# Ultrasonic Pickups- anyone heard of them, used them successfully??



## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Anyone ever heard of Ultrasonic?? 

A quick Google search says they were manufactured in Germany for a "brief time in the late 80's". As little as 6mos by some things I've read. I bought one (new) at a Flea Market in the early 90's. It had to have been cheap, as I was in high school, and broke!! I'm straining hard to remember, but $15 seems familiar. It looked like an EMG with the flat black plastic cover, and a big circled "U" in the middle. I bought it with the intention of putting it in the bridge position of my Harmony Strat to give a more ballsy sound. It did not work. We didn't know what the hell we were doing. I distinctly remember the description on the box said "Neck". We thought that might be why. We also had no idea we were supposed to up the pot from 250K to 500K. 
On an Ibanez site, it lists a bunch of versions. Single sized H/B's and full size H/B's, all differentiated by "Ref #'s". Ref 1, Ref 2, Ref 3, etc... I have a Ref 4. On that site, it says what the intended position should be. It lists the Ref 4 position as "any", but like I said, I remember the box saying Neck. 
Another guitar site... aptly name "_Guitar Site_" one forum member goes into great detail about each "Ref" and how he (they) wish they were still in production. They have Ultrasonics in various guitars and uses a Ref 4 in the neck of one of them. I've copied & pasted a snippet (cause he... they, go on at length... much as I am doing now) about how they have "flat frequency response". Way over my head!! 

_"...the thing about Ultrasonic Pickups is that they have a perfectly FLAT frequency response... meaning that all frequencies are reproduced exactly at the same volume level across the full frequency spectrum, making them perfectly adjustable (using your tone controls) to however your ears hear the best sound! This is in contrast to most guitar pickups which have a pronounced hump in the midrange frequencies. What that does is throw off your tone controls to compensate for that hump. So, most people unfamiliar with this fact will think that Ultrasonics are lacking in midrange. That isn't true, simply since highs and lows are at the same level as the midrange in Ultrasonic Pickups. Therefore, you have to adjust your tone controls on your amp and guitar to allow the Ultrasonics to really, and I mean REALLY shine through!!! Once you figure this out, you will LOVE Ultrasonic Pickups!"_

They go on in more detail about the necessity to adjust your amp settings to off-set the flat response of the pups. I have a few spare pups/pots/switches in the drawer. Was going to put together an H/S/H Strat pickguard (for the old Harmony). I just don't know how useful that would be to match it up with a pup that _does not_ have a "flat frequency response". 

Thoughts??


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Well, certainly if they are built to provide a flat response, then the difference between those designated as "neck" or "bridge" would likely be with respect to output level and installing them in such a way that neck/bridge level-balance is decent.

While the pickup may be intended to provide a flat response, the guitar itself does NOT have a flat response. And of course, by the time the signal passes through one's pedalboard, that frequency profile is reshaped once again.

Long story short, I wouldn't worry about it. It's a pickup. Either it works or it doesn't.


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## enorbet2 (5 mo ago)

I built an H-S-H chambered guitar from scratch and tried an UltraSonic mid output H for the bridge position. I had bought it because a rep from TC Electronics verified that Bill Lawerence had designed them specifically to work with TC's programmable EQ. I never owned that TC unit but the concept impressed me as a very useful base sound amenable to having it's own Tone control and, along with a great coil tap, covering a lot of sonic territory. I still have and use it in 2022.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Nice work. Impressions about the pickup itself?


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## enorbet2 (5 mo ago)

The Ultrasonic bridge pickup has served me very well which is why I still use it. For one thing it blends very well with the other 2, a SD QuarterPounder Tele Bridge pickup in middle position and SD Mini59 in Neck position. IIRC the UltraSonic has neodymium magnets and the difference between the 3 versions is how massive the magnets are. I got lucky with the mid level output. In tapped, single coil mode it is very well balanced with the Tele output and gets a great Plinky Strat tone. It sounds fine all by itself and the coil tap switch is really great for getting a very similar tone with just a wee bit more mids and a LOT more output. I can begin a lead (which often starts on Neck pickup) drop back to single coil bridge for a few bars and pop into full humbucker for serious overdrive. 

In my case I only rarely ever use any pedals. I like tube amps "on the verge" and have a "treble bleed" cap on the one volume control. I can comp at lower volume settings where it never stomps on vocals but still cuts through, and turn up to bring back all the Oooomph! This makes it extremely nuance sensitive and my style demands that. The UltraSonic fits right in like it was made for it.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

SWLABR said:


> They go on in more detail about the necessity to adjust your amp settings to off-set the flat response of the pups. I


If you have an amp with good EQ control, I don't see a problem...go for it.


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## AJ6stringsting (Mar 12, 2006)

enorbet2 said:


> The Ultrasonic bridge pickup has served me very well which is why I still use it. For one thing it blends very well with the other 2, a SD QuarterPounder Tele Bridge pickup in middle position and SD Mini59 in Neck position. IIRC the UltraSonic has neodymium magnets and the difference between the 3 versions is how massive the magnets are. I got lucky with the mid level output. In tapped, single coil mode it is very well balanced with the Tele output and gets a great Plinky Strat tone. It sounds fine all by itself and the coil tap switch is really great for getting a very similar tone with just a wee bit more mids and a LOT more output. I can begin a lead (which often starts on Neck pickup) drop back to single coil bridge for a few bars and pop into full humbucker for serious overdrive.
> 
> In my case I only rarely ever use any pedals. I like tube amps "on the verge" and have a "treble bleed" cap on the one volume control. I can comp at lower volume settings where it never stomps on vocals but still cuts through, and turn up to bring back all the Oooomph! This makes it extremely nuance sensitive and my style demands that. The UltraSonic fits right in like it was made for it.


Back in the mid- late 1980's, Steward - MacDonald were selling Ultrasonic pickups, just as I was going to buy them, they suddenly stopped selling them.

I put it off because I was going to move from my hometown to Los Angeles/ Hollyweird .


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Paul Running said:


> If you have an amp with good EQ control, I don't see a problem...go for it.


I did.
I guess you didn’t see the Tech help thread I had to start about wiring it up. I also happened to choose an insanely odd 5-way that I needed a LOT of assistance from the fines brains here at GC.
@greco seems to think I now hold the record for most pages on a single Help request.


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## AJ6stringsting (Mar 12, 2006)

enorbet2 said:


> The Ultrasonic bridge pickup has served me very well which is why I still use it. For one thing it blends very well with the other 2, a SD QuarterPounder Tele Bridge pickup in middle position and SD Mini59 in Neck position. IIRC the UltraSonic has neodymium magnets and the difference between the 3 versions is how massive the magnets are. I got lucky with the mid level output. In tapped, single coil mode it is very well balanced with the Tele output and gets a great Plinky Strat tone. It sounds fine all by itself and the coil tap switch is really great for getting a very similar tone with just a wee bit more mids and a LOT more output. I can begin a lead (which often starts on Neck pickup) drop back to single coil bridge for a few bars and pop into full humbucker for serious overdrive.
> 
> In my case I only rarely ever use any pedals. I like tube amps "on the verge" and have a "treble bleed" cap on the one volume control. I can comp at lower volume settings where it never stomps on vocals but still cuts through, and turn up to bring back all the Oooomph! This makes it extremely nuance sensitive and my style demands that. The UltraSonic fits right in like it was made for it.


Bill Lawrence was a genius with his Pickup design and functions. 
His pickups were great, they didn't alter the tones of the guitar, they just projected what your guitar had to offer.

Luckily, his Wife and Daughter still wind pickups to his specifications today !!!!


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## AlexRrAsob (21 d ago)

I just found your post because i was doing some research. I bought a NOS set of 3 single coils over 10 years ago and still have them, never used, only took one out of the plastic to check em out. 

I wanted to build myself the ultimate strat back then, but just After i bought all parts, i went to singing, producing electronic music and DJing, and quit playing the guitar (also got Trouble Moving my left hand pinky) 

I'm currently gathering information on what Setups they performed best and figuring out if i should use them in a build or not. I know Metallica used them for some time, but since it's been over a decade ago, I kinda forgot Most i knew about them. 

I'll post a follow up post with some pics. All info, tips and advice is welcome.


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## AlexRrAsob (21 d ago)

As i posted above, I got Ref 1-3. Opened Ref 2 when i bought Them, others still not open.

Still unsure what my plan is with them. I have most Parts for building a strat. Plan at the moment is to repaint the body and cut the outer side of the pickguard.

I've got a few other Parts for an Ibanez style guitar, and another guitar i built over a decade ago that i can Slaughter for parts, since i never liked it. Should anyone wanna contact me, alexrrasob is my instagram name.

Kind regards,
Alex


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Good luck!


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