Zhivago's Vintage Hotties - 1947 Epiphone Spartan

[zhivago]

[PorkyPrimeCut]

What the hell is that metal thing? A pickup? One of those B-bender thingies (er....E-bender thingies rather)?

[zhivago]

I think it's a pickup...it looks like a floating pickguard type of setup...this is one old guitar! 

[øøøøøøø]

The pickup is an old DeArmond "Guitar Mic."  AKA pickup.

they made 3 different models.  that one was the cheapest one.  The top-line one was the "adjustable rhythm chief."

Google "DeArmond Rhythm Chief" and you will find that those things have a huge cult following.

They allow you to convert an acoustic archtop to electric without any modification to the instrument whatsoever.

Although the one in the picture seems to have been 'permanently installed' in some rigged-up fashion, which kinda defeats the purpose.

Basically the deal is this.  There is a clamp that clips the apparatus onto the strings behind the bridge, between the bridge and tailpiece. 

Off of this hangs a knob or two for volume/tone, and a jack is on there too.  The jack is usually the old-style "screw-on" type that was used before the 1/4" jack became standard.

The Rhythm Chief also had a 'kill switch" I think, labeled 'rhythm' so you could use the guitar acoustically for Freddie Green style acoustic dance band rhythm guitar in a big band/orchestra and turn the pickup on at the touch of a button.

Also attached to the between-bridge-and-tail clamp was a pole.  The actual pickup attached to this pole and floated free (the one in the picture has been anchored to the fingerboard end).  Nothing touches the top of the guitar.  The pickup could slide along this pole to adjust where it was, bridge or neck or anywhere in between, for tone.

Hope that helps.

I have a 1939 Epiphone Triumph with a scar on the top where the control plate from a rhythm chief used to sit.  Unfortunately, the rhythm chief is long gone.   :(  I'd love to have one, but they're kinda pricey nowadays.

[øøøøøøø]

here's an up-close view of a rhythm chief's attachment point and control plate.



Here's my Epiphone with the "rhythm chief scar." 

[PorkyPrimeCut]

here's an up-close view of a rhythm chief's attachment point and control plate.

That thing looks really cool!!

I love the clear knobs.

[Max]

Could you use that Rhythm Chief thing for behind the bridge noise sessions? 

That Epi Spartan is gorgeous. 

[Professor Plum]

very cool. this whole rythem cheif business seems cool too. i love the look of it. has anyone ever tried one? sound cool?

[zhivago]

The pickup is an old DeArmond "Guitar Mic."  AKA pickup.

they made 3 different models.  that one was the cheapest one.  The top-line one was the "adjustable rhythm chief."

Google "DeArmond Rhythm Chief" and you will find that those things have a huge cult following.

They allow you to convert an acoustic archtop to electric without any modification to the instrument whatsoever.

Although the one in the picture seems to have been 'permanently installed' in some rigged-up fashion, which kinda defeats the purpose.

Basically the deal is this.  There is a clamp that clips the apparatus onto the strings behind the bridge, between the bridge and tailpiece. 

Off of this hangs a knob or two for volume/tone, and a jack is on there too.  The jack is usually the old-style "screw-on" type that was used before the 1/4" jack became standard.

The Rhythm Chief also had a 'kill switch" I think, labeled 'rhythm' so you could use the guitar acoustically for Freddie Green style acoustic dance band rhythm guitar in a big band/orchestra and turn the pickup on at the touch of a button.

Also attached to the between-bridge-and-tail clamp was a pole.  The actual pickup attached to this pole and floated free (the one in the picture has been anchored to the fingerboard end).  Nothing touches the top of the guitar.  The pickup could slide along this pole to adjust where it was, bridge or neck or anywhere in between, for tone.

They were often called "monkey on a stick" pickups for this reason.

Hope that helps.

I have a 1939 Epiphone Triumph with a scar on the top where the control plate from a rhythm chief used to sit.  Unfortunately, the rhythm chief is long gone.   :(  I'd love to have one, but they're kinda pricey nowadays.

excellent post!

thanks for the info!

[øøøøøøø]

They're real cool in my opinion.  An Adjustable Rhythm Chief is insanely expensive nowadays.  I remember about 5 years ago I looked at them on eBay and decided not to buy one because they were over $200.

Well, I looked today and there were some that got over $700!  The regular non-adjustable-polepiece rhythm chief is around the $350 range.  Still WAY high.

So I guess I should've bought one way back then! 

I actually e-mailed Jason Lollar a couple years back about building one, and he said he had looked into it before, but the tooling for the metalwork was prohibitively expensive.  It wouldn't be anywhere profitable at current levels of demand.

Which is a bummer.

They sound kinda like a regular DeArmond pickup, I guess, except that they are usually on a nicer-quality guitar than the regular dearmonds were.

[Professor Plum]

very cool. this whole rythem cheif business seems cool too. i love the look of it. has anyone ever tried one? sound cool?

They're real cool in my opinion.  An Adjustable Rhythm Chief is insanely expensive nowadays.  I remember about 5 years ago I looked at them on eBay and decided not to buy one because they were over $200.

Well, I looked today and there were some that got over $700!  The regular non-adjustable-polepiece rhythm chief is around the $350 range.  Still WAY high.

So I guess I should've bought one way back then!   ;D

I actually e-mailed Jason Lollar a couple years back about building one, and he said he had looked into it before, but the tooling for the metalwork was prohibitively expensive.  It wouldn't be anywhere profitable at current levels of demand.

Which is a bummer.

They sound kinda like a regular DeArmond pickup, I guess, except that they are usually on a nicer-quality guitar than the regular dearmonds were.

cool! i would defintaly be down with a reissue, it would be pretty sweet on a 5th ave. and not $$$$

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WILD