Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

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Whammy

New member
Now first off I am not using DC Resistance as a reference for output.

I have noticed that a lot of bridge pickups that I tend to like are Ceramic with DC Resistance values under 13k.
Granted there are pickups that fall outside these parameters that I like. But whenever I try a pickup around those values, generally I really like the pick responsiveness, tightness and feel of the pickup.

Good examples would be:
Bareknuckle Black Hawk - 8k (42 awg)
Lundgren M6 - around 12k, depending on who you ask.
DiMarzio Crunch Lab - 11k

And as a result I am interested in checking out Tom Anderson's H2 & Schecter's Supercharger Mach-6.

Obviously the wind (probably the most important factor, no?) and other variables go into building the bigger picture of the pickup.
But I'm just wondering why generally you see ceramic magnets and high dc values go hand in hand?

Would anyone else be interested in a ceramic with lower than normal dc levels?
I'd love to see Seymour Duncan attempt a pickup like that, built for the bridge position.
Sticking a ceramic in a low dc alnico pickup can create unwanted results as the wind is designed for the original magnet.
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

The SH-6N neck used to be called an SH-7 and pretty much fits your bill here. ~13K with a ceramic magnet. Problem is trying to get a trembucker version if you need a trembucker.
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

There's lots of cheap, vintage output pickups with ceramic magnets.

To me they sound harsh and edgey. Or harsh and glassy.

Overwinding the coils, as in a Duncan Custom, seems to mitigate some of that harsh sizzle imparted by a ceramic magnet.

The 19K PRS Dragon is another good one.

But it seems to me that if a ceramic magnet is in a vintage output pickup that the tone is usually kind of unpleasant.
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

Zacker said:
The SH-6N neck used to be called an SH-7 and pretty much fits your bill here. ~13K with a ceramic magnet. Problem is trying to get a trembucker version if you need a trembucker.
Click to expand...

Actually that sounds really interesting. But yes, I would need a trembucker version.

Just checked for any sh-7's on ebay. Was it really called the "Seymourizer II"?



Lewguitar said:
There's lots of cheap, vintage output pickups with ceramic magnets.

To me they sound harsh and edgey. Or harsh and glassy.

Overwinding the coils, as in a Duncan Custom, seems to mitigate some of that harsh sizzle imparted by a ceramic magnet.

The 19K PRS Dragon is another good one.

But it seems to me that if a ceramic magnet is in a vintage output pickup that the tone is usually kind of unpleasant.
Click to expand...


Completely agree on the vintage style + ceramic magnet.
All the examples I gave with lower dc levels and ceramic magnets are more modern/contemporary in sound and wind.
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

A lot of the issues with thin wire and lots of it tend to be overcome with the ceramic mag. Also it being very strong fits right in with the wind philosophy.

Lower winds tend to already have the right elements, so unless care is taken with design, then a huge mismatch can occur. A good example are the G&L MFD design. Low string pull and balanced tone, but low K reading.
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

Funny enough, I don't think the Crunch Lab is a typical example of what I'd expect a low DCR + Ceramic Mag pickup to be like. To me, it's not bright nor agressive-sounding, nor is it THAT open-sounding either. Quite the contrary. It's got tons of stuffy, bloated low mids. JMO.
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

Whammy said:
Actually that sounds really interesting. But yes, I would need a trembucker version.

Just checked for any sh-7's on ebay. Was it really called the "Seymourizer II"?
Click to expand...


Yep! The SH-6n is the same pickup, by the way.

Duncan stopped making the "Seymourizer" back in the '80s. It's now called the "Distortion Neck" model, but it was originally designed as a bridge pickup.

Unfortunately, neither the SH-6n or the SH-7 "Seymourizer" are trem-spaced. You'd have to contact Duncan to see if they can make you a "shop floor custom" in Trembucker format. If you do, ask for the screw coil to be on the bridge side, so you don't have to flip it around :)
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

By the way, the SH-6n/SH-7 is really tight and bright in the bridge with good punch.

Also, don't get hung up on the DC resistance. That's a rookie mistake! There's very little similarity between the Crunch Lab, the Blackhawk, the Distortion Neck/Seymourizer, etc, other than they all have Ceramic mags at their core...
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

masta' c said:
Also, don't get hung up on the DC resistance. That's a rookie mistake!
Click to expand...

My 8.8k Duncan CS PGb has about the same output as my 12k PRS Dragon II.

I can switch guitars and not have to change the volume setting on my amp much at all...if at all.
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

I have a Dimarzio PAF with a ceramic magnet and it sounds great.
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

Try the Jackson J-50BC. About 8.5K. The secret of EVH's tone.
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

Doesn't the SH-6n have a double thick ceramic?

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

I don't think it is a recipe you see a lot as it isn't really a great tone. Cheaper humbuckers may use ceramics, but they simply don't sound great with low winds. They eliminate all the great things that an A2 or A5 magnet brings to the table on those winds.
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

As I recall, D-ACTIVATORS have ~11k wind with ceramics.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

DiMarzio has built an empire on ceramic mags and non-conventional winds.
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

I've liked A8 in a PAF type wind for strong output in bridge position. Haven't tried ceramic, but I remember seeing a post from somebody who had put a ceramic in their Duncan 59b and really liked it- as I remember, he called it a firebreathing monster.
 
Re: Ceramic Humbucker & Low DC (under 13k)

eclecticsynergy said:
I've liked A8 in a PAF type wind for strong output in bridge position. Haven't tried ceramic, but I remember seeing a post from somebody who had put a ceramic in their Duncan 59b and really liked it- as I remember, he called it a firebreathing monster.
Click to expand...

Same here : A8 in Screaming Demon and Jazz neck .
 
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