I have a new series of builds in the pipeline, including a fiver or two.
A few years back, I worked with Lindy Fralin on a prototype of the pickup that ultimately became the Fralin Big Single, and that's what I used in the first Ridler bass.
It's a sidewinder-style pickup that has the bobbins aligned horizontally and a steel blade that runs through the center. A bar magnet rests on the blade in-between the two bobbins and acts as a narrow sensing aperture, like a single-coil, but with hum canceling properties.
I have always wanted to offer this pickup in five string format, but struggled with how to fabricate the bobbins. After spit-balling one Friday afternoon with Lindy first, then Dan Rocha later on, we had an Occam's razor event. Why not just cut the ends off two Fralin bobbins and glue them together to make one longer one?
With a razor saw, some blue tape, a blade for a jig, and some CA adhesive, I now have a bobbin that will work for string spacing up to 3". I went to the local Metal Supermarket and had 30 blades cut for $20, and we're ready to fabricate.
