P90 sized humbucker ... I need someone to take a free pickup ... with strings attached :-)

OilCityPickups · April 2023

This pickup is a prototype bridge Oil City Blackbird ... yep ... essentially the same as fitted to Black machine B6 guitars. but in a soapbar P90 size.
After an absolute ton of research and experimentation I think I am going to be able to offer pretty much my full range of humbuckers in this form factor ... but I would really love one of you who has a P90 equipped guitar to get some free pickups ... in return for recording a demo for me. Firstly with the Blackbird (full set coming).
Please give a bit of thought before you jump in on this ... it will require some work and dedication ... but there is a long term opportunity for the right player to work with us on other pickups too and get some free kit.
I'm too busy winding pickups to record demos!
If you have the skill and the recording kit ... you could probably get featured on a YouTube series from us too.
Okay ... over to you.

TTony · April 2023

All your HBs in P90 format??

Only a little bit exciting!!

Not sure my playing is up to YT channel standard though.

OilCityPickups · April 2023

There's a lot of possibilities here ... so for example ... P90 sized Filtertrons complete the right bobbins and coil spacing ... and with 1/4 inch magnets as per the originals.
Obviously P90 PAFs ... plus our high output catalogue ... including the 22k HEL for Iommi stylists.

TTony · April 2023

Wizardry!

OilCityPickups · April 2023

So other future possibilities may include: any Strat or Tele pickup you fancy in a soap bar P90 shell - Rick Hi-Gain style pickup in P90 shell etc etc

Funkfingers · April 2023

I'll try it.

FWIIW, I have one of those Seymour Duncan Custom Shop "shaved down bobbins SH-4 in a P90 shell" pickups for reference purposes.

OilCityPickups said:

... you could probably get featured on a YouTube series from us too.

TTony said:

Not sure my playing is up to YT channel standard though.

Not sure my appearance is up to YT Channel standards - wrinkly, old get in need of new dentures.

OilCityPickups · April 2023

Funkfingers said:

I'll try it.

FWIIW, I have one of those Seymour Duncan Custom Shop "shaved down bobbins SH-4 in a P90 shell" pickups for reference purposes.

OilCityPickups said:

... you could probably get featured on a YouTube series from us too.

TTony said:

Not sure my playing is up to YT channel standard though.

Not sure my appearance is up to YT Channel standards - wrinkly, old get in need of new dentures.

I'll PM you this evening :-)

RichAC · April 2023

I’m not able to participate for lots of reasons, not least of which is the lack of a suitable guitar.

I just wanted to share that my first thought on seeing the title was “why would you attach strings to the pickup?”

Good luck to all concerned - perhaps we could be seeing the birth of a new YT star, with a ready-made set of signature pups.

Sporky · April 2023

Best pickup form factor by far.

Funkfingers · April 2023

RichAC said:

perhaps, we could be seeing the birth of a new YT star, with a ready-made set of signature pups.

Somebody didn't read my previous post.

Imagine, if you will, Father Jack Hackett but fixated on guitar stuff rather than drink. NSFYT!

The customer demographic for an OCP "Funkfingers signature pickup" set would amount to one person. (It consists of the SYD+ and NF4 humbuckers.) I could also imagine a TC and FB combination but there is nothing original in that choice.

BeardyAndy · April 2023

You wouldn't want me doing a demo for you but I'll be interested in these if they're ever available as a dog ear?

OilCityPickups · April 2023

Should be fairly easy to adapt to a dogear config ... make a jig and drill 12 holes in a blank cover ... then same internals as above

Philly_Q · April 2023

Intriguing! Is it a slightly-smaller humbucker under a removable cover, like the DiMarzio P-90-sized models, or is it embedded in a solid block of "tar", like EMGs or the old Kent Armstriongs?

OilCityPickups · April 2023

Philly_Q said:

Intriguing! Is it a slightly-smaller humbucker under a removable cover, like the DiMarzio P-90-sized models, or is it embedded in a solid block of "tar", like EMGs or the old Kent Armstriongs?

Most humbucker bobbins waste a bit of space ... that is, they don't wind out flush with the edges of the bobbin for example. We fabricate our own bobbins from raw materials , so we have used thinner but higher spec material to gain space, wound out to the edges, so the coils are the same size as a regular humbucker - but the bobbins are smaller. We don't encapsulate as then there is no repairing possible if things go tits up!. This means that there should be no detectable difference at all in sound to our regular HB pickups.

Neilybob · April 2023

That pickup would be awesome in the neck of my Fender Aerodyne tele (currently has a stock Fender P90) and I probably have a great selection of twangers to meet these requirements just my playlist is a bit crap.

Good luck with your search.

Funkfingers · April 2023

OilCityPickups said:

… the right bobbins and coil spacing ...

Funkfingers said:
FB

Winterizer in a P90 half shell? Cowabunga!

OilCityPickups · April 2023

Funkfingers said:

OilCityPickups said:

… the right bobbins and coil spacing ...

Funkfingers said:
FB
Winterizer in a P90 half shell? Cowabunga!

an easy job :-)

Funkfingers · April 2023

Neilybob said:

I probably have a great selection of twangers to meet these requirements just my playlist is a bit crap.

In cyberspace, nobody can hear yo' cover versions. Copyright is enforced with cruel and unusual severity.

OilCityPickups said:

Funkfingers said:

I'll try it.

I'll PM you this evening :-)

Nothing was delivered. Rabea Massaad must have landed the job.

springhead · September 2023

Ash, are you able to do these in dogear format? I’ve bought an Epiphone Coronet for slide use. Single P90. First gig last weekend and it was very noisy. I’ve played the same venue with my Les Paul Special with no problem. I’ve got two more gigs next weekend, I’ll see how it goes but one of your Humbuckers in a dogear format might be on the cards.

Funkfingers · September 2023

I wondered about that for my Hamer XT Junior. (Currently housing a Soapy Blackbird.) I have seen dogear style covers with no polepiece holes but nothing with twelve.

Dogear Soapybuckers would require a baseplate with the extended lugs to receive the fastening screws.

OilCityPickups · September 2023

springhead said:

Ash, are you able to do these in dogear format? I’ve bought an Epiphone Coronet for slide use. Single P90. First gig last weekend and it was very noisy. I’ve played the same venue with my Les Paul Special with no problem. I’ve got two more gigs next weekend, I’ll see how it goes but one of your Humbuckers in a dogear format might be on the cards.

If you hang a little I have been developing a noiseless P90 for a while with conventional dog ear or soap bar format - ie not a humbucker like the Soapybucker - and have a very happy customer with the first production prototype. *It's a break with anything any other UK pickup builder has done so far ... and may be up your street.

Here is the original prototype bodged into our Feline tester guitar (I'm making a proper P90 scratchplate for it at the moment).
It has all the sparkle and top end, and low end snarl under drive of a vintage construction P90 with no noise. It's 8k bridge and 7.7k neck (approx DCR).

springhead · September 2023

Hey that’s very tempting. I’d prefer to stick with a P90 if I can. I’ll watch with interest, thank you.

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P90 sized humbucker ... I need someone to take a free pickup ... with strings attached :-)

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