Pinch Harmonics / Harmonics-- pickup building techniques

[David Schwab]

I suppose a better way to ask the question is what, if any, hand winding techniques would aid in making the humbucker "brighter"--ie more treble. I always thought that offsetting the coils allowed less cancellation of higher frequencies, which it seems you agree with, David. But short of that, I was trying to see if there was anything else I could do.

A lot depends on the guitar too.

With regard to the scatter, out of curiosity BareKnuckle pickups say that their humbuckers are scatterwound--which confuses me, since you said that humbuckers aren't usually scatterwound. Why, out of curiosity?

Well, maybe that's how they wind them. I don't wind mine that way. And since many humbuckers are machine wound, it's safe to assume they aren't scatter wound either.

I realize the EVH or "Evenly Voiced Harmonics" was all a marketing tool and really meant nothing. That said, it is a medium output (about 9.1k) PAF pickup wound with 42 gauge PE wire. I happen to really like the tone of that pickup. Short of kidnapping Seymour Duncan or MJ, I doubt we'll never know what the exact formula is that helps the pickup achieve that tone. But, for some reason, that particular pickup really taps into both mid and trebles...and harmonics really ring through. I'd love to emulate that.

So wind a pickup like that. My first PAF test winds had the standard 5,000 turns per coil, and produced bright pickups with a nice snappy top end. I guess they were about 8k. You can push that a little. I have a Dimarzio Al DiMeola pickup that I like a lot. It's about 10k, using dual rows of hex had poles and an Alnico 5 magnet. It's loud enough, but not muddy or thin.

I like to wind hot humbuckers that are bright like single coils. I guess kind of like Bill Lawrence did. I really dislike dark sounding pickups.

[jschweid]

A lot depends on the guitar too.
Well, maybe that's how they wind them. I don't wind mine that way. And since many humbuckers are machine wound, it's safe to assume they aren't scatter wound either.

So wind a pickup like that. My first PAF test winds had the standard 5,000 turns per coil, and produced bright pickups with a nice snappy top end. I guess they were about 8k. You can push that a little. I have a Dimarzio Al DiMeola pickup that I like a lot. It's about 10k, using dual rows of hex had poles and an Alnico 5 magnet. It's loud enough, but not muddy or thin.

I like to wind hot humbuckers that are bright like single coils. I guess kind of like Bill Lawrence did. I really dislike dark sounding pickups.

I tend to like a brighter pickup as well. Have found that the coil offset has helped me achieve that a little better. I really appreciate the input.

[Mick Bailey]

I've recently had an Ibanez RG1550M in for repair that completely knocked me over for harmonics. Doesn't matter how much gain or whereabouts on the neck - this guitar sings. So much so it's difficult to play it straight without every note getting a harmonic.

How much can be attributed to the pickups, I can't say. It has a Bare knuckle 'Holy Diver' in the bridge position, and an SD P-rails in the neck. The middle is a Dimarzio something. So, pretty different pickups and a wide range of sounds, but all with a harmonic richness I've only ever heard other people get, such as Satriani and Jan Cyrka.

The one thing that gets me is just how much acoustic resonance the guitar has. The trem had been blocked, so that will help a little. But I think it's the whole package. Maybe change one thing and it wouldn't work the same.