Lollar Oversized Magnetic Pickups

Magnetic pickups are the sort used on electric guitars. They can also be used not only on other fretted string instruments, but on zithers, kalimbas, tuning fork instruments, or anything else in which the vibrating elements are made of steel.

We do not carry standard electric guitar or bass pickups, because they’re mass-produced and easy to get elsewhere. What we do carry are these oversized pickups, in 6- and 8-inch lengths, custom-made for us by Jason Lollar of Lollar Guitars. (We also carry miniature spot pickups.)

Magnetic pickups must be placed in close proximity to the instrument’s steel vibrating elements. Guitar pickups are made to be sensitive over a width of a little over two inches so that they can be placed directly under the 2" span of the guitar strings. For an instrument in which the vibrating elements are spread over a wider area – say, a many-stringed zither or a kalimba – you need a wider pickup. You could wire several guitar pickups together, but it’s simpler, less expensive, and more elegant to use a single wider pickup --or a pair of them for still more width.

These extra-wide pickups are single-coil, bar-pole pickups. “Bar-pole” means that the there are no separate pole pieces for each of the instrument's vibrating elements (strings, tines or whatever), so the spacing of the vibrating elements doesn’t matter – the pickup is uniformly sensitive across its full width. The attached lead wire is two feet long. See specs below for dimensions. The pickups are black in color, with a look that is not mass-produced slick, but simple, rugged and functional. The tone is excellent – full and clear, with good signal strength.

For applications that call for two or more pickups, you can get pickups that are reverse-wound relative to each other. This means that you can use pickups with opposite polarities in the same installation. This creates the noise-canceling "humbucking" effect, giving a more noise-free output. On orders of two or more pickups, we will make sure to send them in reverse-wound pairs so you can take advantage of this.

As mentioned, these are single-coil pickups and not dual-coil “humbuckers” (which would have to cost nearly twice as much). This, in combination with their size, makes them vulnerable to humming caused by stray magnetic fields. Extra shielding for hum-reduction has been added to the pickups. Depending on the surrounding environment and on the nature of your installation, there may be virtually no hum, or there may be a small but noticeable amount. As mentioned above, using them in humbucking pairs helps reduce noise.

For complete specs and warranty, see the end of this page.

For more information on on different types of pick-ups, their uses, and the pre-amp question, click here.

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SPECS for both 6" and 8" models

6,500 turns of 42-gauge single build poly nylon magnet wire.
Lacquer potted.
Coil is shielded with copper foil.
Coil is protected with heavy cloth tape.
Single conductor braided shield lead wire, 2 foot length attached.
Ceramic magnets.
Steel blade polepiece.
Vulcanized fiberboard bobbin construction.

Size -- 8" model:
1" tall.
Bobbin top 5/8" wide by 8.5"
Bobbin bottom 1" by 9.25"

Size -- 6" model:
1" tall.
Bobbin top 5/8" wide by 6 .5"
Bobbin bottom 1" by 7.25"

Manufacturer's Warranty:
New pickups are guaranteed to be free of manufacturing defects for a period of 2 years.
Removing pickup covers or modifying pickups voids the warranty. Pickups are fragile assemblies until they are installed. Handle them carefully and do not drop them. Pickups are not covered for damage due to misuse. Warranty only extends to the price of the original purchase for refund or replacement. Your sales receipt is your proof of warranty.

EMI item #116