Hot swappable pickups

  • Thread starter Thread starter 311splawndude
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311splawndude

311splawndude

Well-known member
I know this is not new but it is fucking cool. What a great way to try a bunch of different pups in your guitar. Even if you are a wiz at soldering, it just seems so much easier and practical. Does anyone here have such a thing? I ran across this company called Relish. They make the parts that convert the 4 wire to standard connecting points from the pickup frame to the guitar (kind of like how you pop a battery in and out).

They also sell guitars with this system already in them and it also appears they sell the parts/frame so you can do it yourself. I see there are other similar products out there but maybe not with a standalone frame you can buy to add whatever pickup you want. :yes: My question is more about sound quality and reliability. Do these work, or are they fraught with issues?

What you say?

Cream Custom Shop

https://www.creamtcustomshop.com/en-us/pages/faq

Here is one of there (expensive) guitars with Relish system already in place.
rO6Yte1l.jpg


here is the standalone frame I found for $50
RyMoxNnl.jpg

https://www.creamtcustomshop.com/en-us/collections/relish-parts-1





Switzerland company and the parts/frame I was talking about are only $50 but SOLD OUT! :eek:




Billy Gibbons has his own sig guitars (Whiskerburst) and pups (Whickerbuckers) with this company it appears.
 
There are a handful of quick connect options for pickups. Even the cheapo guitar fetish ones I’ve used without any sound issues.

For me the bigger pain is if I have to remove the strings or pickguard
 
Seems this is a very popular, polarizing topic? :lol:

Well, I like how their guitars can be swapped out from the back. $50 seems cheap for the frame part. It would be cool if someone like Seymour Duncan came out with a program where you get a new pup in the mail once a month and if you don't like it, you return it. Like the men's tie program or whatever. Then I could try out a bunch of pickup ups that I otherwise wouldn't.
 
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I remember the Relish stuff when it was being shown and liking the idea, but not liking having to have their guitar to do it. Gibson also had demo LPs for dealers where they had giant wood blocks that could be swapped with different pickups. Looks like there was a Kickstarter that had the right idea a number of years ago, I would've been very interested in this:



The way technology is moving maybe we'd see someone offer a pickup that will emulate other pickups, advancing beyond something like the voicing options that Fishman does or the Hyperswitch stuff from SD.
 
Nobody7 said:
This has been around since 70s and never took off
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Thanks for your reply. Curious as to why?

Like I said in my OP, I know it is not new but the 'Frame' part is what seems new to me.

here is the standalone Relish frame I found for $50
RyMoxNnl.jpg
 
It’s a novel approach to it. I did some digging when I first saw it a couple years ago I think. I guess if you like the guitars then it’s cool.

Check out Phil McKight on YouTube, he did a bunch of videos using it.
 
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