anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

[appar111]

What sort of sounds could one expect from this? I don't see too many guitars with humbuckers in the middle position. Most strat type guitars are SSS, HSS, HSH, and most try to go for a strat sounding single coil in the middle position to facilitate all those cool quacky in between tones.

Would a bucker in the middle be too far from the bridge for good crunchy leads, too far from the neck for a good clean tone?

Just trying to make this position more useful on a tele I'm building. I'd like to keep the bridge position the typical tele twang, but still be able to get a humbucker lead rock tone that's not too far off the bridge position if possible.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

Roger Hodgson (ex-Supertramp) had a HB in the centre position of one of his Stratocasters. Ry Cooder has been pictured with a guitar in which a centrally mounted HB is the only pickup. Pete Townshend added full sized HBs in the middle position of several Gibson LP Deluxe guitars.

I agree with the single coil centre PU for quack idea.

If your Tele is going to have regular T bridge and neck position pickups, I suggest either a P90 or a P-Rails positioned such that the Rail coil lies where a Stratocaster single coil would be expected to be.

 

[appar111]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

This one will have a regular T bridge (broadcaster, antiquity II, or STL-2), but a humbucker in the neck.

Hadn't thought about a P90 for the middle-- hmmm....

 

[MikeM]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

Brent Mason maybe?

 

[GrooveHT]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

If it helps, Johnny Lang uses a middle P-90 on his custom-shop teles, less quack but much beefier middle tone that he says he likes to solo on. He has a recent live album out that you might want to check out, but it sounds a lot like his first two albums were laced with similar tones.

 

[appar111]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

what sort of volume pot value should I be looking for? If I'm doing a humbucker in the neck, a tele bridge and either a P90 or single coil in the middle, would 500K be ok, and then I just put a 500K resistor on the bridge pickup (and the middle if it's needed)?

 

[jeremy]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

i have a hollow tele that has a single coil in the neck like on a strat, then a full size bucker right next to that. basically in the position a bucker would be on a 24 fret neck. then a reverse slant single coil bridge pup.

i get great sounds out of it, the bucker isnt the same as if it were closer to the neck but still very usable. id imagine that if you put the bucker as close to the bridge pup as you could youd get a good lead sound out of it. not as crunchy but fatter

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

The only 3 hummer guitar I have is an SG Custom. I kept the neck pup, replaced the middle with a P-90 and put a C8 in the bridge. This setup gives me a lot of tonal variations to choose from. The mid positioned P-90 gives very usable lead as well as rhythm tones. For the middle position, a neck model pup works better than a bridge pup (a bridge pup in the middle is too dark).

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

Does a Hot Rails count?

 

[blueman335]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

The only 3 hummer guitar I have is an SG Custom. I kept the neck pup, replaced the middle with a P-90 and put a C8 in the bridge. This setup gives me a lot of tonal variations to choose from. The mid positioned P-90 gives very usable lead as well as rhythm tones. For the middle position, a neck model pup works better than a bridge pup (a bridge pup in the middle is too dark).

Just what I did to my SG Custom, bro. Phat Cat in the middle with twin RC A4's, which have more beef than the puny stock A2's, or (scooped) A5's. C8 in the bridge and a '59N. 3 push-pulls for coil cut and phase. Now that's versatile.

Like many players, I find middle HB's to have a weak, disappointing tone, which is why almost no one followed Gibson's lead (the rest of the world went with HSS and HSH). An HB that sounds great in the neck or bridge, sounds neutered in the middle. Just doesn't line up right under the string nodes. P-90's work better. Middle HB's are like the varitone switch: good idea on paper, not so much in actual practice.

 

[appar111]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

blueman-
How does this setup sound on a tele?

neck: Dimarzio FRED (I have one in the neck pos of another alder tele and it's great!)
middle: GFS Mean 90
bridge: Dimarzio Pre B-1 or Duncan Antiquity II

This should give me a good variation of tones. I wonder if I should do a 3-way tele switch, or a 5-way strat switch?

My other option would be:

neck: FRED
middle: RW/RP SSL-1 or Dimarzio ISCV2 (RW/RP Jem middle pickup)
bridge: Duncan Ant II

This would allow for all those stratty in between tones. I don't normally go for those, but can't figure out if it's because I don't like those tones, or I just don't have a guitar capable of making them.

 

[blueman335]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

I'd use a 5-way switch myself, and of the two PU sets you're looking at, I'd go with the 'A2/Mean 90b/Fred.' You could use a push-pull to coil cut the neck & bridge HB's, so you could also do those single coil, and combine them with the middle P-90. Lots of tone options that way.

 

[108Dragon]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

I use an SD Hot Rails in the neck position on my Ibanez 540 Sabre. It isn't as sharp as the Dimebucker in the bridge, yet packs equal amounts of drive and balance. I find it works great for rythm parts and all I have to do is switch to the Dimebucker for lead work.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

Won't the Fred overpower the bridge pu like, a lot?

I have a QP bridge and it won't keep up with anything more than a PAF type. Maybe the fred isn't as hot as I'm thinking?

 

[appar111]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

Won't the Fred overpower the bridge pu like, a lot?

I have a QP bridge and it won't keep up with anything more than a PAF type. Maybe the fred isn't as hot as I'm thinking?

You'd think so, wouldn't ya?

I've found the FRED isn't that powerful at all-- 305 mV. I have one right now in the neck position with a regular Dimarzio PAF (205 mV) in the bridge and I've had to raise the FRED up quite a bit to keep up with the PAF! Same thing happened when I had a 59N in the bridge of the same guitar-- it easily overpowered the FRED in the neck.

Good thing about the Fred is that when gain is piled on, it gets tighter and brighter like a single coil, not fatter & woofier like a regular bucker. Makes it a great choice for a neck 'bucker.

 

[appar111]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

I'd use a 5-way switch myself, and of the two PU sets you're looking at, I'd go with the 'A2/Mean 90b/Fred.' You could use a push-pull to coil cut the neck & bridge HB's, so you could also do those single coil, and combine them with the middle P-90. Lots of tone options that way.

The bridge Ant II is a single coil, but I get what you're sayin'

I could do a push/pull on the volume knob to split the neck humbucker, but wouldn't really need to-- I prefer the series sound of the Fred to its split coil sound.

Only thing is that if I combined the Ant II or a split coil bucker with the P90, I wouldn't get hum cancelling in the 2 & 4 positions unless the P90 was RW/RP.

 

[wolf]

Re: anyone using a humbucker in the middle position?

If you are using two humbucking pickups that have 4 conductor cables, you already have a middle humbucker. I've got wirings for doing this on my website but you could do this with two Seymour Duncan Triple Shots.
If we label the four coils of two humbuckers (going from neck to bridge), as Coil A, B , C and D, when Coils B and C are selected you have a middle humbucker (which is hum cancelling) and you don't have to chop out a chunk of wood in your guitar.
If anyone has a guitar that has 2 humbuckers with 2 SD Triple Shots, they can get Coils B & C in parallel. Anyone out there want to make a comment?

And if I might promote my own website, here's another way how you can get the "middle humbucker" sounds (parallel and series):
http://www.1728.com/guitar6.htm