Neck pickup still to bass-heavy

[Guitarist]

I swapped an A2 into a Fender 7.3K humbucker which really helped but its still too fat. Do you think running it through a .0068 cap might be a good pairing for now until I replace it?

[John_H]

Have you tried a no-load pot, or a bleeder cap?

[Guitarist]

Yes, I actually have a Volume ground lift switch installed right now. Good idea though, thanks.

[the great waldo]

What kind of humbucker is it ?

Cheers

Andrew

I swapped an A2 into a Fender 7.3K humbucker which really helped but its still too fat. Do you think running it through a .0068 cap might be a good pairing for now until I replace it?

[SkinnyWire]

IMO magnet-wise, A3 would do the most to open things up. Lower value cap will roll off less top for sure, as will higher value volume and tone pots (something like 1 Meg versus 500k, etc.).

[Guitarist]

OK thanks, I try an A3 for the Fender HB. And I'll bump that into the bridge which is a bit brittle— a SD with one coil rewound mismatched. Two steps forward, one back it seems. I got four electrics so may as well differentiate them. I suspect many pickups could be appreciated if folks just slip in these eg. Epiphone. Then again maybe not

[the great waldo]

well you didn't mention which fender humbucker it is i'll assume it's on of the new wide range models. If you want to brighten a new wide range up, take out the pole pieces and replace them with 0.630 long 0.187 alnico 2 magnets (they are a push fit) and chuck out the bar magnet. I've done quite a few of these conversions and the customers all seem very happy. There's a huge amount of wax and felt inside these pickups.

Cheers

Andrew

OK thanks, I try an A3 for the Fender HB. And I'll bump that into the bridge which is a bit brittle— a SD with one coil rewound mismatched. Two steps forward, one back it seems. I got four electrics so may as well differentiate them. I suspect many pickups could be appreciated if folks just slip in these eg. Epiphone. Then again maybe not

[Guitarist]

I don't know the exact model but have access to a spanner gauge to measure the pole pieces. Thats a good idea, thanks. Is it A5 that is sometimes plugged into the B and E spots? This might be too obvious a transition. I might in the meantime offset the magnet to "Air" it and add a .022 or .01 uF in series.

[the great waldo]

Hi Guitarist

If it's got 3 polepieces showing on one side and 3 on the otherside of the cover its a widerange humbucker. The screws are the same size as 0,187 magnets a straight push replacement. If on the other hand the pup has 6 screws in a line it's a normal humbucker with barmagnet underneath. Changing the bar magnet is easy enough, but you may have to use pot luck with another magnet as you can't be sure whats in there now.

Good Luck
Andrew

I don't know the exact model but have access to a spanner gauge to measure the pole pieces. Thats a good idea, thanks. Is it A5 that is sometimes plugged into the B and E spots? This might be too obvious a transition. I might in the meantime offset the magnet to "Air" it and add a .022 or .01 uF in series.

[SkinnyWire]

OK thanks, I try an A3 for the Fender HB. And I'll bump that into the bridge which is a bit brittle— a SD with one coil rewound mismatched. Two steps forward, one back it seems. I got four electrics so may as well differentiate them. I suspect many pickups could be appreciated if folks just slip in these eg. Epiphone. Then again maybe not

Okay?

[big_teee]

OK thanks, I try an A3 for the Fender HB. And I'll bump that into the bridge which is a bit brittle— a SD with one coil rewound mismatched. Two steps forward, one back it seems. I got four electrics so may as well differentiate them. I suspect many pickups could be appreciated if folks just slip in these eg. Epiphone. Then again maybe not

IME Neck Buckers that are too bassy or muddy, have too much wire on the coils.
If your hand guiding the wire, I would keep a neck bucker with 42 AWG below 7.4k.
The way I test a neck pickup in a guitar is to play the high strings, high like a solo.
Then I play the low E string Open and up and octave.
If you have good clarity on the high and the big strings are not muddy, You're all set.
T

[Guitarist]

OK, thanks guys. It has improved but I may wean it up yet more than .022uF...

[Mike Sulzer]

OK, thanks guys. It has improved but I may wean it up yet more than .022uF...

Why? The value of the capacitor only makes a difference when the tone pot is turned down close to zero. Otherwise the magnitude of its impedance at the relevant frequencies is much less than the resistance of the pot at its adjusted position. It effectively is not in the circuit. The common belief that the value of the capacitor makes a difference when the tone pot is on 10 is just a silly delusion not not based on analysis or listening.

[David Schwab]

Why? The value of the capacitor only makes a difference when the tone pot is turned down close to zero. Otherwise the magnitude of its impedance at the relevant frequencies is much less than the resistance of the pot at its adjusted position. It effectively is not in the circuit. The common belief that the value of the capacitor makes a difference when the tone pot is on 10 is just a silly delusion not not based on analysis or listening.

I was going to post the same thing, and then I realized he's using the cap in series to roll off low end.

[Mike Sulzer]

I was going to post the same thing, and then I realized he's using the cap in series to roll off low end.

Right, but wouldn't that be a smaller valued capacitor?