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Mini Humbuckers - options / experiences?

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  • Mini Humbuckers - options / experiences?

    Hey!

    I'm looking for a solid mini-hum neck pickup that is bright and cleans up well, but can also do smooth / singing leads with gain. I'd like it to be 4-wire. I'm ok with a firebird pickup rather than a classic epiphone / LP deluxe style mini humbucker, if that's what gets me the tones I want.

    There really aren't many mini-hum options out there, and of the ones that exist, very few seem to have good sound samples I can listen to help my search. What are your experiences with what's available?__PRESENT
    Gibson LP, Burstbucker 3 A6, 490R A4
    Gibson LP, Pearly Gates A6, Sentient A4
    Gibson LP BFG, Burstbucker A8, P90
    Gibson SG special T, GFS Crunchy Mini, Gibson mini A3
    Strat SSS, SD STK-6 , SSL1 middle, Bootstrap Sparkle Neck
    Strat HSS hardtail, Perpetual Burn A6, Bootstrap Sparkle mid/neck
    Tele, DMZ Area Hot T, Gibson Mini A3
    Tele, DMZ Pegasus A2, Gibson Mini A3
    Jackson V, SD Pegasus bridge, 490R A5
    PRS SE CU24: Air Norton A2, 490R A3

  • #2
    why 4 wire? a split mini aint great. if you need 4 wire, id go for the sm3 seymourized mini humbucker. its not a copy of the mini humbucker or a fb pup but a single magnet with steel blade poles under the cover. sounds great. if you dont actually need the 4 wire, then either of the antiquity models are fantastic. i love both the firebird and the mini-humbuckers, the fb has a bit more output and the mini is a little warmer

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    • #3
      Usually a p90 will fit so that could be an option. There are more options there than on mini's I believe.
      The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.

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      • #4
        The “problem” with mini humbuckers is they are usually a copy of a Firebird or LP Deluxe, neither of which are at all similar to a regular humbucker.

        Then you have stuff like the Reo Grande mini hum I had to rewind last week that’s like 20k! I think they have more sane models.

        I do a few as well wound hotter than a Deluxe but not crazy.

        The DiMarzio DP240 sounds like a versatile pickup. Also has 4/conductor wiring.


        Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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        • #5
          The only thing I can add here is that the mini-hum should become the standard Tele neck pup. I installed one for a customer and immediately ordered one for myself. (SM-3) Sweet, sweet Tele neck pup.

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          • #6
            i use an antiquity fb pup in the neck of my tele and its glorious

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            • #7
              Originally posted by ArtieToo View Post
              The only thing I can add here is that the mini-hum should become the standard Tele neck pup. I installed one for a customer and immediately ordered one for myself. (SM-3) Sweet, sweet Tele neck pup.
              That is actually a really great idea.
              Administrator of the SDUGF

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              • #8
                Originally posted by DavidRavenMoon View Post
                The “problem” with mini humbuckers is they are usually a copy of a Firebird or LP Deluxe, neither of which are at all similar to a regular humbucker.

                Then you have stuff like the Reo Grande mini hum I had to rewind last week that’s like 20k! I think they have more sane models.

                I do a few as well wound hotter than a Deluxe but not crazy.

                The DiMarzio DP240 sounds like a versatile pickup. Also has 4/conductor wiring.


                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                Rio makes the Texas mini and will even do the Buffalo if you ask them. I have a Baby BBQ in my junior now, but it was great in my Kauer Banshee, too.

                I have a DiMarzio 240 in the neck of my tele and I'm not a big fan.

                Replacement Guitar pickups for electric guitars, bass guitars and steel guitars.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by ArtieToo View Post
                  The only thing I can add here is that the mini-hum should become the standard Tele neck pup. I installed one for a customer and immediately ordered one for myself. (SM-3) Sweet, sweet Tele neck pup.
                  I've said the same for years, love minis in the neck

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                  • #10
                    A Mini-hum has been my standard issue Tele neck pickup install on my builds for probably over 20 years.
                    Well, over a HB or a P-90.
                    They are a perfect match with a Tele bridge (the normal winds).

                    But, most people for some reason don't want to hear it.
                    They're all about a HB or a P-90, which generally produces a very poor balance.
                    Which leads to compromise.
                    Compromising with pickups is never a good bet or idea, you want a great matchup, not a compromise.
                    I think most people are somewhat uninformed about mini-hums so they simply avoid them as an option.
                    Whatever...I'm not the one playing your Tele...
                    Last edited by Drak; 03-15-2021, 08:22 PM.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by ArtieToo View Post
                      The only thing I can add here is that the mini-hum should become the standard Tele neck pup. I installed one for a customer and immediately ordered one for myself. (SM-3) Sweet, sweet Tele neck pup.
                      If you have not seen them already, Ibanez recently introduced that with "AZS series". They resemble a Telecaster, but use a Seymour Duncan mini-humbucker in the neck. Specifically its called a Seymour Duncan® Magic Touch-mini™ (H) neck pickup Passive/Alnico. I'm curious to know if the magic touch mini is similar to a SM-1 or SM-3.

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                      • #12
                        Minis rule. Pick one.
                        The things that you wanted
                        I bought them for you

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Drak View Post
                          I think most people are somewhat uninformed about mini-hums so they simply avoid them as an option.
                          Me included. I saw them as some oddball little pickup for some guitar application that I didn't have. It wasn't 'til I installed one for a customer that I saw the light.

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                          • #14
                            I'm glad there's so much mini-hum enthusiasm!
                            I have a set of minis in an SG special, and the pup I'm looking for right now is, incidentally, for a tele - I'm glad to hear it's a winning recipe!

                            Originally posted by jeremy View Post
                            why 4 wire? a split mini aint great.
                            That's a totally fair position to take, but I usually get around the mosquito-y thinness of split 'bucker by using a resistor for a partial split.

                            Also, one of my favorite tones from the SG I mentioned above actually comes from splitting the bridge mini! To be fair, it sounds like absolute garbage clean, but on a high-gain setting, the thinness of the partially split mini in the bridge actually sounds like I turned on a treble booster. Its a very focused, tight, cutting high-gain tone (that is painful without gain lol)


                            __PRESENT
                            Gibson LP, Burstbucker 3 A6, 490R A4
                            Gibson LP, Pearly Gates A6, Sentient A4
                            Gibson LP BFG, Burstbucker A8, P90
                            Gibson SG special T, GFS Crunchy Mini, Gibson mini A3
                            Strat SSS, SD STK-6 , SSL1 middle, Bootstrap Sparkle Neck
                            Strat HSS hardtail, Perpetual Burn A6, Bootstrap Sparkle mid/neck
                            Tele, DMZ Area Hot T, Gibson Mini A3
                            Tele, DMZ Pegasus A2, Gibson Mini A3
                            Jackson V, SD Pegasus bridge, 490R A5
                            PRS SE CU24: Air Norton A2, 490R A3

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                            • #15
                              Believe it or not, everything you described sounds like a bridge position lil screaming demon in the neck

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