I built smaller, under-wound "Wide Range Humbucker"

[Bradley Perry]

I made this to try and get something similar to a strat neck pickup sound, but without hum. I absolutely LOVE how it sounds! I'm gonna to try a few more winds with this architecture, starting with a bridge pickup that mates well with it. Here are the specs.

Magnets: Threaded A5 rods
Resistance: 6.2 K
Inductance: 2.6 H
Wire: 42 AWG SPN
Wound purely by hand (takes 8 hours)

[Mark Hammer]

Not meant as a criticism of any kind, but the Fender WRH had specific types of polepieces, bobbins, etc. That your humbucker build has a wider frequency respone, and a tone you find appealing, is one thing. But you probably want to differentiate this is a manner that does not lead people into thinking you're claiming to have replicated the original Fender product.

[Bradley Perry]

Not meant as a criticism of any kind, but the Fender WRH had specific types of polepieces, bobbins, etc. That your humbucker build has a wider frequency respone, and a tone you find appealing, is one thing. But you probably want to differentiate this is a manner that does not lead people into thinking you're claiming to have replicated the original Fender product.

I figured between saying it was "smaller, under-wound" and the following description would make it pretty clear its not a clone. For example, people call all kinds of P-90 architecture pickups "P-90's" regardless of the wind, magnet type, ect. Do you address everyone you see that mentions a P-90 the way you did with me? Its not like I'm trying to claim its something its not, and something I don't want it to be. I figured that was pretty easy to figure out from my post. Apparently not, so I'll change the title and add in the magnet type I forgot.

I made this to try and get something similar to a strat neck pickup sound, but without hum.
Resistance: 6.2 K
Inductance: 2.6 H
Wire: 42 AWG SPN

[copperheadroads]

Nice job congrats ,rods are quite bright I would suggest winding in the 4700 to 5000 turns per bobbin for the bright spanky neck tone with a little bottom .

[big_teee]

Another Congrats, I like it, I saw you were not making a clone!
It is a Custom Pickup, and meets your expectations!
Good Job!
T

[Mike Sulzer]

Not meant as a criticism of any kind, but the Fender WRH had specific types of polepieces, bobbins, etc. That your humbucker build has a wider frequency respone, and a tone you find appealing, is one thing. But you probably want to differentiate this is a manner that does not lead people into thinking you're claiming to have replicated the original Fender product.

"without the hum", he wrote. He is not trying to duplicate the Fender WRH; he is referring to a single coil pickup.

chr brought up an interesting point, that is, three rods per pickup. This avoids the spaced sampling (two per string) which results in filtering out the highest "picking" harmonics on the bass strings. No reason to think that bp wants to do that, though. He is experimenting to get the sound he wants.

[mr fab]

Nice job congrats ,rods are quite bright I would suggest winding in the 4700 to 5000 turns per bobbin for the bright spanky neck tone with a little bottom .& the WR humbuckers had 3 rods per coil 3 slug per coil .kind of a split humbucker ,that should get you a little closer to the WR tone .

sorry to contradict you, but as I recall, the fender WR humbucker had ferrous threaded magnets in all 6 positions in both bobbins, with 3 on each bobbin flipped so the slotted head was not visible for 3 of them

and leo replicated this in his stingray and sabre pickups for musicman, with the exception that he used alnico magnets and wired the coils in parallel, instead of the usual series connection associated with humbuckers

[Chuck H]

You can also fudge into some asymmetry on the coil windings and trade some hum for a more open sound. Totally worth it if you like that sort of thing. I've modified pickups this way with happy results. If I were after a single coil sound this is where I'd go. So, not a full on humbucker anymore, but a lot less hummy that a single coil.

[copperheadroads]

sorry to contradict you, but as I recall, the fender WR humbucker had ferrous threaded magnets in all 6 positions in both bobbins, with 3 on each bobbin flipped so the slotted head was not visible for 3 of them

and leo replicated this in his stingray and sabre pickups for musicman, with the exception that he used alnico magnets and wired the coils in parallel, instead of the usual series connection associated with humbuckers

Sorry about that , I stand corrected .
I fixed my post ..

[Bradley Perry]

You can also fudge into some asymmetry on the coil windings and trade some hum for a more open sound. Totally worth it if you like that sort of thing. I've modified pickups this way with happy results. If I were after a single coil sound this is where I'd go. So, not a full on humbucker anymore, but a lot less hummy that a single coil.

I actually made two of these...the first one had one coil at 3.6K and the other at 2.4K...this 2nd one I wound the coils to 3.2K and 3.0K. I like asymmetrical coils on humbuckers as well, although I think I'm going to take the 6 staggered rods route with future tweaks.

chr brought up an interesting point, that is, three rods per pickup. This avoids the spaced sampling (two per string) which results in filtering out the highest "picking" harmonics on the bass strings. No reason to think that bp wants to do that, though. He is experimenting to get the sound he wants.

That is actually one of the things I tried after installing it, and the best single coil type tones I've gotten out of it so far. That is also "somewhat" of what I had in mind when I wound the neck coil .2K hotter than the bridge side coil...Since I knew if I removed 6 rods that the high ones would be a bit further from the neck and therefore weaker/brighter.

Anyway...I'm loving this thing so far!! A lot of fun. I'm considering doing one like this in another one of my guitars.

[fieldwrangler]

I'll be this thing just plain Sounds Good.

However, count me among the folks who think that all the stuff you do to avoid the dreaded "two point equal pickup" effect of conventional humbuckers is a very good idea.

[Bradley Perry]

Prototype number two will begin tonight! The new one will have a 3 pole per bobbin layout, along with a corresponding cover so the missing pole pieces aren't visible.

[Bradley Perry]

Prototype number two will begin tonight! The new one will have a 3 pole per bobbin layout, along with a corresponding cover so the missing pole pieces aren't visible.

[Jason Rodgers]

Had to do a little reading up on the original Fender WRH. So, was it mainly the CuNiFe threaded magnets that gave it a different flavor? And what is the 3x3 up/down coil pole configuration doing to the flux profile that's so special? Or was it just the whole package - magnets, base plate, cover - that differentiated it from the Gibson product, and that was what Lover was shooting for, and hooray that people liked it?

[mr fab]

as you well know, everything in a pickup has an affect. whether the cunife mags are critical to the design, i really don't think so if you are aiming to get into the ballpark tonally. as i said earlier, leo later designed the musicman stingray and sabre pickups using a similar config; albeit with larger poles and they sound great, much like WR pups. i make a higher output pup with alnico5 poles and it sound great, plenty of punch and still plenty of highs

also; i think mr lollar make a WR pup with alnico magnets