Pickup base plate swap

[WillyTheMLGPro]

So my Ormsby HypeGTR 8 string has pickups that are angled and I'd really like to get some Seymour Duncan Sentient/Pegasus combo going but they wouldn't fit normally.
So I was wondering how hard it would be to buy an 8 string set of said pickups and then switch the base plates for them? or would it be a better option to buy the base plates from Ormsby and have them sent to the Duncan custom shop?

 

[diagrammatiks]

Not hard. Since the ormsby pickups aren’t really worth anything just take baseplates off and slap the Duncans on.

if you have Duncan do it they’ll charge you like 500 dollars.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

So my Ormsby HypeGTR 8 string has pickups that are angled and I'd really like to get some Seymour Duncan Sentient/Pegasus combo going but they wouldn't fit normally.
So I was wondering how hard it would be to buy an 8 string set of said pickups and then switch the base plates for them? or would it be a better option to buy the base plates from Ormsby and have them sent to the Duncan custom shop?

not hard at all. it's basically just unscrewing the baseplate and transferring the coils, spacers (if it has them) and the magnet. you just need to be careful not to damage the wire connecting the coils or the main 4 conductor wires.

 

[Pikka Bird]

Angled pickups have different spacing between the polepieces, and it would surprise me if the pole spacing for Ormsby's rather generous multiscale would line up with that of a regular SD set. With regular spacing the pole pieces will not line up under the strings at all when you angle the coil/bobbin, nor would they line up with the screw holes on the baseplate.

 

[WillyTheMLGPro]

Angled pickups have different spacing between the polepieces, and it would surprise me if the pole spacing for Ormsby's rather generous multiscale would line up with that of a regular SD set. With regular spacing the pole pieces will not line up under the strings at all when you angle the coil/bobbin, nor would they line up with the screw holes on the baseplate.

oh damn you're right
I really wish there was an BK Impulse 8 string set right now

 

[lewis]

Angled pickups have different spacing between the polepieces, and it would surprise me if the pole spacing for Ormsby's rather generous multiscale would line up with that of a regular SD set. With regular spacing the pole pieces will not line up under the strings at all when you angle the coil/bobbin, nor would they line up with the screw holes on the baseplate.

but really it wouldnt be so off that it changes the sound. Just might look slightly odd aesthetically.

My recent strat purchase came new with pickups that have poles a different spacing to the strings to they are off center.

Its not really a problem

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Angled pickups have different spacing between the polepieces, and it would surprise me if the pole spacing for Ormsby's rather generous multiscale would line up with that of a regular SD set. With regular spacing the pole pieces will not line up under the strings at all when you angle the coil/bobbin, nor would they line up with the screw holes on the baseplate.

pole pieces don't have to line up directly with the strings to be effective though. Most pickups have a big enough magnetic field to still pick up on the string vibrations even if they're offset a ways. Rail pickups are the easy solution but they're not very common for ERGS.

 

[WillyTheMLGPro]

pole pieces don't have to line up directly with the strings to be effective though. Most pickups have a big enough magnetic field to still pick up on the string vibrations even if they're offset a ways. Rail pickups are the easy solution but they're not very common for ERGS.

Thats good to hear but I think I might just stick with the Ormsby handmade pickups cause they're quite good actually.
on a kind of related topic, I know you're a fan of the Impulse from BK and they got back to me on regarding an 8 string version of the Impulse and Black Hawk https://imgur.com/a/84BrVik

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Thats good to hear but I think I might just stick with the Ormsby handmade pickups cause they're quite good actually.
on a kind of related topic, I know you're a fan of the Impulse from BK and they got back to me on regarding an 8 string version of the Impulse and Black Hawk https://imgur.com/a/84BrVik

yeah the stock set in most (except the metal series) ormsbys is really quite good ime.

I wanted an 8 string version of the impulses so bad when they first came out. they're great pickups ime.

 

[Pikka Bird]

pole pieces don't have to line up directly with the strings to be effective though. Most pickups have a big enough magnetic field to still pick up on the string vibrations even if they're offset a ways. Rail pickups are the easy solution but they're not very common for ERGS.

They don't have to be accurately under the strings, butut too much of an angle is going to be a detriment. I tried converting an eight string Pegasus/Sentient set for multiscale with an angled baseplate last year, and the difference was night and day, to the point that the outside strings were barely audible while the rest were totally overpowering everything else. This was for a djent-centric kinda build, so we kinda needed that low F# (or dropped E, I think) to be on the spot. Angling the whole pickup on the stock baseplate didn't work much better either because now you had one outside pole piece that was under the low string and the other wasn't at all. Your mileage may vary of course, but it's not unreasonable to keep it in mind for a noticeable slant, which the Ormsby multiscales have.

 

[laxu]

They don't have to be accurately under the strings, butut too much of an angle is going to be a detriment. I tried converting an eight string Pegasus/Sentient set for multiscale with an angled baseplate last year, and the difference was night and day, to the point that the outside strings were barely audible while the rest were totally overpowering everything else. This was for a djent-centric kinda build, so we kinda needed that low F# (or dropped E, I think) to be on the spot. Angling the whole pickup on the stock baseplate didn't work much better either because now you had one outside pole piece that was under the low string and the other wasn't at all. Your mileage may vary of course, but it's not unreasonable to keep it in mind for a noticeable slant, which the Ormsby multiscales have.

Thanks for doing the testing. I was considering this since I want to swap the BKP Juggernaut in my Skervesen 8-string to something else but haven't felt like paying not only for a new pickup but also extra for the baseplate. BKP does sell custom angled baseplates for their pickups but you need to consult them first to get the right one.

 

[Deegatron]

Ever through about just having the Ormsby pickups rewound??

 

[diagrammatiks]

Thanks for doing the testing. I was considering this since I want to swap the BKP Juggernaut in my Skervesen 8-string to something else but haven't felt like paying not only for a new pickup but also extra for the baseplate. BKP does sell custom angled baseplates for their pickups but you need to consult them first to get the right one.

if you're going from bkp to bkp it's not that big of a deal.

 

[WillyTheMLGPro]

Ever through about just having the Ormsby pickups rewound??

That was the first option that the customer support gave me when I asked them but I really like the stealth look the Nazgul, Pegasus and Sentient have and I wanted that for my guitar.
And now I'm considering the Alpha Omega set but with the same look as the 3 I mentioned earlier.

 

[Pikka Bird]

That's one thing that's a little off about the Ormsby pickups- their metal bits don't tie the set together visually. However, you can swap out the screws for some darkened ones, and even the slug magnets if that's your hangup. For the plastic bobbins I've been modding some of mine for a very lovely stealthy look (IMO). I unscrewed the pole screws and ran the bobbins over my random orbital sander with very fine grit attached. Then I slightly countersunk the pole holes and reinstalled the poles. Made a WORLD of difference and they look quite exclusive now as opposed to the cheap glossy look they had from the factory.

 

[WillyTheMLGPro]

That's one thing that's a little off about the Ormsby pickups- their metal bits don't tie the set together visually. However, you can swap out the screws for some darkened ones, and even the slug magnets if that's your hangup. For the plastic bobbins I've been modding some of mine for a very lovely stealthy look (IMO). I unscrewed the pole screws and ran the bobbins over my random orbital sander with very fine grit attached. Then I slightly countersunk the pole holes and reinstalled the poles. Made a WORLD of difference and they look quite exclusive now as opposed to the cheap glossy look they had from the factory.

I'll probably have a chat with the guy from Ormsby who makes the pickups to see if he can do something like this

 

[KnightBrolaire]

That was the first option that the customer support gave me when I asked them but I really like the stealth look the Nazgul, Pegasus and Sentient have and I wanted that for my guitar.
And now I'm considering the Alpha Omega set but with the same look as the 3 I mentioned earlier.
View attachment 79895

You do know they can reuse basically all the pickup parts for a rewind right? you could maintain the same look, but with a radically different voicing.
That being said, I don't think duncan offer rewinds, and getting multiscale from their custom shop is a huge pain in the ass/very expensive. Guitarmory and Elysian do rewinds pretty regularly.

 

[WillyTheMLGPro]

You do know they can reuse basically all the pickup parts for a rewind right? you could maintain the same look, but with a radically different voicing.
That being said, I don't think duncan offer rewinds, and getting multiscale from their custom shop is a huge pain in the ass/very expensive. Guitarmory and Elysian do rewinds pretty regularly.

When I messaged them, they said it would be better to do a rewind as long as the existing pickups weren't glued together which I might do to have them rewound to Alpha/Omega specs.
Also I wanted the look of the Sentient/Pegasus with the flat/ stealth look though