The Steel Guitar Forum

I am getting great tone out of an Alumitone pickup in my GFI Ultra, but I get distortion if I pluck the strings hard. It's currently a temporary install held with double-sided tape. And there's less than 2 quarters thickness between the strings and the pickup.

If I remove the tape and drill new holes to install with screws, is that likely to lower the pickup enough to eliminate the distortion?

Yes; the magnetized metal strip(s) can certainly inhibit the natural vibration of the string after you strike it; when the pickup it closer than 2-quarter thickness; and I prefer ALWAYS 3-quarter thickness(3/16")
Ricky

To lower it that much I would need to take a router to the GFI body, which I don't have the skill to do.

So to lower it one more quarter size between pickup and strings (1/16); you have to route out body???? something ain't right or don't understand why you have to tape it down and how thick is that two-side tape?? So it's a un-adjustable pickup right now??
Ricky

Yes, unadjustable. And the original GFI pickup is also unadjustable, by design from the factory.

Well there ya have it. So another suggestion in string vibration; move your pickin hand a little more to the left; away from changer end; couple/few inches. Have fun.
Ricky

I encountered similar issues mounting them in an older Zum. The pickups are 7/8 tall, so hard to mount them with enough clearance under the strings.

For them to be ideal, my thoughts would be to grind down the pickup legs, but then you need enough clearance under the electronics to clear the body or changer mounts. I didn't do that, so I ended up with barely 1 quarter clearance.

These pickups are hot too, so it's a tricky situation to make them work properly in some guitars.

Yes great ideas Jerry. To me; I've been going lighter and lighter on ohms through the years; only to get even better sound. I now don't understand and agree with Hotter and hotter..ha...as soon as you play over a certain level it is your EARS that distort...and eventually makes it even harder to hear correct/pleasant sounds...
Ricky

But the tone is SO FINE! I might try the pickup in another guitar.

Tommy, FWIW, I too have an Alumitone on my GFI Expo S-10. Bill Rudolph (Williams Guitars) installed it for me. Two quarters is the best spacing we could get also; to me it's still WAY better than the sound of the original GFI pickup. But I'm just not a fan of humbuckers. So I kept it, and just deal with it w/volume pedal and amp settings. Good luck, John

Thanks John, I was hoping to hear from other GFI owners. I might try it without the sticky tape and see if that helps.

I installed one on my GFI S10 Ultra. Tight fit, but it worked out great. 2 quarters+ on the spacing, no way to get full 3 quarters. Just screwed it into the body at the four corners thru the factory holes of the pup.
The photo is a little dark but the Alumitone rests on the guitar body with the screws holding it firmly in place. No modifications. You can always put the original pick up back in.
Ricky, good call on the quarter spacing!

Garry Vanderlinde wrote:

Nothing about pickups, but a pica stick is usually the first thing I pick up to measure stuff with, too. That can't be too common!

--Al Evans

Al Evans wrote:
Nothing about pickups, but a pica stick is usually the first thing I pick up to measure stuff with, too. That can't be too common!

--Al Evans

I worked as a printer for 45 years and just got used to the pica stick.

I'm a graphic designer, and still live and die by my 2 Schaedler Precision Rulers: picas/points and agate on one, inches and metric on the other. I've never used agates, a really old printing measurement, I believe

When you mount the Alumitone pickup, does the coil go on the treble end of the pickup or the bass end? Or does it matter?

I recently put a 705 Lawrence pickup in my GFI Ultra SD10 4x5 and agree the spacing is shy of 2 quarters. I would like to set it lower to reduce the output but didn't want to router the body. Steeltronics is now the OEM maker for GFI pickups and has all the specs. Maybe his pickups are a better fit?

For whatever it's worth any good carpenter with a router and a flat faced bit and a collar can route out the depth. What's it going to hurt? If you ever want to put the old one back in just use some shims under it. You would not even have to tear down the guitar. Just loosen the strings on the changer and lay aside, then route. Use a vacuum to catch the dust. J.R.