HB that sounds Tele when split?

[Sam SG]

What HB would give the most Tele bridge sound when split?
Id like to put something in my single H esquire that can give me as close as possible tele bridge tone when split.
Im thinking put a Tele 4 way mod switch in flipped around to give me Series1/front coil2/ parallel3/ back coil4 selections.

 

[Mincer]

Hmmm, it is more Strat than Tele, but it certainly is a single coil sound...check out the Stag Mag.

 

[Sam SG]

So it has A2 poles instead of a bar. Interesting. Hows it sound in full series HB mode?

 

[Mincer]

So it has A2 poles instead of a bar. Interesting. Hows it sound in full series HB mode?

To my ears, it is a little thicker when comparing to most PAF-types. The DCR is pretty high, due to the unusual construction. It also has a very usable parallel sound, too.

 

[freefrog]

I think there's a topic on TGP asking when someone will design a HB able to sound like a real single-coil when split...

And beside something like a Stag Mag, there is not much choice (well, my Tele has a gorgeous underwound SC tone once its neck HB split, but this neck HB is a CuNiFe Wide Range, with rod magnets too).

Now, there are basic things to take in account and able to make the tone more or less "fenderish" with humbuckers.

When I've a standard HB with the usual inductance (+/- 4H), I split it: it gives a 2H single coil.

When the HB involved is a hot one with a high inductance, I wire it in parallel. Again, it gives +/- 2H of final inductance if the HB is a JB, for instance.

Why these choices? Because a Fender single coil has often an inductance of at least 2H, not less (and rarely more than 3 or 3.5H, even with the hottest bridge Tele SC's. Well, granted, I've one clocking at 4H but it's an exception. So, in most situations, wiring in parallel a regular HB would make it too weak and splitting a hot HB would keep it too fat).

I remember a SH13 (!) sounding deliciously fenderish once in parallel in a guitar with Tele specs (Fender scale, alder body, bolt on neck).

Many things can be done to fine tune the tone with any other pickup, by using no-load tone controls, adapted treble bleed networks, partial split recipes, parallel low value caps to warm up the sound, parallel inductors to brighten it... but here we enter in a territory requiring the use of some lab devices to check the results.
So and to keep it simple: Fender tone from conventional HB's= split, Fender sounds from hot HB's= parallel. Should give a decent result in most cases.

FWIW (a rambling attempt to help).

 

[Sam SG]

Cool. What about like a hybrid with series/ split/ parallel switch?
I mean i do have a regular tele too. But be cool to get both outta this little axe.

 

[freefrog]

What about like a hybrid with series/ split/ parallel switch?

Personally, I don't use this option. As I said, hot HB's tend to sound too fat to mimic Fender SC's once split but they also tend to be too noisy in this case. With "normal" HB's, split is better but parallel easily becomes too thin, too weak.

Not that it can't be corrected. But it'd require additional components.

Now, the choice is yours and there are exceptions with any rule so, why not? Try series / split / parallel and let us know...

 

[marcello252]

in my opinion, with my experience, there's no chance of getting a fender SC sounds out of a standard humbucker, and I've tried almost everything.
I however had interesting results using a standard HB but with the dry switch circuit used in the old yamaha revstar , they still remain HB but they shift tonally in fender territory, that's the best I've experienced so far

https://www.premierguitar.com/mod-garage-inside-yamahas-dry-switch

 

[freefrog]

Nobody said nowhere above that Fender SC sounds could be obtained from a standard HB. My posts were about the safest ways to be the closest possible. ;-)

Now and FWIW, I've not evoked any solution based on series capacitors for a reason: series caps don't work AT ALL with some circuits (fuzz pedals, for instance). I recommend to use inductors wired in parallel instead : they have the same advantages than parallel wiring but allow to tune precisely the LR specs measured.

More about that in a topic that I've shared a while back:

Thread 'On dummy coils / inductors / chokes as tonal filters changing the voicing of pickups…'

Aug 15, 2023

On dummy coils / inductors / chokes as tonal filters changing the voicing of pickups…

I’ve been asked to develop this question. I’ll keep my contribution relatively laconic by lack of free time. thx for your understanding.


SO, it’s possible to use some dummy coil(s) / inductor(s) / choke(s) in parallel with a pickup to change its response.


What does it do?

-It lowers the overall inductance and shifts up the resonant frequency of the pickup, making the sound brighter.

-it lowers the output level. This loss is more or less important, depending on the RESISTANCE of the...

• freefrog
• Replies: 9
• Forum: The Pickup Lounge

• 

 

[marcello252]

I once tried the dummy coil option you suggested me in the case of my G&L asat equipped with MFD jumbo, I used the coil of an old chinese hb I had around dismantled, didn't like it but I recognize it worked exactly as mentioned, I've never tried with HB instead, maybe it suits much more.

(In any case I'd give a chance to the simple cap+resistor option of the dry switch, it's quick and easy, maybe it's enough for the OP)

 

[freefrog]

Admittedly, the limitation of the dummy coil option is the necessity to have a bit of lab gear to test what it does exactly: putting a coil in parallel with a pickup doesn't show the inductance and Q factor obtained so it's a shot in the dark. Now, the screenshots in my topic shared above are there to illustrate what it can do once the specs measured and mastered.

Regarding the dry switch, once again: a series cap has serious potential downsides with some circuits (and even with the onboard tone control of a guitar, if both are not wired in the proper order). That's precisely why I've took the dummy coil path and recommend it... Other musicians for whom I've mounted dummy coils are very happy of my work and most of my own instruments host dummy coils, BTW.

But if the OP wants to try a series cap and if he's happy with it, I'll be glad for him, of course. My posts were mere attempts to share some useful info and not a form of censorship.

 

[marcello252]

your posts are pure gold from a technical point of view, as I always says

 

[justFred]

What I found recently during a tele upgrade is there is a broad spectrum of tele “sounds.” Albert Collins, Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, Keith Richard’s, Jimmy Page, Brad Paisley…and that is just a small sample. Was fortunate that a buddy has a 70s tele and took that as the model. Ended up with an Antiquity II tele pup based on a recommendation from jeremy and it nailed it.

The tele sound is a nebulous thing and prolly what makes it so versatile and the choice of so many players.

 

[Sam SG]

What I found recently during a tele upgrade is there is a broad spectrum of tele “sounds.” Albert Collins, Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, Keith Richard’s, Jimmy Page, Brad Paisley…and that is just a small sample. Was fortunate that a buddy has a 70s tele and took that as the model. Ended up with an Antiquity II tele pup based on a recommendation from jeremy and it nailed it.

The tele sound is a nebulous thing and prolly what makes it so versatile and the choice of so many players.

Yea im not a big tele guy that I have a defined "tele sound" in mind. Just as long as its spanky and does that thing teles do

 

[Securb]

Tele is such its own animal. This is the closest I can get to a Tele with my rig, forgive the playing I am not a country picker

 

[Sam SG]

Peavey classic 30? I love those Tweed classics very bluesy and sweet.

 

[Securb]

Peavey classic 30? I love those Tweed classics very bluesy and sweet.

Yes but no. Same guitar direct in again.

 

[Mincer]

I think Fender was trying for the '2 singles wired like a humbucker' thing with their Lace Sensors in the 90s. I wasn't sold on either sound, however.