HaxorMachine
New member
I've got a broken Custom that I obtained to make a hybrid (intent was JB/Custom hybrid, but I'm kinda digging the JB in my MIM strat right now). I disassembled the Custom and unwound the dead coil to see if I could perhaps 'fix' the coil and end up with a mismatched pair of Custom coils. No luck there with taking off top 2 layers of outer wire, so break/short is prob on the inner wire.
I have a Duncan Performer BuckShot neck pickup (HB103N) I got years ago for another guitar and recently tried this in the bridge of my '02 MIM strat just to test (didn't have my JB yet and used it for cutting pickguard/fitment - result: low output, better sound than I anticipated, but way too bright in alder strat..likely due to the ceramic?). I decided it might be an interesting/alternative hybrid donor for my one good Custom coil, so I disassembled it to see....
These HB103's are supposed to be Duncan Distortion based, but I was curious how it's actually configured. Here's some notes from disassembling the HB103N and comparing to the broken Custom (older version - no Seymour Duncan logo on front):
HB103N (Buck Shot Neck) DC resistance thru 4-wire hookup leads:
screw coil: 3.90Kohms
slug coil: 3.85Kohms
series combined: 7.79Kohms
From those numbers this is a low output humbucker and would be a massively underwound 44g if Distortion based.....
1 - Even this neck version appears to be trem spaced
2 - Short leg base plate looks similar to Custom, but has screw holes in base plate for both slug and screw coils (custom only has holes for screw coil).
3 - The pickup has a huge dose of wax potting under coil tape and inside base plate.
4 - Both coils are wrapped in black tape, with a conductive copper-colored foil tape under that ( with a soldered wire connecting the conductive tape between two coils) and more black tape under that.
5 - Magnet looks like ceramic (non-conductive) and appears to be similar size/strength to Custom ceramic
6 - Slug coil spacer is plastic and lightly glued to bottom of bobbin (My custom is wood spacer and not attached to bobbin).
7 - I removed the tape, foil cover, more tape and this bobbin actually looks equal or fuller than the Custom. Wire is copper colored and looks like thicker gauge than the reddish Custom wire - I'm guessing this is a 42g instead of underwound 44g (Distortion) or 43g (Custom).
So - my un-educated take is coils are more in DC resistance range of 59/PAF, bobbins appear moderately full with something more like 42g wire, and this doesn't look like the larger Distortion ceramic mag. Doesn't look Distortion based at all to me - looks like it's prob based on 59 with a ceramic mag. This may make a better hybrid donor than I originally thought.
Aside from this not looking like an underwound 44g Distortion, I'd guess the folks that can hear a tone diff with Duncan Designeds/Performers are prob hearing all the excessive potting, copper shielding over coils, more holes in baseplate (less metal/material) and perhaps the plastic spacer/glue under the bobbin?
More later after I hybridize with Custom screw coil/Custom base and put this in my strat with either A2 or A5 mag.
I have a Duncan Performer BuckShot neck pickup (HB103N) I got years ago for another guitar and recently tried this in the bridge of my '02 MIM strat just to test (didn't have my JB yet and used it for cutting pickguard/fitment - result: low output, better sound than I anticipated, but way too bright in alder strat..likely due to the ceramic?). I decided it might be an interesting/alternative hybrid donor for my one good Custom coil, so I disassembled it to see....
These HB103's are supposed to be Duncan Distortion based, but I was curious how it's actually configured. Here's some notes from disassembling the HB103N and comparing to the broken Custom (older version - no Seymour Duncan logo on front):
HB103N (Buck Shot Neck) DC resistance thru 4-wire hookup leads:
screw coil: 3.90Kohms
slug coil: 3.85Kohms
series combined: 7.79Kohms
From those numbers this is a low output humbucker and would be a massively underwound 44g if Distortion based.....
1 - Even this neck version appears to be trem spaced
2 - Short leg base plate looks similar to Custom, but has screw holes in base plate for both slug and screw coils (custom only has holes for screw coil).
3 - The pickup has a huge dose of wax potting under coil tape and inside base plate.
4 - Both coils are wrapped in black tape, with a conductive copper-colored foil tape under that ( with a soldered wire connecting the conductive tape between two coils) and more black tape under that.
5 - Magnet looks like ceramic (non-conductive) and appears to be similar size/strength to Custom ceramic
6 - Slug coil spacer is plastic and lightly glued to bottom of bobbin (My custom is wood spacer and not attached to bobbin).
7 - I removed the tape, foil cover, more tape and this bobbin actually looks equal or fuller than the Custom. Wire is copper colored and looks like thicker gauge than the reddish Custom wire - I'm guessing this is a 42g instead of underwound 44g (Distortion) or 43g (Custom).
So - my un-educated take is coils are more in DC resistance range of 59/PAF, bobbins appear moderately full with something more like 42g wire, and this doesn't look like the larger Distortion ceramic mag. Doesn't look Distortion based at all to me - looks like it's prob based on 59 with a ceramic mag. This may make a better hybrid donor than I originally thought.
Aside from this not looking like an underwound 44g Distortion, I'd guess the folks that can hear a tone diff with Duncan Designeds/Performers are prob hearing all the excessive potting, copper shielding over coils, more holes in baseplate (less metal/material) and perhaps the plastic spacer/glue under the bobbin?
More later after I hybridize with Custom screw coil/Custom base and put this in my strat with either A2 or A5 mag.
