Ron Ellis Pickups Frisell Humbuckers
Ron Ellis Pickups returns to the channel — this time with the Frisell Set, one of Ron's own favorite combinations. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
In this episode the Ron Ellis Pickups Frisell Humbucker Set takes center stage — installed in the 2002 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul R8 Historic, wired with the Emerson Custom x Edge of Breakup Les Paul Prewired Kit and Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds on both volume pots, into the Cunningham Amps Custom 35 2x12" with Scumback H75-PVC speakers via the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander. The R2R Electric x Wood Wire Volts Germanium Boost, Effectrode Tube Vibe, and Echo Fix EF-X3 all feature.
Get the EoB x Emerson Custom Les Paul Kit: https://emersoncustom.com/products/eob-les-paul-prewired-kit-premier-pro?sca_ref=6282128.5O9h8BhMpG
Learn more about the Frisell Set: https://www.ronellispickups.com/collections/humbuckers/products/frisell-humbucker
Follow Ron Ellis Pickups: https://www.instagram.com/ronellispickups/
In Ron Ellis' own words:
"Frisell set is a lower output neck pickup combined with a Signature bridge pickup to match the neck. This custom set was originally made for Bill Frisell's two Collings guitars. The Frisell neck has superb clarity, balanced EQ and note separation. Combining the Signature bridge with our custom Frisell neck delivers a blend of tone that is both clear and articulate while retaining hair, bloom, and PAF character on the neck. Between the two, there are many different tonalities to discover either alone or together. This is one of Ron's favorite sets to play due to the balance and range the two pickups provide."
The Frisell Set is an asymmetric pairing — the neck pickup is a custom lower-output winding unique to this set, and the bridge is the same Signature pickup featured in the previous Ron Ellis demo on the channel. The neck pickup's superb clarity and note separation make it particularly well-suited to the Cunningham Custom 35's Tweed (Body) channel, explored from 00:00 — the channel's natural bloom and compression interacting with the Frisell neck's inherent openness. The Plexi (Bite) channel from 04:21 gives the Signature bridge more authority and grit while the Frisell neck retains its vocal, clear character.
The R2R Electric x Wood Wire Volts Germanium Boost is a very special build — a limited collaboration between Chris Vincent (@djlavalamp) and Wood Wire Volts, produced exclusively for the show in a run of just 10 units, available in person only. In Chris's own words: "It's not a treble boost but it's not full range either." The transistors are Philips OC58/OC59 germanium devices from 1962-64 — originally manufactured for hearing aids, about the size of a match head, and by Chris's description they "sound absolutely gigantic." NOS vintage components throughout, hand-wired point-to-point as with all R2R Electric builds. Explored from 07:43 into the Cunningham Plexi channel with the Effectrode Tube Vibe.
Ron Ellis is an engineer by profession, based in Carlsbad, California, using high-tech laboratory equipment to reverse-engineer the materials used in original 1950s and 1960s PAF pickups at the molecular level. Every set is hand-wound in Carlsbad.
The Cunningham Amps Custom 35 — hand-wired by Tim Cunningham in Auckland, New Zealand — provides both the Tweed (Body) and British Plexi (Bite) channels explored throughout. Cathode biased EL34 output stage, tube-driven spring reverb, parallel and cascade channel modes.
🎸 Ron Ellis Pickups: https://www.ronellispickups.com
🔊 Cunningham Amps: https://www.cunninghamamps.co.nz
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🎸 2002 Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul R8 Historic | Ron Ellis Frisell Set (Custom Neck + Signature Bridge) | Emerson Custom EoB LP Kit + 2x Treble Bleed
🎛️ R2R Electric x Wood Wire Volts Germanium Boost | Philips OC58/OC59 | 10 Units Only | Effectrode Tube Vibe | Echo Fix EF-X3
🔊 Cunningham Amps Custom 35 2x12" | Scumback H75-PVC | Boss Waza TAE
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R10 & R121 | Ableton Live 12
