Fidelis Monkey on a Stick (Affe auf einem Stock?) pickup questions

murrayatuptowngaller

Hello:

I bought a guitar from a friend equipped with a Fidelis pickup (with a blue logo) mounted somewhat like a DeArmond Rhythm Chief/Guitar Mic. He said it was German, from 1930's. It works, sounds good, but the tiny pots are in rough shape. RCA phono jack output like Yves Guen, etc.

I have found only random forum discussions via Google, I thought here, but not today, and not with the search tool on this site.

Does anyone know of someone familiar with what lies within? I'm not ready to just jump in without a bit of research.

Thank you

murrayatuptowngaller

I just refilled the humidifier

billyshakes

Nice looking guitar! Is it a carved top? Do I see a label peeking out through the f-hole? Tell us more!

Buco

That's a great find. Are you saying the guitar is German from the 30s, or the pickup? I'd use the contact cleaner on the potentiometers before doing anything else.

ChrisMartin

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/120276#Comment_120276

I read it as meaning the pickup is German.

The guitar looks to me like it was probably made by Gerome.

murrayatuptowngaller

Yes, Gerome, France.

Fidelis pickup is allegedly German.

There is a blue-ink Gerome label and another green-ink label mostly overlaying the Gerome one but only glued in the center spot and crooked...like it slipped while glue was still wet and landed there. The upper label looks like it might have been for a retailer/distributor becausevit says nothing about Gerome.

I can't see or photograph enough through smallish f-holes with a phone.

I have a fiber-optic inspection borescope that Bluetooths camera data to a phone...if could find it...found the empty box, so it's free-ranging around somewhere. Unfortunately it looks like a black cable so I won't recognize it until it's at my fingertips.

murrayatuptowngaller

Brother of the prior owner says someone appears to have put foam inside the control box for some genius reason. I just resigned myself to no immediate action. Might not be able to access pots as first step. Removal from string afterlengths and pickup intimacy with top under strings...

I hadn't thought about it until now that I hope it's not expanding foam.

I will ask the guy who reinstalled it for more detail because it's kind of a don't start unless you can complete project. I don't even know where any of my horizontal workspaces are. Its on a couch right now.

I could lift the flapping top label with a chopstick to see ...de Guitars Gerom(all I could see).

Here's what I can access of the upper label (no added value?)

murrayatuptowngaller

Oh yeah, more BluTak than I would have personally dared between the pickup & top.

Just found 2nd, different, 'music store label' on back

ChrisMartin

Yeah, makes sense.

Made by Rene Gerome in Mirecourt, probably 1940s.

Sold through the shop owned by Leon Agel (1910-1999) songwriter, musician, music publisher and purveyor of fine musical instruments.

A quality guitar, worth a proper restoration.

Nice find.

murrayatuptowngaller

Two Germans tell me they know of and can find no German companies or logos like that and RCA phono jacks were extremely uncommon there until approx. 1970's.

So it may been misidentified. Nein.

ChrisMartin

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/120375#Comment_120375

I did wonder about the name Fidelis, Latin for fidelity, being a German brand. Is Latin widely used in Germany? More likely Italian or possibly even French maybe?