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An introduction to my new endeavor: Avernus Pickups

11K views 100 replies 25 participants last post by  MDV 
#1 ·
After a lot of thought, researching, and discovering I have got more support than I would ever have imagined at this point, I thought it would be a great time to introduce to you guys what i'm doing. If you take a look at the DIY pickup threads Rob posted, i've been hard at thought about building pickups. My biggest inspiration for this is a conversation with my previous college professor and the fact that i'm tired of being laid off. I've been a very big DIY kind of guy so long I don't remember when I started. Possibly because i've never had the cash to put out to get others to do these things for me.... webdesign, I learned it, photoshop/logo design, learned it, even screen printing when my band needed merchandise but couldn't fork out the cash to order any. I learned screen printing and taught my other band members how to help.

The reason behind my product of choice being pickups is because I not only have a true love for crafting things, and electronics, but I also have pickup designs stuck in my head that no one else have done before, be it small details or large details.

That being said, I am just now getting my shop up and running and getting very close to building my first few prototypes. I will post many pictures of my process and things I run into along the way for anyone interested. I will not be taking any orders until I am completely happy with my prototypes.

These below will be my first few prototypes, I will expand the list as things progress, and also offer more traditional pickups, but not only have I had these designs stuck in my head for quite a while but I feel I need to establish myself on unique and new designs rather than your run of the mill humbucker or tele pickup. I'm not really considering doing custom work, but rather have many different models to choose from with your typical options of colors, spacing, tab style, and since I now have some paint equipment I am going to experiment with painted nickel covers in the future.

The Venom Humbucker

One coil with a rail
One coil with black oxide hex screws (larger than typical hex screws, but not Invader big)
The blade coil will be overwound more than the screw coil, giving one coil a darker tone and the other a brighter tone
Planning a Ceramic magnet, but I will experiment with Alnico and Neodymium
4 Conductor, so it can be split.

Breathtaker

I know neodymium is a strong magnet, but I have always loved the clarity it gives. Because there is potential for string pull, I will be experimenting with degaussing the magnets, and this will have a bar magnet under the coils rather than magnetic slugs.

Daydreamer

This one is pretty different, it will be a Telecaster pickup in a standard humbucker sized cover. Once production starts I hope to offer this in 6, 7, and 8 string sizes. This will be my 4th prototype and will be very similar to the Breathtaker in tone.

Paladin

This one will come in other sizes, my test subject is a Ibanez SR505 with EMGs, so the prototype will be made to fit that particular bass.

After these four are perfected, I plan on making a 7 string version of the Venom and then working on strat single coils, and 7 and 8 string pickups.

My website isn't up and running yet, but I did make a facebook page so I can have some sort of online location until my website is published.

Avernus Pickups | Facebook

I am really excited to start building. I've got a ways to go before I even think about sales, but it's nice to know I already have a handful of people that are interested, a potential UK Distributor, and a potential investor. My biggest goal right now is to get these prototypes made and get some sound clips available for everyone to check out. :) :metal:

Edit: Website is up! www.avernuspickups.com
 
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#7 ·
Good luck with this!

Let me know when you get some prototypes sorted as if i like them i would definitely be very interested in working with you if you like.

I would especially be interested if you happened to do some EMG707 size neodymium pickups. Or even standard type pickups in the emg sizes.

I cant wait to hear some clips!
 
#8 ·
Thanks man, I plan to do 707 and 808 sized pickups in the future. I'm hoping to add on equipment so I can machine custom sized pickups like that and the daydreamer in different sizes as well. The prototypes and clips of said prototypes are my top priority right now, but it looks like I may have an investor backing me. If that happens i'll be able to start machining odd sized parts way sooner than I thought. :yesway:

I'm anxiously awaiting my last few parts to arrive so I can start winding. :metal:
 
#17 ·
Got my website up and running last night. I decided to go with a blog rather than the design I originally made. A lot less of a headache and it makes everything searchable too. Also put up a new humbucker design: the Spider. It will have dual hex screw coils, an A5 magnet, and the same winding as the Venom. I found a supplier of etched humbucker covers. I need to see if there is a market for this type of thing but the idea is an etched spider cover on the Spider, with exposed hex screws. Of course I would offer this as an option and not make it a necessity with that pickup.

Avernus Pickups :metal:
 
#22 ·
I certainly havent!

Maybe look into something like this too

Preston Clark » Etching 101 - The Etch

Its a way that you can do it and produce consistent yet still individual designs that are fairly detailed.

you just have to be careful with the etching times to make sure it doesn't go right through i've had that mistake with pedal enclosures i found aluminium takes barely any time in comparison to copper
 
#24 · (Edited)
Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (Android 2.3.3; Linux; Opera Mobi/ADR-1201301505; U; en) Presto/2.9.201 Version/11.50)

7deadlysins said:
Toe-Knee said:
I certainly havent!

Maybe look into something like this too

Preston Clark » Etching 101 - The Etch

Its a way that you can do it and produce consistent yet still individual designs that are fairly detailed.

you just have to be careful with the etching times to make sure it doesn't go right through i've had that mistake with pedal enclosures i found aluminium takes barely any time in comparison to copper
Hmm...you got my gears turning now! I found a supplier for those etched covers but the idea of etching my own would be great. Make it a bit more subtle...like a spider in the corner or something. :yesway:
it would certainly add to the hand made authenticity if you etched them yourself
 
#25 ·
Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (Android 2.3.3; Linux; Opera Mobi/ADR-1201301505; U; en) Presto/2.9.201 Version/11.50)

it would certainly add to the hand made authenticity if you etched them yourself
:agreed: and the possibilities are endless for styles.

*edit*


Is it a good thing if this mockup gives me GAS? :lol:
 
#27 ·
Another few things that i think could really help purely from a marketing/user interface perspective.

Would be to make the site more user friendly moved the navigation to the side and make it so the background is fixed and the actual page scrolls rather than the background just being at the top.

I would also migrate over to blogger.

Its more user friendly layout wise and is a lot easier to maintain!

DIY Audio for an exaple of one of the basic layouts.
 
#33 ·
Just a heads up, I've been silent but not out. Awaiting some parts to arrive so I can start winding, I also fried my calculator and had to order another one...it was a really strange circuit board anyway, the new one is large and much easier to solder. :yesway:

Sorry for no pics yet, i've been suffering from a wisdom tooth coming in which put things at a halt for a few days. :noway: Once I get all my stuff here and start on my prototypes I promise I will post a fuckton of pics. :metal:
 
#34 ·
Just a heads up, I've been silent but not out. Awaiting some parts to arrive so I can start winding, I also fried my calculator and had to order another one...it was a really strange circuit board anyway, the new one is large and much easier to solder. :yesway:

Sorry for no pics yet, i've been suffering from a wisdom tooth coming in which put things at a halt for a few days. :noway: Once I get all my stuff here and start on my prototypes I promise I will post a fuckton of pics. :metal:
Waiting on parts? Bahhh...make your own! :D

Fried calculator? Bahhh...get yourself a mechanical counter! :D

Wisdom teeth? Bahhh...get 'em pulled and don't worry about 'em again. :D

For something pickup related, have you read Hartley Peavey's "The Ancient Order of the Mystic Magnetic Pickup"? Tons of great info in there.
 
#36 ·
That really sucks you haven't gotten the wire yet. It's been weeks now hasn't it? Want me to check where I got my spool from? I'm pretty sure I got 42 AWG Poly, and I think they got it to me in about a week.

Yeah, I'm just teasing you about the counter because I'm not smart enough to get an electric counter working.

Having wisdom teeth removed isn't much fun either, but, at least the pain does go away. Sorry you're hurtin'.

Between StewMac and Hartley Peavey there's tons of great info on how to make pickups, and how they work. But, you'll probably learn just as much, or more, once you start making them.
 
#37 ·
I have found quite a lot of great info and didn't realize Fralin was from Richmond. I almost feel like giving him a call to ask for pointers seems like a great dude but i'm not sure if i'd get pointers or an "F off don't steal my territory". :rofl: Thanks for all the info you've given me Rob. :metal: If it wasn't for your stickied threads I don't think I would've been so inspired to push further with this and realize how much I enjoy it. I did a lot of soul searching when I was laid off again... after going through college just to be laid off literally a week after I start work again was pretty discouraging. I mean sure it was only a certificate program but with the program I got a LOT of certifications, I kept a 3.70 GPA, and am basically 6 school months away from an Engineering degree (which I am going to get when I can afford and my wife is out of school). But through all the discouragement and maybe just pure bad luck, I think may I have found something here. I would've never imagined to already have 30+ people saying get clips up soon I am very interested in ordering, a true investor interested, and a handful of big artists in the Country industry already drooling over my humbucker sized tele pickups when all I have to show is a few photoshop concept drawings of designs i'm going to build. It's a truly good feeling, and a feeling that what i'm doing is the right thing for me. I've been a little slow moving, but it hasn't been from lack of interest, it's been from learning, sourcing parts, ideas for new designs, website design, business classes, i've basically been putting my all into this and I cannot wait until I finish my first prototype, put it in my guitar and hope it makes me piss my pants. :rofl:

.....Magnets...how do dey work?
 
#38 ·
Glad you're finding some inspiration in what I've posted. That was my hope.

You'll have a better idea what questions to ask after you've made a bunch of pickups, so, I'd wait a while before contacting Lindy. If you haven't already, visit here: Pickup Makers Lots of good info there, and people seem helpful. Feel free to ask me as well. I'm no pro, but, have learned a few things.

Yeah, it's a pretty cool feeling when a pickup you've made actually works.
 
#39 ·
I'd love to see a medium range 7 string pup. The high output one's sound allrightish to me but i'm backing away from hammering the input of an amp to kingdom come nowadays. I'm more leaning towards paf7's nowadays then to X2N7's even for extreme metal.

Maybe an idea that could set you aside from everyone else is to have every pup available in regular & EMG type housing. Always hate to massacre a pup just to make it fit into the damn routing when ppl ask me & it does put me off from buying sheckter's & the likes simply because of that.

Breathtaker demo is awesome btw. Definatly on my watch list.
 
#40 ·
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shredfreak said:
I'd love to see a medium range 7 string pup. The high output one's sound allrightish to me but i'm backing away from hammering the input of an amp to kingdom come nowadays. I'm more leaning towards paf7's nowadays then to X2N7's even for extreme metal.

Maybe an idea that could set you aside from everyone else is to have every pup available in regular & EMG type housing. Always hate to massacre a pup just to make it fit into the damn routing when ppl ask me & it does put me off from buying sheckter's & the likes simply because of that.

Breathtaker demo is awesome btw. Definatly on my watch list.
I've got some mid and low output designs I'm working on. I'm going to wait and do the protos I've already decided on first and then add models little by little.
 
#41 ·
been a while since i stopped by here, but i really like you're ideas
and as far as covers, a few ideas came to my mind:

-Anodized/Powder Coated
-"Antique" finish

Powder Coating opens up an endless array of colors.

And the antique finish is something i dont see a whole lot of people doing.

I have a set of Artec Relic HB's that I just installed in my Iceman, and they might be some of the best pickups i've heard.
But what really attracted me was the worn, antique finish they had. I managed to find matching bridge, stop piece and tuners, and its a sweet looking gitur now.
 
#42 ·
I have been thinking hard about powder coated covers actually, and an antique cover is a big possibility as well. I know i'm going to do etching, mostly small subtle designs, but a few bigger designs such as etched paisley (I figure the Nashville guys will eat up an etched paisely humbucker sized telecaster pickup).

Got an email from my supplier and I should have my copper in a few days. :woot: I also will take some pics of my new wind counter, I got it working amazingly.....the thing is, the circuit board is fucking Paper! :lol: I actually ordered yet another calculator before even trying to make it work, so i'll have an extra but funny enough I made it work, and it counts fast too. :yesway:
 
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