Shishkov question(s)
- Thread starter Citrus
- Start date
Mike,
So are all of the initial run Ultimate guitars (part I and part II) going to be chambered or just the first twelve Ultimate guitars - period?
So are all of the initial run Ultimate guitars (part I and part II) going to be chambered or just the first twelve Ultimate guitars - period?
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HI Everyone,
Josh Gravelin here - the guy who's building the pickups for the Shishkov instruments. The fact that my name came up at all for this project is kind of amazing to me because I don't have a website nor have I advertised my services - it's all been word of mouth, from players telling their friends, etc. I'm incredibly grateful and humbled in having this opportunity and as you all know, there's certainly no shortage of reputable companies making quality pickups. The fact that I was chosen for this isn't something I take lightly and I'm thrilled to be doing this for Mike and for all of YOU!
A little background on me: 25 years as a professional active musician (national and international touring, bunches of records, session work, all the late-nite tv shows, commercial radio jingles, etc), 12 years in guitar shops doing everything from sales to service manager, and also served as instrument tech while touring for nearly every band I've ever gone out with.
I repaired my first pickup in 1997, ruined and then repaired bunches more with my own instruments, have spent literally thousands of hours and dollars experimenting, learning, researching, and refining the skills and knowledge required to do it "right". About 6 years ago, I felt I was finally ready to start building and repairing pickups for others in a professional capacity and quickly developed a reputation for my rewinds and refurbishing of vintage pickups - Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, Guild, Hofner, Rickenbacker - old Dimarzios and Duncans, and a special interest in the oddballs and off-brands from the 50's and 60's: Danelectro, DeArmond, Dixon, Eko, Goya, Guyatone, Harmony, Ibanez, Kay, Kent, Maxon, National, Sekova, Silvertone, Supro, Teisco, Tokai, Univox, Valco...some of those pickups are really great, and some...well...not so much! Learning the secrets of how and why some designs work and others don't is fascinating and even with pickups I'm familiar with, there's always something new to take in.
I've been in the R&D stages for the last month- prototyping, experimenting with different grades of steel from samples provided from 5 different manufacturers, different bar magnets of varying grades from 4 different suppliers - mixing and matching to find the right combinations that will really bring out the best in these instruments. Nothing I'm using comes in "kit" form and I'm selecting the absolute best stuff I can get my hands on.
The only concession I had to make was using modern plastic bobbins instead of butyrate plastic as found in the classic Gibson examples because butyrate bobbins with a 50mm spacing for the bridge pickup position aren't available unless I buy in for a 1000 piece run and have them made especially for me. I simply don't have the cash to throw down on something like that right now, as having the molds made alone costs well over $1000. We'll see what the future brings! That said, I've spent many many hours finding pictures of old Hamers, comparing the colors of the pickups and plastics used, and have found what I feel to be as close to an exact match as anyone could hope for, including the pickup mounting rings. It wasn't easy and at one point, I actually had a nightmare about it. Hard work and perserverance usually pays off and I'm happy to say it did in this instance.
I know some of you are curious about the specifics of the metals I'm using for slugs, screw poles, keeper bar, magnet grades, etc. Once, a long time ago on another forum, I publically shared some very specific information on a pickup that wasn't being produced at the time - someone swooped in, lifted my work, and within 2 months was selling a product and making money off of my research. Lesson learned. But, as these are Shlabotniks, of course they're mostly made with Unobtainium so I'm not too worried about it.
/emoticons/default_cool.png
- Nickel Silver frames (long leg neck, short leg bridge)
- Unoriented Unobtainium magnet in the bridge
- Polished Unobtainium magnet in the neck
- Unobtainium slugs, keeper bar, and screw poles
- Maple spacers
- 42 AWG single build coil wire
- wound and assembled by yours truly
- very lightly potted
I'm not posting resistance values, henries, or any other electronic measurement specs at this time because I'm still waiting on the rest of the parts to arrive and will be putting together the final prototypes, gigging them, and have one more stage of fine-tuning to do. For all of you - for Mike - and yes, for me - these pickups need to be stellar and I'm making sure that they will be.
Once the guitars have shipped, I will make singles and sets of these humbuckers available to paid HFC members with "Supporter" status. P90s, Single Coils, Jazz and Precision bass styles also, but only when I've built them specifically for the Shishkov instruments.
Feel free to ask any questions you might have. I'm seriously busy and have a LOT going on with all of this, but I'll do my best to reply as quickly as I can.
I hope you're all happy and doing well! Thanks for reading.
Josh Gravelin here - the guy who's building the pickups for the Shishkov instruments. The fact that my name came up at all for this project is kind of amazing to me because I don't have a website nor have I advertised my services - it's all been word of mouth, from players telling their friends, etc. I'm incredibly grateful and humbled in having this opportunity and as you all know, there's certainly no shortage of reputable companies making quality pickups. The fact that I was chosen for this isn't something I take lightly and I'm thrilled to be doing this for Mike and for all of YOU!
A little background on me: 25 years as a professional active musician (national and international touring, bunches of records, session work, all the late-nite tv shows, commercial radio jingles, etc), 12 years in guitar shops doing everything from sales to service manager, and also served as instrument tech while touring for nearly every band I've ever gone out with.
I repaired my first pickup in 1997, ruined and then repaired bunches more with my own instruments, have spent literally thousands of hours and dollars experimenting, learning, researching, and refining the skills and knowledge required to do it "right". About 6 years ago, I felt I was finally ready to start building and repairing pickups for others in a professional capacity and quickly developed a reputation for my rewinds and refurbishing of vintage pickups - Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, Guild, Hofner, Rickenbacker - old Dimarzios and Duncans, and a special interest in the oddballs and off-brands from the 50's and 60's: Danelectro, DeArmond, Dixon, Eko, Goya, Guyatone, Harmony, Ibanez, Kay, Kent, Maxon, National, Sekova, Silvertone, Supro, Teisco, Tokai, Univox, Valco...some of those pickups are really great, and some...well...not so much! Learning the secrets of how and why some designs work and others don't is fascinating and even with pickups I'm familiar with, there's always something new to take in.
I've been in the R&D stages for the last month- prototyping, experimenting with different grades of steel from samples provided from 5 different manufacturers, different bar magnets of varying grades from 4 different suppliers - mixing and matching to find the right combinations that will really bring out the best in these instruments. Nothing I'm using comes in "kit" form and I'm selecting the absolute best stuff I can get my hands on.
The only concession I had to make was using modern plastic bobbins instead of butyrate plastic as found in the classic Gibson examples because butyrate bobbins with a 50mm spacing for the bridge pickup position aren't available unless I buy in for a 1000 piece run and have them made especially for me. I simply don't have the cash to throw down on something like that right now, as having the molds made alone costs well over $1000. We'll see what the future brings! That said, I've spent many many hours finding pictures of old Hamers, comparing the colors of the pickups and plastics used, and have found what I feel to be as close to an exact match as anyone could hope for, including the pickup mounting rings. It wasn't easy and at one point, I actually had a nightmare about it. Hard work and perserverance usually pays off and I'm happy to say it did in this instance.
I know some of you are curious about the specifics of the metals I'm using for slugs, screw poles, keeper bar, magnet grades, etc. Once, a long time ago on another forum, I publically shared some very specific information on a pickup that wasn't being produced at the time - someone swooped in, lifted my work, and within 2 months was selling a product and making money off of my research. Lesson learned. But, as these are Shlabotniks, of course they're mostly made with Unobtainium so I'm not too worried about it.
/emoticons/default_cool.png
- Nickel Silver frames (long leg neck, short leg bridge)
- Unoriented Unobtainium magnet in the bridge
- Polished Unobtainium magnet in the neck
- Unobtainium slugs, keeper bar, and screw poles
- Maple spacers
- 42 AWG single build coil wire
- wound and assembled by yours truly
- very lightly potted
I'm not posting resistance values, henries, or any other electronic measurement specs at this time because I'm still waiting on the rest of the parts to arrive and will be putting together the final prototypes, gigging them, and have one more stage of fine-tuning to do. For all of you - for Mike - and yes, for me - these pickups need to be stellar and I'm making sure that they will be.
Once the guitars have shipped, I will make singles and sets of these humbuckers available to paid HFC members with "Supporter" status. P90s, Single Coils, Jazz and Precision bass styles also, but only when I've built them specifically for the Shishkov instruments.
Feel free to ask any questions you might have. I'm seriously busy and have a LOT going on with all of this, but I'll do my best to reply as quickly as I can.
I hope you're all happy and doing well! Thanks for reading.
Last edited by a moderator:
Is there an option to like the likes?
Y'all are so cool. Really.
A couple of brief addendums and thoughts, if you don't mind:
Paragraph 4:
Someone that tries to "reinvent the wheel" can be interpreted in both a positive and negative light. One could say "what's the point of starting from scratch and doing whats already been done? Nice job dumbass, you just wasted your time.". The other would say "Hey, there's always the possibility that you can make the wheel better! Try it!". After much thought as to how I was going to approach this project, I chose to not go with what was easy - rather, I opted to start at the beginning and build (rebuild?) to suit the instrument using all the modern resources and advancements available to me. I have the prototype so there's no excuse not to and honestly, anything less would be half-assing it. Mikes trying to Win The Game. He won't unless I do. If I do, he does. And at the end of it, YOU do. We all do. Yes.
To expound further:
The way a builder crafts the instrument, the subtle nuances of the technique as it applies to wood choices andneck construction ( 2-piece scarf joints vs. one piece vs. center-cut 2-piece vs. multi-lams) and the way the neck is connected to the body along with the hardware choices and mass of said hardware are a huge part of what defines core resonance and tone of an instrument. Having this prototype in my possession gives me a tremendous advantage in really dialing things in. I will say though that no two instruments resonate and sound alike. I'll say that again and again and again. The best I or anyone in my position can do is to find the zone in which the winding and the metals and the magnets work in concert with each other to best suit what has been presented by the luthier. I can tell you that Mike has chosen some prime mahogany. The hardware is top-notch. And most importantly, the neck joint technique: Best. Ever. I've played the proto extensively unplugged and listened and FELT it for over a month - equal vibration and resonance in the hand between the body and neck with full-frequency response. I'm taking into account the effect of a maple cap but honestly, that is just but one small aspect of the "big picture" in regards to how a guitar is going to sound. I've played, heard, and know the difference between a '53 LP Jr and a '59 LP burst. The woods make a difference, but there's other things at work there too. I'll save my thoughts on potentiometer values, capacitor values, weight and mass of hardware, pick material, pick angle/playing style, and the "it's all in the hands" stuff for another post.
Paragraph 6: The mention of Unobtainium.
When Ted first told me about this uber-special set of mythical pickups that contained this mysticial metal, it really lit me up. I mean, yeah!! F-word! Unobtainium!!! I'm totally down with it.
I like the metaphor that exists in the word Unobtainium. Did you know that the composition of the human body contains the materials in the form of trace elements to make most of what a guitar pickup is? It's true. I suspect that if you ate Hot Pockets for a year, you could manage the plastic for the HB bobbins too.
All humor aside, being that I was a philosophy major in college it kinda got me to pondering Unobtainium as it applies to the human condition and I've come to the conclusion that it's actually a real thing! What people call the "X factor" or "Mojo" or "Secret Sauce" ...that's what Unobtainium is. We all have it. It's what makes Mikes guitars so special. It's the energy that we all impart on something when we're doing what we love, for the right reasons.
Unobtainium. I've got an unlimited source and won't build pickups without it.
Ok. That's it! I'm glad to be here, but really should get back to work. Be well and rock on.
Y'all are so cool. Really.
A couple of brief addendums and thoughts, if you don't mind:
Paragraph 4:
Someone that tries to "reinvent the wheel" can be interpreted in both a positive and negative light. One could say "what's the point of starting from scratch and doing whats already been done? Nice job dumbass, you just wasted your time.". The other would say "Hey, there's always the possibility that you can make the wheel better! Try it!". After much thought as to how I was going to approach this project, I chose to not go with what was easy - rather, I opted to start at the beginning and build (rebuild?) to suit the instrument using all the modern resources and advancements available to me. I have the prototype so there's no excuse not to and honestly, anything less would be half-assing it. Mikes trying to Win The Game. He won't unless I do. If I do, he does. And at the end of it, YOU do. We all do. Yes.
To expound further:
The way a builder crafts the instrument, the subtle nuances of the technique as it applies to wood choices andneck construction ( 2-piece scarf joints vs. one piece vs. center-cut 2-piece vs. multi-lams) and the way the neck is connected to the body along with the hardware choices and mass of said hardware are a huge part of what defines core resonance and tone of an instrument. Having this prototype in my possession gives me a tremendous advantage in really dialing things in. I will say though that no two instruments resonate and sound alike. I'll say that again and again and again. The best I or anyone in my position can do is to find the zone in which the winding and the metals and the magnets work in concert with each other to best suit what has been presented by the luthier. I can tell you that Mike has chosen some prime mahogany. The hardware is top-notch. And most importantly, the neck joint technique: Best. Ever. I've played the proto extensively unplugged and listened and FELT it for over a month - equal vibration and resonance in the hand between the body and neck with full-frequency response. I'm taking into account the effect of a maple cap but honestly, that is just but one small aspect of the "big picture" in regards to how a guitar is going to sound. I've played, heard, and know the difference between a '53 LP Jr and a '59 LP burst. The woods make a difference, but there's other things at work there too. I'll save my thoughts on potentiometer values, capacitor values, weight and mass of hardware, pick material, pick angle/playing style, and the "it's all in the hands" stuff for another post.
Paragraph 6: The mention of Unobtainium.
When Ted first told me about this uber-special set of mythical pickups that contained this mysticial metal, it really lit me up. I mean, yeah!! F-word! Unobtainium!!! I'm totally down with it.
I like the metaphor that exists in the word Unobtainium. Did you know that the composition of the human body contains the materials in the form of trace elements to make most of what a guitar pickup is? It's true. I suspect that if you ate Hot Pockets for a year, you could manage the plastic for the HB bobbins too.
All humor aside, being that I was a philosophy major in college it kinda got me to pondering Unobtainium as it applies to the human condition and I've come to the conclusion that it's actually a real thing! What people call the "X factor" or "Mojo" or "Secret Sauce" ...that's what Unobtainium is. We all have it. It's what makes Mikes guitars so special. It's the energy that we all impart on something when we're doing what we love, for the right reasons.
Unobtainium. I've got an unlimited source and won't build pickups without it.
Ok. That's it! I'm glad to be here, but really should get back to work. Be well and rock on.
Last edited by a moderator:
I really buy into a craftsman's vision, when he understands all the variables. I think the pick you use defines your tone as much as anything.
If wood and hardware is the heart of the instrument, the pickups and the strings and the pick are the soul. This is just getting better all the time. Thanks, Josh. You're one of these "Zen" guys. Have at it.
If wood and hardware is the heart of the instrument, the pickups and the strings and the pick are the soul. This is just getting better all the time. Thanks, Josh. You're one of these "Zen" guys. Have at it.
Welcome.
KICKASS ENTRANCE.
KICKASS ENTRANCE.