8 string pickup recommendations

[Chase Brady]

I have an 8 string lap steel made by Johnny King. Johnny told me the single coil pickup was hand wound by Harry Jackson. I love the tone, but hate the buzz. I'm looking for a hum-free replacement. The rout for it is 4.08" x 1.63" and the strings are 1.00" above the bottom of the rout. The string spacing over the pickup is 2.8" from the 1st to the 8th. I'd like to be able to install it myself without any major modifications.
I'm considering an Alumitone Bass Bar 3.5". If I'm reading the specs right, it should fit with about .012" string clearance. From what I've read, that's about the minimum recommended. I've also read at least one comment that it doesn't overdrive well.
I've written to Ryan Rukavina and Jerry Sentell to see what they might have, but no response yet. So I'm soliciting recommendations and comments.

[Nic Neufeld]

I have the Alumitone Bass Bar, I think the 3.5" too, in an SX lap steel.

I'm comparing it to some moderately high end competition...1950s Stringmaster pickups, Magnatones, and the leader of the pack, Todd Clinesmith's horseshoe pickup. And also the original Chinese P90 but I don't have all that much positive to say in favor of it.

I mostly play jazz and hawaiian, and I felt like the others, particularly the Clinesmith and secondarily the Magnatone, had a throatier, middier growl that I preferred, definitely up on the higher strings. The Alumitone if anything is thinner sounding up there and a bit more hifi...which makes sense, particularly as a bass pickup.

Where it beats out the other pickups in my mind is the low end clarity. I retuned the guitar to B11, with a low B (from low to high, 1-5-1-3-5-b7-9-11), and I prefer the sound on big 9th chords on that guitar over any of my others...makes sense that it would be voiced for clarity on the low end and it really delivers that in spades. Clean, clear, and powerful.

That said, sounds like you're wanting it more for overdrive? Tone is very, very subjective so it might work perfectly for you, but my experience with its strengths are that it has exceptional low end clarity...with perhaps a slight tradeoff for a thinner top end. That may work well with your style or you might want something a bit "thicker" sounding.

[Chase Brady]

I wouldn't say "primarily for overdrive" but I would like to have the option.

[L. Bogue Sandberg]

You might also consider the Lace Tonebar 10- 4.0" version, specifically intended for steel guitar. I have the Tonebar 12 - 4.5" on a 10 string lap with wide spacing.

[Chase Brady]

Is there a difference between the Alumitone Bass Bar and the Tone Bar? I was under the impression they were identical.

[George Piburn]

Hello from GeorgeBoards

We had the pleasure of using over 100; 3.5 Tone Bars on many of our 8 String Consoles.

To fit that pocket , you want a 3.5 Tone Bar with a split-able set of leads. 2 Tones sorta like splitting a humbucker, but not that exactly.

Here is the technical you want to know.

These are 30% stronger - louder that normal single coils.
We lowered from the basic pickup distance of .125 below the bottoms of the strings, to .170 below to even them out a little and cleaner too.

They are .888 tall which means you need to make the pocket deeper. - 100 - 888 = 112 you need 170 you gotta router down .058 = a little less than 1/16 (.0625)

So far as drive is concerned , this PuP will drive EFX into oblivion.

Hum is basically nonexistent.

Sonically they are very desirable , flat as a pancake and high fidelity wide range. Eliminates the hum and sound good too.

Glad to help you and others.

George Boards

[Chase Brady]

Any thoughts on Sentell pickups? He can make me one that fits my specs. It's a bit pricier than the Alumitone, but not when you consider the added cost of paying someone to deepen the rout. I have neither the tools nor the expertise to do that myself. Thanks for the information, Mr. Piburn. Exactly what I needed to know.

[Jesse Valdez]

I’ve worked with Jerry a few times, he made a pickup for my Fender 1000, a stringmaster pickup for a project, and I was pleased so much that I’m having him do a vintage wind on a rail pickup for a project. Great service, great product, I recommend.

[George Piburn]

Hello again

I got to thinking about this last night and realized ;

The legs of the Alumitone are only about a thick 1/8 of an inch ---

a few simple chisel hand cuts could drop the floor of your pocket at the places where the legs touch the bottom in literally a minute of effort.

You will be only cutting 2/3rds of a 1/16th depth,
Honestly no super expertise needed just a sharp chisel and attention paid while going for it.

No matter what pickup you choose -the issue of how far below the bottom for the strings still remains - Changing a tiny bit of wood verses all of the mechanics of magnet height windings and so on - if the PuP is still not Tall enough, then you would need some sort of shim stock to lift it.

[Chase Brady]

I just ordered a 3.5" Tone Bar from Ebay. Thanks for your advice!

[Bill Sinclair]

George,
Which model? I see a 3.5" Alumitone Death Bar, X Bar, and Bass Bar. Is there also one called the Tone Bar?

[Chase Brady]

It was listed as "Lace 31008-09 ToneBar 8 3.5" Pedal Steel Pickup, Black." It was the last one the seller had, which may be why you aren't finding it. It was a bit more than the Bass Bar. I'm still wondering if they're not the same pickup, but the difference wasn't that much, so I went for it.

[Sonny Jenkins]

What Georgeboards said!!!!! Always listen to words of wisdom,,,(George has always helped me with encourgement and sound advice,,,,Thanks George!!)