Lollar Pickups Blog

Welcome to the Lollar Pickups Blog, where we share in-depth information and stories about the pickups we build.

Let’s Talk About VI

Fender unveiled the original Bass VI back in 1961 (though, officially, its original name was simply the Fender “VI”) as an answer to Danelectro’s six string bass of a similar style of the era. The instrument was unique. Compared to a standard bass, it had a shorter scale, six thinner strings tuned E one octave below a guitar, and, of course, a floating tremolo system; something not usually seen on a bass guitar.

The Fender “VI” underwent a few small changes by its first birthday in 1962, settling on the design we know today as the Bass VI. This latest version featured aesthetic and functional similarities to another Fender favorite: the Jaguar. The most notable similarity between the two was their pickups. The three-piece set of Jaguar pickups featured in the old Bass VI instruments have been heard on countless classic songs from artists such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Cure, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Cream, Placebo, Cocteau Twins, The Hollies, Guns N’ Roses, and Wes Montgomery – just to name a few. Chances are, you’ve heard them at work. And the most incredible thing about these pickups? They weren’t even intended to be installed in a bass instrument!

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The Mystery of the ‘59 Jazzmaster Tone

The mystery of the ‘59 Jazzmaster tone.

I still see discussions on internet forums about whether the wood in an electric guitar has any effect on its tone, or if it’s all in the pickup. There are some people who insist the instrument itself makes no difference in its tone.

There was a good series of articles a few years ago in the Guild of American Luthiers quarterly magazine about how just the body shape of a solid body electric guitar affects nodal patterns of vibration at different frequencies—just the shape of the body!

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A Humbucker By Any Other Name

This is probably what you pictured when you read the word “humbucker”…

The term humbucker probably brings to mind the “Gibson” sound, or rather – and more specifically –  the “Patent Applied For” or “P.A.F.” sound. The pickups made by Gibson in this narrow time frame, spanning from the late ’50s to early ’60s (though the patent was officially awarded in 1959) have become synonymous with what a humbucker “should” sound like. Never mind the fact that rarely would you ever find two P.A.F.-era pickups that share the same exact sound, but that’s a whole other topic unto itself. Because of this, what is now considered a traditional humbucker has become as much form as it is function.

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Size DOES Matter

When replacing potentiometers (pots), there are differences in shaft size you’ll need to be aware of. The shaft we are referring to is the part of the pot with threading that sticks through the guitar top or pickguard where it is held down by a threaded nut. First, there are differences between metric vs imperial shaft diameters, with metric being about 1/4” in diameter and imperial being 3/8” in diameter. In my opinion, if you have the smaller diameter shafts, it’s worth reaming out the hole to accept a 3/8” shaft. The larger diameter pots are typically higher quality in all aspects. Fortunately, you will usually only find small diameter pots on the cheapest guitars. Always use a reamer to enlarge the holes because a twist tip drill can crack the wood of the guitar top.

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Welcome To The DULLhouse

We get asked all the time, “Why does my old pickup sound dull?” There are many reasons the tone can suffer on vintage pickups.

These p'ups aren't just *playing* dead... They're dead!
These p’ups aren’t just *playing* dead. They’re actually dead!

We can’t resurrect or improve every beaten, tired, old pickup that we come across. Some of them, like the ones seen above, are just too far gone. Only a complete rebuild, with brand new parts could bring them back to life, but at that point, you may as well just replace it! You can’t shine a turd, as they say — and even if you could, you’d still just have a shiny turd. But, just maybe, your dull sound isn’t the turd you thought it was, so in this edition, we’ll address the possible causes and potential solutions.

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