Floating p90 Pickup by TK Smith?

[omphalopsychos]

I'm not sure if it's a p90, but it has a hell of a sound, especially through that EH 150.

Instagram (you'll have to click to open instagram. jazzguitar.be doesn't embed instagram video)

Looks like a cool design, just slap it on with putty. I wonder if he makes a version with an output jack that clips to the strings behind the tailpiece.

[omphalopsychos]

Question answered:

looks like this one clips right onto his frequensator.

[ThatRhythmMan]

Thanks for keeping my GAS relief temporary. I’ve already emailed TK.

[omphalopsychos]

Hahaha. I'm sure he's gotten a number of orders since he put up that video on instagram.

[Mike Anderson]

This guy. I love this guy. His playing, and his guitar and pickup builds obviously pure magic. Talk about a life well lived.

[entresz]

I have spent ages on his website - would love to get one of his guitars some day.

Would also like to fit some of his Bigsby pickups to an archtop. They're not cheap but I think they're definitely worth the money- he's a true craftsman.

[Mike Anderson]

Yep, that would look good.

[entresz]

Oh wow- that's perfect!!

[AGM]

Wonderful Epiphone geetar.....

[Mike Anderson]

Glad ya like it! Gibson owners too were not immune to the siren call of Mr. Bigsby's electrification...

[omphalopsychos]

Neither were D’Angelico owners.

[Mike Anderson]

Yours?

[John A.]

Yep, that would look good.

When I was a kid in the late 70s, there was a row of junk/music/pawn shops (it was never entirely clear exactly what they were to me) on Third Avenue around 11th or so in the East Village. I think they were owned by the same family that owned We Buy/Accent/Stuyvesant on 48th street, but they sold more than just guitars -- all kinds of other instruments, new cheap imports (I bought a Madeira by Guild there), clocks and watches and I don't know what else, and I think they operated sort of like pawn shops, but I don't remember seeing the pawn symbol. They had a somewhat skeevy vibe (as did that area in general), but they were on my route to and from school so I was always gawking at what they had. Anyway, I remember vividly that they also had tons of old archtops, especially Epis with funky pickups and bakelite knobs that were falling apart and looked like total junk. I remember them being cheap, like maybe $150-250 (when you could get a Les Paul or Strat for maybe $350-400), and that more seasoned players would warn kids off even thinking about these guitars because they were no good. Coulda, woulda, shoulda ...

John

[omphalopsychos]

Yours?

I wish! That’s Chet Atkins’.

[Mike Anderson]

I wish! That’s Chet Atkins’.

Ahh, cool. That Bigsby arm is like the one on the 1959 Country Gentleman so that should have pointed me in the right direction.

@John A, sounds pretty cool, skeevy or not, growing up in Manhattan and having stuff like that to gawk at! In the 70s I once passed on a minty Ampeg AEB-1 scroll bass at some ridiculous price, under $100 anyway, at our downtown Army-Navy store. Wonder what that puppy would be worth now...

OMG, I shouldn't have looked it up!

[lawson-stone]

I am still wanting to know about that Putty-mounted P90! Any more information on that?

[neatomic]

When I was a kid in the late 70s, there was a row of junk/music/pawn shops (it was never entirely clear exactly what they were to me) on Third Avenue around 11th or so in the East Village. I think they were owned by the same family that owned We Buy/Accent/Stuyvesant on 48th street,
John

spent some time lookin in those windows!!! haha


sf had great pawn shops as well..6th 'n market...remember watching the alexis arguello-boom boom mancini fight, while looking though gear in a pawn shop...

great dayz

cheers

ps- stuyvesant on 48th!

[neatomic]

tk is of course disciple of the great paul bigsby..the original hot rodder!!



grady martins bigsby doubleneck

cheers

[Mike Anderson]

To anyone who's interested in the pickup that started this thread, why not write the man?

Contact Us << TK Smith

[John A.]

Ahh, cool. That Bigsby arm is like the one on the 1959 Country Gentleman so that should have pointed me in the right direction.

@John A, sounds pretty cool, skeevy or not, growing up in Manhattan and having stuff like that to gawk at! In the 70s I once passed on a minty Ampeg AEB-1 scroll bass at some ridiculous price, under $100 anyway, at our downtown Army-Navy store. Wonder what that puppy would be worth now...

OMG, I shouldn't have looked it up!

I think there was stuff like that in a lot of places (music stuff, not 3rd Ave and 11th Street stuff, which was literally straight out of Taxi Driver). Vintage really wasn't a big thing yet. Everything but pre-CBS Strats and original Sunburst Les Pauls was just "used."

Sent from my SM-J700T using Tapatalk

[Mike Anderson]

Yeah, that sounds right. Funny thing (might as well laugh rather than cry) I later got into Afro-Cuban in a big way and loved Bobby Rodriguez who played the scroll bass on a lot of recordings I owned, from Tito Puente to an obscure little album of 1930s calypsos. Then Bobby Valentin with Ruben Blades. That's when I really regretted not grabbing it as a kid. Ah well, no time for regrets now.

On the subject of the pickup, judging by TK's remark in his Instagram, I don't think he necessarily intended it to generate orders but he seems open to making more. Here's his email too: tk@tksmith.net.

Should mention that to anyone interested in Bigsby, or even just that whole era of music, the book by Andy Babiuk is truly a thing of beauty and a steal at the asking price: The Story Of Paul A. Bigsby: The Father Of The Modern Electric Solidbody Guitar: Andy Babiuk: 9780615243047: Amazon.com: Books.

[ThatRhythmMan]

TK is definitely open to orders. It’s $225 plus shipping.

TK says, “The pickup is .400’’ thick and the outer pole pieces are 2 1/16’’ apart. All of the pieces are handmade in my shop. I can do it in Brown or Black bakelite. It has a 18” lead with a 1/4” female jack. The 1/4'' jack will have to be grounded to the strings and I zip tie it to the tailpiece on my Epiphone.”

[AGM]

Yeah, that sounds right. Funny thing (might as well laugh rather than cry) I later got into Afro-Cuban in a big way and loved Bobby Rodriguez who played the scroll bass on a lot of recordings I owned, from Tito Puente to an obscure little album of 1930s calypsos. Then Bobby Valentin with Ruben Blades. That's when I really regretted not grabbing it as a kid. Ah well, no time for regrets now.

On the subject of the pickup, judging by TK's remark in his Instagram, I don't think he necessarily intended it to generate orders but he seems open to making more. Here's his email too: tk@tksmith.net.

Should mention that to anyone interested in Bigsby, or even just that whole era of music, the book by Andy Babiuk is truly a thing of beauty and a steal at the asking price: The Story Of Paul A. Bigsby: The Father Of The Modern Electric Solidbody Guitar: Andy Babiuk: 9780615243047: Amazon.com: Books.

Yes, fabulous book.

[stringmaster]

I wish! That’s Chet Atkins’.

Actually it's a replica more or less of Chet's D'A--it was built by Grez Guitars and belongs to my bandmate--killer guitar!

[stringmaster]

Whit Smith is rocking one of those TK pickups on his L5--I think it may be the first one/proto.

"Easy Money" - Whit Smith feat. Emily Gimble at Continental Club in Austin TX 07/19/17 -

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