New idea for HB?

[mr fab]

Good point... I think that SD or DiM makes a humbucker-sized pickup that is both a HB and a P90 (my favorite single coil pickup- sorry, Leo!)

Steve Ahola

P.S. About 35 years ago I thought my SD Broadcaster pu was too thick so I tried unwinding a few hundred wraps (I was not a pickup winder but an unwinder!) I had done this before but I managed to doze off, dropping the pickup and tearing the leads, never to make it whole again, so I unwrapped the coil wire and used it to add wraps by hand to existing pickups, often as selectable taps. I "created" a tele bridge with taps at 7.5k, 8.5k and 9.5k that was my favorite for years. (I did not think it was possible for a mere human to create a pickup from scratch.)

So I do like the idea of tapped pickups...

I make many different types of tapped pickups and I love them... and many of my clients do too. yes, the outer coil does have some effect on the sound of the inner, but I have managed to deal with that. its taken much work and piles of wire to get it right, but I am happy with the results.

[Mike Sulzer]

But surely the distance between the tops of the coils/slugs/blades matters? Or else dual-rails pickups would sound the same as PAFs.

Yes, it determines which string harmonics tend to cancel and which tend to reinforce. That is one factor in the sound. Resonant frequency and Q is certainly another.

[Mike Sulzer]

I make a splittable Humbucker pickup with alnico rod magnets that is made like two strat Single coils.
I have one in a HSS strat, and the Splitable coil is 8500 turns 42PE, and when split hum cancels in pos. 2 & 4 like a regular RWRP Single Coil.
The magnets used are 4/2 A3/A5 rod magnets, Nice highs , and strong lows on the E & A.
Split it sounds just like a regular strat SC, in HB mode it is a strong overwound humbucker, great for rock and blues.
I like humbuckers in split mode, but IME think tapped coils, don't have enough benefit, to justify the extra work, and switches.
T

I think that is an excellent solution, both the HB/SC pickup and the whole instrument. And if that hum bucker does not sound just like a PAF, so what? It is not in an LP, but rather in a strat. It complements the SC sounds.

[big_teee]

I think that is an excellent solution, both the HB/SC pickup and the whole instrument. And if that hum bucker does not sound just like a PAF, so what? It is not in an LP, but rather in a strat. It complements the SC sounds.

Thanks, and the reason I did it was a regular PAF pickup did not sound or blend well IMO, with the neck and middle single coils.
I wanted a pickup in SC split mode, to sound like a regular SC, and this pickup does this very well.
In Humbucker mode it sounds fine clean, but really drives a tube amp.
T

[Mark Hammer]

And that's just it. There is nothing implicitly wrong or misguided about seeking to replicate two classic sounds in one pickup. But there is also nothing misguided or wrong about experimenting with different pickup designs that result in novel and musically useful sounds.

[big_teee]

I agree, that there is room for all kinds of pickup options.
That is why we call them custom pickups.
I just know what works for me, and I shy away from designs that IME have diminishing returns.
For me most Tapped, and Stacked pickups fall in that category!
But, if you like them go for it!
T

[Richard]

Good point... I think that SD or DiM makes a humbucker-sized pickup that is both a HB and a P90 (my favorite single coil pickup- sorry, Leo!)

Steve Ahola

P.S. About 35 years ago I thought my SD Broadcaster pu was too thick so I tried unwinding a few hundred wraps (I was not a pickup winder but an unwinder!) I had done this before but I managed to doze off, dropping the pickup and tearing the leads, never to make it whole again, so I unwrapped the coil wire and used it to add wraps by hand to existing pickups, often as selectable taps. I "created" a tele bridge with taps at 7.5k, 8.5k and 9.5k that was my favorite for years. (I did not think it was possible for a mere human to create a pickup from scratch.)

So I do like the idea of tapped pickups...

I have DiMarzio Virtual P90 in the neck and DLX90 neck in the bridge of a Les Paul. I would say they have a similar vibe to the alnico rod P90's that came in the guitar but they are missing some part of that single coil sound so not totally authentic. Tapped and split they sound nice as well, but again not precisely like a single coil. It's very hard for me to describe but probably a little softer sound, maybe not as much attack, and with a little less top end. I have a Strat HM that I can put the middle single coil in series with either the bridge or the neck, with the neck it's full and smoother without the extended high end like a humbucker but has a bit of a notch like single coils. An very nice sound in my ears.

[Steve A.]

I make many different types of tapped pickups and I love them... and many of my clients do too. yes, the outer coil does have some effect on the sound of the inner, but I have managed to deal with that. its taken much work and piles of wire to get it right, but I am happy with the results.

Good to hear that! Back in the old days tapped pickups were one of the few options. I just got a Yamaha SSC500 from the early 80's w/ tapped single coils, all NWNP and noisy as hell but I'm going to rewire w/ 38GA switchable dummy coil. (Jerry Garcia played an SSC800 at some gigs in Europe.)

Steve

[Steve A.]

I have DiMarzio Virtual P90 in the neck and DLX90 neck in the bridge of a Les Paul. I would say they have a similar vibe to the alnico rod P90's that came in the guitar but they are missing some part of that single coil sound so not totally authentic. Tapped and split they sound nice as well, but again not precisely like a single coil.

I have them in a guitar, too, and they are my favorite humcancelling P90 alternatives. Very interesting construction...

Steve

[Steve A.]

I agree, that there is room for all kinds of pickup options... I just know what works for me, and I shy away from designs that IME have diminishing returns.
For me most Tapped, and Stacked pickups fall in that category!

Vive la différence! With tapped pickups you never know if the customer wants a 60%, 70% or 80% tap so there is a good chance that both of you will guess wrong resulting in an unhappy customer. You are smart to avoid that headache!

I had Pete at Vintage Vibe make me a drop-in replacement for a 1949 Gibson Century 6 lap steel and he included 3 taps so I could decide which one to use. (I found out later that Jason does make these pu's. Darn...)

As for stacks I think that they would be too complicated for the smaller winders- let the big guys deal with that!

Steve

[big_teee]

I've built, and done projects on a lot of different kinds of pickups.
Single Coils
Humbuckers
Sidewinders
Split Coils
Multi-Coils
Taps
Stacks
I like them all but the last two.
Like I mentioned earlier the gains for me don't warrant the extra work.
I made a few tapped bridge pickups, they always got played on the full coil, no one ever used the taps.
Split buckers are great!
IME, Stacks are inefficient, and the bottom coil doesn't do much.
Performance wise, anything you can do with a stack, you can probably do better with a regular humbucker, or sidewinder!
There are just too many good valid designs. I don't fool with taps and stacks.
Those are my reasons for not using them.
If you like them, I'm sure you have your reasons!
Keep Rockin!
T

[mr fab]

Good to hear that! Back in the old days tapped pickups were one of the few options. I just got a Yamaha SSC500 from the early 80's w/ tapped single coils, all NWNP and noisy as hell but I'm going to rewire w/ 38GA switchable dummy coil. (Jerry Garcia played an SSC800 at some gigs in Europe.)

Steve

hehe... we must have esp... I have a Yamaha ss600 on its way; with tapped neck and bridge coils. but I bought it for the cool samurai look, more than the pickups which I suspect will be lame.

if the guitar you bought is from the super combinator series with blade pickups, these pickups are not tapped, but the switches allow phase reversal, ie each switch has 3 positions, with the middle being off and the other two being in reverse phase from each other