Brooks Thread

[Pilgrim]

Dang. Sorry to hear that!!

[Basvarken]

Those who have known me for a while know that I'm a huge fan of the low-impedance humbucker Gibson used in their Les Paul basses from 1968 to 1979.
Their dynamic range, the super deep bass, the clean highs, the versatility, and the fact that they're completely silent make them, in my opinion, the best bass guitar pickups ever built.
I've managed to find a few on eBay and Reverb over the past 25 years, occasionally paying an exorbitant amount of money for them. I've installed them in various basses over the years. But they're getting harder and harder to find. And when you finally do find them, they're very expensive. I recently saw one for $1100 ...




Several times I tried to have pickup builders recreate them. Initially, they all said, "Sure, I can do it." But one by one, they had to give up the job. It was too weird, too complicated, and they couldn't find the material.

But now it looks like I'll succeed. I've found one who seems to be able to pull it off. Based on 3D models I made and research that I did. And -above all- his inventiveness and craftsmanship.



I hope to tell you more about that soon.

It has certainly made my head explode with inspiration. ;-)
The possibilities are endless.










Stay tuned...

[amptech]

Wow, this is dedication on a high level. I remember taking apart a few of these many years ago.
Still have a workshop with winding equipment, but rarely dabble with pickups anymore.
I do have some inventory with magnet wire inherited from a speaker factory, and from memory one of the wires were correct for the LoZ Gibson pickups. Feel free to reach out if needed Rob, and in any case good luck with this great project! Cheers

[Grog]

I'll second that "WOW"!! I have always thought that these low impedance pickups had the best combination of clean, low bass tones. Adding a modern design twist could have endless possibilities! Lester would be proud! My nephew's son asked me last summer if I ever considered putting a modern pickup in any of my old guitars or basses. I told him no, but I have put old pickups in new guitars.

[gearHed289]

Very cool Rob! I saw some of these on Facebook and was wondering where the heck the pickups were going to come from. Best of luck with the development!

[godofthunder]

I so admire your tenacity on this! Congratulations Rob, I know what it takes even to get the simplest thing manufactured. I can't wait to see and hear the results.

[morrow]

Looks interesting! I'll look forward to the updates on these.

[Basvarken]

I have merged all Brooks posts into one big thread. I hope all the old posts will disappear in one day.
So Bill's Shop won't look so cluttered with all that Brooks spam ;-)

[Pilgrim]

I have merged all Brooks posts into one big thread. I hope all the old posts will disappear in one day.
So Bill's Shop won't look so cluttered with all that Brooks spam ;-)

Thanks for the note. I clicked on Unread Posts and went EEK!!   

[Basvarken]

New Brooks offspring was born last weekend!
It's a twelve string bass and we call it:

TB-12-SF

Specifications:
- Khaya Mahogany body wings
- Nine ply Khaya Mahogany/Walnut neck. Neck through
- Seafoam Green high gloss finish
- Ebony fretboard
- Luminlay side dot inlays
- Jumbo frets
- 34" scale
- Buffalo horn nut
- Three ply black/white/black pickguard
- Custom made twelve string bridge set
- Two spokewheel double action trussrods
- Carbon reinforcement strip in the neck
- Lace Alumitone Bass Bars
- Controls: Volume Volume Tone
- Gotoh GB 350 lightweight bass tuners
- Schaller GrandTune octave tuners
- Pure Tone Multi Contact jack output
- Schaller S-lock strap buttons
- d'Addario EXL 170 - 12 strings
- Weight: 4.5 kg





















Pics of the build process can be viewed here:
https://www.brooksbassguitars.com/brooks-tb-12-sf.html

[Basvarken]

And I made a quick video demo today.
Just to show you what it sounds like. Nothing fancy. ;-)

[Son of Dave W]

That....is drool-worthy.  I have a DP pedal as well and takes a bit of fiddling, but that sounds (and looks) great.

[Basvarken]

Thank you.

To be honest, I have yet to make friends with that DP pedal.
Can't seem to find the right sound for me. It all sounds too artificial for me. If that makes sense.
Plus I hate the fact that it is so petite. Those tiny knobs and their indicators are barely visible when you have it lying on the floor on the pedal board.
And it is substantially less tall than regular pedals. This makes it hard to hit with your foot when it's between other (taller) pedals.

[Son of Dave W]

It is a suprisingly touchy pedal.  And can get pretty noisy.  I think I settled somewhere around the Roundabout preset in the manual with it with some twiddling.  I am also a big King's X fan so I was morally obliged to try it.  I am also not a fan of the teeny tiny knobs, and just a minor touch of the volume knob can get crazy.

I use it at home and occasionally when I jam with a drummer friend who also likes King's X, but I don't normally have it on my pedalboard for gigs.

[Ken]

And I made a quick video demo today.
Just to show you what it sounds like. Nothing fancy. ;-)

Super cool, Rob. What's it like playing a 12-string with fingers?