Any reason for the resistance different in my 4 Invaders?

INJUNTOM

New member
I have 4 Invaders, that read 16.72k for an older white one that looks to have been around a while, 16.81 for a new black one, and then 15.78 and 15.52 for newer black ones I picked up used but basically new. I haven't installed the last one yet, but definitely the white one sounds hotter than the others, but it is in a guitar with one pickup, and no tine control.
 
Re: Any reason for the resistance different in my 4 Invaders?

Extra mojo and love in the older ones.
Thank MJ
 
Re: Any reason for the resistance different in my 4 Invaders?

There can be as much as a 5-10% tolerance in the resistance measurements in humbuckers. Therefore an Invader with a listed resistance of 16.8K ohms could actually be anywhere between 15.1K and 18.4K (10%), or 15.9K and 17.6K (5%).
 
Re: Any reason for the resistance different in my 4 Invaders?

Wire tension can affect K rating. You can have the same turns of wire but with a lower tension and the K reads lower. It is certainly common knowledge that nothing on earth that is made now or anytime in the future can ever be perfectly identical. Tolerance shows the normal range of fluctuation for the machines which are used - some of the winding machines at duncan were first used in the 50's.
 
Re: Any reason for the resistance different in my 4 Invaders?

Thanks for the replies guys. I would expect some variance, but most Duncans I've had were pretty consistant. I have to say that the black one that reads the highest doesn't sound the hottest either. I also realize there are some differences due to wood and due to pots. The white one is in a 2011 Gibson SG Melody Maker that I believe is maple rather than the Mohogany of the '14 Gibson SGJ that the highest reading black one in it. It also has factory Gibson pots and wiring as well as caps, etc that are actually out of my '04 Gibson SG Special. I plan to rewire it soon with 500k pots and thinking of not using caps since the MM sounds so good and only has a 500k vol pot, no tone and of course no cap.
 
Re: Any reason for the resistance different in my 4 Invaders?

don't they make the pickups with a machine where they know exactly the tension and the turns of the wire?
 
Re: Any reason for the resistance different in my 4 Invaders?

Look at the "Custom" series of pups. They all list different DCR's, yet we know them to be the same coils with different magnets.
 
Re: Any reason for the resistance different in my 4 Invaders?

don't they make the pickups with a machine where they know exactly the tension and the turns of the wire?

Yes the do... the biggest reason for variation from one to another isnt as much the tension (it has a small effect) but that the wire isnt 100% perfect diameter along its length. In fact the wire that SD purchases is made to +/-5% specifications which is where SD gets the same amount of variation for their DC resistance.
 
Re: Any reason for the resistance different in my 4 Invaders?

There can be as much as a 5-10% tolerance in the resistance measurements in humbuckers. Therefore an Invader with a listed resistance of 16.8K ohms could actually be anywhere between 15.1K and 18.4K (10%), or 15.9K and 17.6K (5%).

+1. It's impossible to winds PU's exactly the same, due to minute differences in winding patterns and tensions. They can vary a lot.

Plus, resistance changes with the temp; higher with warmer temps; another reason why you may not come up with the published figures.
 
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