After a bit of research and a few pointers from readers,
I decided to approach Kent Armstrong, to confirm that
the pick-ups in the Reeve, were his.
This was his reply and the subsequent conversation:
Yes they are mine that I made many years ago !!
What do you need to know ???
Kent, Hi.
Just a few questions. :)
On that type of pick-up, could you put a date on them - sort
of 19** to 19**.
What sort of output would they have - they seem nice and punchy!
What would the connections be?
The tabs to solder to, on the underside
And finally - Until I took them out, I was convinced that they
were wooden covers.
Is the grain part of the mould?
Look forward to your reply.
Cheers. :)
Well let us see they were made in the early eighties .
They are ceramic magneted to give that crunch.
They are made from a wooden master but are cast epoxy .
The connectors are from left to right either way
1= finish coil one ,2= start coil one,3= start coil two
and 4=finish coil two.
Hope this helps you ??
Kent
I am in the process of cleaning up all the brass parts, at the moment.
A thorough clean of the board and the frets - re-solder the broken
joint and a few other jobs.
Details and pictures next time.
On a different note, an avid reader of this blog - Hi, you know who
you are!! - has asked if I would be doing another part of the collection
with Lars Mullen.
All I can say at this stage is. . . . . let's see what happens next spring!
Cheers. :)
More Parts Removed.
The bridge is a fully floating type and this one seems to be hand made,
as a one off, using engineering equipment.
As yet, I don't know if the brothers did this in house or put the work
out to a friend.
The string anchor has also been made from scratch.
This was not an "assembled from a box of parts" instrument.
I have someone who remembers Reeve and as a younger player, had a Reeve
high on his list of instruments to have.
I remember them.
They were very well known in the Luton music scene back in the 80's and had a workshop next to their house on Gooseberry Hill.
Their attention to detail was truly astounding for the time and, as a
fresh faced teen, owning a Reeve was high up on my list of 'must haves'.
Sadly that never happened.
Maybe when it's finished, he should have a go.
Underneath the grime, the position markers are brass and even with a gentle
clean, come up like gold.
The purpose made strap button and adjustment tool are also removed.
Looks like the original slot-head screw!
Last of the brass parts, for the time being - are the control knobs - Vol, Tone and Five Position Switch, which from my trial run, give a great deal of tone variations.
The only thing I couldn't take off, was the tuners!
Every single key but one, in the toolbox and the one I didn't have. . . . was the one that I needed!!
That will be off soon.
Back with more.
Cheers. :)
Stripping down work has now started.
 |
| Sure looks like wood!! |
When I did get both pick-ups going, I was pleased with the output.
Having started the strip down, I was quite shocked to find that they
are not wooden covers - they are carefully moulded resin!
What a surprise.
I currently have no idea of the make.
They would be around 25 - 28 years old, I believe, so could be anyone
of the specialists from the 60's, 70's or 80's, who would have developed
more and more advanced pick-ups, over the years.
I am sort of thinking of Rainbow/Armstrong??
Needs more investigation.
If anyone has any clues, drop me a line in the comments.
Back next time with other parts removed.
Cheers.:)
