickups, it is to see how you guys get on with them. There is one thing that is holding our faith and confidence, and that is that the pickup works really well. The whole idea of testing pickups in tricones is a difficult one because the only tricone in my house that I am prepared to fit a test pickup into, is the FI, which is a great guitar and was built from moulds of a 1930s National. Regarding the single cone version; let's get this one up and running first. Two pickups being tested at the same time is too much to cope with! We are grateful to you and all our testers for your help in getting these off the ground. Shine On Michael
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Post by bonzo on May 14, 2024 7:55:26 GMT
Hi Michael. Wondering about the instructions. This is not meant to put pressure on you in any way, just wondering if I have missed something! Is the plan to post on the forum or did I read you would be sending them out through the mail? Looking forward to hearing this thing work.👍🎸🎸🙂
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Post by Michael Messer on May 14, 2024 13:14:57 GMT
Hi Michael. Wondering about the instructions. This is not meant to put pressure on you in any way, just wondering if I have missed something! Is the plan to post on the forum or did I read you would be sending them out through the mail? Looking forward to hearing this thing work.👍🎸🎸🙂 Hi Bonzo and others, The instructions will be on this thread as soon as I can. I am in the middle of a busy week and will get them done ASAP. 🙏🏻🙏🏻 Shine On Michael
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Post by bonzo on May 14, 2024 14:29:08 GMT
Thanks for clearing that up Michael. I wos worried I had got hold of the wrong end of the stick somehow 🙃 (wouldn't be the first time!)
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Post by bluesdude on May 14, 2024 17:29:54 GMT
As someone who has no Tricones but many single cones!!!!!!!!And performs a a few times a month I patiently await the S-Bug
Kenny,,,,,,,,
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Post by Michael Messer on May 14, 2024 22:13:32 GMT
As someone who has no Tricones but many single cones!!!!!!!!And perfoprms a few times a month I patiently await the S-Bug Kenny,,,,,,,, You mean the B-bug for biscuits! Shine On Michael
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Post by bluesdude on May 15, 2024 0:49:44 GMT
As someone who has no Tricones but many single cones!!!!!!!!And perfoprms a few times a month I patiently await the S-Bug Kenny,,,,,,,, You mean the B-bug for biscuits! Shine On Michael Ah! Much better ring to it
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Post by nowthen on May 15, 2024 14:36:32 GMT
Just a little update on the prototype pickup, I took the guitar out on a gig last night to see what it was like with an unfamiliar sound engineer and PA. I knew the sound engineer was a good one and would take his time to "get it right". The result was incredible! A genuine recreation of the sound of the guitar. I got someone to play it for me so I could listen to it from the room and I was just as impressed with the sound as I was in Robbin Hoods Bay (when Michael played it) The engineer was impressed too, clarity, frequency range and the strength of output. Also, so far so good on the "No more nails" fixing too!
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Post by snakehips on May 15, 2024 16:45:16 GMT
Hi there !
Is/was there a screw in the middle of the pan, with it’s head getting in the way of the pickups sitting flat & secure ? I expect not.
My 1931 roundneck Tricone has a screw and the screw head has quite a tall dome to it. I could remove the screw, then countersink a (slightly) wider hole a mm or two (same depth as the height of the screw head), then put the screw back in- so the head of the screw is flush. Then the pickup should sit flat & stay stuck down.
Question is, do I want to do this ?? Unless anyone has any better ideas ??
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Post by bonzo on May 15, 2024 17:25:17 GMT
Sounds like a plan Snakey. You have the skills to do a good job!
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Post by Michael Messer on May 15, 2024 18:11:03 GMT
Snakehips, I am surprised that the screw in the centre of your pan rises up that high. I can't recall noticing that in any other old tricones I have been in. Is it a round head screw?
I am going to try and get the instructions done tomorrow.
Shine On Michael
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Post by snakehips on May 15, 2024 22:14:22 GMT
Hi again ! I opened up my Tricone. The pictures show an old slot-head screw in the centre of the pan, with quite a tall dome head..... where the pickup is supposed to go ! I placed the pickup beside the screw, so that you can see, in relative terms, how tall the screw head is. I suppose I could look for a screw with the same screw-thread, that has a lower profile head - and swap over. The pan is screwed down to the neck stick, at the tailpiece end, AND there is a hole in the pan, for a screw, towards the fretboard end BUT no screw ! There is an off-centre screw-hole in the wood though. Marc Schoenberger did a neck reset on this guitar, for the previous owner (from Texas), JUST before I bought it, around 10yrs ago - so I am surprised there is one screw out of three missing. (In a piece of pure coincidence, the previous owner of my Tricone, is spending a lot of his retirement, travelling the world - and reaches Edinburgh this weekend, so I'm gonna meet up with him, and show him the guitar he once owned !).
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Post by Michael Messer on May 16, 2024 8:02:12 GMT
Richard, I can see how the screw won't work with the T-bug pickup. I could see that with the first photo.
If there is enough space to raise the pickup a few millimetres, I would put a washer there that comes up to the height of the screw head, and then stick the pickup on that. If there is not enough space, then a new screw is required. The other screw hole at the edge of the pan doesn't look original to me.
Mike Lewis is currently experimenting with the T-bug I sent to him. I think you should wait and see what Mike says about this. Meanwhile you could track down a washer, or maybe make a little stack of three metal washers that will do the job.
This is the reason for us sending out these test pickups and we are most grateful for everyone's efforts.
Shine On Michael
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Post by bonzo on May 16, 2024 8:51:22 GMT
Good posting and pictures Snakey. Haven't taken my tricone apart yet, waiting for final instructions. Not anticipating any problems. My pickup came with a 'chipper' bottle top. I take it this is part of the packaging and not an integral part of the pup! As the saying goes 'a picture speaks a thousand words' and yours are very insightful Snakey, thanks for that.
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