dummy coil

Baltar

Baltar

New member
is anyone using a dummy coil in his/her strat?
i'd like to try this on my next guitar.
if i understand correctly, i just need to remove the polepieces of
an old unused singlecoil and connect it reverse poled.
i've read a 10nF in parallel is useful to compensate treble loss.
any experience on that topic?

cheers, B
 
Re: dummy coil

One of the Fender MIM Deluxe Stratocasters works this way. The dummy coil is mounted beneath the scratchplate, between the control pots. The schematic diagram and parts list are on the Fender Mr Gearhead web pages.
 
Re: dummy coil

The dummy "pickup" on the Fender RB sig Strat is not a pickup at all. It is little more than a pickup cover to occupy the gap in the pickguard for the centre pickup (for which Blackmore has no use).

The thread starter is interested in creating a noise-cancelling effect on an S-S-S Stratocaster.
 
Re: dummy coil

I would just knock the magnet off the bottom of a cheap OEM pickup, like a Squire.
 
Re: dummy coil

What it is is a small coil that's wound opposite with the three pickups (middle isn't RW/RP). Usually very thin, and only wound to 2 or 3k. It's wired up so that when you're in every pickup selection, it's activated to knock out all the noise. It's a good idea in theory, but so far it's been pretty hard to execute correctly. If I was an amazing end result, then almost everyone would be doing it.
 
Re: dummy coil

Funkfingers said:
One of the Fender MIM Deluxe Stratocasters works this way. The dummy coil is mounted beneath the scratchplate, between the control pots. The schematic diagram and parts list are on the Fender Mr Gearhead web pages.
Click to expand...

thanks for the hint, found it ... the name is deluxe powerhouse strat

idsnowdog said:
I would just knock the magnet off the bottom of a cheap OEM pickup, like a Squire.
Click to expand...

that's the way i am goin to try it. i took some cheapo sc and removed
the magnet and the polepieces. it reads 7k, so i propably have to wind it
down at least to 6,3k like the antiquity surfers.

beandip said:
What it is is a small coil that's wound opposite with the three pickups (middle isn't RW/RP). Usually very thin, and only wound to 2 or 3k. It's wired up so that when you're in every pickup selection, it's activated to knock out all the noise. It's a good idea in theory, but so far it's been pretty hard to execute correctly. If I was an amazing end result, then almost everyone would be doing it.
Click to expand...

interesting 2 or 3k ?
i read a blog of someone who reported, that every guitar has it's own
perfect quiet spot of placing the dummy coil. i'm curious about my future
findings. theoretically (including some body work), there are only 4 places
to put a sc-sized dummy coil - between neck and middle pu, between m and b, between the controls and below the pickguard (if you rout a cavitiy,
where the tbx pcb if present is normally located)

cheers, B
 
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Re: dummy coil

Didn't the gibson blues hawk work this way?

I always wanted to know how that worked.

beandip said:
What it is is a small coil that's wound opposite with the three pickups (middle isn't RW/RP). Usually very thin, and only wound to 2 or 3k. It's wired up so that when you're in every pickup selection, it's activated to knock out all the noise. It's a good idea in theory, but so far it's been pretty hard to execute correctly. If I was an amazing end result, then almost everyone would be doing it.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't it just be easier and more effective to by some stacked pickups?
 
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Re: dummy coil

ericmeyer4 said:
Wouldn't it just be easier and more effective to by some stacked pickups?
Click to expand...

is there any stacked pickup, that sounds like an antiquity surfer?

i did a proof of concept yesterday.
... took an cheapo sc, removed mag and polepieces and mounted it below an
ssl-1 equiped scratchplate. a halogen lamp psu turned out to be a good hum source,
placed it next to the testee.
i connected the bridge-ssl1 to my harvard reverb and dialed in a volume that
was anoying. when switching the dummy coil in parallel, it reduced about 90%
hum .. wow :naughty:
2bcontinued
 
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Re: dummy coil

That sounds great Baltar, so it works like a Suhr BPSSC for a lot less money?
 
Re: dummy coil

Baltar said:
is anyone using a dummy coil in his/her strat?
i'd like to try this on my next guitar.
if i understand correctly, i just need to remove the polepieces of
an old unused singlecoil and connect it reverse poled.
i've read a 10nF in parallel is useful to compensate treble loss.
any experience on that topic?

cheers, B
Click to expand...

If the extra coil is far enough away from the strings you don't have to remove the magnets. Pushing the magnets out of a Strat pickup will probably break the wire.

The blind coils change impedance and resistance and capacitance which shift the resonance peak all over the palace. You can put it in series or parallel, if you do parallel it'll get thinner.

Compensating with a lame 3dB filter won't get you anywhere close to the original sound. This isn't just a low-steepness curve EQ question, it's a peak that got shifted around.

%%

I always wondered whether you can solve the problem by using 3 blind coils so that you end up with a parallel and series network. That should get most of the electrical properties back on track.
 
Re: dummy coil

i spent some days now, modified two guitars, tried 2 different pickups to mod,
used 3 different schematics ..... and gave up

beandip is right. i guess the change in fr is the key to the problem. it just sounds different

dummy coils do reduce hum quite well, but sabotage the fragile harmonics that make strats so special.

however it was a fun project and worth a try. if anybody is interested, feel free to contact me for schematics hints

does anyone have experience on the suhr kit?
 
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Re: dummy coil

Baltar said:
does anyone have experience on the suhr kit?
Click to expand...


Yes, someone does but I don't remember who it is. They are obviously not following this thread. I suggest that you do a search (which can be tedious) or start a new thread to get him or her to come forward.
 
Re: dummy coil

i was looking at trying the Shur kit but it is not cheap...

i've tried various Noiseless PU's and sheilding... My Custom Shop Strat is sheilded really well..... still lets noise thru... Most of the Noiseless Strat PU's i've tried are also not true enough sounding for a great strat sound... there is magic being lost in there when they remove the hum... it's like the magic between audio LP's and CD's... LP's sound better but CD's are quieter/less noisey...

i love stock strats and have a few nice ones...

For Hard Rock i could honestly use a Stock MIM Strat for the rest of my life even if i have way better guitars in my collection... those cheap Cermic PU's in those are amazing to me under higher gain settings... something alive about them... but if someone had a way i could set up some MIM Strats to be noise free with those stock PU's i'd be a happy camper...

for a few of my Club axes i use some MIM strats with a Duncan Lil 59 in the bridge and stock middle and necks... might as well use a full blown Humbucker in the bridge for the less noise route until they come up with something better...
 
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