Just put together a split coil 'bucker the other day

[Chris Turner]

7000 winds on each bobbin, about 5.5K per coil, 1/2" X 1" X 1/8" neo mags powering 1/4" dia. X 3/4" metal dowel poles. This is sitting right about where the bridge-side coil would be on a Musicman Stingray.

[David King]

Chris ,
I'm getting a lot of distortion on the low notes, not sure if that's my speaker or input levels set too hot at your end. It sounds pretty nice otherwise.

Do the steel pole pieces go through both coils or just the string-sensing top coil with the magnets sandwiched between the top and bottom coils?

[Chris Turner]

Chris ,
I'm getting a lot of distortion on the low notes, not sure if that's my speaker or input levels set too hot at your end. It sounds pretty nice otherwise.

Do the steel pole pieces go through both coils or just the string-sensing top coil with the magnets sandwiched between the top and bottom coils?

It's probably the way I recorded it... not sure. I used a Lightsnake direct into Audacity. I really know next to nothing about recording like this, so I'm sure my input levels are messed up.

This is actually a split coil along the lines of a P-bass. 2 strings per coil.

[David King]

Thanks Chris, I see now that you wrote "split" and I read "stacked" sorry for my confusion. You'll just have to do the stacked prototype next I guess.

Good luck getting the levels set, I'll look forward to the next samples.

[David Schwab]

It's probably the way I recorded it... not sure. I used a Lightsnake direct into Audacity.

It sounds like your signal is being loaded down. SoundTech doesn't list the input impedance on the LightSnake, but it sounds too low from the sound of your recording. As with your last audio clip, the highs are muted and the lows are over emphasized.

You might want to try a better audio interface, one made for high impedance guitar signals, or try running through an effect pedal like a compressor first. Pedals that don't feature "true bypass" will buffer your signal even in bypass mode, which should give you a clear bright tone.

[Chris Turner]

It sounds like your signal is being loaded down. SoundTech doesn't list the input impedance on the LightSnake, but it sounds too low from the sound of your recording. As with your last audio clip, the highs are muted and the lows are over emphasized.

You might want to try a better audio interface, one made for high impedance guitar signals, or try running through an effect pedal like a compressor first. Pedals that don't feature "true bypass" will buffer your signal even in bypass mode, which should give you a clear bright tone.

Ah ha... that's probably it!

I'm gonna try plugging into my amp and then plug the LightSnake into the headphone out. That should be buffered, right?

[David Schwab]

Ah ha... that's probably it!

I'm gonna try plugging into my amp and then plug the LightSnake into the headphone out. That should be buffered, right?

That will do it.

[Chris Turner]

Right on, David!

Here's a re-recorded clip of the split coil pickup in the same position.

[David Schwab]

Right on, David!

Here's a re-recorded clip of the split coil pickup in the same position.

There you go! That sounds more like it! Nice sounding pickup.

I do a lot of playing plugged directly into a Roland mixer that has a hi-z guitar input. So I recently finished a prototype guitar humbucker, and was testing it out. The design was indented to be loud, but bright, like a Lawrence L-500. instead I got this really dark tone. It was making me crazy. I checked the controls and even disconnected the tone pot.

Then I looked and saw I was plugged into the line in jack and not the instruments jack... D'Oh! That made the same difference as you running through the amp did.

[Chris Turner]

Just for fun, I wound another split coil much the same as the first. This one's got about 6800 winds on each coil, and reads about 4K with coils in series. I just realized that I mis-typed in the original post... the pickup is about 2.75K per coil, not 5.5K like I said. It's 5.5K total.

I've got this big swimming pool route in my bass, so I put the 2 pickups in the Rickenbacker 4003 positions (4KOhm in the neck position, and the 5.5KOhm in the bridge position). The clip goes neck/bridge/both: 2_split_coils_ric_like.mp3