Alumitone Pick up

[Sonny Jenkins]

I am very partial to Alumitone pickups and plan on using them in my new lap steel builds. I've contacted Lace Co. (after several attempts and long wait) worked out an acceptable price of multiple units. Tried to contact them again (fellow named Chistopher Varelas) and can get not response!!! Tried calling, emailing, begging,,,PLEASE, PLEASE,,,,,,no response,,,totally amazing!!!!

How difficult would it be to build a pickup with the alumitone concept? Several youtube clips make it look fairly simple?

[Fred]

I think it might be difficult. The aluminum frame is a single loop around the magnet making an extremely low impedance pickup with a tiny voltage. The little coil hidden underneath is a transformer to change the impedance and voltage to usable levels.

Maybe I’m being pessimistic, but the tiny transformer really throws me.

On a positive note, the patent is expired.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US583 ... oq=5831196

[Jerry Overstreet]

Interesting. The Lace website shows all the Alumitone units marked as sold out...perhaps they have stopped production of them?

A suggestion, contact forum member Scott Swartz at Steeltronics. He seems to have a handle on many of the expired pedal steel pickups.

The Alumitone pickups are unique in design unlike any traditional pickups, but he just might be interested in something similar.

Good luck Sonny. Your new guitars are just stunning!