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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 3
Location: seattle | Hello all,
I've had the pleasure of playing an ovation guitar with one of the first prototype acoustic (peizo) pickups made. At the time I didn't know that it was a Baldwin prismatone. According to the "History of Ovation" book, only 150 or so guitars were equiped with these pickups. Sadly I did not buy the affore mentioned guitar and since then, have found only one of these pickups. I put it on my classical guitar and POW!! Well, the guitar was stolen and I've been looking for another one of these pickups ever since. I figured I'd take this problem to the knowledge well being this forum. I'd love another one of these pickups and would appreciate any and all comments. Most people just don't know what the hell I'm talking about.
Thank you all in advance. |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Prismatone
You have ventured into an area that has been discussed on the board. I recall it because it relates to something I said about Willie Nelson's pickups in his Martin guitar. I believe W-2 mentioned some relationship with Baldwin pickups. Try a search on "Baldwin".
Bailey |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | The Prismatone pickup was designed by Baldwin and introduced in 1968 on the Baldwin Contemporary Classic guitar. There were 2 models, both generic imported nylon string guitars one of which (Model No 801CP) was with fitted with the Baldwin pickup. The idea goes back to 1965 and a Jim Burns prototype amplified classical called the Elizabethan. This didn't use piezo technology and never made it to market as the project was shelved prior to the Baldwin take over of Burns. From what I remember from converstations with Jim, the Elizabethan used Burn's experimental "Touch Sensitive" pickup, which was originaly designed for a bass guitar and I think involved partially coating the nylon strings with metal & used a hidden magnetic pickup.
The fact is the Baldwin Prismatones, while they were a groundbreaking idea for the time, were not particularly good pickups. The Ovation pickup is vastly superior. I knew Jim Burns quite well & he gave me a handful of Prismatone pickups many years ago. I binned them because I thought they sounded terrible. They're also quite microphonic & pretty fragile. If only ebay had been around then, I could have made a killing just on the Willie Nelson connection.
I bumped into Jim in a bar in the late 70's when he had just started a new company to produce the Steer & Scorpion guitars. He was trying to describe the shape of the Scorpion & sketched it on a beer coaster, then wrote his new phone number on it. I know that peice of Burns memorabilia is in my old man's house somewhere, but can I hell find it. |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Well
We're on the right track, we need a verification from the mother planet. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | I used to say that between myself and Kim Keller we have owned every piece of gear ever made, Now I must alter that statement to include Paul Templeman so that we have it covered internationally. |
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prismatone pickups
