R

Rick Raymond

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  • R
    It seemed that Talk Bass is the best place to gain that information:

    1. Are you guys interested in these Pickups?
    1. If you are interested, what style of Pickups do you feel should be the initial emphasis?
    R
    However, before making too much of a time and money investment, I would like to understand whether there is still sufficient interest on the Reed James NEO Pickups ("RJ NEO") in this vast world of Bass Players.

    Indirectly, I know there is some interest because we saw a set of Jazz Vintage Vibe Pickups sell for $400 on Ebay, so there is that…
    R
    When available, they will be pictured as empty covers and will be assembled when ordered. Wood products are so 'personal' (Someone has to 'love' the individual grain / figuring.), we need to ensure that the individual covers are 'desired' before filling them!
    R
    Custom work will likely not happen within the first year of active operation, with the possible exception of offering standard products with beautiful wood covers! (If I can find a way to have them made with better yield! Cover walls are thin and they are hard to do!)
    R
    There is also a (Jim quote…) "Never ship a f'ing thing to them" list that I will be ignoring. Everything in a resurrection should start with a clean slate
    R
    During the initial build out phase, Jim has a list of people that would be able to get Pickups even if the store is officially not open. When I announce we are restarting, give a call and if you're "on the list' we'll ship as we build inventory and you can give us feedback on the pups.
    R
    If I decide to go forward with this, I intend to offer standard products only after there is sufficient product to ship from inventory, so no long delays. If a product is not available from inventory, a nominal 25% deposit will hold a position when the next batch is available.
    R
    In the last few months, I've worked out how to improve the yield on several of the processes, meaning more good parts but unfortunately at higher cost. Higher yield means more consistent estimates on production capability and therefore delivery estimates.
    R
    After a few months of discussions, I've decided to pursue buying the Intellectual Property from Jim and resurrecting the Products and Brand, since I'm obviously failing retirement!
    R
    I stopped working with Jim several years ago to work on other projects. But I recently 'retired' and started talking to him about his Pickup designs simply because I believe they are still a cut above what is currently available.
    R
    Every step must be done correctly or the Pickup was a reject.Jim (correctly) wouldn't ship a set that didn't meet his specifications and was therefore often late in delivery and actually made himself ill trying to meet demand.
    R
    However, Neodymium has a cost: The control and precision of making these Pickups is high compared to other designs. You can't just wind a coil around some magnets and get that quiet beautiful tone.
    R
    As a Bass player, now you don't have to stand like a statue in that one orientation that doesn't pick up hum during your Bass solo. You can be dynamic and move around as much as any lead does!
    R
    Jim learned how to use the Neodymium magnets and the result was significant noise reduction. A single coil implementation typically had the same or less hum than a comparable Humbucker design. A Humbucker implementation was almost silent, and that silence was in any orientation, even when standing right next to your amplifier!
    R
    After Bill and Pat sold their Pickup business to Clyde Clark in 2012, I spent a good deal of time with Jim working on the manufacturability of his Pickups as well as spending time at several NAMM events in Anaheim talking to potential commercial customers. I may have met some of you there!
    R
    I consulted with Bill Bartolini for a few years and met Jim Reed during this period when he was discussing Pickups with Bill. Bill tested a few of Jims pickups for frequency response and, after seeing the results on the first few sets asked: "How did you do this?". Pat's response was less technical, telling Bill to "Stop talking to him!"
    R
    It happily turned out that the same issues that are present when using coils to control movement are nearly the same as those when using Coils to detect string movement.
    R
    I have a background in Systems Engineering in Semiconductor Technology, working in Silicon Valley for the majority of my 45 year career. My main interest was particle beams, specifically Electron and Ion Beam Lithography Systems. In this capacity, I became well versed in the use of Inductive Coils for controlling and moving those beams.
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