Replacement pickup for a "fleur de lys"

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Re: Replacement pickup for a "fleur de lys"

Postby Skip » Tue Nov 18, 2014 6:32 pm

All I can't tell You Art, is go to the Barbera Web page and check it out, Most of Your questions are demonstated on Youtube, And checkout the guitar builders now using them in High end guitar's. I have one in My Gibson Studio CE and it by far is better than the original system ever was.
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Re: Replacement pickup for a "fleur de lys"

Postby albertgen » Tue Nov 18, 2014 8:35 pm

I am interested in this Barbera pickup, I never liked the Gibson pickup in my Studio or the CEC solid I used to own. My only concern is the insert? Does Mr. Barbera provide the insert so that everything fits? And does it work with the preamp and volume/tone controls in the Studio? Thanks Al
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Re: Replacement pickup for a "fleur de lys"

Postby John Knowles » Fri Nov 21, 2014 5:11 pm

Rich Barbera designed his pickup so the individual strings can be balanced mechanically. If you look at the pickup, or a photo, you can see a rod under each crystal. As I understand it, re-positioning the rod changes the pressure on the crystal which changes the output of the crystal. As part of the final manufacturing process, each pickup is adjusted under string tension.

John
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Re: Replacement pickup for a "fleur de lys"

Postby Art Sims » Sat Nov 22, 2014 11:36 am

John,
Your explanation is appreciated very much. I have a guitar on which I would like to install the Barbera pickup. My hesitations are, first, as others have pointed out, the cost is terribly high, and second, my question about string volumes, though helped by your explanation, remains just a little bit in my mind. I enlarged the photos of the pickup at the website to view the “rod” you mentioned. From doing that and from thinking about what you’ve said, I gather: (1) all the adjusting for individual string volume is done during the making of the pickup, (2) that this cannot be tweaked later by a user, (3) but that that this is OK because string volumes are adequately adjusted under string tension during manufacturing, which does help with my concern, except that it seems (4) I would have to be satisfied with someone other than me deciding what string balance I would like on my guitar, which perhaps (?) would be OK once I have played and heard it myself. Listening to your playing, the pickup sounds fabulous. But you are so skilled I suspect you could play a guitar into tune even with some of the strings slightly out of tune and I would suppose your skills might actually compensate for any variance in string volumes, perhaps even unwittingly. But my skills aren’t equal to yours. Someday I may get the chance to test out the pickup for myself, and if so, I will be prepared to like it and to pay the high price for it. Meanwhile, I am glad for all the info contained in the comments of this thread and will know this pickup is something I definitely want to keep in mind. Thanks.
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Re: Replacement pickup for a "fleur de lys"

Postby albertgen » Sat Nov 22, 2014 4:01 pm

I definitely have been keeping my open for a replacement pickup for my Gibson Studio CEC for a long time but have been unsure about the correct replacement. If Barbera presets the pickup that's OK with me. On my guitar every time you try to set the volume output on each string it also affects the tone as well, making one string bassy and another string trebly. Of course the cost is high but I never cared what the cost was to get the sound that pleased me, I think most folks are like that when it comes to getting the guitars, amps, pickups, tubes, effects, etc. etc., they want. I think Jerry Reed once said by the time he got that Orange guitar Chet had he changed guitars on him! Ha Ha! Al
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Re: Replacement pickup for a "fleur de lys"

Postby BillB » Sun Nov 23, 2014 11:11 am

Richard Smith was in Mineola, TX yesterday at the Texas Fingerstyle Guitar Association meeting. His latest Kirk Sand has the Barbera pickup, and it sounds great. I talked to him about it since I now have the same pickup in my Takamine classical. His opinion was the same as mine, that it is a great sounding pickup. If it's good enough for Richard and John, and for Kirk to install in his guitars, then it has to be a good one. Their opinion is the same as those of us here on the board that have the Barbera. It's worth the money.

Bill B.
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