Soapbar bass pickups!

[LowNote]

I'll keep that in mind...thanks

LowNote

[big_teee]

I wound another neck Soapbar Humbucker for my SR300L.
This one is wound with the 41SPN, and It mic'd .030".
I wound two coils with approximately 4000 turns per coil, Dcr is 2600 ohms per coil.
The neck pickup has better clarity with the 41 gauge wire.
I like the Sound of the low notes better with the bigger wire.
I may try another neck pickup bumped up to 4250 turns per coil with the 41 gauge.
That will be a full coil.
The bridge coil is wound around 5500 turns per coil with 42SPN.
It sounds good wound to those specs in the Bridge position.
TBC
T

[big_teee]

I made a couple more neck pickups.
It appears getting the perfect neck bass pickup is right there with trying to get the perfect bridge pickup in a guitar.
I took out the 41SPN, and put in a 42HPN pickup.
I took out the 42HPN and put in a 38 SPN Neck P/U with full coils.
All sound good, but all different.
So far I think I like the 41SPN the best.
I may tear up the 38, and rebuild it to another 41 with a bit more wire.
Getting real close.
TBC
T

[big_teee]

Here is my latest bass pickup attempt in a Soapbar.
I was inspired after rewinding the mustang bass pickups.
So I thought I would try something in that regard in a soapbar.
It is a combination P-bass, J-bass, and Mustang bass pickup assembly.
I already see some things I will do different on the next one.
I will glue it, pot it and test it tomorrow.
T
** Also add that it is hum canceling like a P-bass, & it uses A5 Alnico Magnets.

[big_teee]

I tested it today, before potting to see if it was viable or if it needs to be scrapped.
It sounded pretty good, and the humbucking was adequate, also I liked the Tone of the Alnico 5s.
The issue I didn't really think through is even though there are two coils in series, there is only one coil per string.
One coil for the G, & D, and one coil for the A, & E.
My bridge pickup is a true humbucker with 2 coils per string, and it is much louder than the split P.
So I'm going to make a Double J, that will fit right in the soapbar cover.
With tall bobbins, with Alnico magnets, I think the Double J-bass bobbins will be what I'm looking for, and still look like a Soapbar to match the Ibanez SR300L decore!
TBC,
T
Edit Note**
I made the Double J, it is OK but a bit dark sounding, and still low in volume compared to the ceramics.
So far the Ceramic Humbuckers win, and get my vote.
But, I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't tried the Alinico Rods.

[big_teee]

Still trying to master the Sidewinder, and this is my latest attempt, in a soapbar Sidewinder.
This one has the ceramic inside bobbin magnets, and 3 blades, one in the middle and one on each side.
Hoping the 3 blade model will increase the output.
If I don't like it, I can remove the 2 side blades.
Here are pics of it un-assembled!
Next I will assemble it, pot it, and put in my Ibby SR300L Neck position.
I also wound the bobbins pretty full of 43 SPN, shooting for a less muddy gibson style mudbucker. lol

[big_teee]

I finally came up with a sidewinder I like.
I Used thin blades, more turns, and instead of one sensing blade, I like it with 3 blades.
This Sidewinder design is not muddy, but still has as much output as a regular humbucker.
I like it. so far so good.
It has plenty of signal strength, not muddy, good hum canceling, and IMO good tone!
It is very quiet!
Finally!
So to Recap!
I came up with 3 viable pickups for bass soapbars, that I like.
1. standard Humbuckers with Ceramic magnets in the bobbins.
2. Double J-bobbin Humbucker, built in a soapbar cover.
3. Sidewinder using the ceramic magnets in the bobbins, and 3 thin blades, wound with 43 AWG wire.
T

[Rodent]

congrats on the sidewinder working out

it's on my list of pickups to eventually play with, but probably not something I'm going to get to anytime soon.

R

[big_teee]

It passed the day after test. I'm still surprised how good it sounds.
Until this attempt, all of my other sidewinders, were marginal at best.
The EB-0 I worked on earlier, helped me understand how they work.
I'm going to move this sidewinder from the neck to the bridge, and build another for the neck.
I will back the turns count off of the new one for the neck, some.
T

[big_teee]

Anyone tried these?
The 3 blade is IMO a worth while venture.
I have made 3 of these so far, have been experimenting with turns, and wire size.
I think I like the 42, better than the 43.
Also been experimenting with the blades.
The 3 blades do darken the tone, compared to a one blade, but the extra output is IMO worth it.
So I try to keep the blades as short and narrow as possible.
This keeps the mass size down, helping to keep the right amount of Eddie currents.
Has been a fun experiment, I'm still tweaking on them.
T

[Joe Gwinn]

The 3 blades do darken the tone, compared to a one blade, but the extra output is IMO worth it.
So I try to keep the blades as short and narrow as possible.
This keeps the mass size down, helping to keep the right amount of Eddy currents.

For sidewinders, blade thickness has little effect on eddy currents. Number of blades does matter - three blades will impose three times the eddy current load that a single blade imposes.

What does have a big effect on eddy current load of a single blade is to cut the blade into pieces. For instance, if a blade is 3" by 0.5", cut into two bladelets, each being 1.5" by 0.5". Or three bladelets each being 1" by 0.5", and so on. The bladelets should either not touch each other or should touch in at most one place between neighboring bladelets, and are arranged to approximate the coverage of the original uncut blade.

The intent is to confine circular currents to smaller and smaller areas.

[big_teee]

Joe, None of that sounds practical.
They Sound good, and I'm about done.

[David Schwab]

I think the three blades also darken the tone because they are now picking up a wider section of string.

[David Schwab]

Anyone tried these?

Yep. lol

[big_teee]

I figured DS has tried them, don't figure too many stones unturned in the bass P/U world. lol
I've been experimenting with blade size, and shortening, and making them narrower.
I sure like the way the 3 blades give a stronger signal.