NGD...getting out of hand now

[muttley]

That looks terrible. You need to send it to me immediately so I can age it 25 years. That should take about......25 years.


Nice I love the black, that's always been my favorite solid colour and that looks nicely done. You also now have a test bed for us to build some replica pickups. Win/win.

Ha yeah black is usually my least favorite guitar color. But you can't be too picky with these things. You gotta just accept what you can get when you can get it and what you can afford. But I'm okay with it. It looks nice. Like I said I don't know when it was made but there's not a mark on it. It looks like it's never been played at all. No fret wear no pick scratches no nothing.

And yeah I've been meaning to pop these pickups out anyway just to see if I can make any kind of determinations about them. I'll let you know what I find if you wanna try some Mosrite replicas.

I've been having a dig around the basics of Moserite pickups since our last chat and there isn't a whole lot out there to go on. I've never taken one out so haven't seen one up close. I'd be interested in some detail if you ever whip out the ones you have.

It seems there have been quite a few variations on the theme over the years as with most things and they are pretty crude (in a nice way).

The best info I could find of a tear down would this which may interest you.

https://music-electronics-forum.com/for ... ite-pickup

I'd love to have some Moserite style winds in my arsenal so yeh any info or testing from you would be ace.

[Greg_L]

I've been having a dig around the basics of Moserite pickups since our last chat and there isn't a whole lot out there to go on. I've never taken one out so haven't seen one up close. I'd be interested in some detail if you ever whip out the ones you have.

It seems there have been quite a few variations on the theme over the years as with most things and they are pretty crude (in a nice way).

The best info I could find of a tear down would this which may interest you.

https://music-electronics-forum.com/for ... ite-pickup

I'd love to have some Moserite style winds in my arsenal so yeh any info or testing from you would be ace.

Yeah I've seen that thread. That's probably some of the best Mosrite pickup info you'll find. They are very crude and very inconsistent. They were wound by an actual child back in the day. And as you can see in the pics the guts are just packed into the cover, covered with some kind of nasty foam, and drowned in epoxy.

As far as I know the construction is pretty much like a P90. To me Mosrite pickups sound less tight and focused than P90s. They are microphonic so they have a very open airy kind of sound to me. They have crazy high output though for single coils. And there is no "standard" for these things so if you can get close you'll be golden. There is no magic Mosrite pickup to compare all others to, like Gibson PAFs, so just get close.

I'm guessing the real trick will be getting the look and size right. You'll probably have to hand-make the bobbins and covers because they are oddly sized. I'll get you some measurements as soon as I can.

[muttley]

The bobbins are not a problem as I can make those as original, the covers are a bit of a problem as they aint available as far as I know. I would like some dimensions so I can look into them. The biggest problem is the magnets. They were snap off bars and just aint available anymore.

I reckon the open airy sound has more to do with the shape of the coil and the placement of the magnet. Similar to P90 but vastly different at the same time. Its that I will be shooting for. Getting a 10k range aint a problem as they use 43 or 44 gauge wire.

Any pics you ever take of them send them my way.

[Greg_L]

The bobbins are not a problem as I can make those as original, the covers are a bit of a problem as they aint available as far as I know. I would like some dimensions so I can look into them. The biggest problem is the magnets. They were snap off bars and just aint available anymore.

I reckon the open airy sound has more to do with the shape of the coil and the placement of the magnet. Similar to P90 but vastly different at the same time. Its that I will be shooting for. Getting a 10k range aint a problem as they use 43 or 44 gauge wire.

Any pics you ever take of them send them my way.

This is the only pic I have of the underside of the vintage Mosrite pickups.


As you can see there is not much to see.

I'll take more next week and get some measurements.

[muttley]

Thats actually quite informative. Measurements would be good also but only when you get round to it.

Is the epoxy holding the covers on as well? Any idea what the keeper is made of?

[Greg_L]

Thats actually quite informative. Measurements would be good also but only when you get round to it.

Is the epoxy holding the covers on as well? Any idea what the keeper is made of?

Here's what I know...the guts of the pickup - coil, bobbin, and magnets - are set inside the cover and drowned in a bath of epoxy. Removing the cover of a Mosrite pickup is a daunting affair. Then the foam backing and brass mounting strip is laid in place and they get another bath of epoxy as you can see in the pic. I've never taken one apart but from what I've seen and read it's nearly impossible to disassemble without ruining the pickup.

Also, as far as I know, the bobbin is a crudely made chunk of maple and the coil doesn't actually fit too tightly around the bobbin.


That might lend to the microphonics and "airy" tone they have.

And like you've noticed they use little blocks of snap-off magnets, which I believe are A5s. And the pole pieces are pretty large head philips screws.

The real trick will be the covers. I've read tales of people making their own Mosrite covers using heated PVC plastic and homemade vacuum molds.

[muttley]

I've seen that pic and read the thread. Yeh the discrete coils are a factor without a doubt. Of the few Moserite pickups I have seen not all had a full double potting in epoxy, some had just the foam and cover epoxied on. That would be a recipe for microphonic so I guess that could be it.

I have a vacuum press so I would be able to make covers depending on the actual depth of them. The deeper they get the harder it is to get them spot on. The bobbins on most I believe are Perspex and one guy who is a supposed knowledgeable on these reckons they never used Maple? I dont know as I say I have never taken one out or torn one down so I'm in the dark on that. I dont think it would make a difference anyway as long as they are the same size. Neither wood or Perspex affect inductance. I'm going to keep digging and ask around. Like you I have exhausted the interwebz on this shit. I'm definitely going to put some together though. They are not complicated. Very few pickups are once you know the principles and can wind right.

[Greg_L]

I've seen that pic and read the thread. Yeh the discrete coils are a factor without a doubt. Of the few Moserite pickups I have seen not all had a full double potting in epoxy, some had just the foam and cover epoxied on. That would be a recipe for microphonic so I guess that could be it.

I have a vacuum press so I would be able to make covers depending on the actual depth of them. The deeper they get the harder it is to get them spot on. The bobbins on most I believe are Perspex and one guy who is a supposed knowledgeable on these reckons they never used Maple? I dont know as I say I have never taken one out or torn one down so I'm in the dark on that. I dont think it would make a difference anyway as long as they are the same size. Neither wood or Perspex affect inductance. I'm going to keep digging and ask around. Like you I have exhausted the interwebz on this shit. I'm definitely going to put some together though. They are not complicated. Very few pickups are once you know the principles and can wind right.

Yeah I don't think there any hard rules on Mosrite pickups. They were inconsistent. Some were scorching hot and some pretty mild. Semie Moseley was a small-time hand-builder and he really just used whatever he had available most of the time. They do have a unique sound though. Like I said, if you get the covers and sizing right and the sound just close enough you'll be in good shape.

[liv_rong]

Damn, nice score! You must be rich!

[Lt. Bob]

Damn, nice score! You must be rich!

not anymore!

[Greg_L]

I'm rich in spirit.

[rayc]

VERY cool. It looks fantastic.