CC Pickups - ES150 Pickup

First issued in 1936. This is the model with a straight blade.

The guitars that have become synonymous with Charlie Christian are the Gibson ES150 and ES250. The ES150 was produced in 1936 and was Gibson's first association with the standard electric guitar. Charlie Christian adopted the ES150 in 1937 as his guitar of choice.

The development of the pickup enabled the guitarist to become a fully fledged member of the group no longer limited to the rhythm section or having the band quiet down during solos. Charlie had something to say and at last his voice could be heard. In 1939 the ES250 was produced. Charlie received his ES250 in April 1940 Christian played these guitars until his death in March 1942.

Underlying this early technology was the pickup first developed by Gibson for use on a Hawaiian guitar. Next came the ES150, later a model with a notch in the blade under the 2nd (B) string was produced, finally the ES250 was made with 6 poles, one for each string. It is these pickups that create the sound that is associated with these guitars - and of Charlie Christian.

The full process for building these pickups has required CC Pickups to source pre-war materials from all over the world and recycling them for use within the pickup. This was the only way that they could capture the original sound and ensure we would not disappoint the loyal fans of these pickups.

Original pickups were obtained and stripped to the bone, every individual component has been copied identically to the originals.

The bobbins have been scatter wound by hand in the traditional way with the correct gauge wire with the exact output reading as the originals, and of course these are fitted with the rare steel magnets which also are magnetised to the exact reading of the originals.
The steel blades are made from the same mild steel, which has been copper plated, nickel plated and then chrome plated the same as the originals.
CC Pickups had original magnets measured for flux density and field characteristics and then had the steel magnetised to the same flux density and field shape as the originals would have been over 70 years ago.
These pickups probably sound truer to the Charlie Christian records that you hear than any old existing original pickups still around today, this is due to the fact that the cobalt steel magnets only retain their magnetism for around 200 years, as they are now approx 70 years old they have lost about a third of their power so not giving the original crisp punch that they would have had when first manufactured back in the 30's.

Three different versions have been built to the original spec, the 1936 ES150 model with the straight blade, the later model with the notch under the B string and the ES250 model with the six separate pole pieces.

As you can see CC Pickups have gone to great lengths to ensure they are giving you a top quality product that is as close to the original pickup as possible. They don't just look authentic they sound completely authentic and we are very proud to introduce this limited run.

Welcome to the reintroduction of the Charlie Christian pickup.

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Delivery:

Any order placed before 2.30pm on a working day will generally be sent the same day. If the order is placed after 2.30pm on a weekday or anytime during the weekend or a public holiday we will send the order the next working day.

UK Orders: 

• Royal Mail First Class - this costs £1.95 per order but becomes free if your order value is £30.00 or higher. Royal Mail typically aims to deliver First Class parcels for the next working day although can sometimes take up to 5 days. No signature is required upon delivery.
• DPD Courier - this service costs £6.50 per order but becomes free if your order value is £90.00 or higher. This is usually a next-working day service and DPD will send an email or text on the day of the delivery with a timed 1 hour delivery slot. (However DPD doesn't guarantee this) (If urgent please use RM Special Delivery) This service is only available for UK mainland addresses. A signature is required upon receipt of the parcel and deliveries can be made anytime up until 6.00pm on the day of the delivery. 
• Royal Mail Special Delivery - this service costs £9.95 and Royal Mail guarantee that the delivery will be made the next working day before 1.00pm. Royal Mail will email or text you with delivery updates and a signature is required upon receipt of the parcel.

 

 

International Orders:

We are pleased to announce that any EU orders placed on our website that amounts to a total of €150.00 or less will be inclusive of VAT and fees. Therefore, the price that you pay at our checkout is final pricing - no additional handling fees or import fees.  Any order that is above €150.00 will not be inclusive of VAT or import fees and these additional fees will need to be paid to your local postal service, once the goods arrive at your local customs. (Please note, the all-fee-inclusive scheme is only applicable to business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions and cannot be applied to any business-to-business (B2B) transactions)

• European Registered Post - for any address in Europe, this service costs £9.95 per order and is sent using Royal Mail Tracked service. In most cases, the parcel is handed over to the local postal service to deliver it. A signature is generally not required but will be tracked to ensure a safe delivery. Most parcels take an average of 3 - 7 working days to deliver.
• European Registered Courier - for any address in Europe, this service costs £30.00 per order and we will select a courier to deliver the parcel. A signature is required upon receipt of the parcel. Delivery times vary but typically take 2 - 5 working days.

 

• International Registered Post - for any address outside of Europe, this service costs £12.95 per order and is sent using the Royal Mail Tracked service. In most cases, the parcel is handed over to the local postal service to deliver it. A signature is generally not required but will be tracked to ensure a safe delivery. Most parcels take an average of 4 - 10 working days to deliver.
• International Registered Courier - for any address outside of Europe, this service costs £30.00 per order and we will select a courier to deliver the parcel. A signature is required upon receipt of the parcel. Delivery times vary but typically take 3 - 7 working days.

If you have not received your order after the stated times above, please email us requesting a tracking number and we will be able to tell you more information. It is best to check the status with us as after a few weeks because most local sorting offices will end up returning it back to us if they have had no contact with the customer.

Returns:

At Armstrong Music, we believe in providing our customers with the utmost satisfaction and peace of mind. That's why we proudly offer a 30-day, no quibble returns policy. We understand that sometimes a product may not meet your expectations or requirements and we want you to be completely confident in your purchase. If for any reason you're not fully satisfied with your order, simply return it to us within 30 days of purchase and we'll gladly provide a refund (minus original postage fees) or exchange. Our commitment to exceptional customer service extends to hassle-free returns, ensuring that you can shop with confidence knowing that we stand behind the quality and value of our products. We kindly request that the returned goods must be in their original state (no damage) and any goods or accessories that accompany the returned product must also come back to us. The goods should also be returned with their original box, packing and accessories.

If the return is due to missing or faulty parts then we will offer a full refund or replacement provided we are aware of this within 30 days. Any refund, which is due to a fault, other defect or a mistake on our part, will include a refund of the applicable delivery charge.

INSTALLATION OF GUITAR PARTS:
We do not accept responsibility for any damage caused to your instrument as a result of fitting any part purchased from us. We strongly advise that customers carefully inspect and offer up the part to their instrument to ensure proper sizing and compatibility before proceeding with installation. If the part does not fit, do not attempt to modify or force it onto the instrument. Please contact us immediately to arrange a return or exchange. Any attempts to alter the part or force its installation may void eligibility for returns or refunds.

STANDARD TEMPLATE PICKGUARDS:
Before installing, please do a "dry run" on your instrument to ensure all mounting holes and pickup cuts are correctly positioned. Do not remove the protective film or install any components until this check is complete. Once the protective cover has been removed, the pickguard is no longer in a re-saleable condition, and the replacement warranty will be void. We cannot accept returns or issue refunds for standard template pickguards that have had their protective film removed.

CUSTOM-MADE PICKGUARDS:
Custom pickguards are non-returnable and non-refundable. This includes any pickguard with requested modifications, such as repositioning, deleting, or resizing holes or slots. Pickguards created from a customer’s provided outline or original pickguard also fall under this policy. Due to the custom nature of these items, they cannot be resold or reused, making returns and refunds unavailable.

Please ensure that any returns are sent using a registered postal or courier service as we cannot be responsible for undelivered parcels being sent to us. Please post returns to the following address:

Armstrong Music
Woodreeve Farm
Capel Road
Ruckinge
Ashford
Kent
TN26 2EJ

This returns policy does not affect your legal rights.

Delivery:

Any order placed before 2.30pm on a working day will generally be sent the same day. If the order is placed after 2.30pm on a weekday or anytime during the weekend or a public holiday we will send the order the next working day.

UK Orders: 

• Royal Mail First Class - this costs £1.95 per order but becomes free if your order value is £30.00 or higher. Royal Mail typically aims to deliver First Class parcels for the next working day although can sometimes take up to 5 days. No signature is required upon delivery.
• DPD Courier - this service costs £6.50 per order but becomes free if your order value is £90.00 or higher. This is usually a next-working day service and DPD will send an email or text on the day of the delivery with a timed 1 hour delivery slot. (However DPD doesn't guarantee this) (If urgent please use RM Special Delivery) This service is only available for UK mainland addresses. A signature is required upon receipt of the parcel and deliveries can be made anytime up until 6.00pm on the day of the delivery. 
• Royal Mail Special Delivery - this service costs £9.95 and Royal Mail guarantee that the delivery will be made the next working day before 1.00pm. Royal Mail will email or text you with delivery updates and a signature is required upon receipt of the parcel.

 

 

International Orders:

We are pleased to announce that any EU orders placed on our website that amounts to a total of €150.00 or less will be inclusive of VAT and fees. Therefore, the price that you pay at our checkout is final pricing - no additional handling fees or import fees.  Any order that is above €150.00 will not be inclusive of VAT or import fees and these additional fees will need to be paid to your local postal service, once the goods arrive at your local customs. (Please note, the all-fee-inclusive scheme is only applicable to business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions and cannot be applied to any business-to-business (B2B) transactions)

• European Registered Post - for any address in Europe, this service costs £9.95 per order and is sent using Royal Mail Tracked service. In most cases, the parcel is handed over to the local postal service to deliver it. A signature is generally not required but will be tracked to ensure a safe delivery. Most parcels take an average of 3 - 7 working days to deliver.
• European Registered Courier - for any address in Europe, this service costs £30.00 per order and we will select a courier to deliver the parcel. A signature is required upon receipt of the parcel. Delivery times vary but typically take 2 - 5 working days.

 

• International Registered Post - for any address outside of Europe, this service costs £12.95 per order and is sent using the Royal Mail Tracked service. In most cases, the parcel is handed over to the local postal service to deliver it. A signature is generally not required but will be tracked to ensure a safe delivery. Most parcels take an average of 4 - 10 working days to deliver.
• International Registered Courier - for any address outside of Europe, this service costs £30.00 per order and we will select a courier to deliver the parcel. A signature is required upon receipt of the parcel. Delivery times vary but typically take 3 - 7 working days.

If you have not received your order after the stated times above, please email us requesting a tracking number and we will be able to tell you more information. It is best to check the status with us as after a few weeks because most local sorting offices will end up returning it back to us if they have had no contact with the customer.

Returns:

At Armstrong Music, we believe in providing our customers with the utmost satisfaction and peace of mind. That's why we proudly offer a 30-day, no quibble returns policy. We understand that sometimes a product may not meet your expectations or requirements and we want you to be completely confident in your purchase. If for any reason you're not fully satisfied with your order, simply return it to us within 30 days of purchase and we'll gladly provide a refund (minus original postage fees) or exchange. Our commitment to exceptional customer service extends to hassle-free returns, ensuring that you can shop with confidence knowing that we stand behind the quality and value of our products. We kindly request that the returned goods must be in their original state (no damage) and any goods or accessories that accompany the returned product must also come back to us. The goods should also be returned with their original box, packing and accessories.

If the return is due to missing or faulty parts then we will offer a full refund or replacement provided we are aware of this within 30 days. Any refund, which is due to a fault, other defect or a mistake on our part, will include a refund of the applicable delivery charge.

INSTALLATION OF GUITAR PARTS:
We do not accept responsibility for any damage caused to your instrument as a result of fitting any part purchased from us. We strongly advise that customers carefully inspect and offer up the part to their instrument to ensure proper sizing and compatibility before proceeding with installation. If the part does not fit, do not attempt to modify or force it onto the instrument. Please contact us immediately to arrange a return or exchange. Any attempts to alter the part or force its installation may void eligibility for returns or refunds.

STANDARD TEMPLATE PICKGUARDS:
Before installing, please do a "dry run" on your instrument to ensure all mounting holes and pickup cuts are correctly positioned. Do not remove the protective film or install any components until this check is complete. Once the protective cover has been removed, the pickguard is no longer in a re-saleable condition, and the replacement warranty will be void. We cannot accept returns or issue refunds for standard template pickguards that have had their protective film removed.

CUSTOM-MADE PICKGUARDS:
Custom pickguards are non-returnable and non-refundable. This includes any pickguard with requested modifications, such as repositioning, deleting, or resizing holes or slots. Pickguards created from a customer’s provided outline or original pickguard also fall under this policy. Due to the custom nature of these items, they cannot be resold or reused, making returns and refunds unavailable.

Please ensure that any returns are sent using a registered postal or courier service as we cannot be responsible for undelivered parcels being sent to us. Please post returns to the following address:

Armstrong Music
Woodreeve Farm
Capel Road
Ruckinge
Ashford
Kent
TN26 2EJ

This returns policy does not affect your legal rights.

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PayPal accepts all major credit and debit cards and no cardholder information is ever passed unencrypted and any messages sent to our servers from PayPal are signed using MD5 hashing to prevent tampering. You can be completely assured that nothing you pass to PayPal's servers can be examined, used or modified by any third parties attempting to gain access to sensitive information.

When you pay with Paypal, all information is protected by SSL with an encryption key length of 168 bits (the highest level commercially available). Your personal information is stored on Paypal's servers and heavily guarded, both physically and electronically. To further shield your credit card and bank numbers, Paypal do not directly connect their firewall-protected servers to the internet.