Dearmonds in an Aristocrat

[guitarlover]

So I did some further investigation on how to put Dynasonic pu's in a reissue M 75 :
This is a picture of one of the cavities. Taken from the excellent review of Gary (I already provided a link in a previous post in this topic) :

The cavity measures approx 80 mm by 35 mm.

TV Jones offers T-Armond pickups with different mounting options :
- Walter already suggested the Soapbar option. This will require some additional sanding etc.. because these pickups are 85 mm's wide.
-Now another option would be using the Gretsch mount option (edit : now I realise Walter already suggested this also with the Filtertron sized TV jones Dearmonds :

According to the website these are the dimensions (picture is a little confusing because it shows another type but it is general for al pu's with Gretsch mount :

So- maybe with a little sanding- the base plate will fit in the cavity and can be tightened by screwing in through the base pkate. A pickup ring will cover everything up.

I will have to check if the pole pieces through the back do not form an obstuction but if this is not the case : Would this be a good solution or am I missing something according to you Guild specialists ?

 

[guitarlover]

A last option could be the no ears mount pickup :

Dimensions are the same as the Gretsch mount but withoutvthe "wings". So it would fit in the cavity. However in order to properly attach it an extra piece of wood would have to be screwed or glued in in the center of the cavity because the pick up attached by two screws that go through it.

 

[BradHK]

A last option could be the no ears mount pickup :

Dimensions are the same as the Gretsch mount but withoutvthe "wings". So it would fit in the cavity. However in order to properly attach it an extra piece of wood would have to be screwed or glued in in the center of the cavity because the pick up attached by two screws that go through it.

I like this option. Rather than wood, I would make a brass or aluminum mounting plate. This plate would mount in the original mounting holes for the Franz pickup and would have two threaded holes in the center to match the mounting screws in the middle of the pickup. You would just need to replace the pickup mounting screws with machine screws if the pickups come with wood screws. This would leave everything stock if you ever want to go back to original.

 

[guitarlover]

It needs to be a "removable construction" indeed. There are no holes in the back of the guitar so if a pot or switch fails the only acces is through the cavities for the pickups.
Why do you prefer aluminum/brass over woid however ?

 

[BradHK]

It needs to be a "removable construction" indeed. There are no holes in the back of the guitar so if a pot or switch fails the only acces is through the cavities for the pickups.
Why do you prefer aluminum/brass over woid however ?

It is thin and would provide more pickup height adjustment.

 

[jp]

It is thin and would provide more pickup height adjustment.

Or maybe perhaps wood with threaded grommets for the pickup adjustment screws?

Actually, the Dearmonds I have are reissue Gretsch Dynasonics with the magnets that extend down. They will most likely fit in the holes, but using the covers means making new holes around the perimeter of the cavities, which is non-reversible if I want to go back to the Franzes.

What I really need is another M-75 for the Dearmonds so I can then keep the Franzes in the other!

 

[guitarlover]

What I really need is another M-75 for the Dearmonds so I can then keep the Franzes in the other!

Exactly What I want to do.

 

[jp]

What may be a viable solution for the Bigsby is the Vibramate V5-TEV Stage II Mounting Kit.

Although it's made for a Tele/flat top guitar, the rear plate look thin enough to slightly bend or contour it to fit the slight arch of the Aristocrat top. If so, this might require thin plastic shims to attach the Bigsby B5 to it properly. I'd need to see how well the fit would be. I've considered trying this plate with felt or cork underneath it.

For added strength, it might need to be attached at the end strap button with a machine screw and nut on the inside. I'd have to see what the tail block looks like on the inside. It seems like it might also allow for a less steep string angle behind the bridge.

 

[guitarlover]

I think this might be a good solution for the reissue bluesbird, don't know for the aristocrat since it is fully hollow. I would do a guildsby/bigdsy b 7 here ( like I have on one of my aristocrat guitars).

 

[guitarlover]

I did some additional "inspection" and on the bridge position it will be difficult because of the height of a dearmond bridge pu...

 

[jp]

I did some additional "inspection" and on the bridge position it will be difficult because of the height of a dearmond bridge pu...

Thanks for the update. If I ever get around to messing with my Aristocrat, I'll dig deeper.

 

[guitarlover]

Little busy now but I 'll explain in more detail soon.