Stimer's history (short)

jazzz

A short story I wrote on Stimer pickup history, based on Nicolas Pellet website (Jean Guen's grandson) Christian's website (Yves Guen's son) and Christian's Youtube interview. I've tried to compress all the history into all major milestones to get an idea on the company's direction.

As guitarists pushed for more volume and a clearer, more controllable sound than microphones and early piezo and contact solutions could deliver, French radio engineer Jean Guen and his brother Yves Guen began experimenting with magnetic pickup technology.

In 1945, Jean opened a small radio workshop at 39 rue d’Alençon in Courbevoie. Early experiments included the P46 and R46 pickup prototypes.

A major turning point came with Django Reinhardt. In 1947, after his 1946 US tour, Django asked Yves to look into creating a pickup that could give him a more electric voice while still playing his acoustic Selmer-Maccaferri guitar. Django’s request helped shape the direction of Stimer.

Their collaboration evolved into the first industrial, mass-produced Stimer pickup, the ST48, introduced in 1948. Using a Stimer ST48 paired with a Stimer M12 amplifier, Django became the most influential early ambassador for the Stimer sound, helping popularize the amplified tone heard in his later recordings.

In 1951, Stimer introduced a no-drill alternative for guitarists who wanted amplification without modifying their instrument, the S51. It refined the concept into the iconic “monkey on a stick” rod system: a clamp anchors behind the bridge while a sliding rod suspends the pickup above the top. This also allows positioning between neck and bridge to shape response and harmonics. The design is compatible with most archtops and Selmer-style acoustic guitars.

In 1958, the Guen brothers ended their collaboration. Jean pursued other projects in French electronics and musical gear under Garen and Shade, while Yves retained the Stimer business and continued production until his death in 1986 and then continued by his son Christian until 1996. Pickups produced after the brother's split can be recognized by the “Yves Guen” trademark added in small print to the Stimer hardware.

Decades later, the Stimer sound continues to inspire builders and players. Modern reissues and faithful replicas remain a staple in gypsy jazz for that bright, direct attack and unmistakable “Django-era” color, with its unique and vibrant tone.

In 2014, Christian resumed production, now under his father's name Yves Guen. The Stimer name is no longer mentioned on his pickups, since the Stimer trademark is currently registered by another company.

Buco

Do we know if the design of the pickup itself changed at all between the 48 and 51 models? I always thought they had a different sound.

jazzz

According to Christian the only difference is that the S51 has a separate volume control instead of being integrated. However, every Stimer was assembled by hand where the coil was spun by hand, so all Stimers differ in sound individually.

I've had over a dozen vintage Stimers so far and I can confirm this.

Buco

Thank you, that makes sense. I especially liked the S51 sound of Dupont reissues for some reason. I thought it had more chime-y sound to it. Only years later I learned about the controversy of Dupont registering expired Stimer trademark. That made me less of a fan.