Tele Neck p-up like H44 Stratotone?

[futureperfect]

Does such a thing exist? I mean apart from getting an actual H44 pickup off ebay. Maybe a Charlie Cristian style pick-up?

Here's an example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE1VVsOOYXw

[Chrismo]

From what I can tell, there's a single "blade" in that pickup right?

I think the Charlie Christian would work well for that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9M0DhT9eco

[tweed135]

Don Mare makes a Tele pickup like that. Go to his website.

[futureperfect]

I don't think so unless one of the models is similar but isn't marked as such. He used to make a strat pickup like that I think but ran out of the right materials.

[tpaul]

I'd say, get an original H44. Nothing new is going to capture the tone of that pickup.

[futureperfect]

Well that would be ideal of course. The only problem is that they go for $1500+ now unless you find one in a shop which is near impossible and it could still be that expensive. I hear the harmony reissue of this particular model does a fairly good job of sounding like the original so there's that maybe.

[tpaul]

Originally Posted by futureperfect

Well that would be ideal of course. The only problem is that they go for $1500+ now unless you find one in a shop which is near impossible and it could still be that expensive. I hear the harmony reissue of this particular model does a fairly good job of sounding like the original so there's that maybe.

I meant get the pickup, not the whole guitar... I think you can find these pickups on Ebay, also there are internet sites devoted to the old Kay and Harmony guitars where parts are listed for sale.

[JamonHamon]

Don Mare put a Stratotone pup in my Esquire in the middle possition with Don's Tweed Monster bridge and S-Tele neck pups with a 5 way switch and a push/pull switch that takes the bridge pup and you still get the esquire effect

Don helped me find a correct Stratotone pickup off Ebay

Heres another clip of a blues sound

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMcWU...eature=related

[futureperfect]

That's interesting. How does it sound in the esquire? Is the volume balanced with the other pickups? How does it sound combined with the bridge?

[JamonHamon]

Hi...it blends well very twangy sounding in the #2 position and a warmer twang in #5 position...all three pups are hot sounding and
all 3 pups are very usable together volume wise,

The Stratotone pup sounds very round and full clean but when you turn up your guitar it does a fat full round tweed sound that breaks up sweet

[JamonHamon]

Originally Posted by Chrismo

From what I can tell, there's a single "blade" in that pickup right?

I think the Charlie Christian would work well for that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9M0DhT9eco

A Charlie Christian Pup is a Hershey pup cut into a blade and mounted sideways

and a Stratotone pup is a Hershey magnet and is not cut but lays flat like a candy bar with a chrome cover and will give you a much fatter bluesier sound IMHO

[futureperfect]

Is this the sort of pickup you got. It looks the same as an h44 but there's virtually no way to tell if it is the same.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1959-Sil...3%3A1|294%3A50

[Don Mare]

Originally Posted by futureperfect

Is this the sort of pickup you got. It looks the same as an h44 but there's virtually no way to tell if it is the same.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1959-Sil...3%3A1|294%3A50

thats the ones! ( Flat Chrome Hershey Bars )
these need to ohm out at 3.5 to 4k

for the neck position the lower DC's are best on those

that may be the same seller that I bought Two from - the plaid rug in the pic looks the same as when I bough mine - same looking photo.

[JamonHamon]

Hey Don
I still love this Esquire you put together for me
I just want to say...Your the best!!!...
Thanks Dale

[futureperfect]

This kind of brings up a point I've thought about. Why do some manufactures give the impression that resistance is a measure of output? wouldn't make more sense to use Henries as a indicator of output? I know greater inductance will generally imply grater resistance but if the wire gages are different then you're not exactly comparing apples to apples (as far as I know).

[futureperfect]

Does anyone know of a pickup that will get in the h-44 ballpark that is also the size of a standard tele neck pickup?

[Roli]

Originally Posted by futureperfect

Does anyone know of a pickup that will get in the h-44 ballpark that is also the size of a standard tele neck pickup?

Yes, any of the muddy standard ones will do. To me that stratotone one sounds just like those.

[tweed135]

How about Dave Stephens or Harmonic Design? Stephens makes an H44-like pickup in a P90 size I think.

Harmonic Design does a P90 like pickup for strats and teles. I've got their S90, great pickup.

[tele-vangelist]

I hear the harmony reissue of this particular model does a fairly good job of sounding like the original so there's that maybe.

Although my main guitar has become a mid 80’s MIJ Tele, I am a Harmony fan and have a bunch of Harmony’s including an original 50’s H-44. The recent “re-issues,” branded Airline are a completely different guitar. They look similar from fifty yards away but they are completely different animals. Relevant to this thread, the original pickup is a single coil made by DeArmond. The pickup on the reissues is a humbucker. So much for authenticity.

I know two people who have put a vintage DeArmond Goldfoil pickup (used on various Harmony guitars in the fifties and sixties) in the tele neck position. It’s a similar pickup, a hot single coil more like a P-90, but very unique. Actually I bought my MIJ Tele planning to do this but the guitar grew on me as is. I still want to get another tele and do this. The Goldfoils are a bit easier to score than the Hershey bar. Check ebay obviously or the site at the bottom of this post.

Does anyone know of a pickup that will get in the h-44 ballpark that is also the size of a standard tele neck pickup?

But unfortunately some routing is necessary.

Yes, any of the muddy standard ones will do. To me that stratotone one sounds just like those.

The vintage H44 hershey bar is not muddy – it’s thick and juicy and has a huge sound. It doesn’t sound remotely like any standard tele pickup.

I love my tele. Like I said it’s become my go-to guitar - for many reasons. The H44 is amazing for some things but not super versatile. For me it’s a great secondary guitar, a specialist used in certain situations.

For a LOT more information…

This is a fantastic Harmony forum: http://harmony.demont.net/board/

This is an extensive database for Harmony and its many sub-brands: http://harmony.demont.net/

The pickups page: http://harmony.demont.net/pickups.php

[TNO]

I played the Harmony reissue and the pickups just sounded like fairly hot mini-humbuckers.

[Groovey Records]

[dukeh62]

Yeah, I would highly doubt you're gonna find a tele pup that even comes close to the H44 hershey bar.

Groovey...that's some fart-a-licious tone you've got there in your H44 clip. What amp were you playing through?