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 New Stick Tech video: comparing the Stickup, ACTV-2 & PASV-4 
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Post Re: New Stick Tech video: comparing the Stickup, ACTV-2 & PA
Frustrating not to have all three Stick pickup modules interchangeable in a common diagonal channel, and with the same pair of fastener screw holes. It's not that I didn't think of it. Who wouldn't? It was a modular design to begin with.

As Greg said, the "Stickup" housing and rear lid are injection molded. Carbon fibers are mixed with the plastic to form a conductive / resistive web for grounding and shielding. This enclosure shields from EMF very well, like a solid metal housing, but without attenuating the high frequencies. Metal enclosures around pickup coils form eddy currents that choke off highs.

I can't reduce the size of the two "Block" modules and still get all the components inside. I could expand the Stickup housing to fit snugly inside the Block channel and such a mold would be a good investment, except that I'd have all this extra empty space inside. I'd be tempted to add electronic features but the whole point of the Stickup design was its simplicity. (I've even been known to remove the volume controls.)

So why not have the Stickup housing CNC machine cut as with the ACTV-2 and PASV-4 Blocks? Thick sheet plastic impregnated with carbon fibers is expensive and very hard on cutting tools.

Adding up these considerations, maybe some of you will understand why in this instance I didn't make the leap to the complete swap concept.


Tue Apr 26, 2016 1:29 pm
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Post Re: New Stick Tech video: comparing the Stickup, ACTV-2 & PA
BSharp wrote:
Frustrating not to have all three Stick pickup modules interchangeable in a common diagonal channel, and with the same pair of fastener screw holes. It's not that I didn't think of it. Who wouldn't? It was a modular design to begin with.

As Greg said, the "Stickup" housing and rear lid are injection molded. Carbon fibers are mixed with the plastic to form a conductive / resistive web for grounding and shielding. This enclosure shields from EMF very well, like a solid metal housing, but without attenuating the high frequencies. Metal enclosures around pickup coils form eddy currents that choke off highs.

I can't reduce the size of the two "Block" modules and still get all the components inside. I could expand the Stickup housing to fit snugly inside the Block channel and such a mold would be a good investment, except that I'd have all this extra empty space inside. I'd be tempted to add electronic features but the whole point of the Stickup design was its simplicity. (I've even been known to remove the volume controls.)

So why not have the Stickup housing CNC machine cut as with the ACTV-2 and PASV-4 Blocks? Thick sheet plastic impregnated with carbon fibers is expensive and very hard on cutting tools.

Adding up these considerations, maybe some of you will understand why in this instance I didn't make the leap to the complete swap concept.


I am sure you have considered it. But couldn't you do a somewhat over-sized (common to all three) channel and do a QR bracket and spacers?

I would think that not having to wait for the customer to decide on the pick up module would greatly speed things up as you could rout and send out for finishing on the front end. And then being able to just pop in the customer selected pick up on final inspection/QC could greatly streamline production?

And as a quick aside.. We spoke about a mono switch around 1987. I am very glad you have finally adopted "my" idea (sarcasm). I have one on my (new to me) Railboard and it is a very welcome addition!
Thanks!


Wed Apr 27, 2016 8:14 am
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Post Re: New Stick Tech video: comparing the Stickup, ACTV-2 & PA
Can't just "pop in" pickups. They must be height adjusted from the bottom to bring the entire module close to the strings. Then adjust the Stickup's Humbucking setscrews for balancing volume of individual strings, or the Block's bar pickups for very close clearances to thinnest, highest pitched strings when they're held down at the highest pitched fret, backing off the height for the thickest, low pitched strings.

For those who want to replace their Block with a Stickup, I usually fasten a Block rear cover plate onto the Stickup's underside and it sits height adjustable right there in the larger diagonal channel.. Not quite right visually but it does the job.


Wed Apr 27, 2016 11:02 am
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Post Re: New Stick Tech video: comparing the Stickup, ACTV-2 & PA
BSharp wrote:
Frustrating not to have all three Stick pickup modules interchangeable in a common diagonal channel, and with the same pair of fastener screw holes. It's not that I didn't think of it. Who wouldn't? It was a modular design to begin with.

As Greg said, the "Stickup" housing and rear lid are injection molded. Carbon fibers are mixed with the plastic to form a conductive / resistive web for grounding and shielding. This enclosure shields from EMF very well, like a solid metal housing, but without attenuating the high frequencies. Metal enclosures around pickup coils form eddy currents that choke off highs.

I can't reduce the size of the two "Block" modules and still get all the components inside. I could expand the Stickup housing to fit snugly inside the Block channel and such a mold would be a good investment, except that I'd have all this extra empty space inside. I'd be tempted to add electronic features but the whole point of the Stickup design was its simplicity. (I've even been known to remove the volume controls.)


So why not have the Stickup housing CNC machine cut as with the ACTV-2 and PASV-4 Blocks? Thick sheet plastic impregnated with carbon fibers is expensive and very hard on cutting tools.

Adding up these considerations, maybe some of you will understand why in this instance I didn't make the leap to the complete swap concept.


Interesting, I work in injection molding and we are molding a couple of low volume parts using two different materials by a company called Electriplas. One has stainless steel fibers, the other has carbon-fiber - nickel additives in it. If I remember right that CF/Nickel is for a part that needs to provide electrical shielding, and the other provides continuity. Not an easy material to mold with, one needs larger gate sizes in the molds otherwise the material chokes and does not want to flow into the mold because of the metal components of the resin - not to mention the CF one is even worse having the carbon in it. Once we figured the right gate size, it works.

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Sat Jun 03, 2017 6:28 pm
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Post Re: New Stick Tech video: comparing the Stickup, ACTV-2 & PA
interesting stuff!! As you may know, I'm a mechanics engineer, and I have been experimenting with the pickups on my Sticks. It's my addiction... all my basses have had brain transplants, too :-) The quest for the ultimate tone!
Some 12 years ago, our company got a nice CNC milling machine, and I guessed that the workshop guys could use a test item... so I modelled my own version of the PASV-4 housing, but with different pickup positions, that resemble the Stickup coil positions. It can be heard here: https://youtu.be/NNFnzOHlCLE
And more recently, I experimented with a module that houses 3 EMG pickups (2 at the bass side). That one was 3D printed by a friend. The printer took app. 40 hours to finish it... here's the sound of that one: https://youtu.be/uQJMeW8XqD0
What all this learned me confirms what Emmett is writing in this thread. For the relatively low numbers of Sticks being produced, a mold is very expensive, and routing becomes more attractive. A routed housing is also very tough. An option for special housings could be 3D printing, but conductive fillaments have their cost and production problems, too... besides that, it's not easy to 3D print a really good looking housing. My housing was printed on a hobby printer, and the surface is pretty rough. Luckily, I asked my friend to print it with 100% material (no air inside), so it's very tough. But pretty? Hmmm.... Industrial printers can give a pretty result, but the price is often higher than milling.


Sun Feb 14, 2021 7:25 am
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Post Re: New Stick Tech video: comparing the Stickup, ACTV-2 & PA
jaap wrote:
interesting stuff!! As you may know, I'm a mechanics engineer, and I have been experimenting with the pickups on my Sticks. It's my addiction... all my basses have had brain transplants, too :-) The quest for the ultimate tone! .....


Glad you revived this thread. Didn’t realize four years went by this fast. One issue I’ve been dealing with in the past few months are resin suppliers discontinuing their product. I need to look and see if we are still selling those parts that use similar resins to what Emmett uses. Finding alternate sources for certain resins is not easy.

If Emmett is reading this and wants to PM me what the resin is for the Stickup, I could take a look at what alternatives might be out there if he would like a backup source. I’d also be interested as perhaps what he is using might of use to my employer as well. EV’s might spark more interest in this area, hopefully something might develop no one has seen yet that might also benefit Emmett

Not an apples to apples comparison, but if I’m not mistaken Ned Steinberger is 3-D printing the bridges on his CR Basses. The technology keeps on improving.

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Sun Feb 14, 2021 7:57 am
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Post Re: New Stick Tech video: comparing the Stickup, ACTV-2 & PA
jaap wrote:
And more recently, I experimented with a module that houses 3 EMG pickups (2 at the bass side). That one was 3D printed by a friend. The printer took app. 40 hours to finish it... here's the sound of that one: https://youtu.be/uQJMeW8XqD0

Love your work, jaap. I’m still planning to make an ACTV4, I hope.

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Mon Feb 15, 2021 4:03 am
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Post Re: New Stick Tech video: comparing the Stickup, ACTV-2 & PA
Thnx :-)
If you want the CAD model of the housing, let me know!


Tue Feb 23, 2021 6:43 am
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Post Re: New Stick Tech video: comparing the Stickup, ACTV-2 & PA
I really enjoy the StickUp pickup in #404 and play it everyday thru a Helix Floor into the back of a Roland JC-120 amp, bypassing the JC-120 pre-amps.

I also have a Railboard that doesn't get played very often. It has a superior action but I can't seem to find the same tone as the StickUp. When it comes to a choice of better action or tone, tone wins every time.

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Sat Feb 27, 2021 6:19 am
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Post Re: New Stick Tech video: comparing the Stickup, ACTV-2 & PA
I absolutely love the PASV-4, it's my favorite module of the three (RB module not included, of course). I've not tried the ACTV-2 but from the recordings I've heard of the A2, I can get a very close approximation with the P4 and some EQ.

The PASV-4 is just amazing for the variety of tones I'm able to get out of it. I love vintage guitar and bass tones, and with P4 in conjunction with my HX Stomp I've dialed in a Strat-like lead on the melody neck pickup, a fat, hairy P-bass tone on the bass neck pickup, and most recently, after a great deal of tweaking, a killer Geddy/Chris Squire Rickenbacker-like growl with the bass bridge pickup (oddly enough).

I recently purchased a Stickup module with a Block back plate from SE to use if/when I want to record with that classic Stick bass tone, but I don't see myself using it that often because, for my needs, the P4 pretty much covers it all.


Sat Feb 27, 2021 7:56 am
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