Dearmond Rhythm Chief

[AcornHouse]

Was reading on old thread and came across this comment:

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Guild reissued the "Redhead" version as OEM on their A-150 and Artist Award archtops before the sale to Cordoba - sorry they didn't make them available as an accessory, and I doubt that's going to happen now...

Well, good news. Córdoba has already opened a Guild parts and accessories site, and they do indeed have the Dearmonds that they reproduced for the A-150s available.
https://shop.guildguitars.com/produc...-mount-pickup/

It is only the 1000 version, but, hey, that's still better than none.

[Steve DeRosa]

Thanks Acorn - I love being proven wrong in matters of this type; unfortunately it seems they're just selling the pickup though, without the control box that came with the vintage originals - oh well, at least it's a start...

[Archtop Guy]

It's great that they're selling it. Does anyone have the dimensions, especially the thickness?

[AcornHouse]

Originally Posted by Archtop Guy

It's great that they're selling it. Does anyone have the dimensions, especially the thickness?

On the "additional information" tab:

Weight 20 oz
Dimensions 5 x 4 x 2 in

But that doesn't seem quite right.

[syrynx]

This is fabulous news, IF the pickups are accurate sonic reproductions of the Rhythm Chief 1000. Frankly, the $120 price tag has me doubting that Cordoba is reproducing the complex coil of the original DeArmond, which has the bulk of the winding around the pole pieces for strings 3 - 6 with a much smaller portion of the winding around all six pole pieces.

I'd love to be proven wrong!

[AcornHouse]

Originally Posted by syrynx

This is fabulous news, IF the pickups are accurate sonic reproductions of the Rhythm Chief 1000. Frankly, the $120 price tag has me doubting that Cordoba is reproducing the complex coil of the original DeArmond, which has the bulk of the winding around the pole pieces for strings 3 - 6 with a much smaller portion of the winding around all six pole pieces.

I'd love to be proven wrong!

These are the same ones that Fender/Guild had reproduced for the Guild MIK Newark St. collection. They sent over originals of the various pickups they wanted to reproduce. The Dearmond was used on the A-150 from that collection, so if you do a search for the Guild Newark St. A-150, you'll be able to fInd reviews and videos. It's the same one from the same factory that Fender used. Córdoba aquired them with their purchase.

I don't have any first hand knowledge of them, but those on the Guild forum loved them.

[Archtop Guy]

Originally Posted by AcornHouse

On the "additional information" tab:

Weight 20 oz
Dimensions 5 x 4 x 2 in

But that doesn't seem quite right.

Ha! Not even close! That's probably the dimensions of the box it ships in!

Still seeking thickness from anyone who has a recent A-150...

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by syrynx

...Frankly, the $120 price tag has me doubting that Cordoba is reproducing the complex coil of the original DeArmond, which has the bulk of the winding around the pole pieces for strings 3 - 6 with a much smaller portion of the winding around all six pole pieces...

If they're being made in China (as I strongly suspect they are) there'd be no problem whatsoever meeting the $120 price point with the original design - which, BTW, necessitated the extra windings in order to achieve tonal balance with acoustic (bronze) strings in the absence of adjustable polepieces...

While we're at it, apparently there's a "blacktop" reissue as well, albeit not for individual sale:

http://gretschguitars.com/products/i...tno=2704051537

[cmajor9]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Thanks Acorn - I love being proven wrong in matters of this type; unfortunately it seems they're just selling the pickup though, without the control box that came with the vintage originals - oh well, at least it's a start...

The version Cordoba is selling (and that is used on the A-150) is the neck-mounted version, not the "monkey on a stick" version. You can connect it to either regular or thumbwheel volume/tone controls.

If you've used the monkey on a stick version, you know that they can be very fragile to keep in position.

[backdrifter]

I've read those are not exact replicas. I believe they are wound hotter and sound different. I considered one for my archtop, but I was turned off when I heard that.

I ended up buying a "Swingmaster" pickup. They are exact replicas of the Rhythm Chief 1000. They're built by hand in Finland, I believe. They're a bit more expensive than the ones above, but I've owned both vintage Dearmonds and the Swingmaster and can wholeheartedly endorse them. I'll try to post some photos later this week.

[Archtop Guy]

Originally Posted by backdrifter

I ended up buying a "Swingmaster" pickup. They are exact replicas of the Rhythm Chief 1000. They're built by hand ind Finland, I believe. They're a bit more expensive than the ones above, but Ive owned both vintage Dearmonds and the Swingmaster and can wholeheartedly endorse them. I'll try to post some photos later this week.

I'm considering a Swingmaster right now! How thick are they? Audio would be cool too!

[RobertD0]

I saw those replicas but decided to go with an original Rhythym Chief 1000 with the monkey-stick setup and control box that has volume, tone and the rhythm switch. The monkey-stick avoids the need to alter your acoustic archtop and that control box makes a world of difference with tone and volume at your fingertips but especially the rhythm switch, which makes it easy to go from very clean to a nice crunch when the amp and other controls set for it.

It is nice they're making a replica that's far less expensive than the vintage DeArmond pickups. I've never heard one of the replicas. I've read some owners who claim they're a dead knock off of the original but I doubt they're using the ultra thin wire that Rowe used on the originals.

Mine is from the late 60s / early 70s(?) (No year stamped on the pickguard tab) The control box has the screw-on connection, which is a feature I wanted because you can remove the cord while leaving the pickup and mounting hardware attached.

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by Archtop Guy

I'm considering a Swingmaster right now! How thick are they? Audio would be cool too!

Sorry for the delayed response - it's been a long week of traveling.

I'll try to measure it later, but Swingmaster lists it as 8mm (.315") thick. That seems about right. It's exactly the same as the original Dearmond. The only thing they changed was that they increased the size of the platform that mounts to the finger rest to make it easier to mount.

I don't have a great way to record, but maybe I'll get around to that someday. In the mean-time, they have some sound clips on the Swingmaster website:

http://www.swingmasterpickups.com/index.php?id=102

I cannot tell a difference between mine and the Dearmond Rhythm Chief that I owned. Actually I can, the Dearmond had a loose wire that caused a scratching noise, and the Swingmaster doesn't!

[backdrifter]

Here are a few pictures of my old Dearmond and my current Swingmaster.

Dearmond:







And the Swingmaster:









The "monkey on a stick" set up is nice in that you don't have to modify your archtop at all to enjoy a pickup, but other than that, I found it to be clumsy and a tad annoying. Worse, it left a "sun tan" in the shape of the brace on the top of the guitar over time. I much prefer the neck mounted set up.

Another reason I went with the Swingmaster is that it's available in gold. I've never seen a gold Rhythm Chief 1000, though they certainly may exist. I needed a gold finish to match the rest of my archtop, which the Swingmaster does very well.

All-in-all, I recommend the Swingmaster very strongly. It's a bit expensive, but not as bad as the originals can be. After owning mine, I would definitely buy another if I were to acquire another archtop in the future.

EDIT: Those of you with an eye for detail will notice that I recently broke my high E string and have not yet replaced it!

[RobertD0]

Originally Posted by backdrifter

http://www.swingmasterpickups.com/index.php?id=102

I cannot tell a difference between mine and the Dearmond Rhythm Chief that I owned. Actually I can, the Dearmond had a loose wire that caused a scratching noise, and the Swingmaster doesn't!

Those look really sweet. And if they sound the same, at between $275 - $300 USD, they're less than most vintage Rhythm Chief 1000s I've seen.

Does the plate screw into the pickguard or is it glued? What about guitars with no pickguard? I guess it makes a pickguard mandatory. Maybe Swingmaster should think about adding the monkey stick mounting option.

I might consider buying one if they did.