What neck humbuckers sound best wired parallel?

[zionstrat]

Re: What neck humbuckers sound best wired parallel?

Wrong form factor, but a cool rail parallel to itself is one of my favorite Duncan tones

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk

[NoOnesFang13]

Re: What neck humbuckers sound best wired parallel?

I’ve been wanting to thin out my Sentient a bit. Has anybody tried parallel with a pickup like that?

I have a Sentient 7 and i actually prefer the sound in parallel, much better for clean IMO

[ItsaBass]

Re: What neck humbuckers sound best wired parallel?

If you're going to run it in parallel mode, you are lowering the apparent output by way of changing the e.q. significantly. Pickups you might think of as high output pickups don't seem like high output pickups when wired in parallel...and low or medium output pickups can seem to thin when wired in parallel.

That said, a PGn in parallel sounding unclear should not be the case. That should be a very clean, modest output sound, kind of Fender-ish, actually...especially on a Strat, with it's snappier sounding scale length. Are you sure you are getting what you think you're getting in position 4? It seems you'd have much more of a problem with position 5, which is the PGn with series coils.

[ErikH]

Re: What neck humbuckers sound best wired parallel?

Clearly your output requirements exceed mine by quite a bit then. I have gobs of available gain at the amp(s) when I want it, so what's important to me is a solid, flexible base clean tone that'll work with Fender or Marshall amps. I have the Landry LS100G3 and the Friedman when I need to melt things.

I can't get the type of clean tone I want with most high output pickups, the Custom series and Bill Lawrence being the exceptions.

I have varying degrees of pickups, from a P-90 to the Super Distortions. Don't get my wrong, I like a clean neck pickup, that's why I wired it in parallel. My wife got me a Dean Chicago Series ML and it came stock with 2 Super Distortions. It's a bit hot for me in the neck even with it lowered down a good way, so I wired it in parallel. Problem solved. Lower output, cleaner sound, but not weak by any means.

One of my frankenstrats has 2 Screamin' Demons and that's about perfect in the neck in series. Not too hot, and plenty of cut.

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: What neck humbuckers sound best wired parallel?

I haven't found a vintage to medium output pickup that has enough output in parallel to be useful. My favorite in parallel is the Super Distortion, hands down. The way it is wound with the extra thick magnet makes it about perfect for split and parallel operation while still having enough output. Parallel mode still sounds relatively full and is great in the neck. For something in the lower output classes, I would stick with series/split and ignore parallel altogether. My .02 cents.

I had the same conclusions about the Super Distortion some months back when i tried it in parallel in the bridge position. I had it set up in a Triple Shot so i was able to A and B parallel mode and in series quickly and essily. I actually preferred that pickup in parallel mode over series - even for high gain. In series it was too "thick" for my tastes.

[ItsaBass]

Re: What neck humbuckers sound best wired parallel?

I have varying degrees of pickups, from a P-90 to the Super Distortions. Don't get my wrong, I like a clean neck pickup, that's why I wired it in parallel. My wife got me a Dean Chicago Series ML and it came stock with 2 Super Distortions. It's a bit hot for me in the neck even with it lowered down a good way, so I wired it in parallel. Problem solved. Lower output, cleaner sound, but not weak by any means.

One of my frankenstrats has 2 Screamin' Demons and that's about perfect in the neck in series. Not too hot, and plenty of cut.

Interesting.

I own a 35th Anniversary ML, which was a limited edition of 150, that later entered production with the same specs...as your guitar, the Chicago Flame ML.

It's quite a bit nicer over a standard ML. "Real" DiMarzios, ebony board, hard case included.

Now, normally, I find hot pickups to be too muddy through my low wattage 12-15 W combo amps (far more muddy amps than most people use). I can't stand a JB or anything of that sort. Totally useless.

But the Super Distortions on my ML are awesome. Thick without being muddy...even in the neck position. Somehow spicy and clear all at the same time. Only hot neck pickup I've ever been able to stand.

[ErikH]

Re: What neck humbuckers sound best wired parallel?

Interesting.

I own a 35th Anniversary ML, which was a limited edition of 150, that later entered production with the same specs...as your guitar, the Chicago Flame ML.

It's quite a bit nicer over a standard ML. "Real" DiMarzios, ebony board, hard case included.

Now, normally, I find hot pickups to be too muddy through my low wattage 12-15 W combo amps (far more muddy amps than most people use). I can't stand a JB or anything of that sort. Totally useless.

But the Super Distortions on my ML are awesome. Thick without being muddy...even in the neck position. Somehow spicy and clear all at the same time. Only hot neck pickup I've ever been able to stand.

My ML has "real" DiMarzios as well. It's from this run, https://www.deanguitars.com/chicago_standard.php. The pickups are stamped "DiMarzio Pickups" "Made in U.S.A." with the DP100CRU OEM sticker. There are a few spec differences between the Standard and Flame series but the pickups are the same.

I had a Fender Japanese Contemporary Telecaster that I threw dual Super Distortions in to and had the mini-toggle wired up to put the bridge in parallel. That sounded really cool with plenty of fullness in it still.

[freefrog]

Re: What neck humbuckers sound best wired parallel?

Wrong form factor, but a cool rail parallel to itself is one of my favorite Duncan tones

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk

+1 on this one: a Cool Rails in parallel is a good way to mimic a Fender single coil without the noise. :-)

+1 also about the Super Distortion: with 6.7H of inductance and a double thick magnet, it's beefy enough to sound strong in parallel (in which case it's not without recalling the specs of a FilterTron, BTW).

[zionstrat]

Re: What neck humbuckers sound best wired parallel?

+1 also about the Super Distortion: with 6.7H of inductance and a double thick magnet, it's beefy enough to sound strong in parallel (in which case it's not without recalling the specs of a FilterTron, BTW).

Freefrog, off topic are you saying that in paralle its close enough that to get a convincing filtertron from super distortion in parallel or were you just noting that the specs are similar? if it really gets filtronic I've got an immediate project I could use that on and would appreciate any input especially clips.



Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk

[freefrog]

Re: What neck humbuckers sound best wired parallel?

Freefrog, off topic are you saying that in paralle its close enough that to get a convincing filtertron from super distortion in parallel or were you just noting that the specs are similar? if it really gets filtronic I've got an immediate project I could use that on and would appreciate any input especially clips.

Hi Zionstrat, I was thinking about the overall inductance & DCR, and to some physical specs: brass BP, symetrical coils with 12 identical pole pieces in each case... Not to mention that I currently own and use a P90 sized Super Distortion, whose small coils recall those of a FT.

Now, honestly, I've never tried to mimic precisely a Filtertron with a (regular) SD in parallel. But on the basis of the specs (and if we forget the slightly wider "magnetic windows" of a PAF sized HB), I tend to think that it could come relatively close, even though it might require a few minor mods - unscrewing the poles to make them protude above the coils, adding an open metallic cover, if not swapping the ceramic mag for two stacked AlNiCo bars...

If time permits, I'll try to compare the TV Jones Classic's that I have in a LP with the aforementioned P90 sized SD wired in parallel and I'll let you know the result. :-)

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: What neck humbuckers sound best wired parallel?

Hi Zionstrat, I was thinking about the overall inductance & DCR, and to some physical specs: brass BP, symetrical coils with 12 identical pole pieces in each case... Not to mention that I currently own and use a P90 sized Super Distortion, whose small coils recall those of a FT.

Now, honestly, I've never tried to mimic precisely a Filtertron with a (regular) SD in parallel. But on the basis of the specs (and if we forget the slightly wider "magnetic windows" of a PAF sized HB), I tend to think that it could come relatively close, even though it might require a few minor mods - unscrewing the poles to make them protude above the coils, adding an open metallic cover, if not swapping the ceramic mag for two stacked AlNiCo bars...

If time permits, I'll try to compare the TV Jones Classic's that I have in a LP with the aforementioned P90 sized SD wired in parallel and I'll let you know the result. :-)

Do you know of anybody that makes a toaster-style cover to fit the P90 size SuperD? That'd be super cool.

[zionstrat]

Re: What neck humbuckers sound best wired parallel?

Hi Zionstrat, I was thinking about the overall inductance & DCR, and to some physical specs: brass BP, symetrical coils with 12 identical pole pieces in each case... Not to mention that I currently own and use a P90 sized Super Distortion, whose small coils recall those of a FT.

Now, honestly, I've never tried to mimic precisely a Filtertron with a (regular) SD in parallel. But on the basis of the specs (and if we forget the slightly wider "magnetic windows" of a PAF sized HB), I tend to think that it could come relatively close, even though it might require a few minor mods - unscrewing the poles to make them protude above the coils, adding an open metallic cover, if not swapping the ceramic mag for two stacked AlNiCo bars...

If time permits, I'll try to compare the TV Jones Classic's that I have in a LP with the aforementioned P90 sized SD wired in parallel and I'll let you know the result. :-)

Thank you so much!

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk

[freefrog]

Re: What neck humbuckers sound best wired parallel?

Do you know of anybody that makes a toaster-style cover to fit the P90 size SuperD? That'd be super cool.

Yes it would be cool! I've not dug this question but as their narrow coils are not wider than strings spacing, P90 sized DiMarzio's should cooperate with various regular covers... if memory serves me, they fit nicely in a Guild/Fender mini HB cover, for example. I guess they would accept a regular FT cover with an H shaped slot (just like TV Jones can be covered with plastic P90 style frames).
BTW, the spacing of their coil retainer screws, below their baseplate, also allows to mount P90 sized DM's on regular (wider) HB baseplates. It creates a gap between coils and it changes their coupling but it's doable if needed, IME. FWIW. :-)