DIY Alumitone from Copper Full Build and Demo (Super Simple!)

[@saltommassello]

This is the perfect blend of interesting content and entertaining content. Great work dude, great channel.

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so much Sal. I always feel lucky to find like minds. If one can handle this unorthodox type of content they gotta be cool or crazy and all the coolest people are. Thanks again

[@mihailmilev9909]

@@heavymetalATC yes tbh I was kinda surprised at how easy it was to watch this video lol. Feels like it flew by

[@bsatyam]

Dude, you're my new favorite guitar DIY channel. You're doing exactly the things I've always wanted to do but never could. Subscribed!

[@avibank]

Can't remember if you've done a Sustainiac type thing yet. But that would be cool to see.

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you Avi. I have not tried that yet and it's a good suggestion. I might even have an idea for a cool twist of sorts. I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment.

[@alaricpaley6865]

I'm not entirely sure how to get the harmonic octave effect of the sustainiac, but one of the absolute laziest ways to build a sustainer is actually to gut one of these First Act kids guitars with the speaker and amp in 'em. You just replace the speaker with a guitar pickup that measures 8 ohms and adjust the height until it feeds back on itself.

[@jcg7719]

@@alaricpaley6865 maybe just cut off the speaker paper cone and crank up the volume? Dont know how much output those have.

[@gratefulgreyman]

Great video 🙏

[@keithklassen5320]

I sincerely enjoy your experiments. I would sincerely enjoy them even more if you bought a tuner tho.

[@heavymetalATC]

Hahahaha I got a tuner I just almost always forget to use it and even when I do that flimsy little black guitar bends around about a half note depending how you hold it... I chopped that B**** up for a reason LOL

[@lamagiadelsurpisco]

Que maravilla de pastilla Que gran aporte a la sociedad de musicos con pocos recursos Bendiciones para ti

[@heavymetalATC]

Muchas gracias, hermano, me alegro de que esta información te haya resultado útil.

[@goldeyeball]

That’s so cool! I really like your show.

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you for watching and taking the time to leave such kind words Goldey. I'm glad you enjoy all this strangeness and Tom foolery.

[@peteytwofinger]

your technique of applying the plumbers crack directly to the solder is beyond genius . in my "ac adapter repair" video i suggest users implement a hot knife to remove the chassis on a wall wart but a hammer is quite a bit quicker and less of a health hazzard = fumes . excellent work here . dont ever go down the diy sustainiac road . please dont do this. how about a diy gold foil pu ?

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you Petey. That stuff just happened from being in a hurry and the hammer puts sharp busted plastic everywhere. Hints why I did it before recording. I can definitely do a gold foil. But, someone else also mentioned. Sustainer and you said don't so I GOTTA do it. I guess that is just how my wires are crossed 🤣 I could even be extra "cool" and power it with a tuuuub inside the guitar. Thanks again bro.

[@rabbithowls71]

Can’t get away from copper winds, this just moves them. 😂

[@svenhellfingers8001]

No contact of wires shown besides the pickup contact points. No idea how to use the wall wart as well. Help.

[@Carl-eu6ns]

Great post. So, the U coil has to be non-ferrous, a can lid won't work?

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so much for watching Carl. It is my understanding that it has to be non ferrous but I haven't tried tin or steel??? you could always try it... then if it fails use a beer can LOLOLOLOL

[@mushabbirmuttakineon4494]

This is very interesting content. Kudoos to you. Can you build 3 humbucker setup as brian may red special. What will happen if i try that phase switching with 3 humbucker? Can anyone help?

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to write a comment Mushabbir. As I understand it the red special has 3 single could pickups but they are wired in a way that would create a humbucker when any 2 where wired in series with reverse polarity. Ahh I see you say using humbuckers as the three pickups... I think it would work just fine you would get hum-cancelling in any 1 to or 3 pickup combination I would think. Also 2 humbuckers in series either in or out of phase would be 1 hell of an output 3 in series would be hotter than the fires of hell and you would probably want atleast 1 out of phase because that is a lot of winding to make bass. The humbuckers would basically just act as single units you can have humbuckers in our out of phase with one another but if it were done with 5 wire or split coil humbuckers the wiring would then be virtually insane spaghetti. I will put this in my notes and if/when Im ever brave enough to try this out I will give you a shoutout on the video... Very thoughtful suggestion thanks again.

[@glenncarver9049]

2:00 - when? Did I miss something? :)

[@Ma_X64]

Too much magnetism in the pickup will cause distortion similar to what happens when a string hits a fret, but not as harsh. Some high notes will experience fluctuations in volume due to the string's energy being lost as it exits the potential well created by the magnetic field. It's non-effective to check those effects playing open string chords. You should use some distortion pedal and high notes. And don't use any vibrato -- just hold the note and check if it fluctuates or not. Not all of them will be. It sounds like when you're playing a unisson and notes are slightly different but with just one note. ___________________________________________________________________ Ideally, you need primary coil of your transformer to be as close as possible in impedance to your 1-turn coil of the pickup itself. Feeding high impedance transfromer winding with low impedance source steals your high frequencies. It might be desirable though, so it's rather the thing to be experimented.

[@heavymetalATC]

Absolutely... Stratitus is what I call it. The warble plunk. 2 p90s wired as a humbucker did it bad. I don't think this one was doing it so badly but it definitely could have used a much better transformer as well it was very very microphonic but quite a fun experiment none the less. 👍 Thank you for watching and taking the time to write a comment max64.

[@Ma_X64]

​@@heavymetalATC you're making cool content. Will be watching from time to time definitely.

[@kenmiles4145]

How do you wire the transformer?

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment Ken. The low side winding is wired one leg to each side of the metal strip or loop and the high side of the transformer is hooked to the output and/or any controls and treated like a normal pickup lead +/- dont matter as it isnt grounded.

[@gstube1]

Piezo?

[@terryenglish7132]

You can get away w Neo s w super low wind coils, but replace a HB magnet w a Neo bar and it's the most horrible sounding distortion I've ever heard, and I like distortion.

[@corvusalbus9219]

Thank you for busting these stupid audiophile myths and generally inspiring people to make gear with their own hands. I've had some battles with the elitists about what is acceptable (everything that works) and what is not (huge price markups on musical equipment), and built my fair share of homemade pickups and guitar bodies... I do not plan on stopping. It is great that I have discovered one more of our kind. Maybe we could talk one day, you look like an interesting person to share some stories with.

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you for watching and for taking the time to write such a kind and thoughtful comment Corvus. Yes, it is pretty crazy the amount of myths and associated snobbery in the guitar/music gear world. It seems like you don't tend to see it as much in people that do DIY, its hardly there at all in the synth world because of the extreme amount of nerdery there LOL. It just seems like once you learn how things actually work and get hands on, magic or "mojo" kinda just looks like a wasted $$$. though I do find old stuff with a story cool i wont starve for it and I don't feel inadequate without it or like I just need to get that one more expensive piece of gear and Ill suddenly become great and famous. Hey if you like my channel you should check out my friend Petey hes always doing some awesome DIY stuff He's my secret weapon info resource: kzbin.info

[@ememe1412]

@@heavymetalATC I'm new to electric guitars. I was a bit shocked at the craziness of routed out wood plank prices. Also the liberal use of the words: 'custom', 'vintage tone' etc. Had the chance to listen a much heavier LP jr from 25yrs ago compared to my new one a couple of years ago. I couldn't detect anything in the tones that I didn't think I could manipulate or affect with pickup design. Simply, I could not see anything in (solid body) 'tonewood' output that would not be swamped by the pickup response, amp distortions (I've not seen a hifi guitar circuit even for the design levels of their era, even though an apparent preference for clear tones was sought. 50s-60s was the height of valve technology.) and driver distortion. Looked it up in the forum's and the amount of 'cognescenti' commenting that DIY could not match a big makers offering with the same spec... Absolute idiocy. I've seen basic 1930s level single ended valve amp circuits built in to fancy wood plinths go for thousands (Hammond SE tx opt...). A high school kid can build the exact same with better output tx and do better than the pro manufacturer's version... I can rant on but there are parallels to audiophiles and guitar gear sluts. The loudest voices are those regurgitating 'facts'. It's easier than working things out, calculating and reading engineering textbooks. Imagine the other way around and an engineer describing music in waveforms instead of playing the instrument. What we have are musicians describing the laws of physics with emotion and sentiments...

[@mihailmilev9909]

@@ememe1412 wow..... how inspiring

[@mihailmilev9909]

@@ememe1412 so how was it that u said a HS student could build a good amp?

[@JWH3]

I'm just an electronics nerd. Anyone that sets the elitist audiophile's straight is okay in my book!

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you for watching and taking the time to leave such a supportive comment Jake. I'm so glad you understand what it is I am trying to do here. Anyone who can handle this strange approach and my unorthodox attitude is okay in my book or.. crazy but hey all the best people are, I mean hell I am and people love to watch it. LOL thanks again.

[@meadish]

I wonder what a bent copper pipe in place of the copper sheet would sound like.

[@kenmiles4145]

I tried to make a pickup with a fridge magnet and copper tubing years ago. I didn't have the right solder or soldering gun. It worked when the solder stuck for a little bit and tested it on a frieds amp.

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you for watching and taking he time to write a comment Mea. I really dont know what the difference in sound would be from flat copper to tube... or even from copper to aluminum. I do think it would definitely work very well, using full pile with elbows and sweated solder joints like plumbing could be a very cool look though. Thanks again i will put this in my suggestions and may come back to it someday and if so Ill definitely give you a shout-out.

[@heavymetalATC]

Awesome ken... did it seem to sound different?

[@lucianotesta5019]

Man, the original are ridiculously expensive. Thanks for doing this, you got a new subscriber.

[@mcnihilation7286]

Thank you for sharing this!👍 I used a flattened copper pipe, 12 volt coil, shielded wires, and a Strong neodymium. I can't believe how full and solid it sounds. I just wish the coil would fit in the guitar;)

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to leave such kind words as well as an update. That is fantastic news.

[@MarkRoy-e2b]

It always sounds better when you've made it yourself. I built an EL84 amp, and I thought it sounded brilliant. No doubt other people wouldn't love it an a blind test, but just knowing that I had done my first soldering on it I thought it sang. DIY is the way to go.

[@squabeenutz]

Your sustain comments and then test/demonstration around 4:50 had me rolling. First time on your channel, but won't be the last. I've made a bass, and a guitar, but want to make my own pickups, and this video helped. Thanks

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to comment Squabee. I hope you decided to make some pickups and I also hope it went well. Its a bit of a learning curve but once you get 1-2 working you'll be off to the races. The ideas and questions will flow in and it becomes an addiction of sorts... If you have tried some experiments let me know how the went and if you have any questions dont be afraid to ask... ill try to get to them in less than 8 months this time LOL

[@larsw4880]

Great work! I'm really inspired to make some pickups again, made one for my bass long ago also using those bad neodymium magnets. I watched several of your videos and I just love your no nonsense style and the humor. Keep doing your thing, there's never enough unorthodox minds in the world!

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment Lars. Yeah I have come to think that maybe because guitar people think ceramic=cheap and alnico=vintage and good and ceramic is stronger than alnico well neodymium is stronger than ceramic it must suck twice as much. So the magnet cant be the source of more power so "overwound" becomes a flashy trending term... so what you end up with is people wayyy waaayy over winding a pickup and putting a weak magnet in it and that really really sucks too much capacitance=dark and muffled. Thanks again Lars I hope you find the videos useful and entertaining.

[@johncunningham4820]

Greatest Invention since " The Va J-J " 🤣🤣🤣.

[@petedazer3381]

I wasn’t expecting much, but that’s really cool………thanks for posting!

[@luisvaldes4248]

I've learned more from you about pickups in a couple of days than I had my whole life. I wonder how would this sound on a bass guitar.

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to write such a kind comment Luis. I am so glad this information was useful to you. Ahh yes this might sound pretty cool on a bass I'm thinking that since the guitar had a very acoustic sound maybe the bass would sound kinda like a stand-up bass or a bass-uke.

[@luisvaldes4248]

@@heavymetalATC I,ll give it a try. Do You have any suggestions on the transformer?

[@Thoracius]

I was thinking the same thing. That midrange twang would probably be rad on a Bass VI. And the acoustic character might be cool on something like a Hofner fiddle bass.

[@CarrotDugTooDeep]

I just love to hear what you play. Everything about this channel is awesome, but the playing is really cool.

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so much Dug. I appreciate the interest and interaction. I'm not really trying to be SRV or Stevie T when playing in the videos. I just want everyone to have a good idea about how the experiments have worked and the results... Thanks again.

[@eyeofamon]

2:00 - You don't ever explain why that is.

[@TomGlander]

There you go again, man. Doing crazy stuff that proves the marketing world is CRAZY! Very very cool.

[@heavymetalATC]

Thanks Tom. I just gotta do my due diligence to testify against the power of the almighty dollar bill. LOL Pickups are just so simple even the complicated ones and I can see why companies would want to use advertising tactics to make the product seem new and exiting but Lace stated things like aluminum was MORE conductive than copper and that is straight BS. Thank you again.

[@imcrazedandconfused]

@@heavymetalATCWell, actually they just twisted physics a bit, LOL. Conductivity is only 61 percent of that of copper - BUT, that's how they can easily twist it, aluminum is only 30% of weight. So, depending on use-case, aluminum can have advantages, when weight plays a role. But of course, the whole idea is BS in this case with the pickup, LOL. Re-defining physical units just to justify some silly mojo myth is really, really lame. But they at least could say, that they did not straight-out lie. Yeah, these pickups are as simple as it gets, and even if they would not use the cheapest china transformer, that can be found, even a small, brand audio transformer that might be suitable might maybe cost 20 bucks, and that might be already quite expensive. A pickup is not a micpre, LOL. Marketing is insane, prices are insane, bulls*t factor is insane.

[@juanvaldez5422]

So let me get this straight they’re charging 150 bucks apiece for these whereas they should be charging five dollars apiece?

[@scottyhehehe5367]

Yes, it did not cost them ANY money to design and manufacture their pickups, nor to market them or pay employees. They are making 100% pure profit. Evil.

[@peteleoni9665]

You sir are the shit/bomb/etc! Right to the point, no bullshit, no wasted time. BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO You are the Scotty Kilmer of guitar crap!!!! Love you love you. Thanks!!!! Btw, where do you think we could get the perfect small transformer for this build? Btw, I know of what I speak. I am a tech writer who once graced the cover of EQ and featured in Mix...you are great!!!

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to watch and leave such a kind awesome and in depth comment Pete. You are too kind. I love Scotty Kilmer I'm super into cars and Bikes and he is hilarious and Awesome. I really wouldn't know where to get a perfect transformer for this build but something usable may be able to be found on digikey or a similar electronic supply website??? you just need to go for a high ratio of winds. A ribbon mic transformer might be the perfect thing. Thanks again Pete I really do appreciate all the kindness and support.

[@guitfidle]

Wow, I knew they were a relatively simple design, but that is ridiculously easy!! Thanks for sharing, I will definitely be experimenting with this

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you for all the time you have spent watching the videos and writing comments Guitfidle. I am so glad to hear that you are finding the info on the channel to be of use and are feeling inspired to do some experiments. That is Awesome! Thats why I do this stuff.

[@guitfidle]

@@heavymetalATC I really do enjoy this kind of stuff, and truly appreciate you sharing your experience. I'm a hobby luthier- part of a local builder group and a couple online groups, I love sharing ideas and helping out others. I really need to start filming my own adventures 😁

[@tomutomo3701]

Why didn't i found this channel earlier 😳

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so much Tom. Feel free to binge watch the back catalog. I appreciate the support and kind words. I'm always happy when someone can handle my unorthodox attitude and understand the point of what I'm doing. Welcome to the channel. Apparently we're all a little skewed here. Lol

[@20glen20]

Now this experiment fascinates me. Do you think it's possible to reduce the microphonics, or is that just something that this type pick up can not avoid. I was excited when you said it had great Low response but it seemed that when played it seemed to distort the very low freq - maybe that was due to bigger vibration inducing micro phonic or maybe it didn't come through on KZbin very well. I would envisage winding a step up transformer on a toroidal former underneath the pick up -. My thinking to use the plate above as a shield from hum. So , a very interesting pick up experiment. One I would love to add to some time in future.

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you Glenn this is one intellectual boss comment. I will be honest I just threw this together fast to get it done. I think that if you built this solid from a single thick plate like the original it would be much less microphonic. Yes neo magnets add bass but with only one turn of coil it needed all the help it could get and was just going straight into a keyboard amp with no extra eq or preamp. When the plate was grounded it bled the highs off making it much bassier and no hum but it was too much it was dull. If I wasn't too lazy to stick a ceramic magnet in it. It would have brightened back up. All that being said the right transformer ratio and size would surely do wonders. Thanks again Glenn if you do tackle this let me know how it goes.

[@peterjohnson4932]

Hey Glenn, the toroidal is a great idea. It was fascinating, wasn't it? I've also been inspired to experiment.

[@velvetonecustomshop5026]

If you glue the copper “coil”, magnets and lead wires so they can’t vibrate, just like wax potting stops the thin wire in a more common pickup from physically moving, the microphonic aspects will disappear…. But part of the tone of many vintage pickups, and certainly the one in this vid, is the slight microphonic effect adding some “air” or realism to the sound…. Just don’t add too much gain haha

[@marcingardias9254]

@@heavymetalATC I _think_ it's possible to do a humbucker with this design and that's exactly how Lace Alumitone are made. Perhaps worth a shot.

[@valueofnothing2487]

@@velvetonecustomshop5026I was told microphonic pickups don't sound different. But I really liked the acoustic sound here. Seems like it has lots of sustain or feedback or something.

[@Crims0nKin9]

I think that the copper part resembles a short circuit terminated transmission line, which you can manipulate it's dimensions to get either a coil or a cap with different output phases and impedences

[@TheRamsberg]

This is freaking awesome! I've got loads of walwarts, two of which are variable voltage output, all the way down to 3v, I never considered there being transformers inside of them(not sure how I thought they worked!). Thanks so very much for sharing this, dude!

[@fuzzylollipop1429]

The resistence difference between the different coil materials does have different frequency responses to the primary side and does "voice" the coil differently. Lace says that aluminum sounds better (different) than copper.

[@ricoenacapulcoh]

Thanks Clementine! I wedged a horseshoe of copper wire into a strat pickup cover, placed a 60mm neodymium underneath a layer of plastic, and used a 12v wall wart. It sounds great so far. Super clean! Now to see if I can get it to work with a 5v transformer. This pickup style is def now going into my homemade lap steel.

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know how it worked out Rico. I'm glad you were able to get such a good result. That is great to hear. Awesome!

[@emersonsmithereens2094]

I'd be interested to hear if you had any luck. Of the 5 or 6 wall warts I've busted apart I've only gotten 2 to work.... & The two 5v ones had circuit boards inside with little mini coils on them so I was kind of hoping there'd be a way to get those to work since they're lighter & look cooler....

[@Microtonal_Cats]

Punk as fuck. Hey, Ribbon Mics are easy to make. Maybe make one as a pickup. Since they have a thin metal ribbon, that might act as an inductor as well as microphone. You'd probably have to not move much though.

[@vonicrimson3619]

I have 5 of these transformers that I found in a random box

[@heavymetalATC]

Thanks for watching and WOW! I wish I had 5 champ transformers those things are about 50 bucks each.

[@VSPhotfries]

Well, looks like I fell for the marketing. I do love my alumitone a lot, but now I guess I'm just gonna make one rather than buy another to put in my other guitar. As for Neodymium: I rebuilt a cheapo single coil with neodymium magnets and it sounds fine - not actually bassy at all. I don't get the anti-neo sentiment at all - but then again, I bought an alumitone deathbucker, so...

[@BeesWaxMinder]

My absolutely FAVOURITE channel!! (Does it buzz when you STOP touching the strings?) have you tried the RubberMagnets?

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so very much beeswax. Yes it was buzzing when I STOP touching the strings. Like a guitar with a floating or lifted ground. I could run a ground to the pickup and make the buzz stop but the capacitance in the winds of the transformer would kill the high frequencies and make it sound muddy like an overwound pickup. I have not tried rubber magnets yet but I will put that in my suggestions. If/when I make a video about that I will give you a shout out. Also thank you again. I should be back to making videos again very soon.

[@BeesWaxMinder]

@@heavymetalATC look forward to it👍

[@beatsinabar]

Very inspiring - thanks! I was thinking of buying an Alumitone, but now I'm going to try your method. Which way is the magnet orientated : NtoS lengthways, widthways or though thickness? Or doesn't it matter?!

[@alnicospeaker]

huh..that's intriguing - I have all the parts, including lots of old single output tube transformers - gotta try this. As far as I understand the original Alumitone has a split 2*3-string humbucker configuration - gotta try this. PS Despite my username I'm not an AlNiCo-snob ;)

[@joseislanio8910]

Or you can use a printed circuit board, "printing" the coil. It'd look dope!

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you for watching and taking the time to write a comment Jose. That is actually a FANTASTIC idea! I wish I had the stuff set up to print boards. That is the way to do it, like the stacked printed coils in the Fishmans but just one big turn. I will have to write this in my notes. I have been planning on setting up to etch boards for a long time and if/when I do get it going I will have to try this. If I do I will make a video on it and give you a shout-out. That is a brilliant idea... Thanks again.

[@joseislanio8910]

@@ZsigmaZ it's similar for using a printed circuit board. But, in this case, it'll be only one coil, in a single layer PCB, connected to a matching transformer, rather than a bunch of coils through an active circuit.

[@johanpauwels7894]

"It is the greatest invention since the vagina" is my new favorite one-liner.

[@heavymetalATC]

Hahaha Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment JP. Its the original 3d printer. ;)

[@CryptToneMusic]

I tried making one myself using 5 magnets from cheapo strat pickups in my junk bin then wrapped one turn of a copper magnet wire and connected it to a filament transformer. I connected it to the 6.3 volt and center tap wires instead of using the full 12.6 volt winding in hopes of a better ratio and then connected the 120 winding to my interface with an amp sim. Unfortunately it had extremely weak output, on a preset that should've been a chugging metal to it was super clean and quiet. I'm not sure if I need a different transformer or maybe I could try doing more turns of wire or different magnets maybe? I would've thought 5 magnets would be more than enough and 6.3 to 120 I thought would be a decent ratio so maybe I'll try adding turns?

[@stelleratorsuprise8185]

Great work, the real wonder to me is that such a crude device is working. The downside of such a cheap pickup is the transformer, I have seen you used an audio transformer and not one of an old power supply. BTW.: Twisting the cables from the 'pickup' to the transformer might help suppressing the hum.

[@drb2793]

Hey Clementine- awesome channel man, I love this MacGyver stuff. Thanks for such interesting and informative content- instant Sub! 😊👍 I was going to start experimenting with winding pickups for a frankenBass I’ve built from recycled pine pallets and this video got me thinking - could you use the same transformer trick with a traditional single coil pickup design that has fewer turns (eg 100-300) to boost the output to a usable level? Coiling wire long enough to do the thousands of turns needed for guitar pickups is a lot more expensive and harder to find where I live and I’m not going for a specific tone given I’ve already got a set of J-Bass pickups installed. From what I can make out in the video you’re using an audio transformer with 4ohm/7K ohm windings? Any comments on how a transformer scavenged from a wall wart affects the output- I assume they’re designed for 50/60hz so I’m guessing you might lose some high end? Anyway, keep up the great work and thanks again 🤘

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you for watching and taking the time to leave this awesome comment drb, Too bad Im only 10 months late answering it but... YOu are correct that could totally be done. That would be a very clear sounding pickup. You could use a lower ratio transformer and realy get that thing barking, Yes the one I used was 4/7 I think, its the one from a 5f1 fender champ output for 4 ohm speaker. I have a video on this channel of audio running through a wallwart transformer and it didnt cut highs from what I remember but it did seem to add bass and more of a booming sound when driven and saturated. You have some great Ideas man, I hope you did something with this it sounds like an awesome direction... Heres the video of using a wallwart to pass audio in the studio: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIDThqmkja9gq8k

[@TheErilaz]

Interesting, and the usage of a transformer is OK but I'm curious if a opamp as a voltage follower would sound as good.

[@DrRepper]

This is awesome! How do Alumitones work without a transformer? Does the thicker chunk of Aluminium give them more resistance or something? Please explain as you would to a small child...

[@johnnyboysbbq2502]

So, I know it's been a couple years since you posted this and I'm not sure you are monitoring comments.... BUT.... would stranded wire give the same effect or would it treat it like multi-coils? AND.... would it also increase the response of you knocked out the small side of the transformer and changed it out with a single loop?

[@onbedoeldekut1515]

Thank you for this! Would it be possible to put just the sheet and wire strand over the top of any existing (unconnected) pickup, using the magnet and polepieces instead? Would it also be possible to wind an unwound pickup to act as a transformer? Or is that what a pickup does naturally?

[@sciexp]

Thanks for sharing this. Sounds good... But, it's not very handy to have a bulky transformer around... And definitely not commercial... Would change the sound using just a single loop of a common copper wire?

[@sekretlowrider4046]

could that work with another normal pickup with same jack output ? I just had installed 2 piezo disc in parallel under the bridge , but volume is very low , I wish that could increase the volume ,

[@samuelzetterman]

Would a transformer work to step up the output of for example vintage pickups with few winds? Or just increase the output of regular pickups in general?

[@morrinsville23]

Great video, i'm definatly gonna build one of these, if you cant hook them up in series like a standard humbucker, could you hook another coil in paraellel? Just wondering if you had tried that? Thanks for the video!

[@spir4lsmusic313]

Extremely interesting video! Would a humbucker version require a second transformer to make it work?

[@johnathonhutchinson1105]

I know sweet FA about electronics etc. Does that transformer need to be powered in some way. Like would this be an active system ?

[@gjamesturner391]

Like Rico's but I built two into plastic humbucker covers. My layout is upside down with the magnet closest to the strings. Almost blew out the windows!!

[@ssmbssmbssmb]

Hello, sory for the basic question : could this works for nylon string acoustic guitar ? Thanks

[@wiktorszymczak4760]

My post apocalypse guitar is gonna include that. But im using soda can, coppers too pricey

[@intelligenceservices]

what happens if you make a flat 'induction style' coil out of some common copper wire?

[@scarecrow1385]

Smh amazing. Proving like Brian may you don't need to spend a rack on a instrument.

[@CarsInDimension]

Everyone that says that the Alumitones must be cheap to build is ignoring the fact that a conventional single coil pickup typically uses less than $2 worth of copper wire (at U.S. retail prices) and is very simple to manufacture. The wire is wound around a bobbin, often by automated machinery. Even if you're hand scatter winding, like with my Mojotone pickup winder, it just takes minutes to wind a pickup. The magnets are then pressed into the middle of the bobbin or attached below the coil, and the coil is soldered to the leads. That's about it. Lace Alumitones are more than just a loop of aluminum, some magnets and an off-the-shelf transformer, and the manufacturing process has a lot more steps. The aluminum is waterjet cut, formed, and then finished with anodizing or plating. The coils are wound on tiny, custom bobbins whose injection molds likely cost tens of thousands of dollars to have made. Assembly is more complicated than with a conventional pickup as well. The steel cores that inductively link the aluminum to the coils need to be glued in, attaching the coils as well, and the coils need to be soldered to the leads. The technology behind single coil current transformer pickups isn't complicated, I've made a DIY version myself, but none of the homebrew Alumitones that I've seen are very practical. All of them use off the shelf transformers that are pretty bulky and won't fit into a standard pickup rout. Not only did Lace spend time and money developing something that worked, they came up with an elegant, compact solution that will just drop into an existing rout. I don't quite get it. Lace comes up with one of the few original pickup designs of the last 60 years that saves resources (and reduces the weight of pickups significantly) and sounds great and people rag on them because they think, mistakenly, that they are cheap to build.

[@deadadam666]

thanks what i really needed is a bunch more insane ideas for how to modify my working guitars into unholy audio messes

[@BoredoldPunk]

So, an alumitone has a built in step up coil? Is there a dismantling video?

[@notanotherguitarchannel]

You're an absolute champ for doing this. You inspire me to tinker.

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to leave such kind words NAGC. I really appreciate it and I hope you have had fun tinkering with doodads HAHAHA

[@robertclarkguitar]

I want to build one where I could slide the pickup into any position under the strings. That way we got it all. Hahah. Use single and a humbucker split able or both Hsh or HH or hsh or whatever as long as they can freely slide and then lock down. Can't be that hard for your tooling prowess. I had an idea of rollers on two cables or a rail inside a pool routed guitar. That way you can get the precise positions of all those of guitars .. if I had the way I'd add a way to also allow them to move a little so the s or H can be slanted if need be too. Now were talking a mess. Hahah

[@heavymetalATC]

Yes Robert! I have thought and thought on this idea and there are guitars from as far back as the late 30s like big jazz boxes with pickups on a bar so it can slide up and down and it has a shiny chrome cable on it. I too imagine a rail system or something like slot car tracks and ive seen a model of guitar that does let you tilt the pickup its on a circle plate and it just spins and tilts the pickup.

[@stuartchapman5171]

Loved it. I saw your video on using a cassette machine to create vintage sound processing. I hack tape machines, build a few audio fx, mixers and PA. I'm turning my attention to electro acoustic instruments and this is gold. I've subscribed and I'm going to check the other pick up vids. Top work. Keep me coming.

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to comment Stuart. I hope you find all the vids to be of use and entertainment value. I will be returning to my upload schedule soon.

[@Blueguitar007]

So you need a transformer bolted yo your guitar? Or did I miss something?

[@justtinkering6713]

You can 3D print the whole guitar and pickups

[@terryenglish7132]

Not all wall warts have transformers, some are charge pumps. Theyre usually the smaller ones.

[@trueevilturtle]

Awesome would love to see you make another alumitone style pickup with the small transformer in the back of the pickup

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to write a suggestion evil turtle. I may end up doing this in the future for a guitar build or maybe a lap steel or something. I am putting this in my notes and if/when I do Ill give you a shout-out in the video. Thanks again.

[@benjaminfowler4513]

Man every pickup I've seen you make sounds really really good. I wish I could get one of your creations into one of my guitars.

[@heavymetalATC]

Well I'll tell you what Benjamin, I'll plan on buying some supplies and Ill wind up a few different kinds of pickups that will fit into factory guitars and see about maybe offering them for sale as well as doing a few giveaways.

[@derrick_builds]

Cool Beans. Keep up the good work.

[@josh156]

Could you use an etched PCB? or is the copper layer too thin?

[@janbachman3243]

where did u wire the transformator?

[@Bleats_Sinodai]

The basic concept is correct, but the actual alumitones are made in such a way that the aluminum body is actually the entire closed loop of wire for the primary of the transformer, and the secondary is hidden under/inside the pickup structure. That means there's almost no loss of signal in the primary, and it can be grounded at any point without issues. It's a very clever piece of tech.

[@heavymetalATC]

Oh yeah, this is just a little experiment. The humbucker alumitones are slick with the way the connect together but I didn't discuss it in the video. I'll definitely have to use one of their pickups in a future build and be like "alumitone redemption" in reality I have no issue with lace electronics in any waym quite a slick design. 👍

[@1FeistyKitty]

interesting ----- has a nice subdued sound ---- subscribed

[@erickleefeld4883]

Hmm, maybe your video here has an unintended effect: I think your DIY Coppertone version actually sounds really good - which makes the Alumitone concept a good pickup design! Why do we only see one company making it?

[@heavymetalATC]

Hahaha I got nothing against Lace in reality. I was obviously inspired by and very interested in their unique designs. I think the reason that only one brand is making them may be copyright? Other than that im sure its not as simple to make as other more easily mass-produced models that already have the existing non proprietary tooling for manufacture readily available. Another thing is you would want to present it in an aesthetic way and a sheet of copper and a giant transformer probably wouldnt sell so well. Hahaha The low z pickup with transformer Idea is a great one for clarity and true sound no doubt.

[@s1a1t1a1n1]

Adding plumbers flux to the toolbox 🤣

[@fuzzylollipop1429]

Some MIT level students did a study for their professor that proved "sustain" comes from the hardness of the bridge pieces that touch the string. Harder == longer sustain. regardless of material or MASS ( weight ).

[@terryenglish7132]

Yeah, Lead makes a lousy bridge and Mercury even worse

[@edgardofigueroa2053]

Como debo conectar el transformador..?? Tienes digrama de conexion ...esquematico..??

[@heavymetalATC]

Muchas gracias por tomarse el tiempo para ver y comentar Edgardo. El lado bajo del transformador, el que tiene menos bobinado solo conecta un cable a cada pestaña de la placa de cobre, no importa cuál sea cuál. El lado alto del transformador se conecta a los dos puntos de soldadura del conector de salida o a cualquier otra electrónica interna, como las perillas de tono y volumen. Básicamente, trate los 2 cables que salen del lado alto como cables de recolección regulares. Tampoco importa cuál vaya a positivo o a tierra, también son intercambiables. Realmente espero que eso ayude.

[@crandallwoodworking2988]

Sounds like it would make a great steel guitar.

[@snortuff6194]

can you transform magnetic tape heads in to guitar (if its bass guitar its even better) pickup???? thanks for the awesome diy builds!...

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you for watching Snortuff. That's a great Idea I'll put that in my notes. I'll look into this and If/when I do a video with this idea I'll give you a shoutout.

[@michaeld.mcclish]

Son, you're gonna drive me to drinkin' if you don't stop drivin' that Hot.....Rod.....Lincoln

[@heavymetalATC]

yep, I love Bill Kerchin and commander Cody

[@anthonyb5279]

Yeah I use Neodymium on all my pickups. Its MUCH better.

[@heavymetalATC]

I really do enjoy the bass response of neo. It allows you to get high output and bass from a much lower wind count and that allows all the sparkle and chime to come through to match the bass. I'm definitely for neo but I love alnico as well so??? I'm just a nerd I love it all 🤓

[@PPGDC]

O miserável é um gênio!

[@Peron1-MC]

huh so its a like a regular hum bucker but with no windings. so you need a transformer. because the windings in a normal pickup does the transforming internally. cool :)

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to type out a comment Peron1. You just about nailed it as well as you could have right there brother. Absolutely, thats basically spot on.

[@diogodiz]

Loved it. Would it cancel the hum if it was a humbucker setup? I'm thinking about doing it here at home. Will save me a shit ton of copper wire (people around are stealing copper straight out of the telephone line on a daily basis).

[@gerrie7407]

diogo galvao are you also from South Africa !!! , haha

[@diogodiz]

@@gerrie7407 no, Brasil. Things have been QUITE tricky here.

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you for watching and for taking the time to write a comment Diogo, I do think that a humbucker setup will kill hum but you would have to use 2 transformers and hook those up in the hum-bucking configuration. This can also be done with aluminum or possibly brass from an old door plate. It seems like people are trying to steal copper all over in the past few years our scrap places have had to stop accepting most of it as people will just roll up on a business or power substation and start ripping apart the air conditioners and use a pole to kick the fuse and start stealing the lines, I once saw a car pull in while I was scrapping cans, with a trunk full of 1 inch thick 1 foot long perfect shiny copper wires from all the way to the top stacked like gold bars... the owner at the scale whispered the other guy: "walk to the office slow like you didn't see anything and call the police". LOL

[@diogodiz]

@@heavymetalATC damn, that's a lot of theft. I saw a video from here that left me speechless: dude walked up to an aluminum garage gate, just popped it off its rails and bailed. Thanks for the tip, will see what I can manage, if it works I'll give you the feedback.

[@kilsoo]

dude, i love my alumitone single coils on my standard strat. haha i did no studying whatsoever when i had them installed over a decade ago. So what youre saying that the entire mass of the aluminum part is completely unnecessary? Its all about the transformer right? lol good stuff

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment K K. You still have to have aluminum, copper, brass some time of nonferrous metal to pick up the strings but it acts as a "sensor" kinda and it has a very weak output so the transformer is used to amplify that signal while increasing the impedance so it can be used by a regular guitar amplifier. It was a clever idea for sure. They seem to have a super clear and precise sound. Thanks again.

[@danodarkside6573]

You got me at the country bend..retatded 😂

[@martgryfny]

It was really interesting video! I mean it. Great job. But i die everytime i hear guitar not in tune. Why do you kill people?

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you so much for watching and taking the time to comment Mart. Dude I went back and listened and though sometimes I completely forget to tune the guitar with all the stuff going on and setting up lights and mic and cleaning up all the crap Ive strewn everywhere. So, I will not act like I am not just completely horribly out of tune in some videos... This is just about as close to in tune as this guitar will get. Its a crappy little lyon strat copy and the tuners are ok and the nut is good etc. but the neck is so thin that just laying your hand on it changes the pitch about 1/2 a semi-tone and not equally with all strings, you can visibly see the string height change. Ive tried to tighten the truss rod enough to fix this but it bows the neck backwards to an unusable state. I'm always having to keep tension between my left hand and right elbow to bow the guitar slightly to keep it in pitch. This is why I felt no guilt about just gutting and chopping up this guitar to use for experiments... its garbage. I do apologize for the off warble in sound but its not a studio setting im just trying to prove the concept of the pickup designs and experiments. I probably didn't re-tune it right before the video though and I will keep that in mind in the future.

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

I suspect that the fluence pickups are similar to this

[@heavymetalATC]

Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment Chris. I may be incorrect but from what I understand the fluence pickups have an actual coil inside that is of low wind count and uses a preamp to boost the signal? Its similar in that you dont have all those winds of wire creating muddiness and then you boost the signal just as the transformer does... just using an active powered preamp instead. I saw some kind of pickup taken apart on Dylan talks tone and I think it was a Fishman pickup of some kind and it was a stack of circuit boards with the windings printed on them... similar idea and then of course boosted with a preamp. I apologies for not having better memory or details but after a while of watching and reading so much info on pickups and electronics and guitars it all gets jumbled up. LOL Thanks again for watching and in short yes Im sure you are right. Im pretty sure its a similar situation of low resistance pickup being boosted in some way for clarity and power.

[@venayaksingh9828]

can u help me to provide the circuit diagram

[@pernormann4869]

I think it has a nice tone. The high frequency roll off sounds, hm, natural.

[@heavymetalATC]

Agreed very natural very acoustic and microphonic.

[@MrNickRowe]

Do you cover how to make it a humbucker?