Hotch pickups?

[sothoth]

I have a pair of Lundgren Designed humbuckers from a Hagstrom Super Swede (see photos) that look quite similar on the back to Epi pickups I've seen. The stickers and "BHK" (or BHC in the case of the Epi) match the imprint on the base that reads "BH."

I did a few internet searches and see that some Epi's are a "Hotch" pickup. Is that a manufacturer that makes them for Epi and perhaps Hagstrom/Lundgren? I'm perplexed and don't see any info on Hotch other than in reference to Epi pickup models.

Anyone know what the eff this is?

 

[sjtalon]

Well that sure is interesting. Never heard of Hagstrom Super Swede or Ludgren either.

Ya, Epi is the only place I've ever seen them as well.

 

[jackinjax]

BHK is the pickup manufacturer. I believe the K is Korea and the C in BHC is China. They make decent pickups for Epiphone, Samick's Greg Bennett, and I'm sure a lot of others. I have a Greg Bennett Royale 2 that had "Duncan Designed" pickups when I got it, with the BHK stickers on them. They sounded okay but I swapped them out for something a little beefier.
I'm sure neither Lundgren nor Duncan had anything to do with the "design" of the pickups that bear their names. They just get paid a royalty for the use of their names.

 

[sothoth]

Never heard of Hagstrom Super Swede or Ludgren either.

The Northen (not "Northern") series, I believe, is made in the Czech Republic and the standard Super Swede series is made in Korea or something. The neck is a little fatter than I like but otherwise it's a beautifully made guitar. I like the Les Paul aesthetics but refuse to pay $2600 for a Gibson when their QC and build quality seem horrible to me of late.

The Swedes used to drive on the LEFT side of the road, but on one fateful day in the 1960s, called "Dagen H," they switched the whole country to driving on the RIGHT side of the road. I can imagine that having a car with the steering wheel on the right side of the car, then having to drive it on the right side of the road, would make certain driving actions (like passing) very dangerous.

Luckily their guitars are slightly less eccentric but very well crafted. The pickups excepted. The pickups kind of suck.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dagen_H

 

[sothoth]

I have a Greg Bennett Royale 2 that had "Duncan Designed" pickups when I got it, with the BHK stickers on them. They sounded okay but I swapped them out for something a little beefier.

I'm sure neither Lundgren nor Duncan had anything to do with the "design" of the pickups that bear their names. They just get paid a royalty for the use of their names.

I'm curious how many pickups this company makes that are branded different like your Duncan's were?

 

[sothoth]

BHK is the pickup manufacturer. I believe the K is Korea and the C in BHC is China. They make decent pickups for Epiphone, Samick's Greg Bennett, and I'm sure a lot of others.

Thanks for this info by the way. Strange, I can't seem to find much info on the manufacturer. I wonder if they do mostly (or all?) OEM stuff?

 

[sjtalon]

Great info here. U know, u yust can't tell where anyone or thing is from anymore.

 

[sothoth]

He's Lundgren as in "Lundgren Designed."

 

[Antigua Tele]

BHK is the pickup manufacturer. I believe the K is Korea and the C in BHC is China. They make decent pickups for Epiphone, Samick's Greg Bennett, and I'm sure a lot of others. I have a Greg Bennett Royale 2 that had "Duncan Designed" pickups when I got it, with the BHK stickers on them. They sounded okay but I swapped them out for something a little beefier.
I'm sure neither Lundgren nor Duncan had anything to do with the "design" of the pickups that bear their names. They just get paid a royalty for the use of their names.

Wow, thanks for that info.

Fender Fideli'trons appear to be made by the same company:

 

[Zipslack]

The HOTCH was the Epiphone bridge pickup using A5, but wound to about 12-12.5K. Generally not great sounding. It was paired with the 57CH neck, which wasn't as bad (A5 at 7.5-8K). SG and 335 models used the 57CH in both positions. These are the older pickups and shouldn't be confused with the newer Epi pickups. You can get them online dirt cheap due to how many people swapped them.

Your pickups look very similar, especially the sticker, but who knows what's inside?

 

[Daddy Hojo]

I always thought that stood for "hot classic humbucker" (aka bridge) and that the 57ch was Epiphone's version of the "57 classic humbucker." I may be wrong though.

 

[trev333]

here's a pic of a HOTCH and 57CH set I've got in the PU box......

I figured it meant hot ch and 57 ch.... bridge/neck...

 

[harold h]

They tried a "Starsky" pickup, it was not as good as the "Hotch".

 

[kiwi blue]

The HOTCH was the Epiphone bridge pickup using A5, but wound to about 12-12.5K. Generally not great sounding. It was paired with the 57CH neck, which wasn't as bad (A5 at 7.5-8K). SG and 335 models used the 57CH in both positions. These are the older pickups and shouldn't be confused with the newer Epi pickups. You can get them online dirt cheap due to how many people swapped them.

Do you happen to know roughly when Epi swapped from the Korean pups to the Chinese made ones? The reason I ask is that maybe 7 or 8 years ago I played an Epi SG in a store and really liked the bridge pickup (but not the neck pickup). It was a bright and chirpy sound, clear but smooth, no bite or harshness. The sort of pickup you could play country on, or bright melodic stuff. I can see most rock players not liking it. So when you say "not great sounding" that might be the one I liked. Yeah I'm weird like that ... But then again 12k doesn't sound right for the pickup I'm describing, so maybe it was the Chinese pickup or a just a different Korean pickup.

I haven't yet owned a bridge bucker that captures that sound. Only other pickup that sounded similar to me was in a Chinese made Ibanez hollowbody. I'm thinking there's a dirt cheap bucker out there that nobody but me likes and I'd like to find it.

 

[Zipslack]

Here's an older list I found. My memory was off..the HOTCH was about 13.5K

Gibson Burstbucker Pro..........(sim: BB1, Alnico5, potted).....7.4KO
Gibson Burstbucker Pro..........(sim: BB2, Alnico5, potted)......8.0KO
Gibson Burstbucker 1.............(Alnico2)..........................7.5KO
Gibson BurstBucker 2............(Alnico2)..........................8.0 - 8.4KO
Gibson Burstbucker 3.............(Alnico2).........................8.2 - 8.8KO
Gibson '57 Classic.................(Alnico2)...........................7.44 - 8.5KO
Gibson '57 ClassicPlus.............(Alnico2)..........................13.8KO
Gibson Dirty Fingers..............(2xCeramic)......................16.0 -16.6KO
Gibson Mini-humbucker...........(Alnico2)...........................6.0 - 6.4KO/8.1K(bridge)

Gibson 490R........................(Alnico2)..........................7.2 - 7.83KO
Gibson 490T........................(Alnico2)..........................7.9 - 8.53KO
Gibson 498T........................(Alnico5)..........................12.32-13.46KO
Gibson 496R........................(Ceramic).........................8.3 - 8.63KO
Gibson 500T........................(Ceramic).........................14 - 15KO

Gibson Angus Young...............(Alnico5)..........................13.5KO
Gibson Tommy Iommi.............(Alnico2+Ceramic)...............16.5KO
Gibson Joe Perry(BB2&3?).........(Alnico5)..........................8.4(neck)/8.8KO(bridge)
Gibson Jimmy Page................(Alnico5)..........................7-8KO(not found yet, but I reckon within these values)

Gibson P-90R.......................(Alnico5)...........................7.7 - 8.5KO
Gibson P-90T.......................(Alnico5)...........................7.8 - 9.35KO
Gibson P-100R......................(Alnico5)...........................6.1KO
Gibson P-100T......................(Alnico5)...........................9.4 - 16.0KO
Gibson P-94R.......................(Alnico5)...........................8.1KO
Gibson P-94T.......................(Alnico5)...........................9.1KO

Gibson HB-R.........................(Alnico5)..........................7.06 - 9.13KO
Gibson HB-L.........................(Alnico5)..........................13.39 - 15.3KO

Epiphone 650R/650T...............(Ceramic8)........................7.8(neck)/16.6(bridge)KO
Epiphone P90(Casino)...............(Alnico5)..........................8.1KO alltho some owners report 11-11.8K for neck and 12.0K values for Bridge-PU respectively
Epiphone P90(IJL Casino)..........(Alnico5)..........................8.1KO
Epiphone P90('56 GT)...............(Alnico5).........................8.8KO
Epiphone P90(WildKat).............(Alnico5)......................... 8.8KO alltho some owners report 11.17K(neck)-11.40KO(bridge)
Epiphone 57CH(Classic).............(Alnico5).........................7.8 - 8.13KO
Epiphone HOTCH(Classic +)........(Alnico5).........................13.3 - 14KO
Epiphone HOTH8B...................(Alnico5).........................13.14-13.58KO
Epiphone HB6N.......................(Alnico5)..........................8.12-8.30KO
Epiphone Mini HB.....................(Alnico5)..........................6.65KO
Epiphone Special2....................(Ceramic).........................12.85(neck)/16.6(bridge)KO
Epiphone P100('57 LP Jr)..........(Alnico5)..........................10KO
Epiphone H90(nighthawk)..........(Alnico5)..........................10KO?

Epiphone Elitist 50SR/50ST........(Alnico5)..........................8.5KO
Epiphone Elitist 60ST.................(Alnico5)..........................13.8KO
Epiphone Elitist N.Valensi P90.....(Alnico5)..........................8.1(neck)/9.1KO(bridge)
Epiphone Elitist Casino/Lennon....(Alnico5)..........................8.1KO
Epiphone Elitist Country DLX.......(Alnico5)..........................5.7KO

EMG HZ H4..............................(Ceramic)..........................13.6KO
EMG HZ H4A............................(Alnico5)..........................13.6KO
DiMarzio SuperDistortion............(Ceramic)........................13.65KO

Original thread: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/53043-gibsonepiphone-pickups-dc-resistance-values/

 

[sammy axe]

BHK is the pickup manufacturer. I believe the K is Korea and the C in BHC is China. They make decent pickups for Epiphone, Samick's Greg Bennett, and I'm sure a lot of others. I have a Greg Bennett Royale 2 that had "Duncan Designed" pickups when I got it, with the BHK stickers on them. They sounded okay but I swapped them out for something a little beefier.
I'm sure neither Lundgren nor Duncan had anything to do with the "design" of the pickups that bear their names. They just get paid a royalty for the use of their names.

Looks like a bhk for sure. I like boutique pickups but I've heard a few bhk pups that sound decent.

 

[sammy axe]

Here's an older list I found. My memory was off..the HOTCH was about 13.5K

Gibson Burstbucker Pro..........(sim: BB1, Alnico5, potted).....7.4KO
Gibson Burstbucker Pro..........(sim: BB2, Alnico5, potted)......8.0KO
Gibson Burstbucker 1.............(Alnico2)..........................7.5KO
Gibson BurstBucker 2............(Alnico2)..........................8.0 - 8.4KO
Gibson Burstbucker 3.............(Alnico2).........................8.2 - 8.8KO
Gibson '57 Classic.................(Alnico2)...........................7.44 - 8.5KO
Gibson '57 ClassicPlus.............(Alnico2)..........................13.8KO
Gibson Dirty Fingers..............(2xCeramic)......................16.0 -16.6KO
Gibson Mini-humbucker...........(Alnico2)...........................6.0 - 6.4KO/8.1K(bridge)

Gibson 490R........................(Alnico2)..........................7.2 - 7.83KO
Gibson 490T........................(Alnico2)..........................7.9 - 8.53KO
Gibson 498T........................(Alnico5)..........................12.32-13.46KO
Gibson 496R........................(Ceramic).........................8.3 - 8.63KO
Gibson 500T........................(Ceramic).........................14 - 15KO

Gibson Angus Young...............(Alnico5)..........................13.5KO
Gibson Tommy Iommi.............(Alnico2+Ceramic)...............16.5KO
Gibson Joe Perry(BB2&3?).........(Alnico5)..........................8.4(neck)/8.8KO(bridge)
Gibson Jimmy Page................(Alnico5)..........................7-8KO(not found yet, but I reckon within these values)

Gibson P-90R.......................(Alnico5)...........................7.7 - 8.5KO
Gibson P-90T.......................(Alnico5)...........................7.8 - 9.35KO
Gibson P-100R......................(Alnico5)...........................6.1KO
Gibson P-100T......................(Alnico5)...........................9.4 - 16.0KO
Gibson P-94R.......................(Alnico5)...........................8.1KO
Gibson P-94T.......................(Alnico5)...........................9.1KO

Gibson HB-R.........................(Alnico5)..........................7.06 - 9.13KO
Gibson HB-L.........................(Alnico5)..........................13.39 - 15.3KO

Epiphone 650R/650T...............(Ceramic8)........................7.8(neck)/16.6(bridge)KO
Epiphone P90(Casino)...............(Alnico5)..........................8.1KO alltho some owners report 11-11.8K for neck and 12.0K values for Bridge-PU respectively
Epiphone P90(IJL Casino)..........(Alnico5)..........................8.1KO
Epiphone P90('56 GT)...............(Alnico5).........................8.8KO
Epiphone P90(WildKat).............(Alnico5)......................... 8.8KO alltho some owners report 11.17K(neck)-11.40KO(bridge)
Epiphone 57CH(Classic).............(Alnico5).........................7.8 - 8.13KO
Epiphone HOTCH(Classic +)........(Alnico5).........................13.3 - 14KO
Epiphone HOTH8B...................(Alnico5).........................13.14-13.58KO
Epiphone HB6N.......................(Alnico5)..........................8.12-8.30KO
Epiphone Mini HB.....................(Alnico5)..........................6.65KO
Epiphone Special2....................(Ceramic).........................12.85(neck)/16.6(bridge)KO
Epiphone P100('57 LP Jr)..........(Alnico5)..........................10KO
Epiphone H90(nighthawk)..........(Alnico5)..........................10KO?

Epiphone Elitist 50SR/50ST........(Alnico5)..........................8.5KO
Epiphone Elitist 60ST.................(Alnico5)..........................13.8KO
Epiphone Elitist N.Valensi P90.....(Alnico5)..........................8.1(neck)/9.1KO(bridge)
Epiphone Elitist Casino/Lennon....(Alnico5)..........................8.1KO
Epiphone Elitist Country DLX.......(Alnico5)..........................5.7KO

EMG HZ H4..............................(Ceramic)..........................13.6KO
EMG HZ H4A............................(Alnico5)..........................13.6KO
DiMarzio SuperDistortion............(Ceramic)........................13.65KO

Original thread: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/53043-gibsonepiphone-pickups-dc-resistance-values/

That's a lot of good info

 

[sothoth]

Looks like a bhk for sure. I like boutique pickups but I've heard a few bhk pups that sound decent.

The ones in my Epi SG Pro (presumably the same maker) sounded pretty good, certainly far better than I expected. The ones I got in the Hagstrom sounded OK in the bridge but really lifeless and muffled in the neck.

I have turned into a bit of a pickup snob but still give everything a fair listen. These (in the Hagstrom) were a borderline but still sub-par in the bridge but completely intolerable in the neck.

Finally got the replacement pots in today so I'll get it wired up and tested with the new ones. Can't wait.

Thanks for the info and all the responses I'm getting prepared to make my own pickups and love all the info in the TDPRI brain trust

 

[guitarmikey]

Yes, I know it's last years post, but still... Was so surprised to buy a Fender pickup Humbucker Bridge BHK in the usual Fender red/black parts bag from a Fender dealer. Probably the pickup from HH telecaster just like the one above (6 in line). Had the Epi bhk that I have mount in a Fender, changing it to HH and the guy who took that guitar was really amazed about the sound. Asked me three different times what pickups were inside? I presume BHK made pups for every guitar, not first line but still very good sounding. Not to be compared with Bareknuckle, but possible comparation with Kent Armstrong.