Cool mod for Chandler RH-2 CC90 pickup

Steve Ahola · From: Concord, California

I noticed that the CC90 pickup on my Chandler RH-2 lap steel is a lot like the pickup on my 1947 Gibson Century. They both use non-adjustable magnetic pole pieces and the coils are not very high. However, the Century pickup is mounted on a ferrous metal plate not unlike the Telecaster bridge pickup. So I got some 1.25" wide 12GA metal from the local hardware store and cut it to fit on the bottom (clearing the wire grommets). I wasn't sure how I'd like it so I used rubber cement to secure the metal plate to the bottom of the pickup, and then remounted it in my RH-2.

Darned if it doesn't sound a lot like my Century now. I want to try wiring in the extra treble pass tone control from the Century next.

I wasn't quite sure how this would work because the Century pickup coil is "wide and oval" while the Chandler was more like a strat pickup. Another difference is that the Century bridge is magnetically linked to the pickup (like the bridge on a telecaster) but that didn't seem to make a difference. On the plus side, the height of the Chandler pickup is adjustable so you can dial in the sound you want.

This is just my own opinion- other people might think differently. But to my ears my Chandler sounds more like my Century now.

BTW Lindy Fralin sells backing plates for their strat pickups which makes them sound a little bit like a tele bridge pickup. But they are very thin- the 12GA plate certainly adds some mass to the magnets. (The Century mounting plate was more like a 16GA metal.)

Steve Ahola

P.S. If your budget steel came with a strat style pickup that sounds less than stellar you might try adding a metal plate to the bottom. I find that the metal plate can give a little "snap" to a strat bridge pickup.
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