First Humbucker

[Dave458]

I just wound my first humbucker using a StewMac kit. I used the kit's Alnico 5 magnet and poly coated wire. I wound the coils on a Schatten winder, with 5,200 winding on one and 5,000 winding on the other. My winding technique is pretty rough, so the winds are very loose and scattered. I had a couple of stray windings sticking out when I was done so I taped over the individual coils. Resistance only read 4 ohms on my multimeter.

The pickup was installed in a Schecter Omen-6 guitar with factory tone and volume pots. With the tone control full up it is clean with good string separation, but a bit thin with lots of treble, more like a single coil. When I turn the tone control to the bass end it gets pretty mushy.

I am about to start humbucker #2, and any advice on how to get close to a real humbucker sound would be appreciated.

[Rick Turner]

4 Ohms?

You've got shorted turn(s) in there somehow on at least one coil or you're using the wrong setting on the Ohm meter.

Did you test each coil separately with your VOM?

[Dave458]

First Humbucker

No, I just measured the pickup when it was assembled. I checked with a friend who works on amps, and he did say that I could use a different setting on the meter for a more accurate reading, but by then the pickup was already installed in the guitar. Classic beginner mistakes, I guess.

[David Schwab]

Resistance only read 4 ohms on my multimeter.

It can't read 4 Ohms. Did you mean 4 KOhms per coil? Your friend needs to learn to use a multimeter.

With the tone control full up it is clean with good string separation, but a bit thin with lots of treble, more like a single coil.

That's what a real PAF type of pickup sounds like. I'm not sure why people think they are dark sounding.

Try winding one slower (no more than half way up on the speed control) and squeezing the wire a little tighter and making the coil as neat as possible.

Also offsetting the winds adds highs. You might want to try it equal winds.

[madialex]

Very thin sounding and trebly, it sounds like you have an 8K pickup wired up wrong, giving you 4K. Go to the stewmac website and it will tell you how to wire each coil together.

Here ya go


Wire type
Adjustable coil
“start” BLACK
Adjustable coil
“finish” WHITE
Slug coil
“start” BLACK
Slug coil
“finish” WHITE
Vintage push-back hookup wire
Solder to outer braid “ground”
Solder to slug coil finish (white)
Solder to inner wire “hot”
Solder to adjustable coil finish (white)
4-conductor hookup wire
Solder to black
Solder to green
Solder to red
Solder to white