DeArmond Gold Foils

Curtis Novak, R&D scientist turned pickup tone consultant for the likes of Neil Young and Beck, demystifies their legendarily vibey sound

- Curtis Novak

When it comes to gold foil pickups, the archetypal image typically conjured by many guitarists is a DeArmond-loaded Harmony guitar such as a Stratotone or a Meteor. These instruments were so abundant and relatively affordable in the 50s and 60s that the law of averages has guaranteed a very decent number of clean and original examples can be found on today’s vintage parts market.

At times referred to in the catalogues of yesteryear as Golden Tone pickups, the colloquial term ‘gold foil’ is more commonly applied, due to the metal-coloured protective/decorative plastic shim so often seen on their covers. However, as pickup consultant Curtis Novak explains, this term is not exclusive to pickups of this particular appearance.

“Oddly enough, the early [DeArmond] 50s pickups are often called gold foils, but they didn’t use the gold-coloured [cover] until a bit later on,” says Curtis. “There’s hardly any difference between the early Stratotone pickups – sometimes called the ‘Hershey bar’ pickup because of its smooth, silver-coloured top – and the later gold foils. The coil was the same, although they were wound with a lower resistance.